used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Beyond a hasty greeting as Rand passed the threshold, he did not speak until they were seated in the gunroom upstairs.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "And how much would an investigation cost me?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Gresham must have been waiting inside the door; as soon as Rand came up onto the porch, he opened it, and motioned the detective inside.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Gresham must have been waiting inside the door; as soon as Rand came up onto the porch, he opened it, and motioned the detective inside.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Jeff, can you spare the time from this work you're doing at the Flemings' to investigate this Rivers business?" he asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Jeff, can you spare the time from this work you're doing at the Flemings' to investigate this Rivers business?" he asked.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Gresham must have been waiting inside the door; as soon as Rand came up onto the porch, he opened it, and motioned the detective inside.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading Beyond a hasty greeting as Rand passed the threshold, he did not speak until they were seated in the gunroom upstairs.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading "Jeff, can you spare the time from this work you're doing at the Flemings' to investigate this Rivers business?" he asked.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Gresham must have been waiting inside the door; as soon as Rand came up onto the porch, he opened it, and motioned the detective inside.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Jeff, can you spare the time from this work you're doing at the Flemings' to investigate this Rivers business?" he asked.
the total spent for goods or services including money and time and labor
From this reading "And how much would an investigation cost me?
detectivenounUS /dɪˈtektɪv/
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading Gresham must have been waiting inside the door; as soon as Rand came up onto the porch, he opened it, and motioned the detective inside.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Beyond a hasty greeting as Rand passed the threshold, he did not speak until they were seated in the gunroom upstairs.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading "Jeff, can you spare the time from this work you're doing at the Flemings' to investigate this Rivers business?" he asked.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Gresham must have been waiting inside the door; as soon as Rand came up onto the porch, he opened it, and motioned the detective inside.
FlemingsnounUS /ˈflemɪŋz/
plural of “fleming” — British writer famous for writing spy novels about secret agent James Bond (1908-1964)
From this reading "Jeff, can you spare the time from this work you're doing at the Flemings' to investigate this Rivers business?" he asked.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Jeff, can you spare the time from this work you're doing at the Flemings' to investigate this Rivers business?" he asked.
greetingnounUS /ˈɡriːtɪŋ/
(usually plural) an acknowledgment or expression of good will (especially on meeting)
From this reading Beyond a hasty greeting as Rand passed the threshold, he did not speak until they were seated in the gunroom upstairs.
GreshamnounUS /ˈɡreʃəm/
English financier (1519-1579)
From this reading Gresham must have been waiting inside the door; as soon as Rand came up onto the porch, he opened it, and motioned the detective inside.
gunroom
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Beyond a hasty greeting as Rand passed the threshold, he did not speak until they were seated in the gunroom upstairs.
hastyadjectiveUS /ˈheɪsti/
excessively quick
From this reading Beyond a hasty greeting as Rand passed the threshold, he did not speak until they were seated in the gunroom upstairs.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Gresham must have been waiting inside the door; as soon as Rand came up onto the porch, he opened it, and motioned the detective inside.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Gresham must have been waiting inside the door; as soon as Rand came up onto the porch, he opened it, and motioned the detective inside.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And how much would an investigation cost me?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Beyond a hasty greeting as Rand passed the threshold, he did not speak until they were seated in the gunroom upstairs.
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading Gresham must have been waiting inside the door; as soon as Rand came up onto the porch, he opened it, and motioned the detective inside.
investigateverbUS /ˌɪnˈvestəɡeɪt/
investigate scientifically
From this reading "Jeff, can you spare the time from this work you're doing at the Flemings' to investigate this Rivers business?" he asked.
investigationnounUS /ˌɪnvestəˈɡeɪʃən/
an inquiry into unfamiliar or questionable activities
From this reading "And how much would an investigation cost me?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Gresham must have been waiting inside the door; as soon as Rand came up onto the porch, he opened it, and motioned the detective inside.
Jeff
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Jeff, can you spare the time from this work you're doing at the Flemings' to investigate this Rivers business?" he asked.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "And how much would an investigation cost me?
motionedverbUS /ˈmoʊʃənd/
past form of “motion” — show, express or direct through movement
From this reading Gresham must have been waiting inside the door; as soon as Rand came up onto the porch, he opened it, and motioned the detective inside.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "And how much would an investigation cost me?
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Gresham must have been waiting inside the door; as soon as Rand came up onto the porch, he opened it, and motioned the detective inside.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Beyond a hasty greeting as Rand passed the threshold, he did not speak until they were seated in the gunroom upstairs.
ontoprepositionUS /ˈɑːntuː/
moving to a position on a surface
From this reading Gresham must have been waiting inside the door; as soon as Rand came up onto the porch, he opened it, and motioned the detective inside.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Gresham must have been waiting inside the door; as soon as Rand came up onto the porch, he opened it, and motioned the detective inside.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Beyond a hasty greeting as Rand passed the threshold, he did not speak until they were seated in the gunroom upstairs.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading Then he came straight to the point.
porchnounUS /pɔːrtʃ/
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading Gresham must have been waiting inside the door; as soon as Rand came up onto the porch, he opened it, and motioned the detective inside.
RandnounUS /rænd/
the basic unit of money in South Africa; equal to 100 cents
From this reading Gresham must have been waiting inside the door; as soon as Rand came up onto the porch, he opened it, and motioned the detective inside.
RiversnounUS /ˈrɪvərz/
plural of “river” — a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading "Jeff, can you spare the time from this work you're doing at the Flemings' to investigate this Rivers business?" he asked.
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading Beyond a hasty greeting as Rand passed the threshold, he did not speak until they were seated in the gunroom upstairs.
in the near future
From this reading Gresham must have been waiting inside the door; as soon as Rand came up onto the porch, he opened it, and motioned the detective inside.
refrain from harming
From this reading "Jeff, can you spare the time from this work you're doing at the Flemings' to investigate this Rivers business?" he asked.
express in speech
From this reading Beyond a hasty greeting as Rand passed the threshold, he did not speak until they were seated in the gunroom upstairs.
successive (without a break)
From this reading Then he came straight to the point.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Gresham must have been waiting inside the door; as soon as Rand came up onto the porch, he opened it, and motioned the detective inside.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he came straight to the point.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Beyond a hasty greeting as Rand passed the threshold, he did not speak until they were seated in the gunroom upstairs.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Jeff, can you spare the time from this work you're doing at the Flemings' to investigate this Rivers business?" he asked.
thresholdnounUS /ˈθreʃoʊld/
the starting point for a new state or experience
From this reading Beyond a hasty greeting as Rand passed the threshold, he did not speak until they were seated in the gunroom upstairs.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "Jeff, can you spare the time from this work you're doing at the Flemings' to investigate this Rivers business?" he asked.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then he came straight to the point.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading Beyond a hasty greeting as Rand passed the threshold, he did not speak until they were seated in the gunroom upstairs.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Gresham must have been waiting inside the door; as soon as Rand came up onto the porch, he opened it, and motioned the detective inside.
on a floor above
From this reading Beyond a hasty greeting as Rand passed the threshold, he did not speak until they were seated in the gunroom upstairs.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading Gresham must have been waiting inside the door; as soon as Rand came up onto the porch, he opened it, and motioned the detective inside.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Beyond a hasty greeting as Rand passed the threshold, he did not speak until they were seated in the gunroom upstairs.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading "Jeff, can you spare the time from this work you're doing at the Flemings' to investigate this Rivers business?" he asked.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "And how much would an investigation cost me?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Jeff, can you spare the time from this work you're doing at the Flemings' to investigate this Rivers business?" he asked.
you're
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Jeff, can you spare the time from this work you're doing at the Flemings' to investigate this Rivers business?" he asked.
