used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading At first she was surprised to find herself in bed in her mother's room, but in a few moments, she remembered how that happened to be the case.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading WHEN Margaret awoke, she was alone.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An Awful Thing.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Before, however, she had time to dwell much upon the matter, the door opened and her mother entered, fully dressed, bearing a breakfast tray in her hands, which she placed on the dressing-table.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At first she was surprised to find herself in bed in her mother's room, but in a few moments, she remembered how that happened to be the case.
AwfuladjectiveUS /ˈɑːfəl/
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading An Awful Thing.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading WHEN Margaret awoke, she was alone.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading At first she was surprised to find herself in bed in her mother's room, but in a few moments, she remembered how that happened to be the case.
relevant relation or interconnection
From this reading Before, however, she had time to dwell much upon the matter, the door opened and her mother entered, fully dressed, bearing a breakfast tray in her hands, which she placed on the dressing-table.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading At first she was surprised to find herself in bed in her mother's room, but in a few moments, she remembered how that happened to be the case.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before, however, she had time to dwell much upon the matter, the door opened and her mother entered, fully dressed, bearing a breakfast tray in her hands, which she placed on the dressing-table.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading Before, however, she had time to dwell much upon the matter, the door opened and her mother entered, fully dressed, bearing a breakfast tray in her hands, which she placed on the dressing-table.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading At first she was surprised to find herself in bed in her mother's room, but in a few moments, she remembered how that happened to be the case.
an occurrence of something
From this reading At first she was surprised to find herself in bed in her mother's room, but in a few moments, she remembered how that happened to be the case.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Before, however, she had time to dwell much upon the matter, the door opened and her mother entered, fully dressed, bearing a breakfast tray in her hands, which she placed on the dressing-table.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading Before, however, she had time to dwell much upon the matter, the door opened and her mother entered, fully dressed, bearing a breakfast tray in her hands, which she placed on the dressing-table.
dressing-table
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Before, however, she had time to dwell much upon the matter, the door opened and her mother entered, fully dressed, bearing a breakfast tray in her hands, which she placed on the dressing-table.
dwellverbUS /dwel/
think moodily or anxiously about something
From this reading Before, however, she had time to dwell much upon the matter, the door opened and her mother entered, fully dressed, bearing a breakfast tray in her hands, which she placed on the dressing-table.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading Before, however, she had time to dwell much upon the matter, the door opened and her mother entered, fully dressed, bearing a breakfast tray in her hands, which she placed on the dressing-table.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading At first she was surprised to find herself in bed in her mother's room, but in a few moments, she remembered how that happened to be the case.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading At first she was surprised to find herself in bed in her mother's room, but in a few moments, she remembered how that happened to be the case.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading At first she was surprised to find herself in bed in her mother's room, but in a few moments, she remembered how that happened to be the case.
to the greatest degree or extent; completely or entirely; (“full” in this sense is used as a combining form)
From this reading Before, however, she had time to dwell much upon the matter, the door opened and her mother entered, fully dressed, bearing a breakfast tray in her hands, which she placed on the dressing-table.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Before, however, she had time to dwell much upon the matter, the door opened and her mother entered, fully dressed, bearing a breakfast tray in her hands, which she placed on the dressing-table.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Before, however, she had time to dwell much upon the matter, the door opened and her mother entered, fully dressed, bearing a breakfast tray in her hands, which she placed on the dressing-table.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading At first she was surprised to find herself in bed in her mother's room, but in a few moments, she remembered how that happened to be the case.
Haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Have I overslept myself?"
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading At first she was surprised to find herself in bed in her mother's room, but in a few moments, she remembered how that happened to be the case.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading At first she was surprised to find herself in bed in her mother's room, but in a few moments, she remembered how that happened to be the case.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At first she was surprised to find herself in bed in her mother's room, but in a few moments, she remembered how that happened to be the case.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading Before, however, she had time to dwell much upon the matter, the door opened and her mother entered, fully dressed, bearing a breakfast tray in her hands, which she placed on the dressing-table.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Have I overslept myself?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading At first she was surprised to find herself in bed in her mother's room, but in a few moments, she remembered how that happened to be the case.
Margaret
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHEN Margaret awoke, she was alone.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading Before, however, she had time to dwell much upon the matter, the door opened and her mother entered, fully dressed, bearing a breakfast tray in her hands, which she placed on the dressing-table.
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading At first she was surprised to find herself in bed in her mother's room, but in a few moments, she remembered how that happened to be the case.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Before, however, she had time to dwell much upon the matter, the door opened and her mother entered, fully dressed, bearing a breakfast tray in her hands, which she placed on the dressing-table.
mother'snounUS /ˈmʌðərz/
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading At first she was surprised to find herself in bed in her mother's room, but in a few moments, she remembered how that happened to be the case.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Before, however, she had time to dwell much upon the matter, the door opened and her mother entered, fully dressed, bearing a breakfast tray in her hands, which she placed on the dressing-table.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "Have I overslept myself?"
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Before, however, she had time to dwell much upon the matter, the door opened and her mother entered, fully dressed, bearing a breakfast tray in her hands, which she placed on the dressing-table.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Before, however, she had time to dwell much upon the matter, the door opened and her mother entered, fully dressed, bearing a breakfast tray in her hands, which she placed on the dressing-table.
oversleptverbUS /ˌoʊvərˈslept/
inflected form of “oversleep” — sleep longer than intended
From this reading "Have I overslept myself?"
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading Before, however, she had time to dwell much upon the matter, the door opened and her mother entered, fully dressed, bearing a breakfast tray in her hands, which she placed on the dressing-table.
past form of “remember” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading At first she was surprised to find herself in bed in her mother's room, but in a few moments, she remembered how that happened to be the case.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading At first she was surprised to find herself in bed in her mother's room, but in a few moments, she remembered how that happened to be the case.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading WHEN Margaret awoke, she was alone.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading At first she was surprised to find herself in bed in her mother's room, but in a few moments, she remembered how that happened to be the case.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading At first she was surprised to find herself in bed in her mother's room, but in a few moments, she remembered how that happened to be the case.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At first she was surprised to find herself in bed in her mother's room, but in a few moments, she remembered how that happened to be the case.
a special situation
From this reading An Awful Thing.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Before, however, she had time to dwell much upon the matter, the door opened and her mother entered, fully dressed, bearing a breakfast tray in her hands, which she placed on the dressing-table.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At first she was surprised to find herself in bed in her mother's room, but in a few moments, she remembered how that happened to be the case.
traynounUS /treɪ/
an open receptacle for holding or displaying or serving articles or food
From this reading Before, however, she had time to dwell much upon the matter, the door opened and her mother entered, fully dressed, bearing a breakfast tray in her hands, which she placed on the dressing-table.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Before, however, she had time to dwell much upon the matter, the door opened and her mother entered, fully dressed, bearing a breakfast tray in her hands, which she placed on the dressing-table.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading WHEN Margaret awoke, she was alone.
at the time that
From this reading WHEN Margaret awoke, she was alone.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Before, however, she had time to dwell much upon the matter, the door opened and her mother entered, fully dressed, bearing a breakfast tray in her hands, which she placed on the dressing-table.
