used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading But I soon discovered that he had a way of going about matters in a most business-like manner.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading But I soon discovered that he had a way of going about matters in a most business-like manner.
ah
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So if you will just hop to the top of my third toe—yes, the right foot will do—and place your arm about my knee—ah! that is the way—we will proceed.’
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “At first my captor merely appealed to me as the merriest-eyed elephant I had ever seen—and surely the largest.
a suite of rooms usually on one floor of an apartment house
From this reading “‘Now, then,’ said he, ‘we will leave this rather public place and go to my private apartment.
appealedverbUS /əˈpiːld/
past form of “appeal” — take a court case to a higher court for review
From this reading “At first my captor merely appealed to me as the merriest-eyed elephant I had ever seen—and surely the largest.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading So if you will just hop to the top of my third toe—yes, the right foot will do—and place your arm about my knee—ah! that is the way—we will proceed.’
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “At first my captor merely appealed to me as the merriest-eyed elephant I had ever seen—and surely the largest.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “At first my captor merely appealed to me as the merriest-eyed elephant I had ever seen—and surely the largest.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Thus he immediately began to plan for the two of us.
business-like
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But I soon discovered that he had a way of going about matters in a most business-like manner.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I soon discovered that he had a way of going about matters in a most business-like manner.
captornounUS /ˈkæptər/
a person who captures and holds people or animals
From this reading “At first my captor merely appealed to me as the merriest-eyed elephant I had ever seen—and surely the largest.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading But I soon discovered that he had a way of going about matters in a most business-like manner.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading So if you will just hop to the top of my third toe—yes, the right foot will do—and place your arm about my knee—ah! that is the way—we will proceed.’
elephantnounUS /ˈeləfənt/
five-toed pachyderm
From this reading “At first my captor merely appealed to me as the merriest-eyed elephant I had ever seen—and surely the largest.
at any time
From this reading “At first my captor merely appealed to me as the merriest-eyed elephant I had ever seen—and surely the largest.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading “At first my captor merely appealed to me as the merriest-eyed elephant I had ever seen—and surely the largest.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading So if you will just hop to the top of my third toe—yes, the right foot will do—and place your arm about my knee—ah! that is the way—we will proceed.’
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Thus he immediately began to plan for the two of us.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “‘Now, then,’ said he, ‘we will leave this rather public place and go to my private apartment.
the act of departing
From this reading But I soon discovered that he had a way of going about matters in a most business-like manner.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “At first my captor merely appealed to me as the merriest-eyed elephant I had ever seen—and surely the largest.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But I soon discovered that he had a way of going about matters in a most business-like manner.
hopverbUS /hɑːp/
jump lightly
From this reading So if you will just hop to the top of my third toe—yes, the right foot will do—and place your arm about my knee—ah! that is the way—we will proceed.’
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “At first my captor merely appealed to me as the merriest-eyed elephant I had ever seen—and surely the largest.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading So if you will just hop to the top of my third toe—yes, the right foot will do—and place your arm about my knee—ah! that is the way—we will proceed.’
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading Thus he immediately began to plan for the two of us.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But I soon discovered that he had a way of going about matters in a most business-like manner.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading So if you will just hop to the top of my third toe—yes, the right foot will do—and place your arm about my knee—ah! that is the way—we will proceed.’
and nothing more
From this reading So if you will just hop to the top of my third toe—yes, the right foot will do—and place your arm about my knee—ah! that is the way—we will proceed.’
hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading So if you will just hop to the top of my third toe—yes, the right foot will do—and place your arm about my knee—ah! that is the way—we will proceed.’
largestadjectiveUS /ˈlɑːrdʒəst/
superlative of “large” — above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “At first my captor merely appealed to me as the merriest-eyed elephant I had ever seen—and surely the largest.
go away from a place
From this reading “‘Now, then,’ said he, ‘we will leave this rather public place and go to my private apartment.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading But I soon discovered that he had a way of going about matters in a most business-like manner.
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading But I soon discovered that he had a way of going about matters in a most business-like manner.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “At first my captor merely appealed to me as the merriest-eyed elephant I had ever seen—and surely the largest.
and nothing more
From this reading “At first my captor merely appealed to me as the merriest-eyed elephant I had ever seen—and surely the largest.
merriest-eyed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “At first my captor merely appealed to me as the merriest-eyed elephant I had ever seen—and surely the largest.
used to form the superlative
From this reading But I soon discovered that he had a way of going about matters in a most business-like manner.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “At first my captor merely appealed to me as the merriest-eyed elephant I had ever seen—and surely the largest.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “‘Now, then,’ said he, ‘we will leave this rather public place and go to my private apartment.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But I soon discovered that he had a way of going about matters in a most business-like manner.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading “‘Now, then,’ said he, ‘we will leave this rather public place and go to my private apartment.
have the will and intention to carry out some action
From this reading Thus he immediately began to plan for the two of us.
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading “‘Now, then,’ said he, ‘we will leave this rather public place and go to my private apartment.
continue talking
From this reading So if you will just hop to the top of my third toe—yes, the right foot will do—and place your arm about my knee—ah! that is the way—we will proceed.’
people in general considered as a whole
From this reading “‘Now, then,’ said he, ‘we will leave this rather public place and go to my private apartment.
on the contrary
From this reading “‘Now, then,’ said he, ‘we will leave this rather public place and go to my private apartment.
precisely, exactly
From this reading So if you will just hop to the top of my third toe—yes, the right foot will do—and place your arm about my knee—ah! that is the way—we will proceed.’
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “‘Now, then,’ said he, ‘we will leave this rather public place and go to my private apartment.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “At first my captor merely appealed to me as the merriest-eyed elephant I had ever seen—and surely the largest.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So if you will just hop to the top of my third toe—yes, the right foot will do—and place your arm about my knee—ah! that is the way—we will proceed.’
in the near future
From this reading But I soon discovered that he had a way of going about matters in a most business-like manner.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “At first my captor merely appealed to me as the merriest-eyed elephant I had ever seen—and surely the largest.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But I soon discovered that he had a way of going about matters in a most business-like manner.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “At first my captor merely appealed to me as the merriest-eyed elephant I had ever seen—and surely the largest.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “‘Now, then,’ said he, ‘we will leave this rather public place and go to my private apartment.
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading So if you will just hop to the top of my third toe—yes, the right foot will do—and place your arm about my knee—ah! that is the way—we will proceed.’
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “‘Now, then,’ said he, ‘we will leave this rather public place and go to my private apartment.
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading Thus he immediately began to plan for the two of us.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “At first my captor merely appealed to me as the merriest-eyed elephant I had ever seen—and surely the largest.
toenounUS /toʊ/
one of the digits of the foot
From this reading So if you will just hop to the top of my third toe—yes, the right foot will do—and place your arm about my knee—ah! that is the way—we will proceed.’
the upper part of anything
From this reading So if you will just hop to the top of my third toe—yes, the right foot will do—and place your arm about my knee—ah! that is the way—we will proceed.’
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Thus he immediately began to plan for the two of us.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Thus he immediately began to plan for the two of us.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading But I soon discovered that he had a way of going about matters in a most business-like manner.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “‘Now, then,’ said he, ‘we will leave this rather public place and go to my private apartment.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “‘Now, then,’ said he, ‘we will leave this rather public place and go to my private apartment.
an affirmative
From this reading So if you will just hop to the top of my third toe—yes, the right foot will do—and place your arm about my knee—ah! that is the way—we will proceed.’
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading So if you will just hop to the top of my third toe—yes, the right foot will do—and place your arm about my knee—ah! that is the way—we will proceed.’
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading So if you will just hop to the top of my third toe—yes, the right foot will do—and place your arm about my knee—ah! that is the way—we will proceed.’
