Chapter XL · The Solution

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A week passed, and no message of any sort reached Paddy, so that, finally, in desperation she rang up Gwen on the telephone to ask for news.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading A week passed, and no message of any sort reached Paddy, so that, finally, in desperation she rang up Gwen on the telephone to ask for news.

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading A week passed, and no message of any sort reached Paddy, so that, finally, in desperation she rang up Gwen on the telephone to ask for news.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Paddy hung up the receiver, feeling as if a weight had come down upon her.

make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading A week passed, and no message of any sort reached Paddy, so that, finally, in desperation she rang up Gwen on the telephone to ask for news.

on the far side of; further than

From this reading Gwen’s voice sounded a little cold and constrained, and Paddy learned nothing beyond the fact that Lawrence was progressing very well.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Gwen said that she would tell him Paddy had inquired, but he was sleeping now.

having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration

From this reading Gwen’s voice sounded a little cold and constrained, and Paddy learned nothing beyond the fact that Lawrence was progressing very well.

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Paddy hung up the receiver, feeling as if a weight had come down upon her.

lacking spontaneity; not natural

From this reading Gwen’s voice sounded a little cold and constrained, and Paddy learned nothing beyond the fact that Lawrence was progressing very well.

a state in which all hope is lost or absent

From this reading A week passed, and no message of any sort reached Paddy, so that, finally, in desperation she rang up Gwen on the telephone to ask for news.

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading What did it mean?

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading Paddy hung up the receiver, feeling as if a weight had come down upon her.

a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred

From this reading Gwen’s voice sounded a little cold and constrained, and Paddy learned nothing beyond the fact that Lawrence was progressing very well.

the experiencing of affective and emotional states

From this reading Paddy hung up the receiver, feeling as if a weight had come down upon her.

after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay

From this reading A week passed, and no message of any sort reached Paddy, so that, finally, in desperation she rang up Gwen on the telephone to ask for news.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading A week passed, and no message of any sort reached Paddy, so that, finally, in desperation she rang up Gwen on the telephone to ask for news.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A week passed, and no message of any sort reached Paddy, so that, finally, in desperation she rang up Gwen on the telephone to ask for news.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Gwen’s voice sounded a little cold and constrained, and Paddy learned nothing beyond the fact that Lawrence was progressing very well.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Gwen said that she would tell him Paddy had inquired, but he was sleeping now.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Gwen said that she would tell him Paddy had inquired, but he was sleeping now.

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Paddy hung up the receiver, feeling as if a weight had come down upon her.

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Gwen said that she would tell him Paddy had inquired, but he was sleeping now.

inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging

From this reading Paddy hung up the receiver, feeling as if a weight had come down upon her.

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading Paddy hung up the receiver, feeling as if a weight had come down upon her.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading A week passed, and no message of any sort reached Paddy, so that, finally, in desperation she rang up Gwen on the telephone to ask for news.

past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from

From this reading Gwen said that she would tell him Paddy had inquired, but he was sleeping now.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading What did it mean?

Roman martyr; supposedly Lawrence was ordered by the police to give up the church's treasure and when he responded by presenting the poor people of Rome he was roasted to death on a gridiron (died in 258)

From this reading Gwen’s voice sounded a little cold and constrained, and Paddy learned nothing beyond the fact that Lawrence was progressing very well.

having or showing profound knowledge

From this reading Gwen’s voice sounded a little cold and constrained, and Paddy learned nothing beyond the fact that Lawrence was progressing very well.

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading Gwen’s voice sounded a little cold and constrained, and Paddy learned nothing beyond the fact that Lawrence was progressing very well.

mean or intend to express or convey

From this reading What did it mean?

a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled

From this reading A week passed, and no message of any sort reached Paddy, so that, finally, in desperation she rang up Gwen on the telephone to ask for news.

information about recent and important events

From this reading A week passed, and no message of any sort reached Paddy, so that, finally, in desperation she rang up Gwen on the telephone to ask for news.

not any; not one

From this reading A week passed, and no message of any sort reached Paddy, so that, finally, in desperation she rang up Gwen on the telephone to ask for news.

not one thing; not anything

From this reading Gwen’s voice sounded a little cold and constrained, and Paddy learned nothing beyond the fact that Lawrence was progressing very well.

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading Gwen said that she would tell him Paddy had inquired, but he was sleeping now.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A week passed, and no message of any sort reached Paddy, so that, finally, in desperation she rang up Gwen on the telephone to ask for news.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading A week passed, and no message of any sort reached Paddy, so that, finally, in desperation she rang up Gwen on the telephone to ask for news.

(ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of Irish descent

From this reading A week passed, and no message of any sort reached Paddy, so that, finally, in desperation she rang up Gwen on the telephone to ask for news.

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading A week passed, and no message of any sort reached Paddy, so that, finally, in desperation she rang up Gwen on the telephone to ask for news.

-ing form of “progress” — develop in a positive way

From this reading Gwen’s voice sounded a little cold and constrained, and Paddy learned nothing beyond the fact that Lawrence was progressing very well.

inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously

From this reading A week passed, and no message of any sort reached Paddy, so that, finally, in desperation she rang up Gwen on the telephone to ask for news.

past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract

From this reading A week passed, and no message of any sort reached Paddy, so that, finally, in desperation she rang up Gwen on the telephone to ask for news.

set that receives radio or tv signals

From this reading Paddy hung up the receiver, feeling as if a weight had come down upon her.

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading Gwen said that she would tell him Paddy had inquired, but he was sleeping now.

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading A week passed, and no message of any sort reached Paddy, so that, finally, in desperation she rang up Gwen on the telephone to ask for news.

the state of being asleep

From this reading Gwen said that she would tell him Paddy had inquired, but he was sleeping now.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading A week passed, and no message of any sort reached Paddy, so that, finally, in desperation she rang up Gwen on the telephone to ask for news.

a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality

From this reading A week passed, and no message of any sort reached Paddy, so that, finally, in desperation she rang up Gwen on the telephone to ask for news.

past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way

From this reading Gwen’s voice sounded a little cold and constrained, and Paddy learned nothing beyond the fact that Lawrence was progressing very well.

electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds

From this reading A week passed, and no message of any sort reached Paddy, so that, finally, in desperation she rang up Gwen on the telephone to ask for news.

express in words

From this reading Gwen said that she would tell him Paddy had inquired, but he was sleeping now.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading A week passed, and no message of any sort reached Paddy, so that, finally, in desperation she rang up Gwen on the telephone to ask for news.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading A week passed, and no message of any sort reached Paddy, so that, finally, in desperation she rang up Gwen on the telephone to ask for news.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading A week passed, and no message of any sort reached Paddy, so that, finally, in desperation she rang up Gwen on the telephone to ask for news.

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading A week passed, and no message of any sort reached Paddy, so that, finally, in desperation she rang up Gwen on the telephone to ask for news.

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Paddy hung up the receiver, feeling as if a weight had come down upon her.

precisely as stated

From this reading Gwen’s voice sounded a little cold and constrained, and Paddy learned nothing beyond the fact that Lawrence was progressing very well.

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading Gwen’s voice sounded a little cold and constrained, and Paddy learned nothing beyond the fact that Lawrence was progressing very well.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Gwen’s voice sounded a little cold and constrained, and Paddy learned nothing beyond the fact that Lawrence was progressing very well.

any period of seven consecutive days

From this reading A week passed, and no message of any sort reached Paddy, so that, finally, in desperation she rang up Gwen on the telephone to ask for news.

the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity

From this reading Paddy hung up the receiver, feeling as if a weight had come down upon her.

(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 Gwen’s voice sounded a little cold and constrained, and Paddy learned nothing beyond the fact that Lawrence was progressing very well.

used to ask for information about something

From this reading What did it mean?

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Gwen said that she would tell him Paddy had inquired, but he was sleeping now.