used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading We were beginning a new week, and alone by ourselves.
using the voice; not silently
From this reading Papa read most of it aloud, and I saw mamma’s sweet, dark eyes fill with tears.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The next thing that happened to us was—though to be exact, it was two events.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading We were beginning a new week, and alone by ourselves.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading The Doctor’s bill he would settle when he came home.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The Doctor’s bill he would settle when he came home.
examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
chinksnounUS /tʃɪŋks/
plural of “chink” — (ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of Chinese descent
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Papa read most of it aloud, and I saw mamma’s sweet, dark eyes fill with tears.
Doctor'snounUS /ˈdɑːktərz/
possessive form of “doctor” — a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading The Doctor’s bill he would settle when he came home.
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
DuncannounUS /ˈdʌŋkən/
United States dancer and pioneer of modern dance (1878-1927)
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
enclosingnounUS /enˈkloʊzɪŋ/
the act of enclosing something inside something else
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading The next thing that happened to us was—though to be exact, it was two events.
exactadjectiveUS /ɪɡˈzækt/
Strictly particular and correct.
From this reading The next thing that happened to us was—though to be exact, it was two events.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Papa read most of it aloud, and I saw mamma’s sweet, dark eyes fill with tears.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
make full, also in a metaphorical sense
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading The next thing that happened to us was—though to be exact, it was two events.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading The Doctor’s bill he would settle when he came home.
ten 10s
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Papa read most of it aloud, and I saw mamma’s sweet, dark eyes fill with tears.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The next thing that happened to us was—though to be exact, it was two events.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
appealing to the emotions as well as the eye
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
informal terms for a mother
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
mamma's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Papa read most of it aloud, and I saw mamma’s sweet, dark eyes fill with tears.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Papa read most of it aloud, and I saw mamma’s sweet, dark eyes fill with tears.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading We were beginning a new week, and alone by ourselves.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next thing that happened to us was—though to be exact, it was two events.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Papa read most of it aloud, and I saw mamma’s sweet, dark eyes fill with tears.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
used when we are both doing the action and receiving it
From this reading We were beginning a new week, and alone by ourselves.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading Papa read most of it aloud, and I saw mamma’s sweet, dark eyes fill with tears.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
cut with a saw
From this reading Papa read most of it aloud, and I saw mamma’s sweet, dark eyes fill with tears.
settle into a position, usually on a surface or ground
From this reading The Doctor’s bill he would settle when he came home.
sicknessnounUS /ˈsɪknəs/
impairment of normal physiological function affecting part or all of an organism
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
StephennounUS /ˈstiːvən/
English writer (1832-1904)
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading Papa read most of it aloud, and I saw mamma’s sweet, dark eyes fill with tears.
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading Papa read most of it aloud, and I saw mamma’s sweet, dark eyes fill with tears.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The next thing that happened to us was—though to be exact, it was two events.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The next thing that happened to us was—though to be exact, it was two events.
a special situation
From this reading The next thing that happened to us was—though to be exact, it was two events.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading The next thing that happened to us was—though to be exact, it was two events.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The next thing that happened to us was—though to be exact, it was two events.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The next thing that happened to us was—though to be exact, it was two events.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading In the morning papa had a long, lovely letter from Stephen Duncan, enclosing a check for two hundred dollars on the boys’ account, and one for fifty to mamma, to fill up the chinks made by the sickness, he said.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The next thing that happened to us was—though to be exact, it was two events.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The next thing that happened to us was—though to be exact, it was two events.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We were beginning a new week, and alone by ourselves.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading We were beginning a new week, and alone by ourselves.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We were beginning a new week, and alone by ourselves.
at the time that
From this reading The Doctor’s bill he would settle when he came home.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Papa read most of it aloud, and I saw mamma’s sweet, dark eyes fill with tears.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The Doctor’s bill he would settle when he came home.
