used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
Ah
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
in addition
From this reading "Then why not look to it for your monument also?"
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
placed in a grave
From this reading A great man must be buried there.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
cemeterynounUS /ˈseməteri/
a tract of land used for burials
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
without stop or interruption
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
descendverbUS /dɪˈsend/
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
earnestnessnounUS /ˈɜːrnəstnəs/
an earnest and sincere feeling
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
erectedverbUS /ɪˈrektəd/
past form of “erect” — construct, build, or erect
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
exclaimverbUS /ɪkˈskleɪm/
utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading Have you never heard them exclaim: 'Yonder is a great monument!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Then why not look to it for your monument also?"
generationnounUS /ˌdʒenərˈeɪʃən/
all the people living at the same time or of approximately the same age
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Have you never heard them exclaim: 'Yonder is a great monument!
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
Haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
head-stones
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Have you never heard them exclaim: 'Yonder is a great monument!
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
superlative of “high” — greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
the state of being honored
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Have you never heard them exclaim: 'Yonder is a great monument!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Then why not look to it for your monument also?"
gain knowledge or skills
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Then why not look to it for your monument also?"
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading A great man must be buried there.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
monumentnounUS /ˈmɑːnjuːmənt/
a structure erected to commemorate persons or events
From this reading "Then why not look to it for your monument also?"
monumentsnounUS /ˈmɑːnjəmənts/
plural of “monument” — a structure erected to commemorate persons or events
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading A great man must be buried there.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
not any; not one
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Then why not look to it for your monument also?"
being perceived or observed
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
overlookedadjectiveUS /ˈoʊvərlʊkt/
not taken into account
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
have ownership or possession of
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
poetsnounUS /ˈpoʊəts/
plural of “poet” — a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry)
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
posteritynounUS /pɑːˈsterəti/
all of the offspring of a given progenitor
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
occurring or distributed over widely spaced and irregular intervals in time or space
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
term of address for a man
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
plural of “stranger” — anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Have you never heard them exclaim: 'Yonder is a great monument!
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Then why not look to it for your monument also?"
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
plural of “thousand” — the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Then why not look to it for your monument also?"
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
at the time that
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
belonging to which person
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Then why not look to it for your monument also?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading "Ah, sir!" he cried, "there are so many poets in the world that I might be entirely overlooked by posterity, did there not descend to it some sign that I was held in honour by my own generation."
distant but within sight (“yon” is dialectal)
From this reading Have you never heard them exclaim: 'Yonder is a great monument!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Have you never noticed," he continued, with more earnestness, "that when strangers visit a cemetery they pay no attention to the thousands of little head-stones that lie scattered close to the ground, but hunt out the highest monuments, to learn in whose honour they were erected?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Then why not look to it for your monument also?"
