used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading But a power that was infinitely greater than herself had urged her, and she had had no choice.
past form of “act” — perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading It had been the impulse of the moment, and she well knew that if she had taken time to consider she would never have acted upon it.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading Frances stood alone in the old ivy-covered porch looking out into the faint starlight and asked herself how she had come to do it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Frances stood alone in the old ivy-covered porch looking out into the faint starlight and asked herself how she had come to do it.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Frances stood alone in the old ivy-covered porch looking out into the faint starlight and asked herself how she had come to do it.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It had been the impulse of the moment, and she well knew that if she had taken time to consider she would never have acted upon it.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But a power that was infinitely greater than herself had urged her, and she had had no choice.
the person or thing chosen or selected
From this reading But a power that was infinitely greater than herself had urged her, and she had had no choice.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Frances stood alone in the old ivy-covered porch looking out into the faint starlight and asked herself how she had come to do it.
deem to be
From this reading It had been the impulse of the moment, and she well knew that if she had taken time to consider she would never have acted upon it.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Frances stood alone in the old ivy-covered porch looking out into the faint starlight and asked herself how she had come to do it.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading THE PERFECT GIFT The thing was done.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading Frances stood alone in the old ivy-covered porch looking out into the faint starlight and asked herself how she had come to do it.
FrancesnounUS /ˈfrænsɪs/
plural of “france” — a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
From this reading Frances stood alone in the old ivy-covered porch looking out into the faint starlight and asked herself how she had come to do it.
something acquired without compensation
From this reading THE PERFECT GIFT The thing was done.
greater in size or importance or degree
From this reading But a power that was infinitely greater than herself had urged her, and she had had no choice.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Frances stood alone in the old ivy-covered porch looking out into the faint starlight and asked herself how she had come to do it.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It had been the impulse of the moment, and she well knew that if she had taken time to consider she would never have acted upon it.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading But a power that was infinitely greater than herself had urged her, and she had had no choice.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading Frances stood alone in the old ivy-covered porch looking out into the faint starlight and asked herself how she had come to do it.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Frances stood alone in the old ivy-covered porch looking out into the faint starlight and asked herself how she had come to do it.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading It had been the impulse of the moment, and she well knew that if she had taken time to consider she would never have acted upon it.
an instinctive motive
From this reading It had been the impulse of the moment, and she well knew that if she had taken time to consider she would never have acted upon it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Frances stood alone in the old ivy-covered porch looking out into the faint starlight and asked herself how she had come to do it.
infinitelyadverbUS /ˈɪnfənətli/
without bounds
From this reading But a power that was infinitely greater than herself had urged her, and she had had no choice.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Frances stood alone in the old ivy-covered porch looking out into the faint starlight and asked herself how she had come to do it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Frances stood alone in the old ivy-covered porch looking out into the faint starlight and asked herself how she had come to do it.
ivy-coveredadjective
overgrown with ivy
From this reading Frances stood alone in the old ivy-covered porch looking out into the faint starlight and asked herself how she had come to do it.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading It had been the impulse of the moment, and she well knew that if she had taken time to consider she would never have acted upon it.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Frances stood alone in the old ivy-covered porch looking out into the faint starlight and asked herself how she had come to do it.
a particular point in time
From this reading It had been the impulse of the moment, and she well knew that if she had taken time to consider she would never have acted upon it.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading It had been the impulse of the moment, and she well knew that if she had taken time to consider she would never have acted upon it.
not any; not one
From this reading But a power that was infinitely greater than herself had urged her, and she had had no choice.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now it was over.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It had been the impulse of the moment, and she well knew that if she had taken time to consider she would never have acted upon it.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Frances stood alone in the old ivy-covered porch looking out into the faint starlight and asked herself how she had come to do it.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Frances stood alone in the old ivy-covered porch looking out into the faint starlight and asked herself how she had come to do it.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Now it was over.
being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
From this reading THE PERFECT GIFT The thing was done.
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading Frances stood alone in the old ivy-covered porch looking out into the faint starlight and asked herself how she had come to do it.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading But a power that was infinitely greater than herself had urged her, and she had had no choice.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Frances stood alone in the old ivy-covered porch looking out into the faint starlight and asked herself how she had come to do it.
starlightnounUS /ˈstɑːrlaɪt/
the light of the stars
From this reading Frances stood alone in the old ivy-covered porch looking out into the faint starlight and asked herself how she had come to do it.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Frances stood alone in the old ivy-covered porch looking out into the faint starlight and asked herself how she had come to do it.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading It had been the impulse of the moment, and she well knew that if she had taken time to consider she would never have acted upon it.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading But a power that was infinitely greater than herself had urged her, and she had had no choice.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It had been the impulse of the moment, and she well knew that if she had taken time to consider she would never have acted upon it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE PERFECT GIFT The thing was done.
a special situation
From this reading THE PERFECT GIFT The thing was done.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It had been the impulse of the moment, and she well knew that if she had taken time to consider she would never have acted upon it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Frances stood alone in the old ivy-covered porch looking out into the faint starlight and asked herself how she had come to do it.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading It had been the impulse of the moment, and she well knew that if she had taken time to consider she would never have acted upon it.
past form of “urge” — force or impel in an indicated direction
From this reading But a power that was infinitely greater than herself had urged her, and she had had no choice.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE PERFECT GIFT The thing was done.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading It had been the impulse of the moment, and she well knew that if she had taken time to consider she would never have acted upon it.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It had been the impulse of the moment, and she well knew that if she had taken time to consider she would never have acted upon it.
