used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “I have made a fool of myself again,” Felix said to himself bitterly.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The next day, and the next, Felix and Tom talked again about Chicago; but not in the realistic vein Felix would have preferred.
anew
From this reading “I have made a fool of myself again,” Felix said to himself bitterly.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading Tonight he must go back to town; he had already stayed too long—he was falling into his old habit of day-dreaming about the future....
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The next day, and the next, Felix and Tom talked again about Chicago; but not in the realistic vein Felix would have preferred.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Tonight he must go back to town; he had already stayed too long—he was falling into his old habit of day-dreaming about the future....
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Gloria had been—well, startled and impressed, to say the least.
with bitterness; in a resentful manner
From this reading “I have made a fool of myself again,” Felix said to himself bitterly.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The next day, and the next, Felix and Tom talked again about Chicago; but not in the realistic vein Felix would have preferred.
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading That chapter had set him off.
ChicagonounUS /ʃəˈkɑːɡoʊ/
largest city in Illinois; a bustling Great Lakes port that extends 26 miles along the southwestern shoreline of Lake Michigan
From this reading The next day, and the next, Felix and Tom talked again about Chicago; but not in the realistic vein Felix would have preferred.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The next day, and the next, Felix and Tom talked again about Chicago; but not in the realistic vein Felix would have preferred.
day-dreaming
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Tonight he must go back to town; he had already stayed too long—he was falling into his old habit of day-dreaming about the future....
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading Tonight he must go back to town; he had already stayed too long—he was falling into his old habit of day-dreaming about the future....
Felix
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I have made a fool of myself again,” Felix said to himself bitterly.
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading “I have made a fool of myself again,” Felix said to himself bitterly.
yet to be or coming
From this reading Tonight he must go back to town; he had already stayed too long—he was falling into his old habit of day-dreaming about the future....
Gloria
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gloria had been—well, startled and impressed, to say the least.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Tonight he must go back to town; he had already stayed too long—he was falling into his old habit of day-dreaming about the future....
an established custom
From this reading Tonight he must go back to town; he had already stayed too long—he was falling into his old habit of day-dreaming about the future....
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Tonight he must go back to town; he had already stayed too long—he was falling into his old habit of day-dreaming about the future....
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I have made a fool of myself again,” Felix said to himself bitterly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Tonight he must go back to town; he had already stayed too long—he was falling into his old habit of day-dreaming about the future....
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading That chapter had set him off.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading “I have made a fool of myself again,” Felix said to himself bitterly.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Tonight he must go back to town; he had already stayed too long—he was falling into his old habit of day-dreaming about the future....
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I have made a fool of myself again,” Felix said to himself bitterly.
deeply or markedly affected or influenced
From this reading Gloria had been—well, startled and impressed, to say the least.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The next day, and the next, Felix and Tom talked again about Chicago; but not in the realistic vein Felix would have preferred.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Tonight he must go back to town; he had already stayed too long—he was falling into his old habit of day-dreaming about the future....
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 Gloria had been—well, startled and impressed, to say the least.
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 Tonight he must go back to town; he had already stayed too long—he was falling into his old habit of day-dreaming about the future....
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading “I have made a fool of myself again,” Felix said to himself bitterly.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Tonight he must go back to town; he had already stayed too long—he was falling into his old habit of day-dreaming about the future....
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading “I have made a fool of myself again,” Felix said to himself bitterly.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next day, and the next, Felix and Tom talked again about Chicago; but not in the realistic vein Felix would have preferred.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The next day, and the next, Felix and Tom talked again about Chicago; but not in the realistic vein Felix would have preferred.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I have made a fool of myself again,” Felix said to himself bitterly.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading That chapter had set him off.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Tonight he must go back to town; he had already stayed too long—he was falling into his old habit of day-dreaming about the future....
preferredadjectiveUS /prəˈfɜːrd/
more desirable than another
From this reading The next day, and the next, Felix and Tom talked again about Chicago; but not in the realistic vein Felix would have preferred.
realisticadjectiveUS /ˌriːəˈlɪstɪk/
aware or expressing awareness of things as they really are
From this reading The next day, and the next, Felix and Tom talked again about Chicago; but not in the realistic vein Felix would have preferred.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I have made a fool of myself again,” Felix said to himself bitterly.
express in words
From this reading Gloria had been—well, startled and impressed, to say the least.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading That chapter had set him off.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading Gloria had been—well, startled and impressed, to say the least.
past form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading Tonight he must go back to town; he had already stayed too long—he was falling into his old habit of day-dreaming about the future....
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading The next day, and the next, Felix and Tom talked again about Chicago; but not in the realistic vein Felix would have preferred.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That chapter had set him off.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The next day, and the next, Felix and Tom talked again about Chicago; but not in the realistic vein Felix would have preferred.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I have made a fool of myself again,” Felix said to himself bitterly.
male cat
From this reading The next day, and the next, Felix and Tom talked again about Chicago; but not in the realistic vein Felix would have preferred.
TonightadverbUS /təˈnaɪt/
On the present night.
From this reading Tonight he must go back to town; he had already stayed too long—he was falling into his old habit of day-dreaming about the future....
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Tonight he must go back to town; he had already stayed too long—he was falling into his old habit of day-dreaming about the future....
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading Tonight he must go back to town; he had already stayed too long—he was falling into his old habit of day-dreaming about the future....
veinnounUS /veɪn/
a blood vessel that carries blood from the capillaries toward the heart
From this reading The next day, and the next, Felix and Tom talked again about Chicago; but not in the realistic vein Felix would have preferred.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Tonight he must go back to town; he had already stayed too long—he was falling into his old habit of day-dreaming about the future....
(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 Gloria had been—well, startled and impressed, to say the least.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The next day, and the next, Felix and Tom talked again about Chicago; but not in the realistic vein Felix would have preferred.
