adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She received his presence graciously, read him the letters of her female friends, and forced herself to wear a look of languid complacency, especially before others.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The bridegroom hovered about the house, running in and out on this or that pretext.
alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/
(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 The short interval previous to the wedding-day passed, to all appearance, as that period generally does.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Settlements were drawn, and only awaited signature.
appearancenounUS /əˈpɪrəns/
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading The short interval previous to the wedding-day passed, to all appearance, as that period generally does.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The short interval previous to the wedding-day passed, to all appearance, as that period generally does.
awaitedadjectiveUS /əˈweɪtɪd/
expected hopefully
From this reading Settlements were drawn, and only awaited signature.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The bride seemed occupied with dress, and receiving visits and presents, and reading and writing letters of that sort which ought to be done by machinery.
beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading She received his presence graciously, read him the letters of her female friends, and forced herself to wear a look of languid complacency, especially before others.
bridenounUS /braɪd/
a woman who has recently been married
From this reading The bride seemed occupied with dress, and receiving visits and presents, and reading and writing letters of that sort which ought to be done by machinery.
bridegroomnounUS /ˈbraɪdɡruːm/
a man who has recently been married
From this reading The bridegroom hovered about the house, running in and out on this or that pretext.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The bride seemed occupied with dress, and receiving visits and presents, and reading and writing letters of that sort which ought to be done by machinery.
complacencynounUS /kəmˈpleɪsənsi/
the feeling you have when you are satisfied with yourself
From this reading She received his presence graciously, read him the letters of her female friends, and forced herself to wear a look of languid complacency, especially before others.
doesauxiliary verbUS /dʌz/
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The short interval previous to the wedding-day passed, to all appearance, as that period generally does.
doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading The bride seemed occupied with dress, and receiving visits and presents, and reading and writing letters of that sort which ought to be done by machinery.
drawnadjectiveUS /drɔːn/
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading Settlements were drawn, and only awaited signature.
dressverbUS /dres/
put on clothes
From this reading The bride seemed occupied with dress, and receiving visits and presents, and reading and writing letters of that sort which ought to be done by machinery.
especiallyadverbUS /əˈspeʃli/
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading She received his presence graciously, read him the letters of her female friends, and forced herself to wear a look of languid complacency, especially before others.
femaleadjectiveUS /ˈfiːmeɪl/
being the sex (of plant or animal) that produces fertilizable gametes (ova) from which offspring develop
From this reading She received his presence graciously, read him the letters of her female friends, and forced herself to wear a look of languid complacency, especially before others.
forcedadjectiveUS /fɔːrst/
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading She received his presence graciously, read him the letters of her female friends, and forced herself to wear a look of languid complacency, especially before others.
friendsnounUS /frendz/
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading She received his presence graciously, read him the letters of her female friends, and forced herself to wear a look of languid complacency, especially before others.
generallyadverbUS /ˈdʒenərəli/
usually; as a rule
From this reading The short interval previous to the wedding-day passed, to all appearance, as that period generally does.
graciouslyadverbUS /ˈɡreɪʃəsli/
in a gracious or graceful manner
From this reading She received his presence graciously, read him the letters of her female friends, and forced herself to wear a look of languid complacency, especially before others.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She received his presence graciously, read him the letters of her female friends, and forced herself to wear a look of languid complacency, especially before others.
herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading She received his presence graciously, read him the letters of her female friends, and forced herself to wear a look of languid complacency, especially before others.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She received his presence graciously, read him the letters of her female friends, and forced herself to wear a look of languid complacency, especially before others.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She received his presence graciously, read him the letters of her female friends, and forced herself to wear a look of languid complacency, especially before others.
housenounUS /haʊs/
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The bridegroom hovered about the house, running in and out on this or that pretext.
hoveredverbUS /ˈhʌvərd/
past form of “hover” — be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action
From this reading The bridegroom hovered about the house, running in and out on this or that pretext.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The bridegroom hovered about the house, running in and out on this or that pretext.
intervalnounUS /ˈɪntərvəl/
a definite length of time marked off by two instants
From this reading The short interval previous to the wedding-day passed, to all appearance, as that period generally does.
languidadjectiveUS /ˈlæŋɡwəd/
lacking spirit or liveliness
From this reading She received his presence graciously, read him the letters of her female friends, and forced herself to wear a look of languid complacency, especially before others.
lettersnounUS /ˈletərz/
the literary culture
From this reading The bride seemed occupied with dress, and receiving visits and presents, and reading and writing letters of that sort which ought to be done by machinery.
lookverbUS /lʊk/
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She received his presence graciously, read him the letters of her female friends, and forced herself to wear a look of languid complacency, especially before others.
machinerynounUS /məˈʃiːnəri/
machines or machine systems collectively
From this reading The bride seemed occupied with dress, and receiving visits and presents, and reading and writing letters of that sort which ought to be done by machinery.
occupiedadjectiveUS /ˈɑːkjəpaɪd/
held or filled or in use
From this reading The bride seemed occupied with dress, and receiving visits and presents, and reading and writing letters of that sort which ought to be done by machinery.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The bride seemed occupied with dress, and receiving visits and presents, and reading and writing letters of that sort which ought to be done by machinery.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The bridegroom hovered about the house, running in and out on this or that pretext.
onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/
and nothing more
From this reading Settlements were drawn, and only awaited signature.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The bridegroom hovered about the house, running in and out on this or that pretext.
others
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She received his presence graciously, read him the letters of her female friends, and forced herself to wear a look of languid complacency, especially before others.
oughtmodal verbUS /ɔːt/
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading The bride seemed occupied with dress, and receiving visits and presents, and reading and writing letters of that sort which ought to be done by machinery.
outadjectiveUS /aʊt/
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The bridegroom hovered about the house, running in and out on this or that pretext.
passedverbUS /pæst/
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading The short interval previous to the wedding-day passed, to all appearance, as that period generally does.
periodnounUS /ˈpɪriəd/
an amount of time
From this reading The short interval previous to the wedding-day passed, to all appearance, as that period generally does.
presencenounUS /ˈprezəns/
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading She received his presence graciously, read him the letters of her female friends, and forced herself to wear a look of languid complacency, especially before others.
presentsnounUS /ˈprezənts/
plural of “present” — the period of time that is happening now; any continuous stretch of time including the moment of speech
From this reading The bride seemed occupied with dress, and receiving visits and presents, and reading and writing letters of that sort which ought to be done by machinery.
pretextnounUS /ˈpriːtekst/
something serving to conceal plans; a fictitious reason that is concocted in order to conceal the real reason
From this reading The bridegroom hovered about the house, running in and out on this or that pretext.
previousadjectiveUS /ˈpriːviəs/
just preceding something else in time or order
From this reading The short interval previous to the wedding-day passed, to all appearance, as that period generally does.
readverbUS /red/
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading She received his presence graciously, read him the letters of her female friends, and forced herself to wear a look of languid complacency, especially before others.
readingnounUS /ˈriːdɪŋ/
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading The bride seemed occupied with dress, and receiving visits and presents, and reading and writing letters of that sort which ought to be done by machinery.
receivedadjectiveUS /rəˈsiːvd/
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading She received his presence graciously, read him the letters of her female friends, and forced herself to wear a look of languid complacency, especially before others.
receivingverbUS /rəˈsiːvɪŋ/
-ing form of “receive” — get something; come into possession of
From this reading The bride seemed occupied with dress, and receiving visits and presents, and reading and writing letters of that sort which ought to be done by machinery.
runningadjectiveUS /ˈrʌnɪŋ/
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading The bridegroom hovered about the house, running in and out on this or that pretext.
seemedverbUS /siːmd/
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The bride seemed occupied with dress, and receiving visits and presents, and reading and writing letters of that sort which ought to be done by machinery.
SettlementsnounUS /ˈsetəlmənts/
plural of “settlement” — a body of people who settle far from home but maintain ties with their homeland; inhabitants remain nationals of their home state but are not literally under the home state's system of government
From this reading Settlements were drawn, and only awaited signature.
ShepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She received his presence graciously, read him the letters of her female friends, and forced herself to wear a look of languid complacency, especially before others.
shortadjectiveUS /ʃɔːrt/
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading The short interval previous to the wedding-day passed, to all appearance, as that period generally does.
signaturenounUS /ˈsɪɡnətʃər/
your name written in your own handwriting
From this reading Settlements were drawn, and only awaited signature.
sortnounUS /sɔːrt/
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading The bride seemed occupied with dress, and receiving visits and presents, and reading and writing letters of that sort which ought to be done by machinery.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The short interval previous to the wedding-day passed, to all appearance, as that period generally does.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The short interval previous to the wedding-day passed, to all appearance, as that period generally does.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The bridegroom hovered about the house, running in and out on this or that pretext.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The short interval previous to the wedding-day passed, to all appearance, as that period generally does.
visitsnounUS /ˈvɪzɪts/
plural of “visit” — the act of going to see some person or place or thing for a short time
From this reading The bride seemed occupied with dress, and receiving visits and presents, and reading and writing letters of that sort which ought to be done by machinery.
wearverbUS /wer/
be dressed in
From this reading She received his presence graciously, read him the letters of her female friends, and forced herself to wear a look of languid complacency, especially before others.
wedding-day
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The short interval previous to the wedding-day passed, to all appearance, as that period generally does.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Settlements were drawn, and only awaited signature.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The bride seemed occupied with dress, and receiving visits and presents, and reading and writing letters of that sort which ought to be done by machinery.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading The bride seemed occupied with dress, and receiving visits and presents, and reading and writing letters of that sort which ought to be done by machinery.
writingnounUS /ˈraɪtɪŋ/
the act of creating written works
From this reading The bride seemed occupied with dress, and receiving visits and presents, and reading and writing letters of that sort which ought to be done by machinery.
