used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Her mother’s face brightened into life; an anxious gleam shone in her eyes which now held no uncertainty, but were the homes of an insistent purpose, a keen desire.
Allardi
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Clara Allardi turned her head slightly; her lips moved.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Her mother’s face brightened into life; an anxious gleam shone in her eyes which now held no uncertainty, but were the homes of an insistent purpose, a keen desire.
eagerly desirous
From this reading Her mother’s face brightened into life; an anxious gleam shone in her eyes which now held no uncertainty, but were the homes of an insistent purpose, a keen desire.
brightenedverbUS /ˈbraɪtənd/
past form of “brighten” — make more cheerful through the use of color
From this reading Her mother’s face brightened into life; an anxious gleam shone in her eyes which now held no uncertainty, but were the homes of an insistent purpose, a keen desire.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Her mother’s face brightened into life; an anxious gleam shone in her eyes which now held no uncertainty, but were the homes of an insistent purpose, a keen desire.
Clara
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Clara Allardi turned her head slightly; her lips moved.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "If you could only tell me now; it will not take long, will it?"
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "There was something, something you wanted to say," cried Lynn, desperately.
the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
From this reading Her mother’s face brightened into life; an anxious gleam shone in her eyes which now held no uncertainty, but were the homes of an insistent purpose, a keen desire.
desperatelyadverbUS /ˈdespərətli/
with great urgency
From this reading "There was something, something you wanted to say," cried Lynn, desperately.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Her mother’s face brightened into life; an anxious gleam shone in her eyes which now held no uncertainty, but were the homes of an insistent purpose, a keen desire.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Her mother’s face brightened into life; an anxious gleam shone in her eyes which now held no uncertainty, but were the homes of an insistent purpose, a keen desire.
faintlyadverbUS /ˈfeɪntli/
to a faint degree or weakly perceived
From this reading She struggled a moment, then spoke, faintly.
gleamverbUS /ɡliːm/
be shiny, as if wet
From this reading Her mother’s face brightened into life; an anxious gleam shone in her eyes which now held no uncertainty, but were the homes of an insistent purpose, a keen desire.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Clara Allardi turned her head slightly; her lips moved.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading Her mother’s face brightened into life; an anxious gleam shone in her eyes which now held no uncertainty, but were the homes of an insistent purpose, a keen desire.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Clara Allardi turned her head slightly; her lips moved.
homesnounUS /hoʊmz/
plural of “home” — where you live at a particular time
From this reading Her mother’s face brightened into life; an anxious gleam shone in her eyes which now held no uncertainty, but were the homes of an insistent purpose, a keen desire.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If you could only tell me now; it will not take long, will it?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Her mother’s face brightened into life; an anxious gleam shone in her eyes which now held no uncertainty, but were the homes of an insistent purpose, a keen desire.
insistentadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈsɪstənt/
repetitive and persistent
From this reading Her mother’s face brightened into life; an anxious gleam shone in her eyes which now held no uncertainty, but were the homes of an insistent purpose, a keen desire.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Her mother’s face brightened into life; an anxious gleam shone in her eyes which now held no uncertainty, but were the homes of an insistent purpose, a keen desire.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "If you could only tell me now; it will not take long, will it?"
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading Her mother’s face brightened into life; an anxious gleam shone in her eyes which now held no uncertainty, but were the homes of an insistent purpose, a keen desire.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Her mother’s face brightened into life; an anxious gleam shone in her eyes which now held no uncertainty, but were the homes of an insistent purpose, a keen desire.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Clara Allardi turned her head slightly; her lips moved.
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 "If you could only tell me now; it will not take long, will it?"
Lynn
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "There was something, something you wanted to say," cried Lynn, desperately.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "If you could only tell me now; it will not take long, will it?"
a particular point in time
From this reading She struggled a moment, then spoke, faintly.
mother'snounUS /ˈmʌðərz/
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Her mother’s face brightened into life; an anxious gleam shone in her eyes which now held no uncertainty, but were the homes of an insistent purpose, a keen desire.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading Clara Allardi turned her head slightly; her lips moved.
not any; not one
From this reading Her mother’s face brightened into life; an anxious gleam shone in her eyes which now held no uncertainty, but were the homes of an insistent purpose, a keen desire.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "If you could only tell me now; it will not take long, will it?"
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "If you could only tell me now; it will not take long, will it?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Her mother’s face brightened into life; an anxious gleam shone in her eyes which now held no uncertainty, but were the homes of an insistent purpose, a keen desire.
and nothing more
From this reading "If you could only tell me now; it will not take long, will it?"
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading Her mother’s face brightened into life; an anxious gleam shone in her eyes which now held no uncertainty, but were the homes of an insistent purpose, a keen desire.
express in words
From this reading "There was something, something you wanted to say," cried Lynn, desperately.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She struggled a moment, then spoke, faintly.
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading Her mother’s face brightened into life; an anxious gleam shone in her eyes which now held no uncertainty, but were the homes of an insistent purpose, a keen desire.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading Clara Allardi turned her head slightly; her lips moved.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading "There was something, something you wanted to say," cried Lynn, desperately.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading She struggled a moment, then spoke, faintly.
struggledverbUS /ˈstrʌɡəld/
past form of “struggle” — make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading She struggled a moment, then spoke, faintly.
carry out
From this reading "If you could only tell me now; it will not take long, will it?"
express in words
From this reading "If you could only tell me now; it will not take long, will it?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Her mother’s face brightened into life; an anxious gleam shone in her eyes which now held no uncertainty, but were the homes of an insistent purpose, a keen desire.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading She struggled a moment, then spoke, faintly.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There was something, something you wanted to say," cried Lynn, desperately.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "There was something, something you wanted to say," cried Lynn, desperately.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Clara Allardi turned her head slightly; her lips moved.
uncertaintynounUS /ənˈsɜːrtənti/
being unsettled or in doubt or dependent on chance
From this reading Her mother’s face brightened into life; an anxious gleam shone in her eyes which now held no uncertainty, but were the homes of an insistent purpose, a keen desire.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading "There was something, something you wanted to say," cried Lynn, desperately.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "There was something, something you wanted to say," cried Lynn, desperately.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Her mother’s face brightened into life; an anxious gleam shone in her eyes which now held no uncertainty, but were the homes of an insistent purpose, a keen desire.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Her mother’s face brightened into life; an anxious gleam shone in her eyes which now held no uncertainty, but were the homes of an insistent purpose, a keen desire.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "If you could only tell me now; it will not take long, will it?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "There was something, something you wanted to say," cried Lynn, desperately.
