used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Even the desire for a written apology would have been treating me as of too much account.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading Even the desire for a written apology would have been treating me as of too much account.
anew
From this reading It would have been much more natural to punish the impertinence of which I had no doubt been guilty--I mean, of which it was agreed on all hands that I had been guilty--by merely declining to receive me or see me again.
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading It would have been much more natural to punish the impertinence of which I had no doubt been guilty--I mean, of which it was agreed on all hands that I had been guilty--by merely declining to receive me or see me again.
(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 It would have been much more natural to punish the impertinence of which I had no doubt been guilty--I mean, of which it was agreed on all hands that I had been guilty--by merely declining to receive me or see me again.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading What I had heard of the princess' character utterly forbade any idea which ought not to have been, but would have been, pleasant to entertain.
apologynounUS /əˈpɑːlədʒiː/
an expression of regret at having caused trouble for someone
From this reading Even the desire for a written apology would have been treating me as of too much account.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Even the desire for a written apology would have been treating me as of too much account.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It would have been much more natural to punish the impertinence of which I had no doubt been guilty--I mean, of which it was agreed on all hands that I had been guilty--by merely declining to receive me or see me again.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But she wanted to see me.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It would have been much more natural to punish the impertinence of which I had no doubt been guilty--I mean, of which it was agreed on all hands that I had been guilty--by merely declining to receive me or see me again.
an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading What I had heard of the princess' character utterly forbade any idea which ought not to have been, but would have been, pleasant to entertain.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The Mission of the Ruby I could not imagine why the princess desired to see me.
decliningverbUS /dɪˈklaɪnɪŋ/
-ing form of “decline” — grow worse
From this reading It would have been much more natural to punish the impertinence of which I had no doubt been guilty--I mean, of which it was agreed on all hands that I had been guilty--by merely declining to receive me or see me again.
the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
From this reading Even the desire for a written apology would have been treating me as of too much account.
wanted intensely
From this reading The Mission of the Ruby I could not imagine why the princess desired to see me.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading It would have been much more natural to punish the impertinence of which I had no doubt been guilty--I mean, of which it was agreed on all hands that I had been guilty--by merely declining to receive me or see me again.
entertainverbUS /ˌentərˈteɪn/
provide entertainment for
From this reading What I had heard of the princess' character utterly forbade any idea which ought not to have been, but would have been, pleasant to entertain.
divisible by two
From this reading Even the desire for a written apology would have been treating me as of too much account.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Even the desire for a written apology would have been treating me as of too much account.
forbadeverbUS /fərˈbeɪd/
inflected form of “forbid” — command against
From this reading What I had heard of the princess' character utterly forbade any idea which ought not to have been, but would have been, pleasant to entertain.
responsible for or chargeable with a reprehensible act
From this reading It would have been much more natural to punish the impertinence of which I had no doubt been guilty--I mean, of which it was agreed on all hands that I had been guilty--by merely declining to receive me or see me again.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It would have been much more natural to punish the impertinence of which I had no doubt been guilty--I mean, of which it was agreed on all hands that I had been guilty--by merely declining to receive me or see me again.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading It would have been much more natural to punish the impertinence of which I had no doubt been guilty--I mean, of which it was agreed on all hands that I had been guilty--by merely declining to receive me or see me again.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It would have been much more natural to punish the impertinence of which I had no doubt been guilty--I mean, of which it was agreed on all hands that I had been guilty--by merely declining to receive me or see me again.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading What I had heard of the princess' character utterly forbade any idea which ought not to have been, but would have been, pleasant to entertain.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The Mission of the Ruby I could not imagine why the princess desired to see me.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading What I had heard of the princess' character utterly forbade any idea which ought not to have been, but would have been, pleasant to entertain.
form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading The Mission of the Ruby I could not imagine why the princess desired to see me.
impertinencenoun
an impudent statement
From this reading It would have been much more natural to punish the impertinence of which I had no doubt been guilty--I mean, of which it was agreed on all hands that I had been guilty--by merely declining to receive me or see me again.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It would have been much more natural to punish the impertinence of which I had no doubt been guilty--I mean, of which it was agreed on all hands that I had been guilty--by merely declining to receive me or see me again.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The Mission of the Ruby I could not imagine why the princess desired to see me.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading It would have been much more natural to punish the impertinence of which I had no doubt been guilty--I mean, of which it was agreed on all hands that I had been guilty--by merely declining to receive me or see me again.
and nothing more
From this reading It would have been much more natural to punish the impertinence of which I had no doubt been guilty--I mean, of which it was agreed on all hands that I had been guilty--by merely declining to receive me or see me again.
an organization of missionaries in a foreign land sent to carry on religious work
From this reading The Mission of the Ruby I could not imagine why the princess desired to see me.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading It would have been much more natural to punish the impertinence of which I had no doubt been guilty--I mean, of which it was agreed on all hands that I had been guilty--by merely declining to receive me or see me again.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading It would have been much more natural to punish the impertinence of which I had no doubt been guilty--I mean, of which it was agreed on all hands that I had been guilty--by merely declining to receive me or see me again.
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading It would have been much more natural to punish the impertinence of which I had no doubt been guilty--I mean, of which it was agreed on all hands that I had been guilty--by merely declining to receive me or see me again.
not any; not one
From this reading It would have been much more natural to punish the impertinence of which I had no doubt been guilty--I mean, of which it was agreed on all hands that I had been guilty--by merely declining to receive me or see me again.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The Mission of the Ruby I could not imagine why the princess desired to see me.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Mission of the Ruby I could not imagine why the princess desired to see me.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It would have been much more natural to punish the impertinence of which I had no doubt been guilty--I mean, of which it was agreed on all hands that I had been guilty--by merely declining to receive me or see me again.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading It would have been much more natural to punish the impertinence of which I had no doubt been guilty--I mean, of which it was agreed on all hands that I had been guilty--by merely declining to receive me or see me again.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading What I had heard of the princess' character utterly forbade any idea which ought not to have been, but would have been, pleasant to entertain.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading What I had heard of the princess' character utterly forbade any idea which ought not to have been, but would have been, pleasant to entertain.
The daughter of a monarch; a female member of a royal family.
From this reading The Mission of the Ruby I could not imagine why the princess desired to see me.
punishverbUS /ˈpʌnɪʃ/
impose a penalty on; inflict punishment on
From this reading It would have been much more natural to punish the impertinence of which I had no doubt been guilty--I mean, of which it was agreed on all hands that I had been guilty--by merely declining to receive me or see me again.
get something; come into possession of
From this reading It would have been much more natural to punish the impertinence of which I had no doubt been guilty--I mean, of which it was agreed on all hands that I had been guilty--by merely declining to receive me or see me again.
RubynounUS /ˈruːbi/
a transparent piece of ruby that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading The Mission of the Ruby I could not imagine why the princess desired to see me.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading The Mission of the Ruby I could not imagine why the princess desired to see me.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But she wanted to see me.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It would have been much more natural to punish the impertinence of which I had no doubt been guilty--I mean, of which it was agreed on all hands that I had been guilty--by merely declining to receive me or see me again.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Mission of the Ruby I could not imagine why the princess desired to see me.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Mission of the Ruby I could not imagine why the princess desired to see me.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Even the desire for a written apology would have been treating me as of too much account.
treatingverbUS /ˈtriːtɪŋ/
-ing form of “treat” — interact in a certain way
From this reading Even the desire for a written apology would have been treating me as of too much account.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading What I had heard of the princess' character utterly forbade any idea which ought not to have been, but would have been, pleasant to entertain.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading But she wanted to see me.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It would have been much more natural to punish the impertinence of which I had no doubt been guilty--I mean, of which it was agreed on all hands that I had been guilty--by merely declining to receive me or see me again.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What I had heard of the princess' character utterly forbade any idea which ought not to have been, but would have been, pleasant to entertain.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It would have been much more natural to punish the impertinence of which I had no doubt been guilty--I mean, of which it was agreed on all hands that I had been guilty--by merely declining to receive me or see me again.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading The Mission of the Ruby I could not imagine why the princess desired to see me.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It would have been much more natural to punish the impertinence of which I had no doubt been guilty--I mean, of which it was agreed on all hands that I had been guilty--by merely declining to receive me or see me again.
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading Even the desire for a written apology would have been treating me as of too much account.
