used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading The dancing had begun before Ruth and David came, although they were so early.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading They knew her very well, and had seen her so often that they no longer looked at her as plump brown partridges might look at an exquisite bird of paradise.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The dancing had begun before Ruth and David came, although they were so early.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading And then, they felt that Ruth was unconscious of any difference between herself and them.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The girls, tripping through the dance, smiled at Ruth as they passed.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The girls, tripping through the dance, smiled at Ruth as they passed.
a container that is usually woven and has handles
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The dancing had begun before Ruth and David came, although they were so early.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The dancing had begun before Ruth and David came, although they were so early.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading They knew her very well, and had seen her so often that they no longer looked at her as plump brown partridges might look at an exquisite bird of paradise.
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading They knew her very well, and had seen her so often that they no longer looked at her as plump brown partridges might look at an exquisite bird of paradise.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The dancing had begun before Ruth and David came, although they were so early.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
an artistic form of nonverbal communication
From this reading The girls, tripping through the dance, smiled at Ruth as they passed.
taking a series of rhythmical steps (and movements) in time to music
From this reading The dancing had begun before Ruth and David came, although they were so early.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading The dancing had begun before Ruth and David came, although they were so early.
the quality of being unlike or dissimilar
From this reading And then, they felt that Ruth was unconscious of any difference between herself and them.
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading The dancing had begun before Ruth and David came, although they were so early.
intense or sharp
From this reading They knew her very well, and had seen her so often that they no longer looked at her as plump brown partridges might look at an exquisite bird of paradise.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading And then, they felt that Ruth was unconscious of any difference between herself and them.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading The girls, tripping through the dance, smiled at Ruth as they passed.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The dancing had begun before Ruth and David came, although they were so early.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading They knew her very well, and had seen her so often that they no longer looked at her as plump brown partridges might look at an exquisite bird of paradise.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading And then, they felt that Ruth was unconscious of any difference between herself and them.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
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 They knew her very well, and had seen her so often that they no longer looked at her as plump brown partridges might look at an exquisite bird of paradise.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
for more time
From this reading They knew her very well, and had seen her so often that they no longer looked at her as plump brown partridges might look at an exquisite bird of paradise.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading They knew her very well, and had seen her so often that they no longer looked at her as plump brown partridges might look at an exquisite bird of paradise.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading They knew her very well, and had seen her so often that they no longer looked at her as plump brown partridges might look at an exquisite bird of paradise.
a particular point in time
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
not any; not one
From this reading They knew her very well, and had seen her so often that they no longer looked at her as plump brown partridges might look at an exquisite bird of paradise.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They knew her very well, and had seen her so often that they no longer looked at her as plump brown partridges might look at an exquisite bird of paradise.
many times at short intervals
From this reading They knew her very well, and had seen her so often that they no longer looked at her as plump brown partridges might look at an exquisite bird of paradise.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
paradisenounUS /ˈperədaɪs/
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading They knew her very well, and had seen her so often that they no longer looked at her as plump brown partridges might look at an exquisite bird of paradise.
partridgesnounUS /ˈpɑːrtrɪdʒɪz/
plural of “partridge” — flesh of either quail or grouse
From this reading They knew her very well, and had seen her so often that they no longer looked at her as plump brown partridges might look at an exquisite bird of paradise.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading The girls, tripping through the dance, smiled at Ruth as they passed.
pleasingadjectiveUS /ˈpliːzɪŋ/
giving pleasure and satisfaction
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
plumpadjectiveUS /plʌmp/
sufficiently fat so as to have a pleasing fullness of figure
From this reading They knew her very well, and had seen her so often that they no longer looked at her as plump brown partridges might look at an exquisite bird of paradise.
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading The dancing had begun before Ruth and David came, although they were so early.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading They knew her very well, and had seen her so often that they no longer looked at her as plump brown partridges might look at an exquisite bird of paradise.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading The girls, tripping through the dance, smiled at Ruth as they passed.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The dancing had begun before Ruth and David came, although they were so early.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
swingingnounUS /ˈswɪŋɪŋ/
changing location by moving back and forth
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They knew her very well, and had seen her so often that they no longer looked at her as plump brown partridges might look at an exquisite bird of paradise.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The dancing had begun before Ruth and David came, although they were so early.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then, they felt that Ruth was unconscious of any difference between herself and them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The dancing had begun before Ruth and David came, although they were so early.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
trippingadjectiveUS /ˈtrɪpɪŋ/
characterized by a buoyant rhythm
From this reading The girls, tripping through the dance, smiled at Ruth as they passed.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
not conscious; lacking awareness and the capacity for sensory perception as if asleep or dead
From this reading And then, they felt that Ruth was unconscious of any difference between herself and them.
precisely as stated
From this reading They knew her very well, and had seen her so often that they no longer looked at her as plump brown partridges might look at an exquisite bird of paradise.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading They knew her very well, and had seen her so often that they no longer looked at her as plump brown partridges might look at an exquisite bird of paradise.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The dancing had begun before Ruth and David came, although they were so early.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading The spot being near, they had walked through the forest swinging the basket between them like two happy children, and coming to the open space, they stopped for a moment and looked on, thinking what a pleasing scene it was.
