used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A grace, to be a grace in Aunt Wellington’s eyes, had to be at least three minutes long and uttered in an unearthly tone, between a groan and a chant.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading As a protest she kept her head bent a perceptible time after all the rest had been lifted.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading As a protest she kept her head bent a perceptible time after all the rest had been lifted.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading She always considered Herbert’s graces entirely too short and “flippant.”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading A grace, to be a grace in Aunt Wellington’s eyes, had to be at least three minutes long and uttered in an unearthly tone, between a groan and a chant.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Bless this food to our use and consecrate our lives to Thy service,” said Uncle Herbert briskly.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As a protest she kept her head bent a perceptible time after all the rest had been lifted.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A grace, to be a grace in Aunt Wellington’s eyes, had to be at least three minutes long and uttered in an unearthly tone, between a groan and a chant.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading Aunt Wellington frowned.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading A grace, to be a grace in Aunt Wellington’s eyes, had to be at least three minutes long and uttered in an unearthly tone, between a groan and a chant.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading As a protest she kept her head bent a perceptible time after all the rest had been lifted.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading As a protest she kept her head bent a perceptible time after all the rest had been lifted.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading A grace, to be a grace in Aunt Wellington’s eyes, had to be at least three minutes long and uttered in an unearthly tone, between a groan and a chant.
give a benediction to
From this reading “Bless this food to our use and consecrate our lives to Thy service,” said Uncle Herbert briskly.
brisklyadverbUS /ˈbrɪskli/
in a brisk manner
From this reading “Bless this food to our use and consecrate our lives to Thy service,” said Uncle Herbert briskly.
chantverbUS /tʃænt/
recite with musical intonation; recite as a chant or a psalm
From this reading A grace, to be a grace in Aunt Wellington’s eyes, had to be at least three minutes long and uttered in an unearthly tone, between a groan and a chant.
consecrateverbUS /ˈkɑːnsəkreɪt/
appoint to a clerical posts
From this reading “Bless this food to our use and consecrate our lives to Thy service,” said Uncle Herbert briskly.
carefully weighed
From this reading She always considered Herbert’s graces entirely too short and “flippant.”
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading She always considered Herbert’s graces entirely too short and “flippant.”
opinion or judgment
From this reading A grace, to be a grace in Aunt Wellington’s eyes, had to be at least three minutes long and uttered in an unearthly tone, between a groan and a chant.
flippantadjectiveUS /ˈflɪpənt/
showing inappropriate levity
From this reading She always considered Herbert’s graces entirely too short and “flippant.”
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading “Bless this food to our use and consecrate our lives to Thy service,” said Uncle Herbert briskly.
frownedverbUS /fraʊnd/
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading Aunt Wellington frowned.
(Christian theology) a state of sanctification by God; the state of one who is under such divine influence
From this reading A grace, to be a grace in Aunt Wellington’s eyes, had to be at least three minutes long and uttered in an unearthly tone, between a groan and a chant.
gracesnounUS /ˈɡreɪsɪz/
plural of “grace” — (Christian theology) a state of sanctification by God; the state of one who is under such divine influence
From this reading She always considered Herbert’s graces entirely too short and “flippant.”
groannounUS /ɡroʊn/
an utterance expressing pain or disapproval
From this reading A grace, to be a grace in Aunt Wellington’s eyes, had to be at least three minutes long and uttered in an unearthly tone, between a groan and a chant.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A grace, to be a grace in Aunt Wellington’s eyes, had to be at least three minutes long and uttered in an unearthly tone, between a groan and a chant.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading As a protest she kept her head bent a perceptible time after all the rest had been lifted.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading As a protest she kept her head bent a perceptible time after all the rest had been lifted.
HerbertnounUS /ˈhɜːrbərt/
United States musician and composer and conductor noted for his comic operas (1859-1924)
From this reading “Bless this food to our use and consecrate our lives to Thy service,” said Uncle Herbert briskly.
Herbert'snounUS /ˈhɜːrbərts/
possessive form of “herbert” — United States musician and composer and conductor noted for his comic operas (1859-1924)
From this reading She always considered Herbert’s graces entirely too short and “flippant.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A grace, to be a grace in Aunt Wellington’s eyes, had to be at least three minutes long and uttered in an unearthly tone, between a groan and a chant.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading As a protest she kept her head bent a perceptible time after all the rest had been lifted.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading A grace, to be a grace in Aunt Wellington’s eyes, had to be at least three minutes long and uttered in an unearthly tone, between a groan and a chant.
held up in the air
From this reading As a protest she kept her head bent a perceptible time after all the rest had been lifted.
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “Bless this food to our use and consecrate our lives to Thy service,” said Uncle Herbert briskly.
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 A grace, to be a grace in Aunt Wellington’s eyes, had to be at least three minutes long and uttered in an unearthly tone, between a groan and a chant.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading A grace, to be a grace in Aunt Wellington’s eyes, had to be at least three minutes long and uttered in an unearthly tone, between a groan and a chant.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “Bless this food to our use and consecrate our lives to Thy service,” said Uncle Herbert briskly.
perceptibleadjectiveUS /pərˈseptəbəl/
capable of being perceived by the mind or senses
From this reading As a protest she kept her head bent a perceptible time after all the rest had been lifted.
protestnounUS /ˈproʊtest/
a formal and solemn declaration of objection
From this reading As a protest she kept her head bent a perceptible time after all the rest had been lifted.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading As a protest she kept her head bent a perceptible time after all the rest had been lifted.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Bless this food to our use and consecrate our lives to Thy service,” said Uncle Herbert briskly.
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading “Bless this food to our use and consecrate our lives to Thy service,” said Uncle Herbert briskly.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She always considered Herbert’s graces entirely too short and “flippant.”
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading She always considered Herbert’s graces entirely too short and “flippant.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As a protest she kept her head bent a perceptible time after all the rest had been lifted.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Bless this food to our use and consecrate our lives to Thy service,” said Uncle Herbert briskly.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading A grace, to be a grace in Aunt Wellington’s eyes, had to be at least three minutes long and uttered in an unearthly tone, between a groan and a chant.
an old word for “your”, speaking to one person
From this reading “Bless this food to our use and consecrate our lives to Thy service,” said Uncle Herbert briskly.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading As a protest she kept her head bent a perceptible time after all the rest had been lifted.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Bless this food to our use and consecrate our lives to Thy service,” said Uncle Herbert briskly.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading A grace, to be a grace in Aunt Wellington’s eyes, had to be at least three minutes long and uttered in an unearthly tone, between a groan and a chant.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading She always considered Herbert’s graces entirely too short and “flippant.”
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading “Bless this food to our use and consecrate our lives to Thy service,” said Uncle Herbert briskly.
unearthlyadjectiveUS /əˈnɜːrθli/
concerned with or affecting the spirit or soul
From this reading A grace, to be a grace in Aunt Wellington’s eyes, had to be at least three minutes long and uttered in an unearthly tone, between a groan and a chant.
the act of using
From this reading “Bless this food to our use and consecrate our lives to Thy service,” said Uncle Herbert briskly.
communicated in words
From this reading A grace, to be a grace in Aunt Wellington’s eyes, had to be at least three minutes long and uttered in an unearthly tone, between a groan and a chant.
WellingtonnounUS /ˈwelɪŋtən/
British general and statesman; he defeated Napoleon at Waterloo; subsequently served as Prime Minister (1769-1852)
From this reading Aunt Wellington frowned.
Wellington'snounUS /ˈwelɪŋtənz/
possessive form of “wellington” — British general and statesman; he defeated Napoleon at Waterloo; subsequently served as Prime Minister (1769-1852)
From this reading A grace, to be a grace in Aunt Wellington’s eyes, had to be at least three minutes long and uttered in an unearthly tone, between a groan and a chant.
