used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading One day he brought her a few stanzas, by an unknown poet, which, he said, seemed to have in them a slightly new element.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading One day he brought her a few stanzas, by an unknown poet, which, he said, seemed to have in them a slightly new element.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They pleased her more than him, and began at once to sing themselves.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading They pleased her more than him, and began at once to sing themselves.
broodingnounUS /ˈbruːdɪŋ/
sitting on eggs so as to hatch them by the warmth of the body
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading One day he brought her a few stanzas, by an unknown poet, which, he said, seemed to have in them a slightly new element.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading One day he brought her a few stanzas, by an unknown poet, which, he said, seemed to have in them a slightly new element.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading One day he brought her a few stanzas, by an unknown poet, which, he said, seemed to have in them a slightly new element.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading No sooner was her husband out of the room than she sat down to her piano with them.
elementnounUS /ˈeləmənt/
an abstract part of something
From this reading One day he brought her a few stanzas, by an unknown poet, which, he said, seemed to have in them a slightly new element.
something many people believe that is false
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading One day he brought her a few stanzas, by an unknown poet, which, he said, seemed to have in them a slightly new element.
devoid of good sense or judgment
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
hankeringnounUS /ˈhæŋkərɪŋ/
a yearning for something or to do something
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading One day he brought her a few stanzas, by an unknown poet, which, he said, seemed to have in them a slightly new element.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading One day he brought her a few stanzas, by an unknown poet, which, he said, seemed to have in them a slightly new element.
(Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading They pleased her more than him, and began at once to sing themselves.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
melodynounUS /ˈmelədi/
a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
MINISTER'SnounUS /ˈmɪnɪstərz/
possessive form of “minister” — a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading THE MINISTER'S STUDY.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading They pleased her more than him, and began at once to sing themselves.
an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading One day he brought her a few stanzas, by an unknown poet, which, he said, seemed to have in them a slightly new element.
not any; not one
From this reading No sooner was her husband out of the room than she sat down to her piano with them.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
on one occasion
From this reading They pleased her more than him, and began at once to sing themselves.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One day he brought her a few stanzas, by an unknown poet, which, he said, seemed to have in them a slightly new element.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading No sooner was her husband out of the room than she sat down to her piano with them.
pianonounUS /piˈænoʊ/
a keyboard instrument that is played by depressing keys that cause hammers to strike tuned strings and produce sounds
From this reading No sooner was her husband out of the room than she sat down to her piano with them.
experiencing or manifesting pleasure
From this reading They pleased her more than him, and began at once to sing themselves.
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry)
From this reading One day he brought her a few stanzas, by an unknown poet, which, he said, seemed to have in them a slightly new element.
publicationnounUS /ˌpʌblɪˈkeɪʃən/
a copy of a printed work offered for distribution
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading No sooner was her husband out of the room than she sat down to her piano with them.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading One day he brought her a few stanzas, by an unknown poet, which, he said, seemed to have in them a slightly new element.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading No sooner was her husband out of the room than she sat down to her piano with them.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading One day he brought her a few stanzas, by an unknown poet, which, he said, seemed to have in them a slightly new element.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading No sooner was her husband out of the room than she sat down to her piano with them.
deliver by singing
From this reading They pleased her more than him, and began at once to sing themselves.
the act of singing vocal music
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading One day he brought her a few stanzas, by an unknown poet, which, he said, seemed to have in them a slightly new element.
a short musical composition with words
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
comparatives of “soon” or “early”
From this reading No sooner was her husband out of the room than she sat down to her piano with them.
speciallyadverbUS /ˈspeʃəli/
in a special manner
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
stanzasnounUS /ˈstænzəz/
plural of “stanza” — a fixed number of lines of verse forming a unit of a poem
From this reading One day he brought her a few stanzas, by an unknown poet, which, he said, seemed to have in them a slightly new element.
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading THE MINISTER'S STUDY.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading They pleased her more than him, and began at once to sing themselves.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MINISTER'S STUDY.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading They pleased her more than him, and began at once to sing themselves.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They pleased her more than him, and began at once to sing themselves.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
not known
From this reading One day he brought her a few stanzas, by an unknown poet, which, he said, seemed to have in them a slightly new element.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading One day he brought her a few stanzas, by an unknown poet, which, he said, seemed to have in them a slightly new element.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
the act of creating written works
From this reading Helen was in the way of now and then writing music to any song that specially took her fancy--not with foolish hankering after publication, but for the pleasure of brooding in melody upon the words, and singing them to her husband.
