used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She went on: “There were two boy cousins, Robert and John, and a little Nellie, a sweet, gentle-natured little thing, whom I learned to love very soon.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “Miss Lane is telling us her life, papa,” they exclaimed, as they gathered closely about her, with wide awake faces.
(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 Besides these two cousins, there was another boy, a good deal older than any of us, who spent all his vacations at Uncle Bell’s.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She went on: “There were two boy cousins, Robert and John, and a little Nellie, a sweet, gentle-natured little thing, whom I learned to love very soon.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Besides these two cousins, there was another boy, a good deal older than any of us, who spent all his vacations at Uncle Bell’s.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Besides these two cousins, there was another boy, a good deal older than any of us, who spent all his vacations at Uncle Bell’s.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Miss Lane is telling us her life, papa,” they exclaimed, as they gathered closely about her, with wide awake faces.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Besides these two cousins, there was another boy, a good deal older than any of us, who spent all his vacations at Uncle Bell’s.
awakeadjectiveUS /əˈweɪk/
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading “Miss Lane is telling us her life, papa,” they exclaimed, as they gathered closely about her, with wide awake faces.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The children could scarcely wait to finish their tea before they begged for the continuation of the story.
inflected form of “beg” — call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading The children could scarcely wait to finish their tea before they begged for the continuation of the story.
Bell'snounUS /belz/
possessive form of “bell” — a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading Besides these two cousins, there was another boy, a good deal older than any of us, who spent all his vacations at Uncle Bell’s.
in addition to; as well as
From this reading Besides these two cousins, there was another boy, a good deal older than any of us, who spent all his vacations at Uncle Bell’s.
a youthful male person
From this reading She went on: “There were two boy cousins, Robert and John, and a little Nellie, a sweet, gentle-natured little thing, whom I learned to love very soon.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading He had neither father nor mother, sister nor brother.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading The children could scarcely wait to finish their tea before they begged for the continuation of the story.
in a close relation or position in time or space
From this reading “Miss Lane is telling us her life, papa,” they exclaimed, as they gathered closely about her, with wide awake faces.
continuationnounUS /kənˌtɪnjuːˈeɪʃən/
the act of continuing an activity without interruption
From this reading The children could scarcely wait to finish their tea before they begged for the continuation of the story.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The children could scarcely wait to finish their tea before they begged for the continuation of the story.
cousinsnounUS /ˈkʌzənz/
plural of “cousin” — the child of your aunt or uncle
From this reading She went on: “There were two boy cousins, Robert and John, and a little Nellie, a sweet, gentle-natured little thing, whom I learned to love very soon.
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading Besides these two cousins, there was another boy, a good deal older than any of us, who spent all his vacations at Uncle Bell’s.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “Miss Lane is telling us her life, papa,” they exclaimed, as they gathered closely about her, with wide awake faces.
plural of “face” — the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading “Miss Lane is telling us her life, papa,” they exclaimed, as they gathered closely about her, with wide awake faces.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading He had neither father nor mother, sister nor brother.
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading The children could scarcely wait to finish their tea before they begged for the continuation of the story.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The children could scarcely wait to finish their tea before they begged for the continuation of the story.
brought together in one place
From this reading “Miss Lane is telling us her life, papa,” they exclaimed, as they gathered closely about her, with wide awake faces.
gentle-natured
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She went on: “There were two boy cousins, Robert and John, and a little Nellie, a sweet, gentle-natured little thing, whom I learned to love very soon.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Besides these two cousins, there was another boy, a good deal older than any of us, who spent all his vacations at Uncle Bell’s.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had neither father nor mother, sister nor brother.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had neither father nor mother, sister nor brother.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “Miss Lane is telling us her life, papa,” they exclaimed, as they gathered closely about her, with wide awake faces.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Besides these two cousins, there was another boy, a good deal older than any of us, who spent all his vacations at Uncle Bell’s.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading She went on: “There were two boy cousins, Robert and John, and a little Nellie, a sweet, gentle-natured little thing, whom I learned to love very soon.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Miss Lane is telling us her life, papa,” they exclaimed, as they gathered closely about her, with wide awake faces.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading She went on: “There were two boy cousins, Robert and John, and a little Nellie, a sweet, gentle-natured little thing, whom I learned to love very soon.
a narrow way or road
From this reading “Miss Lane is telling us her life, papa,” they exclaimed, as they gathered closely about her, with wide awake faces.
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading She went on: “There were two boy cousins, Robert and John, and a little Nellie, a sweet, gentle-natured little thing, whom I learned to love very soon.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “Miss Lane is telling us her life, papa,” they exclaimed, as they gathered closely about her, with wide awake faces.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She went on: “There were two boy cousins, Robert and John, and a little Nellie, a sweet, gentle-natured little thing, whom I learned to love very soon.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading She went on: “There were two boy cousins, Robert and John, and a little Nellie, a sweet, gentle-natured little thing, whom I learned to love very soon.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading “Miss Lane is telling us her life, papa,” they exclaimed, as they gathered closely about her, with wide awake faces.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading He had neither father nor mother, sister nor brother.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading He had neither father nor mother, sister nor brother.
Nellie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She went on: “There were two boy cousins, Robert and John, and a little Nellie, a sweet, gentle-natured little thing, whom I learned to love very soon.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading He had neither father nor mother, sister nor brother.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The children could scarcely wait to finish their tea before they begged for the continuation of the story.
olderadjectiveUS /ˈoʊldər/
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading Besides these two cousins, there was another boy, a good deal older than any of us, who spent all his vacations at Uncle Bell’s.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She went on: “There were two boy cousins, Robert and John, and a little Nellie, a sweet, gentle-natured little thing, whom I learned to love very soon.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “Miss Lane is telling us her life, papa,” they exclaimed, as they gathered closely about her, with wide awake faces.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading She went on: “There were two boy cousins, Robert and John, and a little Nellie, a sweet, gentle-natured little thing, whom I learned to love very soon.
only a very short time before
From this reading The children could scarcely wait to finish their tea before they begged for the continuation of the story.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She went on: “There were two boy cousins, Robert and John, and a little Nellie, a sweet, gentle-natured little thing, whom I learned to love very soon.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading He had neither father nor mother, sister nor brother.
in the near future
From this reading She went on: “There were two boy cousins, Robert and John, and a little Nellie, a sweet, gentle-natured little thing, whom I learned to love very soon.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading Besides these two cousins, there was another boy, a good deal older than any of us, who spent all his vacations at Uncle Bell’s.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading The children could scarcely wait to finish their tea before they begged for the continuation of the story.
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading She went on: “There were two boy cousins, Robert and John, and a little Nellie, a sweet, gentle-natured little thing, whom I learned to love very soon.
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading The children could scarcely wait to finish their tea before they begged for the continuation of the story.
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading “Miss Lane is telling us her life, papa,” they exclaimed, as they gathered closely about her, with wide awake faces.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Besides these two cousins, there was another boy, a good deal older than any of us, who spent all his vacations at Uncle Bell’s.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The children could scarcely wait to finish their tea before they begged for the continuation of the story.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The children could scarcely wait to finish their tea before they begged for the continuation of the story.
in or at that place or location
From this reading She went on: “There were two boy cousins, Robert and John, and a little Nellie, a sweet, gentle-natured little thing, whom I learned to love very soon.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Besides these two cousins, there was another boy, a good deal older than any of us, who spent all his vacations at Uncle Bell’s.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The children could scarcely wait to finish their tea before they begged for the continuation of the story.
a special situation
From this reading She went on: “There were two boy cousins, Robert and John, and a little Nellie, a sweet, gentle-natured little thing, whom I learned to love very soon.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The children could scarcely wait to finish their tea before they begged for the continuation of the story.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading She went on: “There were two boy cousins, Robert and John, and a little Nellie, a sweet, gentle-natured little thing, whom I learned to love very soon.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading Besides these two cousins, there was another boy, a good deal older than any of us, who spent all his vacations at Uncle Bell’s.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Miss Lane is telling us her life, papa,” they exclaimed, as they gathered closely about her, with wide awake faces.
vacationsnounUS /veɪˈkeɪʃənz/
plural of “vacation” — leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading Besides these two cousins, there was another boy, a good deal older than any of us, who spent all his vacations at Uncle Bell’s.
precisely as stated
From this reading She went on: “There were two boy cousins, Robert and John, and a little Nellie, a sweet, gentle-natured little thing, whom I learned to love very soon.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading The children could scarcely wait to finish their tea before they begged for the continuation of the story.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Besides these two cousins, there was another boy, a good deal older than any of us, who spent all his vacations at Uncle Bell’s.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading She went on: “There were two boy cousins, Robert and John, and a little Nellie, a sweet, gentle-natured little thing, whom I learned to love very soon.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading She went on: “There were two boy cousins, Robert and John, and a little Nellie, a sweet, gentle-natured little thing, whom I learned to love very soon.
which person or people
From this reading Besides these two cousins, there was another boy, a good deal older than any of us, who spent all his vacations at Uncle Bell’s.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She went on: “There were two boy cousins, Robert and John, and a little Nellie, a sweet, gentle-natured little thing, whom I learned to love very soon.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading “Miss Lane is telling us her life, papa,” they exclaimed, as they gathered closely about her, with wide awake faces.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Miss Lane is telling us her life, papa,” they exclaimed, as they gathered closely about her, with wide awake faces.
