used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She heard the late travellers passing by and the milkman and grocery trucks on their way to a new day, and she tossed on her rattling, lumpy bed till almost dawn.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Somehow all the happenings of the last few days seemed to have arrived in concrete form and to be standing about her couch for her to reckon with.
(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 Somehow all the happenings of the last few days seemed to have arrived in concrete form and to be standing about her couch for her to reckon with.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading She heard the late travellers passing by and the milkman and grocery trucks on their way to a new day, and she tossed on her rattling, lumpy bed till almost dawn.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She heard the late travellers passing by and the milkman and grocery trucks on their way to a new day, and she tossed on her rattling, lumpy bed till almost dawn.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading Somehow all the happenings of the last few days seemed to have arrived in concrete form and to be standing about her couch for her to reckon with.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Ought she to have left at all?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Somehow all the happenings of the last few days seemed to have arrived in concrete form and to be standing about her couch for her to reckon with.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading She heard the late travellers passing by and the milkman and grocery trucks on their way to a new day, and she tossed on her rattling, lumpy bed till almost dawn.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading She heard the late travellers passing by and the milkman and grocery trucks on their way to a new day, and she tossed on her rattling, lumpy bed till almost dawn.
concreteadjectiveUS /kənˈkriːt/
capable of being perceived by the senses; not abstract or imaginary
From this reading Somehow all the happenings of the last few days seemed to have arrived in concrete form and to be standing about her couch for her to reckon with.
couchnounUS /kaʊtʃ/
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading Somehow all the happenings of the last few days seemed to have arrived in concrete form and to be standing about her couch for her to reckon with.
the first light of day
From this reading She heard the late travellers passing by and the milkman and grocery trucks on their way to a new day, and she tossed on her rattling, lumpy bed till almost dawn.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading She heard the late travellers passing by and the milkman and grocery trucks on their way to a new day, and she tossed on her rattling, lumpy bed till almost dawn.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading Somehow all the happenings of the last few days seemed to have arrived in concrete form and to be standing about her couch for her to reckon with.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Notwithstanding her weariness Joyce did not sleep well that night.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Somehow all the happenings of the last few days seemed to have arrived in concrete form and to be standing about her couch for her to reckon with.
FirstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading First, there was the matter of her leaving home.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Somehow all the happenings of the last few days seemed to have arrived in concrete form and to be standing about her couch for her to reckon with.
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading Somehow all the happenings of the last few days seemed to have arrived in concrete form and to be standing about her couch for her to reckon with.
grocerynounUS /ˈɡroʊsəri/
a marketplace where groceries are sold
From this reading She heard the late travellers passing by and the milkman and grocery trucks on their way to a new day, and she tossed on her rattling, lumpy bed till almost dawn.
happeningsnounUS /ˈhæpənɪŋz/
plural of “happening” — an event that happens
From this reading Somehow all the happenings of the last few days seemed to have arrived in concrete form and to be standing about her couch for her to reckon with.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Somehow all the happenings of the last few days seemed to have arrived in concrete form and to be standing about her couch for her to reckon with.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading She heard the late travellers passing by and the milkman and grocery trucks on their way to a new day, and she tossed on her rattling, lumpy bed till almost dawn.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Notwithstanding her weariness Joyce did not sleep well that night.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading First, there was the matter of her leaving home.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Somehow all the happenings of the last few days seemed to have arrived in concrete form and to be standing about her couch for her to reckon with.
JoycenounUS /dʒɔɪs/
influential Irish writer noted for his many innovations (such as stream of consciousness writing) (1882-1941)
From this reading Notwithstanding her weariness Joyce did not sleep well that night.
immediately past
From this reading Somehow all the happenings of the last few days seemed to have arrived in concrete form and to be standing about her couch for her to reckon with.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading She heard the late travellers passing by and the milkman and grocery trucks on their way to a new day, and she tossed on her rattling, lumpy bed till almost dawn.
the act of departing
From this reading First, there was the matter of her leaving home.
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 Ought she to have left at all?
lumpyadjectiveUS /ˈlʌmpi/
like or containing small sticky lumps
From this reading She heard the late travellers passing by and the milkman and grocery trucks on their way to a new day, and she tossed on her rattling, lumpy bed till almost dawn.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading First, there was the matter of her leaving home.
milkmannounUS /ˈmɪlkmæn/
someone who delivers milk
From this reading She heard the late travellers passing by and the milkman and grocery trucks on their way to a new day, and she tossed on her rattling, lumpy bed till almost dawn.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading She heard the late travellers passing by and the milkman and grocery trucks on their way to a new day, and she tossed on her rattling, lumpy bed till almost dawn.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Notwithstanding her weariness Joyce did not sleep well that night.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Notwithstanding her weariness Joyce did not sleep well that night.
despite anything to the contrary (usually preceding a concession)
From this reading Notwithstanding her weariness Joyce did not sleep well that night.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Somehow all the happenings of the last few days seemed to have arrived in concrete form and to be standing about her couch for her to reckon with.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She heard the late travellers passing by and the milkman and grocery trucks on their way to a new day, and she tossed on her rattling, lumpy bed till almost dawn.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading Ought she to have left at all?
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading She heard the late travellers passing by and the milkman and grocery trucks on their way to a new day, and she tossed on her rattling, lumpy bed till almost dawn.
rattlingnounUS /ˈrætlɪŋ/
a rapid series of short loud sounds (as might be heard with a stethoscope in some types of respiratory disorders)
From this reading She heard the late travellers passing by and the milkman and grocery trucks on their way to a new day, and she tossed on her rattling, lumpy bed till almost dawn.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading Somehow all the happenings of the last few days seemed to have arrived in concrete form and to be standing about her couch for her to reckon with.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Somehow all the happenings of the last few days seemed to have arrived in concrete form and to be standing about her couch for her to reckon with.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She heard the late travellers passing by and the milkman and grocery trucks on their way to a new day, and she tossed on her rattling, lumpy bed till almost dawn.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading Notwithstanding her weariness Joyce did not sleep well that night.
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading Somehow all the happenings of the last few days seemed to have arrived in concrete form and to be standing about her couch for her to reckon with.
having a supporting base
From this reading Somehow all the happenings of the last few days seemed to have arrived in concrete form and to be standing about her couch for her to reckon with.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Notwithstanding her weariness Joyce did not sleep well that night.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She heard the late travellers passing by and the milkman and grocery trucks on their way to a new day, and she tossed on her rattling, lumpy bed till almost dawn.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading She heard the late travellers passing by and the milkman and grocery trucks on their way to a new day, and she tossed on her rattling, lumpy bed till almost dawn.
in or at that place or location
From this reading First, there was the matter of her leaving home.
up to a particular time
From this reading She heard the late travellers passing by and the milkman and grocery trucks on their way to a new day, and she tossed on her rattling, lumpy bed till almost dawn.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She heard the late travellers passing by and the milkman and grocery trucks on their way to a new day, and she tossed on her rattling, lumpy bed till almost dawn.
tossedverbUS /tɔːst/
past form of “toss” — throw or toss with a light motion
From this reading She heard the late travellers passing by and the milkman and grocery trucks on their way to a new day, and she tossed on her rattling, lumpy bed till almost dawn.
travellersnounUS /ˈtrævələrz/
plural of “traveller” — a person who changes location
From this reading She heard the late travellers passing by and the milkman and grocery trucks on their way to a new day, and she tossed on her rattling, lumpy bed till almost dawn.
trucksnounUS /trʌks/
plural of “truck” — an automotive vehicle suitable for hauling
From this reading She heard the late travellers passing by and the milkman and grocery trucks on their way to a new day, and she tossed on her rattling, lumpy bed till almost dawn.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading First, there was the matter of her leaving home.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading She heard the late travellers passing by and the milkman and grocery trucks on their way to a new day, and she tossed on her rattling, lumpy bed till almost dawn.
wearinessnounUS /ˈwɪrinəs/
temporary loss of strength and energy resulting from hard physical or mental work
From this reading Notwithstanding her weariness Joyce did not sleep well that night.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Notwithstanding her weariness Joyce did not sleep well that night.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Somehow all the happenings of the last few days seemed to have arrived in concrete form and to be standing about her couch for her to reckon with.
