used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The school secretary pattered down the long corridor and turned into a class-room.
AlfrednounUS /ˈælfrəd/
king of Wessex; defeated the Vikings and encouraged writing in English (849-899)
From this reading There were pictures on the walls--_The Infant Samuel_ was paired with _Cherry Ripe_, and Alfred, in the costume of Robin Hood, conscientiously ignored a neat row of halfpenny buns.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading In the window-seats stood an over-populous fish-bowl, two trays of silkworms, and a row of experimental jam-pots.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The school secretary pattered down the long corridor and turned into a class-room.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The room was a big one.
bunsnounUS /bʌnz/
the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
From this reading There were pictures on the walls--_The Infant Samuel_ was paired with _Cherry Ripe_, and Alfred, in the costume of Robin Hood, conscientiously ignored a neat row of halfpenny buns.
casementnoun
a window sash that is hinged (usually on one side)
From this reading There were old-fashioned casement windows and distempered walls; the modern desks, ranged in double rows, were small and shallow, scarred, and incredibly inky.
CherrynounUS /ˈtʃeri/
wood of any of various cherry trees especially the black cherry
From this reading There were pictures on the walls--_The Infant Samuel_ was paired with _Cherry Ripe_, and Alfred, in the costume of Robin Hood, conscientiously ignored a neat row of halfpenny buns.
class-room
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The school secretary pattered down the long corridor and turned into a class-room.
conscientiouslyadverbUS /ˌkɑːntʃiˈentʃəsli/
with extreme conscientiousness
From this reading There were pictures on the walls--_The Infant Samuel_ was paired with _Cherry Ripe_, and Alfred, in the costume of Robin Hood, conscientiously ignored a neat row of halfpenny buns.
corridornounUS /ˈkɔːrədər/
an enclosed passageway; rooms usually open onto it
From this reading The school secretary pattered down the long corridor and turned into a class-room.
costumenounUS /kɑːˈstuːm/
the attire worn in a play or at a fancy dress ball
From this reading There were pictures on the walls--_The Infant Samuel_ was paired with _Cherry Ripe_, and Alfred, in the costume of Robin Hood, conscientiously ignored a neat row of halfpenny buns.
desksnounUS /desks/
plural of “desk” — a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading There were old-fashioned casement windows and distempered walls; the modern desks, ranged in double rows, were small and shallow, scarred, and incredibly inky.
distempered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were old-fashioned casement windows and distempered walls; the modern desks, ranged in double rows, were small and shallow, scarred, and incredibly inky.
increase twofold
From this reading There were old-fashioned casement windows and distempered walls; the modern desks, ranged in double rows, were small and shallow, scarred, and incredibly inky.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The school secretary pattered down the long corridor and turned into a class-room.
experimentaladjectiveUS /ɪkˌsperɪˈmentəl/
relating to or based on experiment
From this reading In the window-seats stood an over-populous fish-bowl, two trays of silkworms, and a row of experimental jam-pots.
fish-bowl
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the window-seats stood an over-populous fish-bowl, two trays of silkworms, and a row of experimental jam-pots.
halfpennynoun
an English coin worth half a penny
From this reading There were pictures on the walls--_The Infant Samuel_ was paired with _Cherry Ripe_, and Alfred, in the costume of Robin Hood, conscientiously ignored a neat row of halfpenny buns.
HoodnounUS /hʊd/
an aggressive and violent young criminal
From this reading There were pictures on the walls--_The Infant Samuel_ was paired with _Cherry Ripe_, and Alfred, in the costume of Robin Hood, conscientiously ignored a neat row of halfpenny buns.
ignoredadjectiveUS /ˌɪɡˈnɔːrd/
disregarded
From this reading There were pictures on the walls--_The Infant Samuel_ was paired with _Cherry Ripe_, and Alfred, in the costume of Robin Hood, conscientiously ignored a neat row of halfpenny buns.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There were old-fashioned casement windows and distempered walls; the modern desks, ranged in double rows, were small and shallow, scarred, and incredibly inky.
incrediblyadverbUS /ˌɪnˈkredəbli/
not easy to believe
From this reading There were old-fashioned casement windows and distempered walls; the modern desks, ranged in double rows, were small and shallow, scarred, and incredibly inky.
InfantnounUS /ˈɪnfənt/
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading There were pictures on the walls--_The Infant Samuel_ was paired with _Cherry Ripe_, and Alfred, in the costume of Robin Hood, conscientiously ignored a neat row of halfpenny buns.
inkyadjectiveUS /ˈɪŋki/
of the color of black ink
From this reading There were old-fashioned casement windows and distempered walls; the modern desks, ranged in double rows, were small and shallow, scarred, and incredibly inky.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The school secretary pattered down the long corridor and turned into a class-room.
jam-pots
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the window-seats stood an over-populous fish-bowl, two trays of silkworms, and a row of experimental jam-pots.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading The school secretary pattered down the long corridor and turned into a class-room.
belonging to the modern era; since the Middle Ages
From this reading There were old-fashioned casement windows and distempered walls; the modern desks, ranged in double rows, were small and shallow, scarred, and incredibly inky.
neatadjectiveUS /niːt/
clean or organized
From this reading There were pictures on the walls--_The Infant Samuel_ was paired with _Cherry Ripe_, and Alfred, in the costume of Robin Hood, conscientiously ignored a neat row of halfpenny buns.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In the window-seats stood an over-populous fish-bowl, two trays of silkworms, and a row of experimental jam-pots.
old-fashionedadjectiveUS /ˌoʊldˈfæʃənd/
out of fashion
From this reading There were old-fashioned casement windows and distempered walls; the modern desks, ranged in double rows, were small and shallow, scarred, and incredibly inky.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading There were pictures on the walls--_The Infant Samuel_ was paired with _Cherry Ripe_, and Alfred, in the costume of Robin Hood, conscientiously ignored a neat row of halfpenny buns.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The room was a big one.
over-populous
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the window-seats stood an over-populous fish-bowl, two trays of silkworms, and a row of experimental jam-pots.
pairedadjectiveUS /perd/
occurring in pairs or as a pair
From this reading There were pictures on the walls--_The Infant Samuel_ was paired with _Cherry Ripe_, and Alfred, in the costume of Robin Hood, conscientiously ignored a neat row of halfpenny buns.
patteredverbUS /ˈpætərd/
past form of “patter” — rain gently
From this reading The school secretary pattered down the long corridor and turned into a class-room.
plural of “picture” — a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading There were pictures on the walls--_The Infant Samuel_ was paired with _Cherry Ripe_, and Alfred, in the costume of Robin Hood, conscientiously ignored a neat row of halfpenny buns.
rangedverbUS /reɪndʒd/
past form of “range” — change or be different within limits
From this reading There were old-fashioned casement windows and distempered walls; the modern desks, ranged in double rows, were small and shallow, scarred, and incredibly inky.
RipeadjectiveUS /raɪp/
fully developed or matured and ready to be eaten or used
From this reading There were pictures on the walls--_The Infant Samuel_ was paired with _Cherry Ripe_, and Alfred, in the costume of Robin Hood, conscientiously ignored a neat row of halfpenny buns.
small Old World songbird with a reddish breast
From this reading There were pictures on the walls--_The Infant Samuel_ was paired with _Cherry Ripe_, and Alfred, in the costume of Robin Hood, conscientiously ignored a neat row of halfpenny buns.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading The room was a big one.
an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading In the window-seats stood an over-populous fish-bowl, two trays of silkworms, and a row of experimental jam-pots.
rowsnounUS /roʊz/
plural of “row” — an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading There were old-fashioned casement windows and distempered walls; the modern desks, ranged in double rows, were small and shallow, scarred, and incredibly inky.
SamuelnounUS /ˈsæmjuːl/
(Old Testament) Hebrew prophet and judge who anointed Saul as king
From this reading There were pictures on the walls--_The Infant Samuel_ was paired with _Cherry Ripe_, and Alfred, in the costume of Robin Hood, conscientiously ignored a neat row of halfpenny buns.
scarredadjectiveUS /skɑːrd/
deeply affected or marked by mental or physical pain or injury
From this reading There were old-fashioned casement windows and distempered walls; the modern desks, ranged in double rows, were small and shallow, scarred, and incredibly inky.
an educational institution
From this reading The school secretary pattered down the long corridor and turned into a class-room.
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading The school secretary pattered down the long corridor and turned into a class-room.
shallowadjectiveUS /ˈʃæloʊ/
lacking physical depth; having little spatial extension downward or inward from an outer surface or backward or outward from a center
From this reading There were old-fashioned casement windows and distempered walls; the modern desks, ranged in double rows, were small and shallow, scarred, and incredibly inky.
silkwormsnounUS /ˈsɪlkwɜːrmz/
plural of “silkworm” — the commercially bred hairless white caterpillar of the domestic silkworm moth which spins a cocoon that can be processed to yield silk fiber; the principal source of commercial silk
From this reading In the window-seats stood an over-populous fish-bowl, two trays of silkworms, and a row of experimental jam-pots.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading There were old-fashioned casement windows and distempered walls; the modern desks, ranged in double rows, were small and shallow, scarred, and incredibly inky.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading In the window-seats stood an over-populous fish-bowl, two trays of silkworms, and a row of experimental jam-pots.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The school secretary pattered down the long corridor and turned into a class-room.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were old-fashioned casement windows and distempered walls; the modern desks, ranged in double rows, were small and shallow, scarred, and incredibly inky.
traysnounUS /treɪz/
plural of “tray” — an open receptacle for holding or displaying or serving articles or food
From this reading In the window-seats stood an over-populous fish-bowl, two trays of silkworms, and a row of experimental jam-pots.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading The school secretary pattered down the long corridor and turned into a class-room.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading In the window-seats stood an over-populous fish-bowl, two trays of silkworms, and a row of experimental jam-pots.
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading There were old-fashioned casement windows and distempered walls; the modern desks, ranged in double rows, were small and shallow, scarred, and incredibly inky.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The room was a big one.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were old-fashioned casement windows and distempered walls; the modern desks, ranged in double rows, were small and shallow, scarred, and incredibly inky.
window-seats
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the window-seats stood an over-populous fish-bowl, two trays of silkworms, and a row of experimental jam-pots.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading There were old-fashioned casement windows and distempered walls; the modern desks, ranged in double rows, were small and shallow, scarred, and incredibly inky.
in the company of; together with
From this reading There were pictures on the walls--_The Infant Samuel_ was paired with _Cherry Ripe_, and Alfred, in the costume of Robin Hood, conscientiously ignored a neat row of halfpenny buns.
