used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading That evening I received by hand a letter from Sir Edmund stating that after what had happened it was the wish of himself and his wife that I should never darken his door again.
acknowledgeverbUS /ækˈnɑːlɪdʒ/
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading The next afternoon her ladyship, Ronnie’s mother, failed to acknowledge my salutation, and I knew that my disgrace was complete.
affectionsnounUS /əˈfekʃənz/
plural of “affection” — a positive feeling of liking
From this reading Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading That evening I received by hand a letter from Sir Edmund stating that after what had happened it was the wish of himself and his wife that I should never darken his door again.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading The next afternoon her ladyship, Ronnie’s mother, failed to acknowledge my salutation, and I knew that my disgrace was complete.
anew
From this reading That evening I received by hand a letter from Sir Edmund stating that after what had happened it was the wish of himself and his wife that I should never darken his door again.
(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 Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The next afternoon her ladyship, Ronnie’s mother, failed to acknowledge my salutation, and I knew that my disgrace was complete.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
baselyadverb
in a despicable, ignoble manner
From this reading Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
put or pin the blame on
From this reading Obviously it was I who was to blame for Rose’s wickedness.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading That evening I received by hand a letter from Sir Edmund stating that after what had happened it was the wish of himself and his wife that I should never darken his door again.
capacitynounUS /kəˈpæsəti/
capability to perform or produce
From this reading Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading I remember the phrase distinctly—never darken his door: he must have carried it in his mind from a melodrama witnessed in his youth.
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading The next afternoon her ladyship, Ronnie’s mother, failed to acknowledge my salutation, and I knew that my disgrace was complete.
without stop or interruption
From this reading Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
darkenverbUS /ˈdɑːrkən/
become dark or darker
From this reading That evening I received by hand a letter from Sir Edmund stating that after what had happened it was the wish of himself and his wife that I should never darken his door again.
disgraceverbUS /dɪsˈɡreɪs/
bring shame or dishonor upon
From this reading The next afternoon her ladyship, Ronnie’s mother, failed to acknowledge my salutation, and I knew that my disgrace was complete.
clear to the mind; with distinct mental discernment
From this reading I remember the phrase distinctly—never darken his door: he must have carried it in his mind from a melodrama witnessed in his youth.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading That evening I received by hand a letter from Sir Edmund stating that after what had happened it was the wish of himself and his wife that I should never darken his door again.
Edmund
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That evening I received by hand a letter from Sir Edmund stating that after what had happened it was the wish of himself and his wife that I should never darken his door again.
esteemedadjectiveUS /ɪˈstiːmd/
having an illustrious reputation; respected
From this reading Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
divisible by two
From this reading Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading That evening I received by hand a letter from Sir Edmund stating that after what had happened it was the wish of himself and his wife that I should never darken his door again.
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading The next afternoon her ladyship, Ronnie’s mother, failed to acknowledge my salutation, and I knew that my disgrace was complete.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Obviously it was I who was to blame for Rose’s wickedness.
dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading That evening I received by hand a letter from Sir Edmund stating that after what had happened it was the wish of himself and his wife that I should never darken his door again.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading That evening I received by hand a letter from Sir Edmund stating that after what had happened it was the wish of himself and his wife that I should never darken his door again.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading That evening I received by hand a letter from Sir Edmund stating that after what had happened it was the wish of himself and his wife that I should never darken his door again.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading That evening I received by hand a letter from Sir Edmund stating that after what had happened it was the wish of himself and his wife that I should never darken his door again.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I remember the phrase distinctly—never darken his door: he must have carried it in his mind from a melodrama witnessed in his youth.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I remember the phrase distinctly—never darken his door: he must have carried it in his mind from a melodrama witnessed in his youth.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The next afternoon her ladyship, Ronnie’s mother, failed to acknowledge my salutation, and I knew that my disgrace was complete.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading That evening I received by hand a letter from Sir Edmund stating that after what had happened it was the wish of himself and his wife that I should never darken his door again.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading That evening I received by hand a letter from Sir Edmund stating that after what had happened it was the wish of himself and his wife that I should never darken his door again.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The next afternoon her ladyship, Ronnie’s mother, failed to acknowledge my salutation, and I knew that my disgrace was complete.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I remember the phrase distinctly—never darken his door: he must have carried it in his mind from a melodrama witnessed in his youth.
indebtedadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈdetɪd/
owing gratitude or recognition to another for help or favors etc
From this reading Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Obviously it was I who was to blame for Rose’s wickedness.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading The next afternoon her ladyship, Ronnie’s mother, failed to acknowledge my salutation, and I knew that my disgrace was complete.
ladyshipnoun
a title used to address any peeress except a duchess
From this reading The next afternoon her ladyship, Ronnie’s mother, failed to acknowledge my salutation, and I knew that my disgrace was complete.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading That evening I received by hand a letter from Sir Edmund stating that after what had happened it was the wish of himself and his wife that I should never darken his door again.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
melodramanounUS /ˈmelədrɑːmə/
an extravagant comedy in which action is more salient than characterization
From this reading I remember the phrase distinctly—never darken his door: he must have carried it in his mind from a melodrama witnessed in his youth.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading I remember the phrase distinctly—never darken his door: he must have carried it in his mind from a melodrama witnessed in his youth.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading The next afternoon her ladyship, Ronnie’s mother, failed to acknowledge my salutation, and I knew that my disgrace was complete.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading I remember the phrase distinctly—never darken his door: he must have carried it in his mind from a melodrama witnessed in his youth.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The next afternoon her ladyship, Ronnie’s mother, failed to acknowledge my salutation, and I knew that my disgrace was complete.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading That evening I received by hand a letter from Sir Edmund stating that after what had happened it was the wish of himself and his wife that I should never darken his door again.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next afternoon her ladyship, Ronnie’s mother, failed to acknowledge my salutation, and I knew that my disgrace was complete.
ObviouslyadverbUS /ˈɑːbviəsli/
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Obviously it was I who was to blame for Rose’s wickedness.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading That evening I received by hand a letter from Sir Edmund stating that after what had happened it was the wish of himself and his wife that I should never darken his door again.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
phrasenounUS /freɪz/
an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence
From this reading I remember the phrase distinctly—never darken his door: he must have carried it in his mind from a melodrama witnessed in his youth.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading That evening I received by hand a letter from Sir Edmund stating that after what had happened it was the wish of himself and his wife that I should never darken his door again.
To recall to mind.
From this reading I remember the phrase distinctly—never darken his door: he must have carried it in his mind from a melodrama witnessed in his youth.
Ronnie's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next afternoon her ladyship, Ronnie’s mother, failed to acknowledge my salutation, and I knew that my disgrace was complete.
Rose'snounUS /ˈroʊzɪz/
possessive form of “rose” — any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading Obviously it was I who was to blame for Rose’s wickedness.
salutationnoun
an act of honor or courteous recognition
From this reading The next afternoon her ladyship, Ronnie’s mother, failed to acknowledge my salutation, and I knew that my disgrace was complete.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading That evening I received by hand a letter from Sir Edmund stating that after what had happened it was the wish of himself and his wife that I should never darken his door again.
term of address for a man
From this reading That evening I received by hand a letter from Sir Edmund stating that after what had happened it was the wish of himself and his wife that I should never darken his door again.
son'snounUS /sʌnz/
possessive form of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
statingverbUS /ˈsteɪtɪŋ/
-ing form of “state” — express in words
From this reading That evening I received by hand a letter from Sir Edmund stating that after what had happened it was the wish of himself and his wife that I should never darken his door again.
inflected form of “steal” — take without the owner's consent
From this reading Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The next afternoon her ladyship, Ronnie’s mother, failed to acknowledge my salutation, and I knew that my disgrace was complete.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The next afternoon her ladyship, Ronnie’s mother, failed to acknowledge my salutation, and I knew that my disgrace was complete.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The next afternoon her ladyship, Ronnie’s mother, failed to acknowledge my salutation, and I knew that my disgrace was complete.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The next afternoon her ladyship, Ronnie’s mother, failed to acknowledge my salutation, and I knew that my disgrace was complete.
weakenedadjectiveUS /ˈwiːkənd/
impaired by diminution
From this reading Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading That evening I received by hand a letter from Sir Edmund stating that after what had happened it was the wish of himself and his wife that I should never darken his door again.
which person or people
From this reading Obviously it was I who was to blame for Rose’s wickedness.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
wickednessnounUS /ˈwɪkədnəs/
morally objectionable behavior
From this reading Obviously it was I who was to blame for Rose’s wickedness.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading That evening I received by hand a letter from Sir Edmund stating that after what had happened it was the wish of himself and his wife that I should never darken his door again.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading That evening I received by hand a letter from Sir Edmund stating that after what had happened it was the wish of himself and his wife that I should never darken his door again.
witnessedverbUS /ˈwɪtnəst/
past form of “witness” — be a witness to
From this reading I remember the phrase distinctly—never darken his door: he must have carried it in his mind from a melodrama witnessed in his youth.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Much as they had esteemed me in the past, the letter continued, and much even as they were indebted to me in my capacity as a doctor, they could never forget that their poor son’s affections had been basely stolen—all ill and weakened as he was—by a woman whom I had brought up.
a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading I remember the phrase distinctly—never darken his door: he must have carried it in his mind from a melodrama witnessed in his youth.
