used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The state of my father's health has required my constant attention, day and night, to a degree that has absorbed all my power, and left no time for writing.
AboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading About this time I received the following letter from my Cousin Caroline:
absorbedadjectiveUS /əbˈzɔːrbd/
giving or marked by complete attention to
From this reading The state of my father's health has required my constant attention, day and night, to a degree that has absorbed all my power, and left no time for writing.
anew
From this reading COUSIN CAROLINE AGAIN.
(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 The state of my father's health has required my constant attention, day and night, to a degree that has absorbed all my power, and left no time for writing.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The state of my father's health has required my constant attention, day and night, to a degree that has absorbed all my power, and left no time for writing.
any person at all
From this reading "_Dear Cousin_:--I have had no time to keep up correspondence with anybody for the past year.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading The state of my father's health has required my constant attention, day and night, to a degree that has absorbed all my power, and left no time for writing.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading For the last six months father has been perfectly helpless with the most distressing form of chronic rheumatism.
CAROLINEadjectiveUS /ˈkerəlaɪn/
of or relating to the life and times of kings Charles I or Charles II of England
From this reading COUSIN CAROLINE AGAIN.
chronicadjectiveUS /ˈkrɑːnɪk/
being long-lasting and recurrent or characterized by long suffering
From this reading For the last six months father has been perfectly helpless with the most distressing form of chronic rheumatism.
unvarying in nature
From this reading The state of my father's health has required my constant attention, day and night, to a degree that has absorbed all my power, and left no time for writing.
correspondencenounUS /ˌkɔːrəˈspɑːndəns/
communication by the exchange of letters
From this reading "_Dear Cousin_:--I have had no time to keep up correspondence with anybody for the past year.
the child of your aunt or uncle
From this reading COUSIN CAROLINE AGAIN.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The state of my father's health has required my constant attention, day and night, to a degree that has absorbed all my power, and left no time for writing.
dearly loved
From this reading "_Dear Cousin_:--I have had no time to keep up correspondence with anybody for the past year.
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading The state of my father's health has required my constant attention, day and night, to a degree that has absorbed all my power, and left no time for writing.
distressingadjectiveUS /dɪˈstresɪŋ/
causing distress or worry or anxiety
From this reading For the last six months father has been perfectly helpless with the most distressing form of chronic rheumatism.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading For the last six months father has been perfectly helpless with the most distressing form of chronic rheumatism.
father'snounUS /ˈfɑːðərz/
possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading The state of my father's health has required my constant attention, day and night, to a degree that has absorbed all my power, and left no time for writing.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading About this time I received the following letter from my Cousin Caroline:
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "_Dear Cousin_:--I have had no time to keep up correspondence with anybody for the past year.
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading For the last six months father has been perfectly helpless with the most distressing form of chronic rheumatism.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading About this time I received the following letter from my Cousin Caroline:
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "_Dear Cousin_:--I have had no time to keep up correspondence with anybody for the past year.
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The state of my father's health has required my constant attention, day and night, to a degree that has absorbed all my power, and left no time for writing.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "_Dear Cousin_:--I have had no time to keep up correspondence with anybody for the past year.
a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease
From this reading The state of my father's health has required my constant attention, day and night, to a degree that has absorbed all my power, and left no time for writing.
lacking in or deprived of strength or power
From this reading For the last six months father has been perfectly helpless with the most distressing form of chronic rheumatism.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading About this time I received the following letter from my Cousin Caroline:
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading "_Dear Cousin_:--I have had no time to keep up correspondence with anybody for the past year.
immediately past
From this reading For the last six months father has been perfectly helpless with the most distressing form of chronic rheumatism.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading The state of my father's health has required my constant attention, day and night, to a degree that has absorbed all my power, and left no time for writing.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading About this time I received the following letter from my Cousin Caroline:
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading For the last six months father has been perfectly helpless with the most distressing form of chronic rheumatism.
used to form the superlative
From this reading For the last six months father has been perfectly helpless with the most distressing form of chronic rheumatism.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading About this time I received the following letter from my Cousin Caroline:
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The state of my father's health has required my constant attention, day and night, to a degree that has absorbed all my power, and left no time for writing.
not any; not one
From this reading "_Dear Cousin_:--I have had no time to keep up correspondence with anybody for the past year.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The state of my father's health has required my constant attention, day and night, to a degree that has absorbed all my power, and left no time for writing.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading "_Dear Cousin_:--I have had no time to keep up correspondence with anybody for the past year.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading For the last six months father has been perfectly helpless with the most distressing form of chronic rheumatism.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading The state of my father's health has required my constant attention, day and night, to a degree that has absorbed all my power, and left no time for writing.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading About this time I received the following letter from my Cousin Caroline:
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading The state of my father's health has required my constant attention, day and night, to a degree that has absorbed all my power, and left no time for writing.
rheumatismnounUS /ˈruːmətɪzəm/
any painful disorder of the joints or muscles or connective tissues
From this reading For the last six months father has been perfectly helpless with the most distressing form of chronic rheumatism.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading For the last six months father has been perfectly helpless with the most distressing form of chronic rheumatism.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading The state of my father's health has required my constant attention, day and night, to a degree that has absorbed all my power, and left no time for writing.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The state of my father's health has required my constant attention, day and night, to a degree that has absorbed all my power, and left no time for writing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading About this time I received the following letter from my Cousin Caroline:
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading About this time I received the following letter from my Cousin Caroline:
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading About this time I received the following letter from my Cousin Caroline:
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "_Dear Cousin_:--I have had no time to keep up correspondence with anybody for the past year.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "_Dear Cousin_:--I have had no time to keep up correspondence with anybody for the past year.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "_Dear Cousin_:--I have had no time to keep up correspondence with anybody for the past year.
the act of creating written works
From this reading The state of my father's health has required my constant attention, day and night, to a degree that has absorbed all my power, and left no time for writing.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading "_Dear Cousin_:--I have had no time to keep up correspondence with anybody for the past year.
