used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It would be a truism to declare that human nature is about as complicated a piece of machinery as could be found in the human world.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading It would be a truism to declare that human nature is about as complicated a piece of machinery as could be found in the human world.
(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 All things and all men do not run in grooves.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And yet I do not know why it should be considered so.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It would be a truism to declare that human nature is about as complicated a piece of machinery as could be found in the human world.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading A man to be a criminal need not be hopelessly bad in every other sense.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It would be a truism to declare that human nature is about as complicated a piece of machinery as could be found in the human world.
burglarsnounUS /ˈbɜːrɡlərz/
plural of “burglar” — a thief who enters a building with intent to steal
From this reading I have met murderers who did not possess sufficient nerve to kill a rabbit, burglars who would rob a poor man of all his possessions in the world, and yet would not despoil a little child of a halfpenny.
a young person of either sex
From this reading I have met murderers who did not possess sufficient nerve to kill a rabbit, burglars who would rob a poor man of all his possessions in the world, and yet would not despoil a little child of a halfpenny.
complicatedadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːmpləkeɪtəd/
difficult to analyze or understand
From this reading It would be a truism to declare that human nature is about as complicated a piece of machinery as could be found in the human world.
carefully weighed
From this reading And yet I do not know why it should be considered so.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It would be a truism to declare that human nature is about as complicated a piece of machinery as could be found in the human world.
bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure
From this reading A man to be a criminal need not be hopelessly bad in every other sense.
state emphatically and authoritatively
From this reading It would be a truism to declare that human nature is about as complicated a piece of machinery as could be found in the human world.
despoilverb
steal goods; take as spoils
From this reading I have met murderers who did not possess sufficient nerve to kill a rabbit, burglars who would rob a poor man of all his possessions in the world, and yet would not despoil a little child of a halfpenny.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading I have met murderers who did not possess sufficient nerve to kill a rabbit, burglars who would rob a poor man of all his possessions in the world, and yet would not despoil a little child of a halfpenny.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading And yet I do not know why it should be considered so.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading A man to be a criminal need not be hopelessly bad in every other sense.
set up or found
From this reading It would be a truism to declare that human nature is about as complicated a piece of machinery as could be found in the human world.
groovesnounUS /ɡruːvz/
plural of “groove” — a long narrow furrow cut either by a natural process (such as erosion) or by a tool (as e.g. a groove in a phonograph record)
From this reading All things and all men do not run in grooves.
halfpennynoun
an English coin worth half a penny
From this reading I have met murderers who did not possess sufficient nerve to kill a rabbit, burglars who would rob a poor man of all his possessions in the world, and yet would not despoil a little child of a halfpenny.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have met murderers who did not possess sufficient nerve to kill a rabbit, burglars who would rob a poor man of all his possessions in the world, and yet would not despoil a little child of a halfpenny.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading I have met murderers who did not possess sufficient nerve to kill a rabbit, burglars who would rob a poor man of all his possessions in the world, and yet would not despoil a little child of a halfpenny.
hopelesslyadverbUS /ˈhoʊpləsli/
in a hopeless manner
From this reading A man to be a criminal need not be hopelessly bad in every other sense.
humanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/
characteristic of humanity
From this reading It would be a truism to declare that human nature is about as complicated a piece of machinery as could be found in the human world.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading And yet I do not know why it should be considered so.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It would be a truism to declare that human nature is about as complicated a piece of machinery as could be found in the human world.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It would be a truism to declare that human nature is about as complicated a piece of machinery as could be found in the human world.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It would be a truism to declare that human nature is about as complicated a piece of machinery as could be found in the human world.
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading I have met murderers who did not possess sufficient nerve to kill a rabbit, burglars who would rob a poor man of all his possessions in the world, and yet would not despoil a little child of a halfpenny.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading And yet I do not know why it should be considered so.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading I have met murderers who did not possess sufficient nerve to kill a rabbit, burglars who would rob a poor man of all his possessions in the world, and yet would not despoil a little child of a halfpenny.
machinerynounUS /məˈʃiːnəri/
machines or machine systems collectively
From this reading It would be a truism to declare that human nature is about as complicated a piece of machinery as could be found in the human world.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading A man to be a criminal need not be hopelessly bad in every other sense.
the force of workers available
From this reading All things and all men do not run in grooves.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading I have met murderers who did not possess sufficient nerve to kill a rabbit, burglars who would rob a poor man of all his possessions in the world, and yet would not despoil a little child of a halfpenny.
murderersnounUS /ˈmɜːrdərərz/
plural of “murderer” — a criminal who commits homicide (who performs the unlawful premeditated killing of another human being)
From this reading I have met murderers who did not possess sufficient nerve to kill a rabbit, burglars who would rob a poor man of all his possessions in the world, and yet would not despoil a little child of a halfpenny.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading It would be a truism to declare that human nature is about as complicated a piece of machinery as could be found in the human world.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading A man to be a criminal need not be hopelessly bad in every other sense.
nervenounUS /nɜːrv/
any bundle of nerve fibers running to various organs and tissues of the body
From this reading I have met murderers who did not possess sufficient nerve to kill a rabbit, burglars who would rob a poor man of all his possessions in the world, and yet would not despoil a little child of a halfpenny.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading And yet I do not know why it should be considered so.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It would be a truism to declare that human nature is about as complicated a piece of machinery as could be found in the human world.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading A man to be a criminal need not be hopelessly bad in every other sense.
a separate part of a whole
From this reading It would be a truism to declare that human nature is about as complicated a piece of machinery as could be found in the human world.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading I have met murderers who did not possess sufficient nerve to kill a rabbit, burglars who would rob a poor man of all his possessions in the world, and yet would not despoil a little child of a halfpenny.
have as an attribute, knowledge, or skill
From this reading I have met murderers who did not possess sufficient nerve to kill a rabbit, burglars who would rob a poor man of all his possessions in the world, and yet would not despoil a little child of a halfpenny.
possessionsnounUS /pəˈzeʃənz/
plural of “possession” — the act of having and controlling property
From this reading I have met murderers who did not possess sufficient nerve to kill a rabbit, burglars who would rob a poor man of all his possessions in the world, and yet would not despoil a little child of a halfpenny.
rabbitnounUS /ˈræbət/
any of various burrowing animals of the family Leporidae having long ears and short tails; some domesticated and raised for pets or food
From this reading I have met murderers who did not possess sufficient nerve to kill a rabbit, burglars who would rob a poor man of all his possessions in the world, and yet would not despoil a little child of a halfpenny.
robverbUS /rɑːb/
take something away by force or without the consent of the owner
From this reading I have met murderers who did not possess sufficient nerve to kill a rabbit, burglars who would rob a poor man of all his possessions in the world, and yet would not despoil a little child of a halfpenny.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading All things and all men do not run in grooves.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading A man to be a criminal need not be hopelessly bad in every other sense.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading And yet I do not know why it should be considered so.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading And yet I do not know why it should be considered so.
of a quantity that can fulfill a need or requirement but without being abundant
From this reading I have met murderers who did not possess sufficient nerve to kill a rabbit, burglars who would rob a poor man of all his possessions in the world, and yet would not despoil a little child of a halfpenny.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It would be a truism to declare that human nature is about as complicated a piece of machinery as could be found in the human world.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It would be a truism to declare that human nature is about as complicated a piece of machinery as could be found in the human world.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading All things and all men do not run in grooves.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It would be a truism to declare that human nature is about as complicated a piece of machinery as could be found in the human world.
truismnounUS /ˈtruːɪzəm/
an obvious truth
From this reading It would be a truism to declare that human nature is about as complicated a piece of machinery as could be found in the human world.
which person or people
From this reading I have met murderers who did not possess sufficient nerve to kill a rabbit, burglars who would rob a poor man of all his possessions in the world, and yet would not despoil a little child of a halfpenny.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading And yet I do not know why it should be considered so.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading It would be a truism to declare that human nature is about as complicated a piece of machinery as could be found in the human world.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It would be a truism to declare that human nature is about as complicated a piece of machinery as could be found in the human world.
but in spite of that
From this reading And yet I do not know why it should be considered so.
