used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Mamma and I went quietly about our duties; and when I had the children in bed, I came into the nursery and sat down to have a brief talk with her.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Mamma and I went quietly about our duties; and when I had the children in bed, I came into the nursery and sat down to have a brief talk with her.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Fan, Nelly, and Stuart played croquet until it was fairly dusk.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading There were shouts of laughter, and much hurrying around, as if no time was to be lost.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading There were shouts of laughter, and much hurrying around, as if no time was to be lost.
ballsnounUS /bɔːlz/
plural of “ball” — round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading By this time the click of the balls had ceased, and the three were strolling up and down the street.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading There were shouts of laughter, and much hurrying around, as if no time was to be lost.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading Mamma and I went quietly about our duties; and when I had the children in bed, I came into the nursery and sat down to have a brief talk with her.
of short duration or distance
From this reading Mamma and I went quietly about our duties; and when I had the children in bed, I came into the nursery and sat down to have a brief talk with her.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By this time the click of the balls had ceased, and the three were strolling up and down the street.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Mamma and I went quietly about our duties; and when I had the children in bed, I came into the nursery and sat down to have a brief talk with her.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading By this time the click of the balls had ceased, and the three were strolling up and down the street.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading Mamma and I went quietly about our duties; and when I had the children in bed, I came into the nursery and sat down to have a brief talk with her.
clickverbUS /klɪk/
move or strike with a noise
From this reading By this time the click of the balls had ceased, and the three were strolling up and down the street.
croquetverbUS /kroʊˈkeɪ/
drive away by hitting with one's ball
From this reading Fan, Nelly, and Stuart played croquet until it was fairly dusk.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Mamma and I went quietly about our duties; and when I had the children in bed, I came into the nursery and sat down to have a brief talk with her.
dusknounUS /dʌsk/
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading Fan, Nelly, and Stuart played croquet until it was fairly dusk.
plural of “duty” — the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading Mamma and I went quietly about our duties; and when I had the children in bed, I came into the nursery and sat down to have a brief talk with her.
to certain extent or degree
From this reading Fan, Nelly, and Stuart played croquet until it was fairly dusk.
FanverbUS /fæn/
strike out (a batter), (of a pitcher)
From this reading Fan, Nelly, and Stuart played croquet until it was fairly dusk.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Mamma and I went quietly about our duties; and when I had the children in bed, I came into the nursery and sat down to have a brief talk with her.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Mamma and I went quietly about our duties; and when I had the children in bed, I came into the nursery and sat down to have a brief talk with her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mamma and I went quietly about our duties; and when I had the children in bed, I came into the nursery and sat down to have a brief talk with her.
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How odd it seems!”
hurryingadjectiveUS /ˈhɜːriɪŋ/
moving with great haste
From this reading There were shouts of laughter, and much hurrying around, as if no time was to be lost.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Mamma and I went quietly about our duties; and when I had the children in bed, I came into the nursery and sat down to have a brief talk with her.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading There were shouts of laughter, and much hurrying around, as if no time was to be lost.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mamma and I went quietly about our duties; and when I had the children in bed, I came into the nursery and sat down to have a brief talk with her.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Mamma and I went quietly about our duties; and when I had the children in bed, I came into the nursery and sat down to have a brief talk with her.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Fan, Nelly, and Stuart played croquet until it was fairly dusk.
the sound of laughing
From this reading There were shouts of laughter, and much hurrying around, as if no time was to be lost.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading There were shouts of laughter, and much hurrying around, as if no time was to be lost.
informal terms for a mother
From this reading Mamma and I went quietly about our duties; and when I had the children in bed, I came into the nursery and sat down to have a brief talk with her.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading There were shouts of laughter, and much hurrying around, as if no time was to be lost.
Nelly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Fan, Nelly, and Stuart played croquet until it was fairly dusk.
not any; not one
From this reading There were shouts of laughter, and much hurrying around, as if no time was to be lost.
nurserynounUS /ˈnɜːrsəri/
a child's room for a baby
From this reading Mamma and I went quietly about our duties; and when I had the children in bed, I came into the nursery and sat down to have a brief talk with her.
not divisible by two
From this reading “How odd it seems!”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There were shouts of laughter, and much hurrying around, as if no time was to be lost.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Mamma and I went quietly about our duties; and when I had the children in bed, I came into the nursery and sat down to have a brief talk with her.
(of games) engaged in
From this reading Fan, Nelly, and Stuart played croquet until it was fairly dusk.
with low volume
From this reading Mamma and I went quietly about our duties; and when I had the children in bed, I came into the nursery and sat down to have a brief talk with her.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Mamma and I went quietly about our duties; and when I had the children in bed, I came into the nursery and sat down to have a brief talk with her.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “How odd it seems!”
shoutsnounUS /ʃaʊts/
plural of “shout” — a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
From this reading There were shouts of laughter, and much hurrying around, as if no time was to be lost.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading By this time the click of the balls had ceased, and the three were strolling up and down the street.
strollingverbUS /ˈstroʊlɪŋ/
-ing form of “stroll” — walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
From this reading By this time the click of the balls had ceased, and the three were strolling up and down the street.
StuartnounUS /ˈstuːərt/
United States painter best known for his portraits of George Washington (1755-1828)
From this reading Fan, Nelly, and Stuart played croquet until it was fairly dusk.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading Mamma and I went quietly about our duties; and when I had the children in bed, I came into the nursery and sat down to have a brief talk with her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mamma and I went quietly about our duties; and when I had the children in bed, I came into the nursery and sat down to have a brief talk with her.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were shouts of laughter, and much hurrying around, as if no time was to be lost.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading By this time the click of the balls had ceased, and the three were strolling up and down the street.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading By this time the click of the balls had ceased, and the three were strolling up and down the street.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading There were shouts of laughter, and much hurrying around, as if no time was to be lost.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There were shouts of laughter, and much hurrying around, as if no time was to be lost.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading Fan, Nelly, and Stuart played croquet until it was fairly dusk.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading By this time the click of the balls had ceased, and the three were strolling up and down the street.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Fan, Nelly, and Stuart played croquet until it was fairly dusk.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Mamma and I went quietly about our duties; and when I had the children in bed, I came into the nursery and sat down to have a brief talk with her.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were shouts of laughter, and much hurrying around, as if no time was to be lost.
at the time that
From this reading Mamma and I went quietly about our duties; and when I had the children in bed, I came into the nursery and sat down to have a brief talk with her.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Mamma and I went quietly about our duties; and when I had the children in bed, I came into the nursery and sat down to have a brief talk with her.
