used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It has been my fortune to be associated all my life with a problem—a hard, perplexing, but important problem.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading I did not like to admit, even to myself, that I felt this way about the matter, because it seemed to me an indication of weakness and cowardice for any man to complain about the condition he was born to.
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading I did not like to admit, even to myself, that I felt this way about the matter, because it seemed to me an indication of weakness and cowardice for any man to complain about the condition he was born to.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading It has been my fortune to be associated all my life with a problem—a hard, perplexing, but important problem.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It seemed to me a great hardship that I was born poor, and it seemed an even greater hardship that I should have been born a Negro.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It seemed to me a great hardship that I was born poor, and it seemed an even greater hardship that I should have been born a Negro.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading I did not like to admit, even to myself, that I felt this way about the matter, because it seemed to me an indication of weakness and cowardice for any man to complain about the condition he was born to.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading There was a time when I looked upon this fact as a great misfortune.
associatedverbUS /əˈsoʊsieɪtɪd/
past form of “associate” — make a logical or causal connection
From this reading It has been my fortune to be associated all my life with a problem—a hard, perplexing, but important problem.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It has been my fortune to be associated all my life with a problem—a hard, perplexing, but important problem.
for the reason that
From this reading I did not like to admit, even to myself, that I felt this way about the matter, because it seemed to me an indication of weakness and cowardice for any man to complain about the condition he was born to.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It has been my fortune to be associated all my life with a problem—a hard, perplexing, but important problem.
brought into existence
From this reading It seemed to me a great hardship that I was born poor, and it seemed an even greater hardship that I should have been born a Negro.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It has been my fortune to be associated all my life with a problem—a hard, perplexing, but important problem.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Later I came to the conclusion that it was not only weak and cowardly, but that it was a mistake to think of the matter in the way in which I had done.
complainverbUS /kəmˈpleɪn/
express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness
From this reading I did not like to admit, even to myself, that I felt this way about the matter, because it seemed to me an indication of weakness and cowardice for any man to complain about the condition he was born to.
a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration
From this reading Later I came to the conclusion that it was not only weak and cowardly, but that it was a mistake to think of the matter in the way in which I had done.
a state at a particular time
From this reading I did not like to admit, even to myself, that I felt this way about the matter, because it seemed to me an indication of weakness and cowardice for any man to complain about the condition he was born to.
cowardicenounUS /ˈkaʊərdəs/
the trait of lacking courage
From this reading I did not like to admit, even to myself, that I felt this way about the matter, because it seemed to me an indication of weakness and cowardice for any man to complain about the condition he was born to.
cowardlyadjectiveUS /ˈkaʊərdli/
lacking courage; ignobly timid and faint-hearted
From this reading Later I came to the conclusion that it was not only weak and cowardly, but that it was a mistake to think of the matter in the way in which I had done.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading I did not like to admit, even to myself, that I felt this way about the matter, because it seemed to me an indication of weakness and cowardice for any man to complain about the condition he was born to.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading Later I came to the conclusion that it was not only weak and cowardly, but that it was a mistake to think of the matter in the way in which I had done.
divisible by two
From this reading It seemed to me a great hardship that I was born poor, and it seemed an even greater hardship that I should have been born a Negro.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading There was a time when I looked upon this fact as a great misfortune.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading I did not like to admit, even to myself, that I felt this way about the matter, because it seemed to me an indication of weakness and cowardice for any man to complain about the condition he was born to.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I did not like to admit, even to myself, that I felt this way about the matter, because it seemed to me an indication of weakness and cowardice for any man to complain about the condition he was born to.
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading It has been my fortune to be associated all my life with a problem—a hard, perplexing, but important problem.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading There was a time when I looked upon this fact as a great misfortune.
greater in size or importance or degree
From this reading It seemed to me a great hardship that I was born poor, and it seemed an even greater hardship that I should have been born a Negro.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Later I came to the conclusion that it was not only weak and cowardly, but that it was a mistake to think of the matter in the way in which I had done.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading It has been my fortune to be associated all my life with a problem—a hard, perplexing, but important problem.
hardshipnounUS /ˈhɑːrdʃɪp/
a state of misfortune or affliction
From this reading It seemed to me a great hardship that I was born poor, and it seemed an even greater hardship that I should have been born a Negro.
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It has been my fortune to be associated all my life with a problem—a hard, perplexing, but important problem.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It seemed to me a great hardship that I was born poor, and it seemed an even greater hardship that I should have been born a Negro.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I did not like to admit, even to myself, that I felt this way about the matter, because it seemed to me an indication of weakness and cowardice for any man to complain about the condition he was born to.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading There was a time when I looked upon this fact as a great misfortune.
of great significance or value
From this reading It has been my fortune to be associated all my life with a problem—a hard, perplexing, but important problem.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Later I came to the conclusion that it was not only weak and cowardly, but that it was a mistake to think of the matter in the way in which I had done.
indicationnounUS /ˌɪndəˈkeɪʃən/
something that serves to indicate or suggest
From this reading I did not like to admit, even to myself, that I felt this way about the matter, because it seemed to me an indication of weakness and cowardice for any man to complain about the condition he was born to.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It has been my fortune to be associated all my life with a problem—a hard, perplexing, but important problem.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Later I came to the conclusion that it was not only weak and cowardly, but that it was a mistake to think of the matter in the way in which I had done.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading It has been my fortune to be associated all my life with a problem—a hard, perplexing, but important problem.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I did not like to admit, even to myself, that I felt this way about the matter, because it seemed to me an indication of weakness and cowardice for any man to complain about the condition he was born to.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading There was a time when I looked upon this fact as a great misfortune.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading I did not like to admit, even to myself, that I felt this way about the matter, because it seemed to me an indication of weakness and cowardice for any man to complain about the condition he was born to.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading I did not like to admit, even to myself, that I felt this way about the matter, because it seemed to me an indication of weakness and cowardice for any man to complain about the condition he was born to.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It seemed to me a great hardship that I was born poor, and it seemed an even greater hardship that I should have been born a Negro.
misfortunenounUS /mɪˈsfɔːrtʃən/
unnecessary and unforeseen trouble resulting from an unfortunate event
From this reading There was a time when I looked upon this fact as a great misfortune.
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading Later I came to the conclusion that it was not only weak and cowardly, but that it was a mistake to think of the matter in the way in which I had done.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading It has been my fortune to be associated all my life with a problem—a hard, perplexing, but important problem.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I did not like to admit, even to myself, that I felt this way about the matter, because it seemed to me an indication of weakness and cowardice for any man to complain about the condition he was born to.
NegronounUS /ˈniːɡroʊ/
a person with African ancestry, "Negro" and "Negroid" are archaic and pejorative today
From this reading It seemed to me a great hardship that I was born poor, and it seemed an even greater hardship that I should have been born a Negro.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I did not like to admit, even to myself, that I felt this way about the matter, because it seemed to me an indication of weakness and cowardice for any man to complain about the condition he was born to.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I did not like to admit, even to myself, that I felt this way about the matter, because it seemed to me an indication of weakness and cowardice for any man to complain about the condition he was born to.
and nothing more
From this reading Later I came to the conclusion that it was not only weak and cowardly, but that it was a mistake to think of the matter in the way in which I had done.
perplexingadjectiveUS /pərˈpleksɪŋ/
lacking clarity of meaning; causing confusion or perplexity
From this reading It has been my fortune to be associated all my life with a problem—a hard, perplexing, but important problem.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading It seemed to me a great hardship that I was born poor, and it seemed an even greater hardship that I should have been born a Negro.
a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved
From this reading It has been my fortune to be associated all my life with a problem—a hard, perplexing, but important problem.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed to me a great hardship that I was born poor, and it seemed an even greater hardship that I should have been born a Negro.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading It seemed to me a great hardship that I was born poor, and it seemed an even greater hardship that I should have been born a Negro.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It seemed to me a great hardship that I was born poor, and it seemed an even greater hardship that I should have been born a Negro.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I did not like to admit, even to myself, that I felt this way about the matter, because it seemed to me an indication of weakness and cowardice for any man to complain about the condition he was born to.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a time when I looked upon this fact as a great misfortune.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Later I came to the conclusion that it was not only weak and cowardly, but that it was a mistake to think of the matter in the way in which I had done.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading There was a time when I looked upon this fact as a great misfortune.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading There was a time when I looked upon this fact as a great misfortune.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It has been my fortune to be associated all my life with a problem—a hard, perplexing, but important problem.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading There was a time when I looked upon this fact as a great misfortune.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a time when I looked upon this fact as a great misfortune.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading I did not like to admit, even to myself, that I felt this way about the matter, because it seemed to me an indication of weakness and cowardice for any man to complain about the condition he was born to.
wanting in physical strength
From this reading Later I came to the conclusion that it was not only weak and cowardly, but that it was a mistake to think of the matter in the way in which I had done.
a flaw or weak point
From this reading I did not like to admit, even to myself, that I felt this way about the matter, because it seemed to me an indication of weakness and cowardice for any man to complain about the condition he was born to.
at the time that
From this reading There was a time when I looked upon this fact as a great misfortune.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Later I came to the conclusion that it was not only weak and cowardly, but that it was a mistake to think of the matter in the way in which I had done.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It has been my fortune to be associated all my life with a problem—a hard, perplexing, but important problem.
