used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was not that there was a familiar phrase in the upright chirography of the old hermit.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading But after the first page or two--those containing the opening scenes of "Plain Mary"--she dared not read farther.
(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 The car ran so smoothly that Ruth might have read all the way.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading UNCERTAINTIES The automobile purred along the shell road, past the white-sided, green-blinded houses of the retired ship captains and the other well-to-do people of Herringport.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading UNCERTAINTIES The automobile purred along the shell road, past the white-sided, green-blinded houses of the retired ship captains and the other well-to-do people of Herringport.
automobilenounUS /ˈɔːtəmoʊbiːl/
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading UNCERTAINTIES The automobile purred along the shell road, past the white-sided, green-blinded houses of the retired ship captains and the other well-to-do people of Herringport.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But after the first page or two--those containing the opening scenes of "Plain Mary"--she dared not read farther.
captainsnounUS /ˈkæptənz/
plural of “captain” — an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading UNCERTAINTIES The automobile purred along the shell road, past the white-sided, green-blinded houses of the retired ship captains and the other well-to-do people of Herringport.
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading The car ran so smoothly that Ruth might have read all the way.
chirographynoun
beautiful handwriting
From this reading It was not that there was a familiar phrase in the upright chirography of the old hermit.
containingverbUS /kənˈteɪnɪŋ/
-ing form of “contain” — include or contain; have as a component
From this reading But after the first page or two--those containing the opening scenes of "Plain Mary"--she dared not read farther.
past form of “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading But after the first page or two--those containing the opening scenes of "Plain Mary"--she dared not read farther.
well known or easily recognized
From this reading It was not that there was a familiar phrase in the upright chirography of the old hermit.
more distant in especially space or time
From this reading But after the first page or two--those containing the opening scenes of "Plain Mary"--she dared not read farther.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading But after the first page or two--those containing the opening scenes of "Plain Mary"--she dared not read farther.
green-blinded
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading UNCERTAINTIES The automobile purred along the shell road, past the white-sided, green-blinded houses of the retired ship captains and the other well-to-do people of Herringport.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The car ran so smoothly that Ruth might have read all the way.
hermitnounUS /ˈhɜːrmət/
one retired from society for religious reasons
From this reading It was not that there was a familiar phrase in the upright chirography of the old hermit.
Herringport
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading UNCERTAINTIES The automobile purred along the shell road, past the white-sided, green-blinded houses of the retired ship captains and the other well-to-do people of Herringport.
plural of “house” — a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading UNCERTAINTIES The automobile purred along the shell road, past the white-sided, green-blinded houses of the retired ship captains and the other well-to-do people of Herringport.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was not that there was a familiar phrase in the upright chirography of the old hermit.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was not that there was a familiar phrase in the upright chirography of the old hermit.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading But after the first page or two--those containing the opening scenes of "Plain Mary"--she dared not read farther.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading The car ran so smoothly that Ruth might have read all the way.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But after the first page or two--those containing the opening scenes of "Plain Mary"--she dared not read farther.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading UNCERTAINTIES The automobile purred along the shell road, past the white-sided, green-blinded houses of the retired ship captains and the other well-to-do people of Herringport.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading It was not that there was a familiar phrase in the upright chirography of the old hermit.
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading But after the first page or two--those containing the opening scenes of "Plain Mary"--she dared not read farther.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading But after the first page or two--those containing the opening scenes of "Plain Mary"--she dared not read farther.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading UNCERTAINTIES The automobile purred along the shell road, past the white-sided, green-blinded houses of the retired ship captains and the other well-to-do people of Herringport.
one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading But after the first page or two--those containing the opening scenes of "Plain Mary"--she dared not read farther.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading UNCERTAINTIES The automobile purred along the shell road, past the white-sided, green-blinded houses of the retired ship captains and the other well-to-do people of Herringport.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading UNCERTAINTIES The automobile purred along the shell road, past the white-sided, green-blinded houses of the retired ship captains and the other well-to-do people of Herringport.
phrasenounUS /freɪz/
an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence
From this reading It was not that there was a familiar phrase in the upright chirography of the old hermit.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading But after the first page or two--those containing the opening scenes of "Plain Mary"--she dared not read farther.
purred
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading UNCERTAINTIES The automobile purred along the shell road, past the white-sided, green-blinded houses of the retired ship captains and the other well-to-do people of Herringport.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading The car ran so smoothly that Ruth might have read all the way.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading The car ran so smoothly that Ruth might have read all the way.
no longer active in your work or profession
From this reading UNCERTAINTIES The automobile purred along the shell road, past the white-sided, green-blinded houses of the retired ship captains and the other well-to-do people of Herringport.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading UNCERTAINTIES The automobile purred along the shell road, past the white-sided, green-blinded houses of the retired ship captains and the other well-to-do people of Herringport.
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading The car ran so smoothly that Ruth might have read all the way.
plural of “scene” — the place where some action occurs
From this reading But after the first page or two--those containing the opening scenes of "Plain Mary"--she dared not read farther.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But after the first page or two--those containing the opening scenes of "Plain Mary"--she dared not read farther.
shellnounUS /ʃel/
ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
From this reading UNCERTAINTIES The automobile purred along the shell road, past the white-sided, green-blinded houses of the retired ship captains and the other well-to-do people of Herringport.
transport commercially
From this reading UNCERTAINTIES The automobile purred along the shell road, past the white-sided, green-blinded houses of the retired ship captains and the other well-to-do people of Herringport.
smoothlyadverbUS /ˈsmuːðli/
with no problems or difficulties
From this reading The car ran so smoothly that Ruth might have read all the way.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The car ran so smoothly that Ruth might have read all the way.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The car ran so smoothly that Ruth might have read all the way.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading UNCERTAINTIES The automobile purred along the shell road, past the white-sided, green-blinded houses of the retired ship captains and the other well-to-do people of Herringport.
in or at that place or location
From this reading It was not that there was a familiar phrase in the upright chirography of the old hermit.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading But after the first page or two--those containing the opening scenes of "Plain Mary"--she dared not read farther.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading But after the first page or two--those containing the opening scenes of "Plain Mary"--she dared not read farther.
UNCERTAINTIESnounUS /ənˈsɜːrtəntiz/
plural of “uncertainty” — being unsettled or in doubt or dependent on chance
From this reading UNCERTAINTIES The automobile purred along the shell road, past the white-sided, green-blinded houses of the retired ship captains and the other well-to-do people of Herringport.
uprightadjectiveUS /əˈpraɪt/
in a vertical position; not sloping
From this reading It was not that there was a familiar phrase in the upright chirography of the old hermit.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was not that there was a familiar phrase in the upright chirography of the old hermit.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The car ran so smoothly that Ruth might have read all the way.
well-to-doadjective
in fortunate circumstances financially; moderately rich
From this reading UNCERTAINTIES The automobile purred along the shell road, past the white-sided, green-blinded houses of the retired ship captains and the other well-to-do people of Herringport.
white-sided
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading UNCERTAINTIES The automobile purred along the shell road, past the white-sided, green-blinded houses of the retired ship captains and the other well-to-do people of Herringport.
but in spite of that
From this reading Not yet.
