used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading In the second room, in groups and pairs, about twenty men and women were sitting along the walls, talking in low voices.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading In the second room, in groups and pairs, about twenty men and women were sitting along the walls, talking in low voices.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading A few wardens stood around in this room.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
a teacher and prophet born in Bethlehem and active in Nazareth; his life and sermons form the basis for Christianity (circa 4 BC - AD 29)
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
consistedverbUS /kənˈsɪstəd/
past form of “consist” — originate
From this reading The office consisted of two rooms.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
determiningadjectiveUS /dɪˈtɜːrmənɪŋ/
having the power or quality of deciding
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
dirtyadjectiveUS /ˈdɜːrti/
soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading A few wardens stood around in this room.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
groupsnounUS /ɡruːps/
plural of “group” — any number of entities (members) considered as a unit
From this reading In the second room, in groups and pairs, about twenty men and women were sitting along the walls, talking in low voices.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
the vertical dimension of extension; distance from the base of something to the top
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading In the second room, in groups and pairs, about twenty men and women were sitting along the walls, talking in low voices.
measuringnounUS /ˈmeʒərɪŋ/
the act or process of assigning numbers to phenomena according to a rule
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
the force of workers available
From this reading In the second room, in groups and pairs, about twenty men and women were sitting along the walls, talking in low voices.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading A writing table stood near one of the windows.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The office consisted of two rooms.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading The office consisted of two rooms.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
pairsnounUS /perz/
plural of “pair” — a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading In the second room, in groups and pairs, about twenty men and women were sitting along the walls, talking in low voices.
peeledadjectiveUS /piːld/
(used informally) completely unclothed
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
plasteringnounUS /ˈplæstərɪŋ/
the application of plaster
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
plural of “prisoner” — a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
rodnounUS /rɑːd/
a long thin implement made of metal or wood
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading The office consisted of two rooms.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading In the second room, in groups and pairs, about twenty men and women were sitting along the walls, talking in low voices.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading In the second room, in groups and pairs, about twenty men and women were sitting along the walls, talking in low voices.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading A writing table stood near one of the windows.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading In the second room, in groups and pairs, about twenty men and women were sitting along the walls, talking in low voices.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The office consisted of two rooms.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading A few wardens stood around in this room.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading In the second room, in groups and pairs, about twenty men and women were sitting along the walls, talking in low voices.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The office consisted of two rooms.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading In the second room, in groups and pairs, about twenty men and women were sitting along the walls, talking in low voices.
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
wardensnounUS /ˈwɔːrdənz/
plural of “warden” — the chief official in charge of a prison
From this reading A few wardens stood around in this room.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading In the second room, in groups and pairs, about twenty men and women were sitting along the walls, talking in low voices.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading In the first room, which had two dirty windows and the plastering on the walls peeled off, a black measuring rod, for determining the height of prisoners, stood in one corner, while in another hung a picture of Christ.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading In the second room, in groups and pairs, about twenty men and women were sitting along the walls, talking in low voices.
the act of creating written works
From this reading A writing table stood near one of the windows.
