used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading When he could get his breath he leaned over the table and said in a solemn, horrified voice, ‘Good God, Mr. Burton, why then ... why then....’
(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 He was all but plumb annihilated by the hardness of the fact that had just hit him on the head.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading He stood there, and almost fell in pieces, he was thinking so hard.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He stood there, and almost fell in pieces, he was thinking so hard.
annihilatedadjectiveUS /əˈnaɪəleɪtɪd/
destroyed completely
From this reading He was all but plumb annihilated by the hardness of the fact that had just hit him on the head.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading “But the lad was feeling too cut up to pay any attention to these little poultices.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Not very cheerful thoughts, at that.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading “But the lad was feeling too cut up to pay any attention to these little poultices.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading When he could get his breath he leaned over the table and said in a solemn, horrified voice, ‘Good God, Mr. Burton, why then ... why then....’
BurtonnounUS /ˈbɜːrtən/
English explorer who with John Speke was the first European to explore Lake Tanganyika (1821-1890)
From this reading When he could get his breath he leaned over the table and said in a solemn, horrified voice, ‘Good God, Mr. Burton, why then ... why then....’
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But the lad was feeling too cut up to pay any attention to these little poultices.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He was all but plumb annihilated by the hardness of the fact that had just hit him on the head.
being full of or promoting cheer; having or showing good spirits
From this reading Not very cheerful thoughts, at that.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading When he could get his breath he leaned over the table and said in a solemn, horrified voice, ‘Good God, Mr. Burton, why then ... why then....’
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading “But the lad was feeling too cut up to pay any attention to these little poultices.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading He was all but plumb annihilated by the hardness of the fact that had just hit him on the head.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading “But the lad was feeling too cut up to pay any attention to these little poultices.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading He stood there, and almost fell in pieces, he was thinking so hard.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading When he could get his breath he leaned over the table and said in a solemn, horrified voice, ‘Good God, Mr. Burton, why then ... why then....’
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading When he could get his breath he leaned over the table and said in a solemn, horrified voice, ‘Good God, Mr. Burton, why then ... why then....’
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading When he could get his breath he leaned over the table and said in a solemn, horrified voice, ‘Good God, Mr. Burton, why then ... why then....’
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He was all but plumb annihilated by the hardness of the fact that had just hit him on the head.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading He stood there, and almost fell in pieces, he was thinking so hard.
hardnessnounUS /ˈhɑːrdnəs/
the property of being rigid and resistant to pressure; not easily scratched; measured on Mohs scale
From this reading He was all but plumb annihilated by the hardness of the fact that had just hit him on the head.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He stood there, and almost fell in pieces, he was thinking so hard.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading He was all but plumb annihilated by the hardness of the fact that had just hit him on the head.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He was all but plumb annihilated by the hardness of the fact that had just hit him on the head.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading When he could get his breath he leaned over the table and said in a solemn, horrified voice, ‘Good God, Mr. Burton, why then ... why then....’
cause to move by striking
From this reading He was all but plumb annihilated by the hardness of the fact that had just hit him on the head.
horrifiedadjectiveUS /ˈhɔːrəfaɪd/
stricken with horror
From this reading When he could get his breath he leaned over the table and said in a solemn, horrified voice, ‘Good God, Mr. Burton, why then ... why then....’
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He stood there, and almost fell in pieces, he was thinking so hard.
and nothing more
From this reading He was all but plumb annihilated by the hardness of the fact that had just hit him on the head.
a boy or man
From this reading “But the lad was feeling too cut up to pay any attention to these little poultices.
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading When he could get his breath he leaned over the table and said in a solemn, horrified voice, ‘Good God, Mr. Burton, why then ... why then....’
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “But the lad was feeling too cut up to pay any attention to these little poultices.
a form of address for a man
From this reading When he could get his breath he leaned over the table and said in a solemn, horrified voice, ‘Good God, Mr. Burton, why then ... why then....’
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not very cheerful thoughts, at that.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was all but plumb annihilated by the hardness of the fact that had just hit him on the head.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He was all but plumb annihilated by the hardness of the fact that had just hit him on the head.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading When he could get his breath he leaned over the table and said in a solemn, horrified voice, ‘Good God, Mr. Burton, why then ... why then....’
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading “But the lad was feeling too cut up to pay any attention to these little poultices.
plural of “piece” — a separate part of a whole
From this reading He stood there, and almost fell in pieces, he was thinking so hard.
plumbverbUS /plʌm/
measure the depth of something
From this reading He was all but plumb annihilated by the hardness of the fact that had just hit him on the head.
poulticesnounUS /ˈpoʊltəsɪz/
plural of “poultice” — a medical dressing consisting of a soft heated mass of meal or clay that is spread on a cloth and applied to the skin to treat inflamed areas or improve circulation etc.
From this reading “But the lad was feeling too cut up to pay any attention to these little poultices.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading When he could get his breath he leaned over the table and said in a solemn, horrified voice, ‘Good God, Mr. Burton, why then ... why then....’
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He stood there, and almost fell in pieces, he was thinking so hard.
dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises
From this reading When he could get his breath he leaned over the table and said in a solemn, horrified voice, ‘Good God, Mr. Burton, why then ... why then....’
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading He stood there, and almost fell in pieces, he was thinking so hard.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading When he could get his breath he leaned over the table and said in a solemn, horrified voice, ‘Good God, Mr. Burton, why then ... why then....’
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Not very cheerful thoughts, at that.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “But the lad was feeling too cut up to pay any attention to these little poultices.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading When he could get his breath he leaned over the table and said in a solemn, horrified voice, ‘Good God, Mr. Burton, why then ... why then....’
in or at that place or location
From this reading He stood there, and almost fell in pieces, he was thinking so hard.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading “But the lad was feeling too cut up to pay any attention to these little poultices.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading He stood there, and almost fell in pieces, he was thinking so hard.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Not very cheerful thoughts, at that.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “But the lad was feeling too cut up to pay any attention to these little poultices.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading “But the lad was feeling too cut up to pay any attention to these little poultices.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “But the lad was feeling too cut up to pay any attention to these little poultices.
precisely as stated
From this reading Not very cheerful thoughts, at that.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading When he could get his breath he leaned over the table and said in a solemn, horrified voice, ‘Good God, Mr. Burton, why then ... why then....’
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “But the lad was feeling too cut up to pay any attention to these little poultices.
at the time that
From this reading When he could get his breath he leaned over the table and said in a solemn, horrified voice, ‘Good God, Mr. Burton, why then ... why then....’
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading When he could get his breath he leaned over the table and said in a solemn, horrified voice, ‘Good God, Mr. Burton, why then ... why then....’
