used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Constance, when she was alone, burst into a fit of nervous sobbing....
AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading After all, what she now wished was so little, so very little, that she could not understand why it remained so unattainable.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading She was not a wicked woman: there was only one mistake to be charged against her, the mistake of her heedless youth; and were the consequences to last for ever?...
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading After all, what she now wished was so little, so very little, that she could not understand why it remained so unattainable.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading Constance, when she was alone, burst into a fit of nervous sobbing....
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Oh, that past, that wretched past, which always clung to her, which there was no shaking off!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She thought life unjust and the family and everybody.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading She was not a wicked woman: there was only one mistake to be charged against her, the mistake of her heedless youth; and were the consequences to last for ever?...
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading Constance, when she was alone, burst into a fit of nervous sobbing....
chargedadjectiveUS /tʃɑːrdʒd/
of a particle or body or system; having a net amount of positive or negative electric charge
From this reading She was not a wicked woman: there was only one mistake to be charged against her, the mistake of her heedless youth; and were the consequences to last for ever?...
clungverbUS /klʌŋ/
inflected form of “cling” — come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation
From this reading Oh, that past, that wretched past, which always clung to her, which there was no shaking off!
consequencesnounUS /ˈkɑːnsəkwensəz/
plural of “consequence” — a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading She was not a wicked woman: there was only one mistake to be charged against her, the mistake of her heedless youth; and were the consequences to last for ever?...
ConstancenounUS /ˈkɑːnstəns/
a lake in southeastern Germany on the northern side of the Swiss Alps; forms part of the Rhine River
From this reading Constance, when she was alone, burst into a fit of nervous sobbing....
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading After all, what she now wished was so little, so very little, that she could not understand why it remained so unattainable.
at any time
From this reading She was not a wicked woman: there was only one mistake to be charged against her, the mistake of her heedless youth; and were the consequences to last for ever?...
every person
From this reading She thought life unjust and the family and everybody.
a social unit living together
From this reading She thought life unjust and the family and everybody.
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading Constance, when she was alone, burst into a fit of nervous sobbing....
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She was not a wicked woman: there was only one mistake to be charged against her, the mistake of her heedless youth; and were the consequences to last for ever?...
heedlessadjective
marked by or paying little heed or attention
From this reading She was not a wicked woman: there was only one mistake to be charged against her, the mistake of her heedless youth; and were the consequences to last for ever?...
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Oh, that past, that wretched past, which always clung to her, which there was no shaking off!
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Constance, when she was alone, burst into a fit of nervous sobbing....
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading After all, what she now wished was so little, so very little, that she could not understand why it remained so unattainable.
immediately past
From this reading She was not a wicked woman: there was only one mistake to be charged against her, the mistake of her heedless youth; and were the consequences to last for ever?...
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading She thought life unjust and the family and everybody.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading After all, what she now wished was so little, so very little, that she could not understand why it remained so unattainable.
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading She was not a wicked woman: there was only one mistake to be charged against her, the mistake of her heedless youth; and were the consequences to last for ever?...
easily agitated
From this reading Constance, when she was alone, burst into a fit of nervous sobbing....
not any; not one
From this reading Oh, that past, that wretched past, which always clung to her, which there was no shaking off!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She was not a wicked woman: there was only one mistake to be charged against her, the mistake of her heedless youth; and were the consequences to last for ever?...
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading After all, what she now wished was so little, so very little, that she could not understand why it remained so unattainable.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Constance, when she was alone, burst into a fit of nervous sobbing....
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Oh, that past, that wretched past, which always clung to her, which there was no shaking off!
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh, that past, that wretched past, which always clung to her, which there was no shaking off!
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading She was not a wicked woman: there was only one mistake to be charged against her, the mistake of her heedless youth; and were the consequences to last for ever?...
and nothing more
From this reading She was not a wicked woman: there was only one mistake to be charged against her, the mistake of her heedless youth; and were the consequences to last for ever?...
the time that has elapsed
From this reading Oh, that past, that wretched past, which always clung to her, which there was no shaking off!
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading After all, what she now wished was so little, so very little, that she could not understand why it remained so unattainable.
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading Oh, that past, that wretched past, which always clung to her, which there was no shaking off!
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Constance, when she was alone, burst into a fit of nervous sobbing....
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading After all, what she now wished was so little, so very little, that she could not understand why it remained so unattainable.
sobbingnounUS /ˈsɑːbɪŋ/
convulsive gasp made while weeping
From this reading Constance, when she was alone, burst into a fit of nervous sobbing....
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Oh, that past, that wretched past, which always clung to her, which there was no shaking off!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She thought life unjust and the family and everybody.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Oh, that past, that wretched past, which always clung to her, which there was no shaking off!
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading She thought life unjust and the family and everybody.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Oh, that past, that wretched past, which always clung to her, which there was no shaking off!
unattainableadjectiveUS /ˌʌnəˈteɪnəbəl/
impossible to achieve
From this reading After all, what she now wished was so little, so very little, that she could not understand why it remained so unattainable.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading After all, what she now wished was so little, so very little, that she could not understand why it remained so unattainable.
unjustadjectiveUS /ənˈdʒʌst/
not fair; marked by injustice or partiality or deception
From this reading She thought life unjust and the family and everybody.
precisely as stated
From this reading After all, what she now wished was so little, so very little, that she could not understand why it remained so unattainable.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Constance, when she was alone, burst into a fit of nervous sobbing....
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading She was not a wicked woman: there was only one mistake to be charged against her, the mistake of her heedless youth; and were the consequences to last for ever?...
used to ask for information about something
From this reading After all, what she now wished was so little, so very little, that she could not understand why it remained so unattainable.
at the time that
From this reading Constance, when she was alone, burst into a fit of nervous sobbing....
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Oh, that past, that wretched past, which always clung to her, which there was no shaking off!
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading After all, what she now wished was so little, so very little, that she could not understand why it remained so unattainable.
morally bad in principle or practice
From this reading She was not a wicked woman: there was only one mistake to be charged against her, the mistake of her heedless youth; and were the consequences to last for ever?...
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading After all, what she now wished was so little, so very little, that she could not understand why it remained so unattainable.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading She was not a wicked woman: there was only one mistake to be charged against her, the mistake of her heedless youth; and were the consequences to last for ever?...
of very poor quality or condition
From this reading Oh, that past, that wretched past, which always clung to her, which there was no shaking off!
a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading She was not a wicked woman: there was only one mistake to be charged against her, the mistake of her heedless youth; and were the consequences to last for ever?...
