used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE REVEREND HORATIO TURNS DETECTIVE The first thing in the curate's thoughts the next morning was this perplexing fragment of a letter.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Horatio smiled at this tragically complicated picture of Reginald's entrance upon the scene of life.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
blankadjectiveUS /blæŋk/
(of a surface) not written or printed on
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
brought into existence
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Then he turned the sheet and studied what was left of the original letter, a letter evidently written by his protégée, Hester Storm.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
castawaynounUS /ˈkæstəweɪ/
a person who is rejected (from society or home)
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
childishadjectiveUS /ˈtʃaɪldɪʃ/
indicating a lack of maturity
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
complicatedadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːmpləkeɪtəd/
difficult to analyze or understand
From this reading Horatio smiled at this tragically complicated picture of Reginald's entrance upon the scene of life.
creasesnounUS /ˈkriːsɪz/
plural of “crease” — an angular or rounded shape made by folding
From this reading Lengthwise and crosswise of this sheet ran sharp creases where the letter had been folded, and on either side the edges were torn symmetrically, leaving half-finished words and sentences.
crosswiseadjectiveUS /ˈkrɔːswaɪz/
lying or extending across the length of a thing or in a cross direction
From this reading Lengthwise and crosswise of this sheet ran sharp creases where the letter had been folded, and on either side the edges were torn symmetrically, leaving half-finished words and sentences.
curate's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE REVEREND HORATIO TURNS DETECTIVE The first thing in the curate's thoughts the next morning was this perplexing fragment of a letter.
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading THE REVEREND HORATIO TURNS DETECTIVE The first thing in the curate's thoughts the next morning was this perplexing fragment of a letter.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
dilicat
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
edgesnounUS /ˈedʒəz/
plural of “edge” — the boundary of a surface
From this reading Lengthwise and crosswise of this sheet ran sharp creases where the letter had been folded, and on either side the edges were torn symmetrically, leaving half-finished words and sentences.
one or the other of two
From this reading Lengthwise and crosswise of this sheet ran sharp creases where the letter had been folded, and on either side the edges were torn symmetrically, leaving half-finished words and sentences.
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading Horatio smiled at this tragically complicated picture of Reginald's entrance upon the scene of life.
at any time
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Then he turned the sheet and studied what was left of the original letter, a letter evidently written by his protégée, Hester Storm.
past form of “examine” — consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading THE REVEREND HORATIO TURNS DETECTIVE The first thing in the curate's thoughts the next morning was this perplexing fragment of a letter.
past form of “fold” — bend or lay so that one part covers the other
From this reading Lengthwise and crosswise of this sheet ran sharp creases where the letter had been folded, and on either side the edges were torn symmetrically, leaving half-finished words and sentences.
fragmentnounUS /ˈfræɡ.mənt/
A small part broken or separated off something larger.
From this reading THE REVEREND HORATIO TURNS DETECTIVE The first thing in the curate's thoughts the next morning was this perplexing fragment of a letter.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
half-finished
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lengthwise and crosswise of this sheet ran sharp creases where the letter had been folded, and on either side the edges were torn symmetrically, leaving half-finished words and sentences.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
Hester
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then he turned the sheet and studied what was left of the original letter, a letter evidently written by his protégée, Hester Storm.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Then he turned the sheet and studied what was left of the original letter, a letter evidently written by his protégée, Hester Storm.
HORATIO
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE REVEREND HORATIO TURNS DETECTIVE The first thing in the curate's thoughts the next morning was this perplexing fragment of a letter.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE REVEREND HORATIO TURNS DETECTIVE The first thing in the curate's thoughts the next morning was this perplexing fragment of a letter.
injoyed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
the act of departing
From this reading Lengthwise and crosswise of this sheet ran sharp creases where the letter had been folded, and on either side the edges were torn symmetrically, leaving half-finished words and sentences.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading Then he turned the sheet and studied what was left of the original letter, a letter evidently written by his protégée, Hester Storm.
LengthwiseadverbUS /ˈleŋθwaɪz/
in the direction of the length
From this reading Lengthwise and crosswise of this sheet ran sharp creases where the letter had been folded, and on either side the edges were torn symmetrically, leaving half-finished words and sentences.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading THE REVEREND HORATIO TURNS DETECTIVE The first thing in the curate's thoughts the next morning was this perplexing fragment of a letter.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Horatio smiled at this tragically complicated picture of Reginald's entrance upon the scene of life.
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading THE REVEREND HORATIO TURNS DETECTIVE The first thing in the curate's thoughts the next morning was this perplexing fragment of a letter.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
a form of address for a man
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading THE REVEREND HORATIO TURNS DETECTIVE The first thing in the curate's thoughts the next morning was this perplexing fragment of a letter.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE REVEREND HORATIO TURNS DETECTIVE The first thing in the curate's thoughts the next morning was this perplexing fragment of a letter.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed
From this reading Then he turned the sheet and studied what was left of the original letter, a letter evidently written by his protégée, Hester Storm.
peabodynounUS /ˈpiːbɑːdi/
educator who founded the first kindergarten in the United States (1804-1894)
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
perplexingadjectiveUS /pərˈpleksɪŋ/
lacking clarity of meaning; causing confusion or perplexity
From this reading THE REVEREND HORATIO TURNS DETECTIVE The first thing in the curate's thoughts the next morning was this perplexing fragment of a letter.
Petronia's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading Horatio smiled at this tragically complicated picture of Reginald's entrance upon the scene of life.
protégée
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then he turned the sheet and studied what was left of the original letter, a letter evidently written by his protégée, Hester Storm.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Lengthwise and crosswise of this sheet ran sharp creases where the letter had been folded, and on either side the edges were torn symmetrically, leaving half-finished words and sentences.
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
Reginald's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Horatio smiled at this tragically complicated picture of Reginald's entrance upon the scene of life.
reginals
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
REVERENDnounUS /ˈrevərənd/
a member of the clergy and a spiritual leader of the Christian Church
From this reading THE REVEREND HORATIO TURNS DETECTIVE The first thing in the curate's thoughts the next morning was this perplexing fragment of a letter.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading Horatio smiled at this tragically complicated picture of Reginald's entrance upon the scene of life.
scrawlverbUS /skrɔːl/
write carelessly
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
sentencesnounUS /ˈsentənsəz/
plural of “sentence” — a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language
From this reading Lengthwise and crosswise of this sheet ran sharp creases where the letter had been folded, and on either side the edges were torn symmetrically, leaving half-finished words and sentences.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading Lengthwise and crosswise of this sheet ran sharp creases where the letter had been folded, and on either side the edges were torn symmetrically, leaving half-finished words and sentences.
any broad thin expanse or surface
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Horatio smiled at this tragically complicated picture of Reginald's entrance upon the scene of life.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading Then he turned the sheet and studied what was left of the original letter, a letter evidently written by his protégée, Hester Storm.
produced or marked by conscious design or premeditation
From this reading Then he turned the sheet and studied what was left of the original letter, a letter evidently written by his protégée, Hester Storm.
symmetricallyadverbUS /səˈmetrɪkli/
in a symmetrical manner
From this reading Lengthwise and crosswise of this sheet ran sharp creases where the letter had been folded, and on either side the edges were torn symmetrically, leaving half-finished words and sentences.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE REVEREND HORATIO TURNS DETECTIVE The first thing in the curate's thoughts the next morning was this perplexing fragment of a letter.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he turned the sheet and studied what was left of the original letter, a letter evidently written by his protégée, Hester Storm.
a special situation
From this reading THE REVEREND HORATIO TURNS DETECTIVE The first thing in the curate's thoughts the next morning was this perplexing fragment of a letter.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading THE REVEREND HORATIO TURNS DETECTIVE The first thing in the curate's thoughts the next morning was this perplexing fragment of a letter.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading THE REVEREND HORATIO TURNS DETECTIVE The first thing in the curate's thoughts the next morning was this perplexing fragment of a letter.
having edges that are jagged from injury
From this reading Lengthwise and crosswise of this sheet ran sharp creases where the letter had been folded, and on either side the edges were torn symmetrically, leaving half-finished words and sentences.
tragicallyadverbUS /ˈtrædʒɪkli/
in a tragic manner; with tragic consequences
From this reading Horatio smiled at this tragically complicated picture of Reginald's entrance upon the scene of life.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Then he turned the sheet and studied what was left of the original letter, a letter evidently written by his protégée, Hester Storm.
plural of “turn” — a circular segment of a curve
From this reading THE REVEREND HORATIO TURNS DETECTIVE The first thing in the curate's thoughts the next morning was this perplexing fragment of a letter.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Horatio smiled at this tragically complicated picture of Reginald's entrance upon the scene of life.
precisely as stated
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE REVEREND HORATIO TURNS DETECTIVE The first thing in the curate's thoughts the next morning was this perplexing fragment of a letter.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Lengthwise and crosswise of this sheet ran sharp creases where the letter had been folded, and on either side the edges were torn symmetrically, leaving half-finished words and sentences.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
in or at the place that
From this reading Lengthwise and crosswise of this sheet ran sharp creases where the letter had been folded, and on either side the edges were torn symmetrically, leaving half-finished words and sentences.
the words that are spoken
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading He examined it carefully, reading, first, the words in An Petronia's childish scrawl written on what had been the blank side of a castaway sheet: chapter nine reginals mother died six months before he was born and ever since Mr peabody had injoyed very dilicat health.
