used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Had a live shell fallen into their midst it would probably have caused less consternation than did this announcement.
(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 For a moment all eyes were fixed on Sir Francis.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading There was an involuntary exclamation from everyone.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then each man drew himself up and stared blankly into space.
announcementnounUS /əˈnaʊnsmənt/
a formal public statement
From this reading Had a live shell fallen into their midst it would probably have caused less consternation than did this announcement.
appealedverbUS /əˈpiːld/
past form of “appeal” — take a court case to a higher court for review
From this reading "The fame of your Club had reached me, and the novelty of its membership appealed to me."
blanklyadverbUS /ˈblæŋkli/
in a blank and uncomprehending manner
From this reading Then each man drew himself up and stared blankly into space.
past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally
From this reading Had a live shell fallen into their midst it would probably have caused less consternation than did this announcement.
a team of professional baseball players who play and travel together
From this reading "The fame of your Club had reached me, and the novelty of its membership appealed to me."
consternationnounUS /ˌkɑːnstərˈneɪʃən/
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading Had a live shell fallen into their midst it would probably have caused less consternation than did this announcement.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Had a live shell fallen into their midst it would probably have caused less consternation than did this announcement.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading Then each man drew himself up and stared blankly into space.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Then each man drew himself up and stared blankly into space.
every person
From this reading There was an involuntary exclamation from everyone.
exclamationnounUS /ˌekskləˈmeɪʃən/
an abrupt excited utterance
From this reading There was an involuntary exclamation from everyone.
opinion or judgment
From this reading For a moment all eyes were fixed on Sir Francis.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading Had a live shell fallen into their midst it would probably have caused less consternation than did this announcement.
the state or quality of being widely honored and acclaimed
From this reading "The fame of your Club had reached me, and the novelty of its membership appealed to me."
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading For a moment all eyes were fixed on Sir Francis.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a moment all eyes were fixed on Sir Francis.
Francis
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a moment all eyes were fixed on Sir Francis.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading There was an involuntary exclamation from everyone.
Hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Had a live shell fallen into their midst it would probably have caused less consternation than did this announcement.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Had a live shell fallen into their midst it would probably have caused less consternation than did this announcement.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Then each man drew himself up and stared blankly into space.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Had a live shell fallen into their midst it would probably have caused less consternation than did this announcement.
involuntaryadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈvɑːlənteri/
not subject to the control of the will
From this reading There was an involuntary exclamation from everyone.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Had a live shell fallen into their midst it would probably have caused less consternation than did this announcement.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading "The fame of your Club had reached me, and the novelty of its membership appealed to me."
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading Had a live shell fallen into their midst it would probably have caused less consternation than did this announcement.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading Had a live shell fallen into their midst it would probably have caused less consternation than did this announcement.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Then each man drew himself up and stared blankly into space.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "The fame of your Club had reached me, and the novelty of its membership appealed to me."
membershipnounUS /ˈmembərʃɪp/
the body of members of an organization or group
From this reading "The fame of your Club had reached me, and the novelty of its membership appealed to me."
the location of something surrounded by other things
From this reading Had a live shell fallen into their midst it would probably have caused less consternation than did this announcement.
a particular point in time
From this reading For a moment all eyes were fixed on Sir Francis.
noveltynounUS /ˈnɑːvəlti/
originality by virtue of being refreshingly novel
From this reading "The fame of your Club had reached me, and the novelty of its membership appealed to me."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "The fame of your Club had reached me, and the novelty of its membership appealed to me."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading For a moment all eyes were fixed on Sir Francis.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading Had a live shell fallen into their midst it would probably have caused less consternation than did this announcement.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading "The fame of your Club had reached me, and the novelty of its membership appealed to me."
shellnounUS /ʃel/
ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
From this reading Had a live shell fallen into their midst it would probably have caused less consternation than did this announcement.
term of address for a man
From this reading For a moment all eyes were fixed on Sir Francis.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading Then each man drew himself up and stared blankly into space.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Then each man drew himself up and stared blankly into space.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Had a live shell fallen into their midst it would probably have caused less consternation than did this announcement.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The fame of your Club had reached me, and the novelty of its membership appealed to me."
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Had a live shell fallen into their midst it would probably have caused less consternation than did this announcement.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then each man drew himself up and stared blankly into space.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was an involuntary exclamation from everyone.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Had a live shell fallen into their midst it would probably have caused less consternation than did this announcement.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "The fame of your Club had reached me, and the novelty of its membership appealed to me."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Then each man drew himself up and stared blankly into space.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was an involuntary exclamation from everyone.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading For a moment all eyes were fixed on Sir Francis.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Had a live shell fallen into their midst it would probably have caused less consternation than did this announcement.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "The fame of your Club had reached me, and the novelty of its membership appealed to me."
