used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A CHANGE IN THE FEEL OF THINGS IT didn't take long for the town to wake up to the fact that some new element had entered into its composition.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "I can't get over it, Susan Ralston's being up and about," Miss Debby Vane said distressedly to Mrs. Mead.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I can't get over it, Susan Ralston's being up and about," Miss Debby Vane said distressedly to Mrs. Mead.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "Matilda ought not to have gone away," Mrs. Mead said sternly.
have
From this reading "Sick folks in bed can't bear a change.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading "Sick folks in bed can't bear a change.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading "I can't get over it, Susan Ralston's being up and about," Miss Debby Vane said distressedly to Mrs. Mead.
can't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I can't get over it, Susan Ralston's being up and about," Miss Debby Vane said distressedly to Mrs. Mead.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading A CHANGE IN THE FEEL OF THINGS IT didn't take long for the town to wake up to the fact that some new element had entered into its composition.
compositionnounUS /ˌkɑːmpəˈzɪʃən/
the spatial property resulting from the arrangement of parts in relation to each other and to the whole
From this reading A CHANGE IN THE FEEL OF THINGS IT didn't take long for the town to wake up to the fact that some new element had entered into its composition.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading "Why, she was 'most dead!"
Debby
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I can't get over it, Susan Ralston's being up and about," Miss Debby Vane said distressedly to Mrs. Mead.
didn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A CHANGE IN THE FEEL OF THINGS IT didn't take long for the town to wake up to the fact that some new element had entered into its composition.
distressedly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I can't get over it, Susan Ralston's being up and about," Miss Debby Vane said distressedly to Mrs. Mead.
elementnounUS /ˈeləmənt/
an abstract part of something
From this reading A CHANGE IN THE FEEL OF THINGS IT didn't take long for the town to wake up to the fact that some new element had entered into its composition.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading A CHANGE IN THE FEEL OF THINGS IT didn't take long for the town to wake up to the fact that some new element had entered into its composition.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading A CHANGE IN THE FEEL OF THINGS IT didn't take long for the town to wake up to the fact that some new element had entered into its composition.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading A CHANGE IN THE FEEL OF THINGS IT didn't take long for the town to wake up to the fact that some new element had entered into its composition.
your parents
From this reading "Sick folks in bed can't bear a change.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A CHANGE IN THE FEEL OF THINGS IT didn't take long for the town to wake up to the fact that some new element had entered into its composition.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "I can't get over it, Susan Ralston's being up and about," Miss Debby Vane said distressedly to Mrs. Mead.
destroyed or killed
From this reading "Matilda ought not to have gone away," Mrs. Mead said sternly.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A CHANGE IN THE FEEL OF THINGS IT didn't take long for the town to wake up to the fact that some new element had entered into its composition.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Matilda ought not to have gone away," Mrs. Mead said sternly.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I can't get over it, Susan Ralston's being up and about," Miss Debby Vane said distressedly to Mrs. Mead.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A CHANGE IN THE FEEL OF THINGS IT didn't take long for the town to wake up to the fact that some new element had entered into its composition.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading A CHANGE IN THE FEEL OF THINGS IT didn't take long for the town to wake up to the fact that some new element had entered into its composition.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A CHANGE IN THE FEEL OF THINGS IT didn't take long for the town to wake up to the fact that some new element had entered into its composition.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading A CHANGE IN THE FEEL OF THINGS IT didn't take long for the town to wake up to the fact that some new element had entered into its composition.
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 A CHANGE IN THE FEEL OF THINGS IT didn't take long for the town to wake up to the fact that some new element had entered into its composition.
Matilda
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Matilda ought not to have gone away," Mrs. Mead said sternly.
MeadnounUS /miːd/
United States anthropologist noted for her claims about adolescence and sexual behavior in Polynesian cultures (1901-1978)
From this reading "I can't get over it, Susan Ralston's being up and about," Miss Debby Vane said distressedly to Mrs. Mead.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "I can't get over it, Susan Ralston's being up and about," Miss Debby Vane said distressedly to Mrs. Mead.
used to form the superlative
From this reading "Why, she was 'most dead!"
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "I can't get over it, Susan Ralston's being up and about," Miss Debby Vane said distressedly to Mrs. Mead.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading A CHANGE IN THE FEEL OF THINGS IT didn't take long for the town to wake up to the fact that some new element had entered into its composition.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Matilda ought not to have gone away," Mrs. Mead said sternly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A CHANGE IN THE FEEL OF THINGS IT didn't take long for the town to wake up to the fact that some new element had entered into its composition.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading "Matilda ought not to have gone away," Mrs. Mead said sternly.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading "I can't get over it, Susan Ralston's being up and about," Miss Debby Vane said distressedly to Mrs. Mead.
Ralston's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I can't get over it, Susan Ralston's being up and about," Miss Debby Vane said distressedly to Mrs. Mead.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I can't get over it, Susan Ralston's being up and about," Miss Debby Vane said distressedly to Mrs. Mead.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Why, she was 'most dead!"
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading "Sick folks in bed can't bear a change.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading A CHANGE IN THE FEEL OF THINGS IT didn't take long for the town to wake up to the fact that some new element had entered into its composition.
sternlyadverbUS /ˈstɜːrnli/
with sternness; in a severe manner
From this reading "Matilda ought not to have gone away," Mrs. Mead said sternly.
Susan
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I can't get over it, Susan Ralston's being up and about," Miss Debby Vane said distressedly to Mrs. Mead.
carry out
From this reading A CHANGE IN THE FEEL OF THINGS IT didn't take long for the town to wake up to the fact that some new element had entered into its composition.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A CHANGE IN THE FEEL OF THINGS IT didn't take long for the town to wake up to the fact that some new element had entered into its composition.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A CHANGE IN THE FEEL OF THINGS IT didn't take long for the town to wake up to the fact that some new element had entered into its composition.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading A CHANGE IN THE FEEL OF THINGS IT didn't take long for the town to wake up to the fact that some new element had entered into its composition.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A CHANGE IN THE FEEL OF THINGS IT didn't take long for the town to wake up to the fact that some new element had entered into its composition.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading A CHANGE IN THE FEEL OF THINGS IT didn't take long for the town to wake up to the fact that some new element had entered into its composition.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading A CHANGE IN THE FEEL OF THINGS IT didn't take long for the town to wake up to the fact that some new element had entered into its composition.
VanenounUS /veɪn/
mechanical device attached to an elevated structure; rotates freely to show the direction of the wind
From this reading "I can't get over it, Susan Ralston's being up and about," Miss Debby Vane said distressedly to Mrs. Mead.
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading A CHANGE IN THE FEEL OF THINGS IT didn't take long for the town to wake up to the fact that some new element had entered into its composition.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Why, she was 'most dead!"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, she was 'most dead!"
