used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was plain that she was suffering acutely, and while I patted her shoulder, I thought what a wonderful mistress Mrs. Vanderbridge must be to have attached a servant to her so strongly.
acutelyadverbUS /əˈkjuːtli/
in a keen or penetrating way
From this reading It was plain that she was suffering acutely, and while I patted her shoulder, I thought what a wonderful mistress Mrs. Vanderbridge must be to have attached a servant to her so strongly.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading "You must remember that I am a stranger in the house, that I scarcely know her, that I've never even seen her husband," I said warningly, for I've always avoided, as far as possible, the confidences of servants.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "You must remember that I am a stranger in the house, that I scarcely know her, that I've never even seen her husband," I said warningly, for I've always avoided, as far as possible, the confidences of servants.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She broke down, and dropping on the rug at my feet, hid her face in her hands.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "You must remember that I am a stranger in the house, that I scarcely know her, that I've never even seen her husband," I said warningly, for I've always avoided, as far as possible, the confidences of servants.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She broke down, and dropping on the rug at my feet, hid her face in her hands.
being joined in close association
From this reading It was plain that she was suffering acutely, and while I patted her shoulder, I thought what a wonderful mistress Mrs. Vanderbridge must be to have attached a servant to her so strongly.
avoidedverbUS /əˈvɔɪdɪd/
past form of “avoid” — stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
From this reading "You must remember that I am a stranger in the house, that I scarcely know her, that I've never even seen her husband," I said warningly, for I've always avoided, as far as possible, the confidences of servants.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It was plain that she was suffering acutely, and while I patted her shoulder, I thought what a wonderful mistress Mrs. Vanderbridge must be to have attached a servant to her so strongly.
lacking funds
From this reading She broke down, and dropping on the rug at my feet, hid her face in her hands.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But you look as if you could be trusted."
confidencesnounUS /ˈkɑːnfədənsɪz/
plural of “confidence” — freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading "You must remember that I am a stranger in the house, that I scarcely know her, that I've never even seen her husband," I said warningly, for I've always avoided, as far as possible, the confidences of servants.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "But you look as if you could be trusted."
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading She broke down, and dropping on the rug at my feet, hid her face in her hands.
droppingadjectiveUS /ˈdrɑːpɪŋ/
coming down freely under the influence of gravity
From this reading She broke down, and dropping on the rug at my feet, hid her face in her hands.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading The maid's nerves, as well as the mistress's, were on edge, I could see.
divisible by two
From this reading "You must remember that I am a stranger in the house, that I scarcely know her, that I've never even seen her husband," I said warningly, for I've always avoided, as far as possible, the confidences of servants.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading She broke down, and dropping on the rug at my feet, hid her face in her hands.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading "You must remember that I am a stranger in the house, that I scarcely know her, that I've never even seen her husband," I said warningly, for I've always avoided, as far as possible, the confidences of servants.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading She broke down, and dropping on the rug at my feet, hid her face in her hands.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "You must remember that I am a stranger in the house, that I scarcely know her, that I've never even seen her husband," I said warningly, for I've always avoided, as far as possible, the confidences of servants.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading She broke down, and dropping on the rug at my feet, hid her face in her hands.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It was plain that she was suffering acutely, and while I patted her shoulder, I thought what a wonderful mistress Mrs. Vanderbridge must be to have attached a servant to her so strongly.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She broke down, and dropping on the rug at my feet, hid her face in her hands.
inflected form of “hide” — prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading She broke down, and dropping on the rug at my feet, hid her face in her hands.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "You must remember that I am a stranger in the house, that I scarcely know her, that I've never even seen her husband," I said warningly, for I've always avoided, as far as possible, the confidences of servants.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading "You must remember that I am a stranger in the house, that I scarcely know her, that I've never even seen her husband," I said warningly, for I've always avoided, as far as possible, the confidences of servants.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading It was plain that she was suffering acutely, and while I patted her shoulder, I thought what a wonderful mistress Mrs. Vanderbridge must be to have attached a servant to her so strongly.
I've
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You must remember that I am a stranger in the house, that I scarcely know her, that I've never even seen her husband," I said warningly, for I've always avoided, as far as possible, the confidences of servants.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "But you look as if you could be trusted."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She broke down, and dropping on the rug at my feet, hid her face in her hands.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was plain that she was suffering acutely, and while I patted her shoulder, I thought what a wonderful mistress Mrs. Vanderbridge must be to have attached a servant to her so strongly.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "You must remember that I am a stranger in the house, that I scarcely know her, that I've never even seen her husband," I said warningly, for I've always avoided, as far as possible, the confidences of servants.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "But you look as if you could be trusted."
maid'snounUS /meɪdz/
possessive form of “maid” — a female domestic
From this reading The maid's nerves, as well as the mistress's, were on edge, I could see.
an adulterous woman; a woman who has an ongoing extramarital sexual relationship with a man
From this reading It was plain that she was suffering acutely, and while I patted her shoulder, I thought what a wonderful mistress Mrs. Vanderbridge must be to have attached a servant to her so strongly.
mistress's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The maid's nerves, as well as the mistress's, were on edge, I could see.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading It was plain that she was suffering acutely, and while I patted her shoulder, I thought what a wonderful mistress Mrs. Vanderbridge must be to have attached a servant to her so strongly.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading It was plain that she was suffering acutely, and while I patted her shoulder, I thought what a wonderful mistress Mrs. Vanderbridge must be to have attached a servant to her so strongly.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading She broke down, and dropping on the rug at my feet, hid her face in her hands.
an uneasy psychological state
From this reading The maid's nerves, as well as the mistress's, were on edge, I could see.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "You must remember that I am a stranger in the house, that I scarcely know her, that I've never even seen her husband," I said warningly, for I've always avoided, as far as possible, the confidences of servants.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "You must remember that I am a stranger in the house, that I scarcely know her, that I've never even seen her husband," I said warningly, for I've always avoided, as far as possible, the confidences of servants.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She broke down, and dropping on the rug at my feet, hid her face in her hands.
pattedverbUS /ˈpætɪd/
inflected form of “pat” — pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin
From this reading It was plain that she was suffering acutely, and while I patted her shoulder, I thought what a wonderful mistress Mrs. Vanderbridge must be to have attached a servant to her so strongly.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading It was plain that she was suffering acutely, and while I patted her shoulder, I thought what a wonderful mistress Mrs. Vanderbridge must be to have attached a servant to her so strongly.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading "You must remember that I am a stranger in the house, that I scarcely know her, that I've never even seen her husband," I said warningly, for I've always avoided, as far as possible, the confidences of servants.
To recall to mind.
From this reading "You must remember that I am a stranger in the house, that I scarcely know her, that I've never even seen her husband," I said warningly, for I've always avoided, as far as possible, the confidences of servants.
rugnounUS /rʌɡ/
floor covering consisting of a piece of thick heavy fabric (usually with nap or pile)
From this reading She broke down, and dropping on the rug at my feet, hid her face in her hands.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You must remember that I am a stranger in the house, that I scarcely know her, that I've never even seen her husband," I said warningly, for I've always avoided, as far as possible, the confidences of servants.
only a very short time before
From this reading "You must remember that I am a stranger in the house, that I scarcely know her, that I've never even seen her husband," I said warningly, for I've always avoided, as far as possible, the confidences of servants.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading The maid's nerves, as well as the mistress's, were on edge, I could see.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "You must remember that I am a stranger in the house, that I scarcely know her, that I've never even seen her husband," I said warningly, for I've always avoided, as far as possible, the confidences of servants.
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading It was plain that she was suffering acutely, and while I patted her shoulder, I thought what a wonderful mistress Mrs. Vanderbridge must be to have attached a servant to her so strongly.
plural of “servant” — a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading "You must remember that I am a stranger in the house, that I scarcely know her, that I've never even seen her husband," I said warningly, for I've always avoided, as far as possible, the confidences of servants.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She broke down, and dropping on the rug at my feet, hid her face in her hands.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading It was plain that she was suffering acutely, and while I patted her shoulder, I thought what a wonderful mistress Mrs. Vanderbridge must be to have attached a servant to her so strongly.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It was plain that she was suffering acutely, and while I patted her shoulder, I thought what a wonderful mistress Mrs. Vanderbridge must be to have attached a servant to her so strongly.
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading "You must remember that I am a stranger in the house, that I scarcely know her, that I've never even seen her husband," I said warningly, for I've always avoided, as far as possible, the confidences of servants.
with strength or in a strong manner
From this reading It was plain that she was suffering acutely, and while I patted her shoulder, I thought what a wonderful mistress Mrs. Vanderbridge must be to have attached a servant to her so strongly.
a state of acute pain
From this reading It was plain that she was suffering acutely, and while I patted her shoulder, I thought what a wonderful mistress Mrs. Vanderbridge must be to have attached a servant to her so strongly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was plain that she was suffering acutely, and while I patted her shoulder, I thought what a wonderful mistress Mrs. Vanderbridge must be to have attached a servant to her so strongly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She broke down, and dropping on the rug at my feet, hid her face in her hands.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading It was plain that she was suffering acutely, and while I patted her shoulder, I thought what a wonderful mistress Mrs. Vanderbridge must be to have attached a servant to her so strongly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was plain that she was suffering acutely, and while I patted her shoulder, I thought what a wonderful mistress Mrs. Vanderbridge must be to have attached a servant to her so strongly.
(of persons) worthy of trust or confidence
From this reading "But you look as if you could be trusted."
Vanderbridge
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was plain that she was suffering acutely, and while I patted her shoulder, I thought what a wonderful mistress Mrs. Vanderbridge must be to have attached a servant to her so strongly.
warningly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You must remember that I am a stranger in the house, that I scarcely know her, that I've never even seen her husband," I said warningly, for I've always avoided, as far as possible, the confidences of servants.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was plain that she was suffering acutely, and while I patted her shoulder, I thought what a wonderful mistress Mrs. Vanderbridge must be to have attached a servant to her so strongly.
(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 The maid's nerves, as well as the mistress's, were on edge, I could see.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The maid's nerves, as well as the mistress's, were on edge, I could see.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading It was plain that she was suffering acutely, and while I patted her shoulder, I thought what a wonderful mistress Mrs. Vanderbridge must be to have attached a servant to her so strongly.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading It was plain that she was suffering acutely, and while I patted her shoulder, I thought what a wonderful mistress Mrs. Vanderbridge must be to have attached a servant to her so strongly.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading It was plain that she was suffering acutely, and while I patted her shoulder, I thought what a wonderful mistress Mrs. Vanderbridge must be to have attached a servant to her so strongly.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You must remember that I am a stranger in the house, that I scarcely know her, that I've never even seen her husband," I said warningly, for I've always avoided, as far as possible, the confidences of servants.
