used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading They were always early risers, and their being up a little earlier than usual would have caused no comment.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The next morning about sunrise two Federal soldiers sat on their horses before Mrs. Marsden's front door.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading They were always early risers, and their being up a little earlier than usual would have caused no comment.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They were always early risers, and their being up a little earlier than usual would have caused no comment.
assembledverbUS /əˈsembəld/
past form of “assemble” — create by putting components or members together
From this reading The family were assembled on the porch.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "Take care of my gun," the youngest-looking of the soldiers whispered to Roberta, "and if I live, I'll come back before long and get it."
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The next morning about sunrise two Federal soldiers sat on their horses before Mrs. Marsden's front door.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading They were always early risers, and their being up a little earlier than usual would have caused no comment.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading "Take care of my gun," the youngest-looking of the soldiers whispered to Roberta, "and if I live, I'll come back before long and get it."
past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally
From this reading They were always early risers, and their being up a little earlier than usual would have caused no comment.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Take care of my gun," the youngest-looking of the soldiers whispered to Roberta, "and if I live, I'll come back before long and get it."
commentnounUS /ˈkɑːment/
a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading They were always early risers, and their being up a little earlier than usual would have caused no comment.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The next morning about sunrise two Federal soldiers sat on their horses before Mrs. Marsden's front door.
earlier in time; previously
From this reading They were always early risers, and their being up a little earlier than usual would have caused no comment.
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading They were always early risers, and their being up a little earlier than usual would have caused no comment.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Possibly the leave-taking might have seemed a little queer to prying eyes.
a social unit living together
From this reading The family were assembled on the porch.
FederaladjectiveUS /ˈfedərəl/
national; especially in reference to the government of the United States as distinct from that of its member units
From this reading The next morning about sunrise two Federal soldiers sat on their horses before Mrs. Marsden's front door.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading The next morning about sunrise two Federal soldiers sat on their horses before Mrs. Marsden's front door.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Take care of my gun," the youngest-looking of the soldiers whispered to Roberta, "and if I live, I'll come back before long and get it."
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading "Take care of my gun," the youngest-looking of the soldiers whispered to Roberta, "and if I live, I'll come back before long and get it."
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading They were always early risers, and their being up a little earlier than usual would have caused no comment.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading The next morning about sunrise two Federal soldiers sat on their horses before Mrs. Marsden's front door.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Take care of my gun," the youngest-looking of the soldiers whispered to Roberta, "and if I live, I'll come back before long and get it."
I'll
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Take care of my gun," the youngest-looking of the soldiers whispered to Roberta, "and if I live, I'll come back before long and get it."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Take care of my gun," the youngest-looking of the soldiers whispered to Roberta, "and if I live, I'll come back before long and get it."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Take care of my gun," the youngest-looking of the soldiers whispered to Roberta, "and if I live, I'll come back before long and get it."
leave-takingnoun
the act of departing politely
From this reading Possibly the leave-taking might have seemed a little queer to prying eyes.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading They were always early risers, and their being up a little earlier than usual would have caused no comment.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading "Take care of my gun," the youngest-looking of the soldiers whispered to Roberta, "and if I live, I'll come back before long and get it."
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 "Take care of my gun," the youngest-looking of the soldiers whispered to Roberta, "and if I live, I'll come back before long and get it."
Marsden's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next morning about sunrise two Federal soldiers sat on their horses before Mrs. Marsden's front door.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Possibly the leave-taking might have seemed a little queer to prying eyes.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The next morning about sunrise two Federal soldiers sat on their horses before Mrs. Marsden's front door.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading The next morning about sunrise two Federal soldiers sat on their horses before Mrs. Marsden's front door.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Take care of my gun," the youngest-looking of the soldiers whispered to Roberta, "and if I live, I'll come back before long and get it."
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next morning about sunrise two Federal soldiers sat on their horses before Mrs. Marsden's front door.
not any; not one
From this reading They were always early risers, and their being up a little earlier than usual would have caused no comment.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Take care of my gun," the youngest-looking of the soldiers whispered to Roberta, "and if I live, I'll come back before long and get it."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The next morning about sunrise two Federal soldiers sat on their horses before Mrs. Marsden's front door.
porchnounUS /pɔːrtʃ/
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading The family were assembled on the porch.
by chance
From this reading Possibly the leave-taking might have seemed a little queer to prying eyes.
pryingnounUS /ˈpraɪɪŋ/
offensive inquisitiveness
From this reading Possibly the leave-taking might have seemed a little queer to prying eyes.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading Possibly the leave-taking might have seemed a little queer to prying eyes.
risers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were always early risers, and their being up a little earlier than usual would have caused no comment.
Roberta
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Take care of my gun," the youngest-looking of the soldiers whispered to Roberta, "and if I live, I'll come back before long and get it."
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading The next morning about sunrise two Federal soldiers sat on their horses before Mrs. Marsden's front door.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Possibly the leave-taking might have seemed a little queer to prying eyes.
plural of “soldier” — an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
From this reading The next morning about sunrise two Federal soldiers sat on their horses before Mrs. Marsden's front door.
sunrisenounUS /ˈsʌnraɪz/
the first light of day
From this reading The next morning about sunrise two Federal soldiers sat on their horses before Mrs. Marsden's front door.
carry out
From this reading "Take care of my gun," the youngest-looking of the soldiers whispered to Roberta, "and if I live, I'll come back before long and get it."
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading They were always early risers, and their being up a little earlier than usual would have caused no comment.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The next morning about sunrise two Federal soldiers sat on their horses before Mrs. Marsden's front door.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The next morning about sunrise two Federal soldiers sat on their horses before Mrs. Marsden's front door.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were always early risers, and their being up a little earlier than usual would have caused no comment.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Possibly the leave-taking might have seemed a little queer to prying eyes.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The next morning about sunrise two Federal soldiers sat on their horses before Mrs. Marsden's front door.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading They were always early risers, and their being up a little earlier than usual would have caused no comment.
usualadjectiveUS /ˈjuːʒəwəl/
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading They were always early risers, and their being up a little earlier than usual would have caused no comment.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The family were assembled on the porch.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading "Take care of my gun," the youngest-looking of the soldiers whispered to Roberta, "and if I live, I'll come back before long and get it."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading They were always early risers, and their being up a little earlier than usual would have caused no comment.
youngest-looking
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Take care of my gun," the youngest-looking of the soldiers whispered to Roberta, "and if I live, I'll come back before long and get it."
