aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The grandmother wept, and the child on her lap moved about restlessly, as if it felt that the words it heard were its mother's.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Walpurga's thoughts were of home, and she tried to picture to herself how it would be when her letter arrived there.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading Walpurga's thoughts were of home, and she tried to picture to herself how it would be when her letter arrived there.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The grandmother wept, and the child on her lap moved about restlessly, as if it felt that the words it heard were its mother's.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The letter had arrived at dusk, and Hansei, who was out in the backyard, chopping wood, was called in.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading But she had been away so long that she found it difficult to do so.
backyardnounUS /ˈbækjɑːrd/
the grounds in back of a house
From this reading The letter had arrived at dusk, and Hansei, who was out in the backyard, chopping wood, was called in.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Walpurga's thoughts were of home, and she tried to picture to herself how it would be when her letter arrived there.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading But she had been away so long that she found it difficult to do so.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But she had been away so long that she found it difficult to do so.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading The letter had arrived at dusk, and Hansei, who was out in the backyard, chopping wood, was called in.
a young person of either sex
From this reading The grandmother wept, and the child on her lap moved about restlessly, as if it felt that the words it heard were its mother's.
choppingverbUS /ˈtʃɑːpɪŋ/
inflected form of “chop” — cut into pieces
From this reading The letter had arrived at dusk, and Hansei, who was out in the backyard, chopping wood, was called in.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading But she had been away so long that she found it difficult to do so.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading But she had been away so long that she found it difficult to do so.
dusknounUS /dʌsk/
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading The letter had arrived at dusk, and Hansei, who was out in the backyard, chopping wood, was called in.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading The grandmother wept, and the child on her lap moved about restlessly, as if it felt that the words it heard were its mother's.
set up or found
From this reading But she had been away so long that she found it difficult to do so.
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading The grandmother wept, and the child on her lap moved about restlessly, as if it felt that the words it heard were its mother's.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But she had been away so long that she found it difficult to do so.
Hansei
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The letter had arrived at dusk, and Hansei, who was out in the backyard, chopping wood, was called in.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He hurriedly lit the lamp, and Stasi read the letter to them.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading The grandmother wept, and the child on her lap moved about restlessly, as if it felt that the words it heard were its mother's.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Walpurga's thoughts were of home, and she tried to picture to herself how it would be when her letter arrived there.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading Walpurga's thoughts were of home, and she tried to picture to herself how it would be when her letter arrived there.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Walpurga's thoughts were of home, and she tried to picture to herself how it would be when her letter arrived there.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Walpurga's thoughts were of home, and she tried to picture to herself how it would be when her letter arrived there.
hurriedlyadverbUS /ˈhɜːridli/
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading He hurriedly lit the lamp, and Stasi read the letter to them.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The grandmother wept, and the child on her lap moved about restlessly, as if it felt that the words it heard were its mother's.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The letter had arrived at dusk, and Hansei, who was out in the backyard, chopping wood, was called in.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Walpurga's thoughts were of home, and she tried to picture to herself how it would be when her letter arrived there.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The grandmother wept, and the child on her lap moved about restlessly, as if it felt that the words it heard were its mother's.
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading He hurriedly lit the lamp, and Stasi read the letter to them.
lapverbUS /læp/
lie partly over or alongside of something or of one another
From this reading The grandmother wept, and the child on her lap moved about restlessly, as if it felt that the words it heard were its mother's.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading Walpurga's thoughts were of home, and she tried to picture to herself how it would be when her letter arrived there.
provided with artificial light
From this reading He hurriedly lit the lamp, and Stasi read the letter to them.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading But she had been away so long that she found it difficult to do so.
mother'snounUS /ˈmʌðərz/
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading The grandmother wept, and the child on her lap moved about restlessly, as if it felt that the words it heard were its mother's.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading The grandmother wept, and the child on her lap moved about restlessly, as if it felt that the words it heard were its mother's.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Walpurga's thoughts were of home, and she tried to picture to herself how it would be when her letter arrived there.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The grandmother wept, and the child on her lap moved about restlessly, as if it felt that the words it heard were its mother's.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The letter had arrived at dusk, and Hansei, who was out in the backyard, chopping wood, was called in.
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading Walpurga's thoughts were of home, and she tried to picture to herself how it would be when her letter arrived there.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading He hurriedly lit the lamp, and Stasi read the letter to them.
restlesslyadverbUS /ˈrestləsli/
in a restless manner
From this reading The grandmother wept, and the child on her lap moved about restlessly, as if it felt that the words it heard were its mother's.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Walpurga's thoughts were of home, and she tried to picture to herself how it would be when her letter arrived there.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading But she had been away so long that she found it difficult to do so.
Stasi
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He hurriedly lit the lamp, and Stasi read the letter to them.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But she had been away so long that she found it difficult to do so.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The letter had arrived at dusk, and Hansei, who was out in the backyard, chopping wood, was called in.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He hurriedly lit the lamp, and Stasi read the letter to them.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Walpurga's thoughts were of home, and she tried to picture to herself how it would be when her letter arrived there.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Walpurga's thoughts were of home, and she tried to picture to herself how it would be when her letter arrived there.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Walpurga's thoughts were of home, and she tried to picture to herself how it would be when her letter arrived there.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading Walpurga's thoughts were of home, and she tried to picture to herself how it would be when her letter arrived there.
Walpurga's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Walpurga's thoughts were of home, and she tried to picture to herself how it would be when her letter arrived there.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The letter had arrived at dusk, and Hansei, who was out in the backyard, chopping wood, was called in.
inflected form of “weep” — shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain
From this reading The grandmother wept, and the child on her lap moved about restlessly, as if it felt that the words it heard were its mother's.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Walpurga's thoughts were of home, and she tried to picture to herself how it would be when her letter arrived there.
at the time that
From this reading Walpurga's thoughts were of home, and she tried to picture to herself how it would be when her letter arrived there.
which person or people
From this reading The letter had arrived at dusk, and Hansei, who was out in the backyard, chopping wood, was called in.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading The letter had arrived at dusk, and Hansei, who was out in the backyard, chopping wood, was called in.
the words that are spoken
From this reading The grandmother wept, and the child on her lap moved about restlessly, as if it felt that the words it heard were its mother's.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Walpurga's thoughts were of home, and she tried to picture to herself how it would be when her letter arrived there.
