used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading And Its Consequences Betty bent over her sister first, saying with a kind of quick intake of her breath: "Esther, what is the matter?
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading Oh, I have always been afraid that something dreadful would happen to you, you are so good!"
allowingverbUS /əˈlaʊɪŋ/
-ing form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading And at this Esther smiled, although somewhat faintly, allowing Polly to assist her to her feet.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading And at this Esther smiled, although somewhat faintly, allowing Polly to assist her to her feet.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Oh, I have always been afraid that something dreadful would happen to you, you are so good!"
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "Well, I am not being punished for my virtues this time, Betty child," she answered.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And Its Consequences Betty bent over her sister first, saying with a kind of quick intake of her breath: "Esther, what is the matter?
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "Well, I am not being punished for my virtues this time, Betty child," she answered.
Areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Are you hurt?
assistverbUS /əˈsɪst/
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading And at this Esther smiled, although somewhat faintly, allowing Polly to assist her to her feet.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading And at this Esther smiled, although somewhat faintly, allowing Polly to assist her to her feet.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Oh, I have always been afraid that something dreadful would happen to you, you are so good!"
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading "Well, I am not being punished for my virtues this time, Betty child," she answered.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading And Its Consequences Betty bent over her sister first, saying with a kind of quick intake of her breath: "Esther, what is the matter?
Betty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And Its Consequences Betty bent over her sister first, saying with a kind of quick intake of her breath: "Esther, what is the matter?
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading And Its Consequences Betty bent over her sister first, saying with a kind of quick intake of her breath: "Esther, what is the matter?
a young person of either sex
From this reading "Well, I am not being punished for my virtues this time, Betty child," she answered.
ConsequencesnounUS /ˈkɑːnsəkwensəz/
plural of “consequence” — a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading And Its Consequences Betty bent over her sister first, saying with a kind of quick intake of her breath: "Esther, what is the matter?
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading Oh, I have always been afraid that something dreadful would happen to you, you are so good!"
EsthernounUS /ˈestər/
(Old Testament) a beautiful Jewess chosen by the king of Persia to be his queen; she stopped a plot to massacre all the Jews in Persia (an event celebrated by Jews as the feast of Purim)
From this reading And Its Consequences Betty bent over her sister first, saying with a kind of quick intake of her breath: "Esther, what is the matter?
faintlyadverbUS /ˈfeɪntli/
to a faint degree or weakly perceived
From this reading And at this Esther smiled, although somewhat faintly, allowing Polly to assist her to her feet.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading And at this Esther smiled, although somewhat faintly, allowing Polly to assist her to her feet.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading And Its Consequences Betty bent over her sister first, saying with a kind of quick intake of her breath: "Esther, what is the matter?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Well, I am not being punished for my virtues this time, Betty child," she answered.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Oh, I have always been afraid that something dreadful would happen to you, you are so good!"
come to pass
From this reading Oh, I have always been afraid that something dreadful would happen to you, you are so good!"
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Oh, I have always been afraid that something dreadful would happen to you, you are so good!"
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading And Its Consequences Betty bent over her sister first, saying with a kind of quick intake of her breath: "Esther, what is the matter?
be the source of pain
From this reading Are you hurt?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Oh, I have always been afraid that something dreadful would happen to you, you are so good!"
intakenounUS /ˈɪnteɪk/
the process of taking food into the body through the mouth (as by eating)
From this reading And Its Consequences Betty bent over her sister first, saying with a kind of quick intake of her breath: "Esther, what is the matter?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And Its Consequences Betty bent over her sister first, saying with a kind of quick intake of her breath: "Esther, what is the matter?
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading And Its Consequences Betty bent over her sister first, saying with a kind of quick intake of her breath: "Esther, what is the matter?
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading And Its Consequences Betty bent over her sister first, saying with a kind of quick intake of her breath: "Esther, what is the matter?
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading And Its Consequences Betty bent over her sister first, saying with a kind of quick intake of her breath: "Esther, what is the matter?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Well, I am not being punished for my virtues this time, Betty child," she answered.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Well, I am not being punished for my virtues this time, Betty child," she answered.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And Its Consequences Betty bent over her sister first, saying with a kind of quick intake of her breath: "Esther, what is the matter?
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh, I have always been afraid that something dreadful would happen to you, you are so good!"
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading And Its Consequences Betty bent over her sister first, saying with a kind of quick intake of her breath: "Esther, what is the matter?
Polly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And at this Esther smiled, although somewhat faintly, allowing Polly to assist her to her feet.
punishedadjectiveUS /ˈpʌnɪʃt/
subjected to a penalty (as pain or shame or restraint or loss) for an offense or fault or in order to coerce some behavior (as a confession or obedience)
From this reading "Well, I am not being punished for my virtues this time, Betty child," she answered.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading And Its Consequences Betty bent over her sister first, saying with a kind of quick intake of her breath: "Esther, what is the matter?
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading And Its Consequences Betty bent over her sister first, saying with a kind of quick intake of her breath: "Esther, what is the matter?
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Well, I am not being punished for my virtues this time, Betty child," she answered.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading And Its Consequences Betty bent over her sister first, saying with a kind of quick intake of her breath: "Esther, what is the matter?
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading And at this Esther smiled, although somewhat faintly, allowing Polly to assist her to her feet.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Oh, I have always been afraid that something dreadful would happen to you, you are so good!"
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Oh, I have always been afraid that something dreadful would happen to you, you are so good!"
to a small degree or extent
From this reading And at this Esther smiled, although somewhat faintly, allowing Polly to assist her to her feet.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Oh, I have always been afraid that something dreadful would happen to you, you are so good!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And Its Consequences Betty bent over her sister first, saying with a kind of quick intake of her breath: "Esther, what is the matter?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading And at this Esther smiled, although somewhat faintly, allowing Polly to assist her to her feet.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "Well, I am not being punished for my virtues this time, Betty child," she answered.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Oh, I have always been afraid that something dreadful would happen to you, you are so good!"
virtuesnounUS /ˈvɜːrtʃuːz/
plural of “virtue” — the quality of doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong
From this reading "Well, I am not being punished for my virtues this time, Betty child," she answered.
(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 "Well, I am not being punished for my virtues this time, Betty child," she answered.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading And Its Consequences Betty bent over her sister first, saying with a kind of quick intake of her breath: "Esther, what is the matter?
in the company of; together with
From this reading And Its Consequences Betty bent over her sister first, saying with a kind of quick intake of her breath: "Esther, what is the matter?
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Oh, I have always been afraid that something dreadful would happen to you, you are so good!"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Are you hurt?
