used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was not so happy a state of things as Philip had imagined.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading He could not have defined why he was dissatisfied; if he had been compelled to account for his feeling, he would probably have alleged as a reason that Sylvia's manner was so unchanged by her new position towards him.
allegedadjectiveUS /əˈledʒd/
declared but not proved
From this reading He could not have defined why he was dissatisfied; if he had been compelled to account for his feeling, he would probably have alleged as a reason that Sylvia's manner was so unchanged by her new position towards him.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading He had already found that out, although it was not twenty-four hours since Sylvia had promised to be his.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading He had already found that out, although it was not twenty-four hours since Sylvia had promised to be his.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading WEDDING RAIMENT Philip and Sylvia were engaged.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was not so happy a state of things as Philip had imagined.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He had already found that out, although it was not twenty-four hours since Sylvia had promised to be his.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He could not have defined why he was dissatisfied; if he had been compelled to account for his feeling, he would probably have alleged as a reason that Sylvia's manner was so unchanged by her new position towards him.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading She was quiet and gentle; but no shyer, no brighter, no coyer, no happier, than she had been for months before.
brighteradjectiveUS /ˈbraɪtər/
comparative of “bright” — emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading She was quiet and gentle; but no shyer, no brighter, no coyer, no happier, than she had been for months before.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She was quiet and gentle; but no shyer, no brighter, no coyer, no happier, than she had been for months before.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He could not have defined why he was dissatisfied; if he had been compelled to account for his feeling, he would probably have alleged as a reason that Sylvia's manner was so unchanged by her new position towards him.
inflected form of “compel” — force somebody to do something
From this reading He could not have defined why he was dissatisfied; if he had been compelled to account for his feeling, he would probably have alleged as a reason that Sylvia's manner was so unchanged by her new position towards him.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He could not have defined why he was dissatisfied; if he had been compelled to account for his feeling, he would probably have alleged as a reason that Sylvia's manner was so unchanged by her new position towards him.
coyeradjectiveUS /ˈkɔɪər/
comparative of “coy” — affectedly modest or shy especially in a playful or provocative way
From this reading She was quiet and gentle; but no shyer, no brighter, no coyer, no happier, than she had been for months before.
definedadjectiveUS /dɪˈfaɪnd/
clearly characterized or delimited
From this reading He could not have defined why he was dissatisfied; if he had been compelled to account for his feeling, he would probably have alleged as a reason that Sylvia's manner was so unchanged by her new position towards him.
dissatisfiedadjectiveUS /dɪˈsætəsfaɪd/
in a state of sulky dissatisfaction
From this reading He could not have defined why he was dissatisfied; if he had been compelled to account for his feeling, he would probably have alleged as a reason that Sylvia's manner was so unchanged by her new position towards him.
having ones attention or mind or energy engaged
From this reading WEDDING RAIMENT Philip and Sylvia were engaged.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading He could not have defined why he was dissatisfied; if he had been compelled to account for his feeling, he would probably have alleged as a reason that Sylvia's manner was so unchanged by her new position towards him.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He could not have defined why he was dissatisfied; if he had been compelled to account for his feeling, he would probably have alleged as a reason that Sylvia's manner was so unchanged by her new position towards him.
set up or found
From this reading He had already found that out, although it was not twenty-four hours since Sylvia had promised to be his.
soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
From this reading She was quiet and gentle; but no shyer, no brighter, no coyer, no happier, than she had been for months before.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was not so happy a state of things as Philip had imagined.
happieradjectiveUS /ˈhæpiər/
comparative of “happy” — enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading She was quiet and gentle; but no shyer, no brighter, no coyer, no happier, than she had been for months before.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading It was not so happy a state of things as Philip had imagined.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He could not have defined why he was dissatisfied; if he had been compelled to account for his feeling, he would probably have alleged as a reason that Sylvia's manner was so unchanged by her new position towards him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had already found that out, although it was not twenty-four hours since Sylvia had promised to be his.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He could not have defined why he was dissatisfied; if he had been compelled to account for his feeling, he would probably have alleged as a reason that Sylvia's manner was so unchanged by her new position towards him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He could not have defined why he was dissatisfied; if he had been compelled to account for his feeling, he would probably have alleged as a reason that Sylvia's manner was so unchanged by her new position towards him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had already found that out, although it was not twenty-four hours since Sylvia had promised to be his.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading He had already found that out, although it was not twenty-four hours since Sylvia had promised to be his.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading He could not have defined why he was dissatisfied; if he had been compelled to account for his feeling, he would probably have alleged as a reason that Sylvia's manner was so unchanged by her new position towards him.
past form of “imagine” — form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading It was not so happy a state of things as Philip had imagined.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was not so happy a state of things as Philip had imagined.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading He could not have defined why he was dissatisfied; if he had been compelled to account for his feeling, he would probably have alleged as a reason that Sylvia's manner was so unchanged by her new position towards him.
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading She was quiet and gentle; but no shyer, no brighter, no coyer, no happier, than she had been for months before.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading He could not have defined why he was dissatisfied; if he had been compelled to account for his feeling, he would probably have alleged as a reason that Sylvia's manner was so unchanged by her new position towards him.
not any; not one
From this reading She was quiet and gentle; but no shyer, no brighter, no coyer, no happier, than she had been for months before.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was not so happy a state of things as Philip had imagined.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was not so happy a state of things as Philip had imagined.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He had already found that out, although it was not twenty-four hours since Sylvia had promised to be his.
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading WEDDING RAIMENT Philip and Sylvia were engaged.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading He could not have defined why he was dissatisfied; if he had been compelled to account for his feeling, he would probably have alleged as a reason that Sylvia's manner was so unchanged by her new position towards him.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading He could not have defined why he was dissatisfied; if he had been compelled to account for his feeling, he would probably have alleged as a reason that Sylvia's manner was so unchanged by her new position towards him.
past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment
From this reading He had already found that out, although it was not twenty-four hours since Sylvia had promised to be his.
quietadjectiveUS /ˈkwaɪət/
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading She was quiet and gentle; but no shyer, no brighter, no coyer, no happier, than she had been for months before.
RAIMENTnoun
especially fine or decorative clothing
From this reading WEDDING RAIMENT Philip and Sylvia were engaged.
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading He could not have defined why he was dissatisfied; if he had been compelled to account for his feeling, he would probably have alleged as a reason that Sylvia's manner was so unchanged by her new position towards him.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was quiet and gentle; but no shyer, no brighter, no coyer, no happier, than she had been for months before.
shyer
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was quiet and gentle; but no shyer, no brighter, no coyer, no happier, than she had been for months before.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading He had already found that out, although it was not twenty-four hours since Sylvia had promised to be his.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It was not so happy a state of things as Philip had imagined.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading It was not so happy a state of things as Philip had imagined.
Sylvia
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WEDDING RAIMENT Philip and Sylvia were engaged.
Sylvia's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He could not have defined why he was dissatisfied; if he had been compelled to account for his feeling, he would probably have alleged as a reason that Sylvia's manner was so unchanged by her new position towards him.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading She was quiet and gentle; but no shyer, no brighter, no coyer, no happier, than she had been for months before.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He had already found that out, although it was not twenty-four hours since Sylvia had promised to be his.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading It was not so happy a state of things as Philip had imagined.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He had already found that out, although it was not twenty-four hours since Sylvia had promised to be his.
in the direction of
From this reading He could not have defined why he was dissatisfied; if he had been compelled to account for his feeling, he would probably have alleged as a reason that Sylvia's manner was so unchanged by her new position towards him.
twenty-fouradjectiveUS /ˈtwentifɔːr/
being four more than twenty
From this reading He had already found that out, although it was not twenty-four hours since Sylvia had promised to be his.
unchangedadjectiveUS /ənˈtʃeɪndʒd/
not made or become different
From this reading He could not have defined why he was dissatisfied; if he had been compelled to account for his feeling, he would probably have alleged as a reason that Sylvia's manner was so unchanged by her new position towards him.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was not so happy a state of things as Philip had imagined.
the social event at which the ceremony of marriage is performed
From this reading WEDDING RAIMENT Philip and Sylvia were engaged.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading WEDDING RAIMENT Philip and Sylvia were engaged.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading He could not have defined why he was dissatisfied; if he had been compelled to account for his feeling, he would probably have alleged as a reason that Sylvia's manner was so unchanged by her new position towards him.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He could not have defined why he was dissatisfied; if he had been compelled to account for his feeling, he would probably have alleged as a reason that Sylvia's manner was so unchanged by her new position towards him.
