used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading JOHNSON AS A LITERARY DICTATOR.
in addition
From this reading It is easy enough to make a selection of the gems of Boswell's narrative; but it is also inevitable that, taken from their setting, they should lose the greatest part of their brilliance.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The last twenty years are those which are really familiar to us; and little remains but to give some brief selection of Boswell's anecdotes.
anecdotesnounUS /ˈænəkdoʊts/
plural of “anecdote” — short account of an incident (especially a biographical one)
From this reading The last twenty years are those which are really familiar to us; and little remains but to give some brief selection of Boswell's anecdotes.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The last twenty years are those which are really familiar to us; and little remains but to give some brief selection of Boswell's anecdotes.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading JOHNSON AS A LITERARY DICTATOR.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading We have now reached the point at which Johnson's life becomes distinctly visible through the eyes of a competent observer.
third-person singular of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading We have now reached the point at which Johnson's life becomes distinctly visible through the eyes of a competent observer.
Boswell's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The last twenty years are those which are really familiar to us; and little remains but to give some brief selection of Boswell's anecdotes.
of short duration or distance
From this reading The last twenty years are those which are really familiar to us; and little remains but to give some brief selection of Boswell's anecdotes.
brilliancenounUS /ˈbrɪljəns/
a light within the field of vision that is brighter than the brightness to which the eyes are adapted
From this reading It is easy enough to make a selection of the gems of Boswell's narrative; but it is also inevitable that, taken from their setting, they should lose the greatest part of their brilliance.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The last twenty years are those which are really familiar to us; and little remains but to give some brief selection of Boswell's anecdotes.
competentadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːmpətɪnt/
properly or sufficiently qualified or capable or efficient
From this reading We have now reached the point at which Johnson's life becomes distinctly visible through the eyes of a competent observer.
DICTATORnounUS /dɪkˈteɪtər/
a speaker who dictates to a secretary or a recording machine
From this reading JOHNSON AS A LITERARY DICTATOR.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading The task, however, is a difficult one.
clear to the mind; with distinct mental discernment
From this reading We have now reached the point at which Johnson's life becomes distinctly visible through the eyes of a competent observer.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading It is easy enough to make a selection of the gems of Boswell's narrative; but it is also inevitable that, taken from their setting, they should lose the greatest part of their brilliance.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading It is easy enough to make a selection of the gems of Boswell's narrative; but it is also inevitable that, taken from their setting, they should lose the greatest part of their brilliance.
opinion or judgment
From this reading We have now reached the point at which Johnson's life becomes distinctly visible through the eyes of a competent observer.
well known or easily recognized
From this reading The last twenty years are those which are really familiar to us; and little remains but to give some brief selection of Boswell's anecdotes.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It is easy enough to make a selection of the gems of Boswell's narrative; but it is also inevitable that, taken from their setting, they should lose the greatest part of their brilliance.
gemsnounUS /dʒemz/
plural of “gem” — art highly prized for its beauty or perfection
From this reading It is easy enough to make a selection of the gems of Boswell's narrative; but it is also inevitable that, taken from their setting, they should lose the greatest part of their brilliance.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading The last twenty years are those which are really familiar to us; and little remains but to give some brief selection of Boswell's anecdotes.
highest in quality
From this reading It is easy enough to make a selection of the gems of Boswell's narrative; but it is also inevitable that, taken from their setting, they should lose the greatest part of their brilliance.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading We have now reached the point at which Johnson's life becomes distinctly visible through the eyes of a competent observer.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading The task, however, is a difficult one.
inevitableadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈnevətəbəl/
incapable of being avoided or prevented
From this reading It is easy enough to make a selection of the gems of Boswell's narrative; but it is also inevitable that, taken from their setting, they should lose the greatest part of their brilliance.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The task, however, is a difficult one.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is easy enough to make a selection of the gems of Boswell's narrative; but it is also inevitable that, taken from their setting, they should lose the greatest part of their brilliance.
English writer and lexicographer (1709-1784)
From this reading JOHNSON AS A LITERARY DICTATOR.
Johnson'snounUS /ˈdʒɑːnsənz/
possessive form of “johnson” — English writer and lexicographer (1709-1784)
From this reading We have now reached the point at which Johnson's life becomes distinctly visible through the eyes of a competent observer.
immediately past
From this reading The last twenty years are those which are really familiar to us; and little remains but to give some brief selection of Boswell's anecdotes.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading We have now reached the point at which Johnson's life becomes distinctly visible through the eyes of a competent observer.
of or relating to or characteristic of literature
From this reading JOHNSON AS A LITERARY DICTATOR.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The last twenty years are those which are really familiar to us; and little remains but to give some brief selection of Boswell's anecdotes.
fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading It is easy enough to make a selection of the gems of Boswell's narrative; but it is also inevitable that, taken from their setting, they should lose the greatest part of their brilliance.
engage in
From this reading It is easy enough to make a selection of the gems of Boswell's narrative; but it is also inevitable that, taken from their setting, they should lose the greatest part of their brilliance.
narrativenounUS /ˈnærətɪv/
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading It is easy enough to make a selection of the gems of Boswell's narrative; but it is also inevitable that, taken from their setting, they should lose the greatest part of their brilliance.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading We have now reached the point at which Johnson's life becomes distinctly visible through the eyes of a competent observer.
observernounUS /əbˈzɜːrvər/
a person who becomes aware (of things or events) through the senses
From this reading We have now reached the point at which Johnson's life becomes distinctly visible through the eyes of a competent observer.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We have now reached the point at which Johnson's life becomes distinctly visible through the eyes of a competent observer.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The task, however, is a difficult one.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading It is easy enough to make a selection of the gems of Boswell's narrative; but it is also inevitable that, taken from their setting, they should lose the greatest part of their brilliance.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading We have now reached the point at which Johnson's life becomes distinctly visible through the eyes of a competent observer.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading We have now reached the point at which Johnson's life becomes distinctly visible through the eyes of a competent observer.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading The last twenty years are those which are really familiar to us; and little remains but to give some brief selection of Boswell's anecdotes.
any object that is left unused or still extant
From this reading The last twenty years are those which are really familiar to us; and little remains but to give some brief selection of Boswell's anecdotes.
selectionnounUS /səˈlekʃən/
the act of choosing or selecting
From this reading The last twenty years are those which are really familiar to us; and little remains but to give some brief selection of Boswell's anecdotes.
the context and environment in which something is set
From this reading It is easy enough to make a selection of the gems of Boswell's narrative; but it is also inevitable that, taken from their setting, they should lose the greatest part of their brilliance.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading It is easy enough to make a selection of the gems of Boswell's narrative; but it is also inevitable that, taken from their setting, they should lose the greatest part of their brilliance.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The last twenty years are those which are really familiar to us; and little remains but to give some brief selection of Boswell's anecdotes.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading It is easy enough to make a selection of the gems of Boswell's narrative; but it is also inevitable that, taken from their setting, they should lose the greatest part of their brilliance.
any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading The task, however, is a difficult one.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It is easy enough to make a selection of the gems of Boswell's narrative; but it is also inevitable that, taken from their setting, they should lose the greatest part of their brilliance.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading We have now reached the point at which Johnson's life becomes distinctly visible through the eyes of a competent observer.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading It is easy enough to make a selection of the gems of Boswell's narrative; but it is also inevitable that, taken from their setting, they should lose the greatest part of their brilliance.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It is easy enough to make a selection of the gems of Boswell's narrative; but it is also inevitable that, taken from their setting, they should lose the greatest part of their brilliance.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading The last twenty years are those which are really familiar to us; and little remains but to give some brief selection of Boswell's anecdotes.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading We have now reached the point at which Johnson's life becomes distinctly visible through the eyes of a competent observer.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The last twenty years are those which are really familiar to us; and little remains but to give some brief selection of Boswell's anecdotes.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading The last twenty years are those which are really familiar to us; and little remains but to give some brief selection of Boswell's anecdotes.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The last twenty years are those which are really familiar to us; and little remains but to give some brief selection of Boswell's anecdotes.
capable of being seen; or open to easy view
From this reading We have now reached the point at which Johnson's life becomes distinctly visible through the eyes of a competent observer.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We have now reached the point at which Johnson's life becomes distinctly visible through the eyes of a competent observer.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading We have now reached the point at which Johnson's life becomes distinctly visible through the eyes of a competent observer.
a late time of life
From this reading The last twenty years are those which are really familiar to us; and little remains but to give some brief selection of Boswell's anecdotes.
