used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Roy jerked a story-book out of his twin-sister's hands.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading But Molly knew nothing better, and she loved reading, while Roy hated it—unless he found a book about battles.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was not a handsome and prettily illustrated volume, like those now in vogue, being bound in dull boards, with woodcuts fantastically hideous.
battlesnounUS /ˈbætəlz/
plural of “battle” — a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading But Molly knew nothing better, and she loved reading, while Roy hated it—unless he found a book about battles.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading It was not a handsome and prettily illustrated volume, like those now in vogue, being bound in dull boards, with woodcuts fantastically hideous.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading But Molly knew nothing better, and she loved reading, while Roy hated it—unless he found a book about battles.
boardsnounUS /bɔːrdz/
(used in the plural) the stage of a theater
From this reading It was not a handsome and prettily illustrated volume, like those now in vogue, being bound in dull boards, with woodcuts fantastically hideous.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading But Molly knew nothing better, and she loved reading, while Roy hated it—unless he found a book about battles.
confined by bonds
From this reading It was not a handsome and prettily illustrated volume, like those now in vogue, being bound in dull boards, with woodcuts fantastically hideous.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Molly knew nothing better, and she loved reading, while Roy hated it—unless he found a book about battles.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading It was not a handsome and prettily illustrated volume, like those now in vogue, being bound in dull boards, with woodcuts fantastically hideous.
fantasticallyadverbUS /fænˈtæstɪkli/
exceedingly; extremely
From this reading It was not a handsome and prettily illustrated volume, like those now in vogue, being bound in dull boards, with woodcuts fantastically hideous.
set up or found
From this reading But Molly knew nothing better, and she loved reading, while Roy hated it—unless he found a book about battles.
GRENADIERnoun
an infantryman equipped with grenades
From this reading SWEET POLLY'S GRENADIER "MOLLY, Molly—listen!
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Roy jerked a story-book out of his twin-sister's hands.
pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion
From this reading It was not a handsome and prettily illustrated volume, like those now in vogue, being bound in dull boards, with woodcuts fantastically hideous.
hatedadjectiveUS /ˈheɪtəd/
treated with dislike or contempt
From this reading But Molly knew nothing better, and she loved reading, while Roy hated it—unless he found a book about battles.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But Molly knew nothing better, and she loved reading, while Roy hated it—unless he found a book about battles.
hideousadjectiveUS /ˈhɪdiəs/
grossly offensive to decency or morality; causing horror
From this reading It was not a handsome and prettily illustrated volume, like those now in vogue, being bound in dull boards, with woodcuts fantastically hideous.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Roy jerked a story-book out of his twin-sister's hands.
I've
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I've something to tell you."
illustratedverbUS /ˈɪləstreɪtəd/
past form of “illustrate” — clarify by giving an example of
From this reading It was not a handsome and prettily illustrated volume, like those now in vogue, being bound in dull boards, with woodcuts fantastically hideous.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was not a handsome and prettily illustrated volume, like those now in vogue, being bound in dull boards, with woodcuts fantastically hideous.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was not a handsome and prettily illustrated volume, like those now in vogue, being bound in dull boards, with woodcuts fantastically hideous.
jerkedverbUS /dʒɜːrkt/
past form of “jerk” — pull, or move with a sudden movement
From this reading Roy jerked a story-book out of his twin-sister's hands.
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 But Molly knew nothing better, and she loved reading, while Roy hated it—unless he found a book about battles.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading It was not a handsome and prettily illustrated volume, like those now in vogue, being bound in dull boards, with woodcuts fantastically hideous.
hear with intention
From this reading SWEET POLLY'S GRENADIER "MOLLY, Molly—listen!
held dear
From this reading But Molly knew nothing better, and she loved reading, while Roy hated it—unless he found a book about battles.
MOLLYnounUS /ˈmɑːli/
popular aquarium fish
From this reading SWEET POLLY'S GRENADIER "MOLLY, Molly—listen!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was not a handsome and prettily illustrated volume, like those now in vogue, being bound in dull boards, with woodcuts fantastically hideous.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading But Molly knew nothing better, and she loved reading, while Roy hated it—unless he found a book about battles.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading It was not a handsome and prettily illustrated volume, like those now in vogue, being bound in dull boards, with woodcuts fantastically hideous.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Roy jerked a story-book out of his twin-sister's hands.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Roy jerked a story-book out of his twin-sister's hands.
POLLY'S
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SWEET POLLY'S GRENADIER "MOLLY, Molly—listen!
prettilyadverb
in a pretty manner
From this reading It was not a handsome and prettily illustrated volume, like those now in vogue, being bound in dull boards, with woodcuts fantastically hideous.
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading But Molly knew nothing better, and she loved reading, while Roy hated it—unless he found a book about battles.
Roy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Roy jerked a story-book out of his twin-sister's hands.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But Molly knew nothing better, and she loved reading, while Roy hated it—unless he found a book about battles.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading I've something to tell you."
story-book
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Roy jerked a story-book out of his twin-sister's hands.
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading SWEET POLLY'S GRENADIER "MOLLY, Molly—listen!
express in words
From this reading I've something to tell you."
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading It was not a handsome and prettily illustrated volume, like those now in vogue, being bound in dull boards, with woodcuts fantastically hideous.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I've something to tell you."
twin-sister's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Roy jerked a story-book out of his twin-sister's hands.
except if; if not
From this reading But Molly knew nothing better, and she loved reading, while Roy hated it—unless he found a book about battles.
voguenounUS /voʊɡ/
the popular taste at a given time
From this reading It was not a handsome and prettily illustrated volume, like those now in vogue, being bound in dull boards, with woodcuts fantastically hideous.
the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading It was not a handsome and prettily illustrated volume, like those now in vogue, being bound in dull boards, with woodcuts fantastically hideous.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was not a handsome and prettily illustrated volume, like those now in vogue, being bound in dull boards, with woodcuts fantastically hideous.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading But Molly knew nothing better, and she loved reading, while Roy hated it—unless he found a book about battles.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It was not a handsome and prettily illustrated volume, like those now in vogue, being bound in dull boards, with woodcuts fantastically hideous.
woodcuts
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was not a handsome and prettily illustrated volume, like those now in vogue, being bound in dull boards, with woodcuts fantastically hideous.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I've something to tell you."
