used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A footman brought in a Russian samovar and a service of eggshell china.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading They sipped their tea and chatted lightly about English acquaintances, but with frequent glances towards the hall entrance.
acquaintancesnounUS /əˈkweɪntənsɪz/
plural of “acquaintance” — personal knowledge or information about someone or something
From this reading They sipped their tea and chatted lightly about English acquaintances, but with frequent glances towards the hall entrance.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading REBELLION Genevieve rang for tea, and changed the conversation to impersonal topics.
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading The conversation had languished to a mere pretext when Blake was announced.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Each was wondering which one would be first to come, Blake or Mr. Leslie.
BlakenounUS /bleɪk/
visionary British poet and painter (1757-1827)
From this reading Each was wondering which one would be first to come, Blake or Mr. Leslie.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading A footman brought in a Russian samovar and a service of eggshell china.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading They sipped their tea and chatted lightly about English acquaintances, but with frequent glances towards the hall entrance.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading REBELLION Genevieve rang for tea, and changed the conversation to impersonal topics.
chattedverbUS /ˈtʃætəd/
inflected form of “chat” — talk socially without exchanging too much information
From this reading They sipped their tea and chatted lightly about English acquaintances, but with frequent glances towards the hall entrance.
chinanounUS /ˈtʃaɪnə/
a communist nation that covers a vast territory in eastern Asia; the most populous country in the world
From this reading A footman brought in a Russian samovar and a service of eggshell china.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Each was wondering which one would be first to come, Blake or Mr. Leslie.
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading REBELLION Genevieve rang for tea, and changed the conversation to impersonal topics.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Each was wondering which one would be first to come, Blake or Mr. Leslie.
eggshellnounUS /ˈeɡʃel/
the exterior covering of a bird's egg
From this reading A footman brought in a Russian samovar and a service of eggshell china.
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading They sipped their tea and chatted lightly about English acquaintances, but with frequent glances towards the hall entrance.
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading They sipped their tea and chatted lightly about English acquaintances, but with frequent glances towards the hall entrance.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Each was wondering which one would be first to come, Blake or Mr. Leslie.
footmannounUS /ˈfʊtmən/
a man employed as a servant in a large establishment (as a palace) to run errands and do chores
From this reading A footman brought in a Russian samovar and a service of eggshell china.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading REBELLION Genevieve rang for tea, and changed the conversation to impersonal topics.
frequentverbUS /ˈfriːkwənt/
do one's shopping at; do business with; be a customer or client of
From this reading They sipped their tea and chatted lightly about English acquaintances, but with frequent glances towards the hall entrance.
Genevieve
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading REBELLION Genevieve rang for tea, and changed the conversation to impersonal topics.
glancesnounUS /ˈɡlænsɪz/
plural of “glance” — a quick look
From this reading They sipped their tea and chatted lightly about English acquaintances, but with frequent glances towards the hall entrance.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The conversation had languished to a mere pretext when Blake was announced.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading They sipped their tea and chatted lightly about English acquaintances, but with frequent glances towards the hall entrance.
impersonaladjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpɜːrsənəl/
not relating to or responsive to individual persons
From this reading REBELLION Genevieve rang for tea, and changed the conversation to impersonal topics.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A footman brought in a Russian samovar and a service of eggshell china.
languishedverbUS /ˈlæŋɡwɪʃt/
past form of “languish” — lose vigor, health, or flesh, as through grief
From this reading The conversation had languished to a mere pretext when Blake was announced.
Leslie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Each was wondering which one would be first to come, Blake or Mr. Leslie.
without good reason
From this reading They sipped their tea and chatted lightly about English acquaintances, but with frequent glances towards the hall entrance.
being nothing more than specified
From this reading The conversation had languished to a mere pretext when Blake was announced.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Each was wondering which one would be first to come, Blake or Mr. Leslie.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A footman brought in a Russian samovar and a service of eggshell china.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Each was wondering which one would be first to come, Blake or Mr. Leslie.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Each was wondering which one would be first to come, Blake or Mr. Leslie.
pretextnounUS /ˈpriːtekst/
something serving to conceal plans; a fictitious reason that is concocted in order to conceal the real reason
From this reading The conversation had languished to a mere pretext when Blake was announced.
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading REBELLION Genevieve rang for tea, and changed the conversation to impersonal topics.
REBELLIONnounUS /rɪˈbeljən/
refusal to accept some authority or code or convention
From this reading REBELLION Genevieve rang for tea, and changed the conversation to impersonal topics.
a native or inhabitant of Russia
From this reading A footman brought in a Russian samovar and a service of eggshell china.
samovarnoun
a metal urn with a spigot at the base; used in Russia to boil water for tea
From this reading A footman brought in a Russian samovar and a service of eggshell china.
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading A footman brought in a Russian samovar and a service of eggshell china.
sippedverbUS /sɪpt/
inflected form of “sip” — drink in sips
From this reading They sipped their tea and chatted lightly about English acquaintances, but with frequent glances towards the hall entrance.
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading REBELLION Genevieve rang for tea, and changed the conversation to impersonal topics.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading REBELLION Genevieve rang for tea, and changed the conversation to impersonal topics.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They sipped their tea and chatted lightly about English acquaintances, but with frequent glances towards the hall entrance.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They sipped their tea and chatted lightly about English acquaintances, but with frequent glances towards the hall entrance.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading REBELLION Genevieve rang for tea, and changed the conversation to impersonal topics.
topicsnounUS /ˈtɑːpɪks/
plural of “topic” — the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading REBELLION Genevieve rang for tea, and changed the conversation to impersonal topics.
in the direction of
From this reading They sipped their tea and chatted lightly about English acquaintances, but with frequent glances towards the hall entrance.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Each was wondering which one would be first to come, Blake or Mr. Leslie.
at the time that
From this reading The conversation had languished to a mere pretext when Blake was announced.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Each was wondering which one would be first to come, Blake or Mr. Leslie.
in the company of; together with
From this reading They sipped their tea and chatted lightly about English acquaintances, but with frequent glances towards the hall entrance.
showing curiosity
From this reading Each was wondering which one would be first to come, Blake or Mr. Leslie.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Each was wondering which one would be first to come, Blake or Mr. Leslie.
