Chapter I

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

(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 The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading The Busy Child I have so many things to do, I don't know when I shall be through.

plural of “begin” — Israeli statesman (born in Russia) who (as prime minister of Israel) negotiated a peace treaty with Anwar Sadat (then the president of Egypt) (1913-1992)

From this reading Everybody else begins With the House.

the supreme effort one can make

From this reading But I Love the Smoke the best of all; And you don't know why!...

plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

actively or fully engaged or occupied

From this reading The Busy Child I have so many things to do, I don't know when I shall be through.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But I Love the Smoke the best of all; And you don't know why!...

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

a young person of either sex

From this reading The Busy Child I have so many things to do, I don't know when I shall be through.

a vertical flue that provides a path through which smoke from a fire is carried away through the wall or roof of a building

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

an institution created to conduct business

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading The Busy Child I have so many things to do, I don't know when I shall be through.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But I Love the Smoke the best of all; And you don't know why!...

cause to move by pulling

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Everybody else begins With the House.

divisible by two

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

every person

From this reading Everybody else begins With the House.

the organ of sight

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

plural of “feather” — the light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds

From this reading Here it goes,--like little feathers, Sailing up the sky!

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

moving swiftly

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)

From this reading Here it goes,--like little feathers, Sailing up the sky!

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading The Busy Child I have so many things to do, I don't know when I shall be through.

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading Here it goes,--like little feathers, Sailing up the sky!

United States publisher who founded a printing shop that became an important book publisher (1823-1895)

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading But I Love the Smoke the best of all; And you don't know why!...

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading But I Love the Smoke the best of all; And you don't know why!...

the act that results in something coming to be

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading The Busy Child I have so many things to do, I don't know when I shall be through.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

the time that has elapsed

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

the work of a sailor

From this reading Here it goes,--like little feathers, Sailing up the sky!

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading The Busy Child I have so many things to do, I don't know when I shall be through.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading The Busy Child I have so many things to do, I don't know when I shall be through.

any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading The Busy Child I have so many things to do, I don't know when I shall be through.

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading The Busy Child I have so many things to do, I don't know when I shall be through.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading The Busy Child I have so many things to do, I don't know when I shall be through.

the pursuit (of a person or animal) by following tracks or marks they left behind

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

directly under, often hidden by what is above

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

a formal word for “on”

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

past form of “watch” — look attentively

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

the act of observing; taking a patient look

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

at the time that

From this reading The Busy Child I have so many things to do, I don't know when I shall be through.

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading But I Love the Smoke the best of all; And you don't know why!...

a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

in the company of; together with

From this reading Everybody else begins With the House.

the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose

From this reading The Book of the Little Past '_I watched, ... even as it were a Sparrow that sitteth upon the house-top_' The Book of the Little Past Houghton Mifflin Company Boston 1910 New York Making a house First of all, I draw the Smoke Trailing up the sky; Then the Chimney, underneath; And Birds all flying by; Then the House; and every Window, Watching, like an Eye.

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading But I Love the Smoke the best of all; And you don't know why!...