used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading This was a most unexpected and disastrous ending to the expedition upon which he had set out with such high hopes.
abilitiesnounUS /əˈbɪlətiːz/
plural of “ability” — the quality of being able to perform; a quality that permits or facilitates achievement or accomplishment
From this reading What would be the verdict of the committee, who seemed to have so exalted an opinion of his abilities, and whose confidence in him had led them to place in his hands a thousand dollars of the university’s money?
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading What would be the verdict of the committee, who seemed to have so exalted an opinion of his abilities, and whose confidence in him had led them to place in his hands a thousand dollars of the university’s money?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading This was a most unexpected and disastrous ending to the expedition upon which he had set out with such high hopes.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading What would be the verdict of the committee, who seemed to have so exalted an opinion of his abilities, and whose confidence in him had led them to place in his hands a thousand dollars of the university’s money?
committeenounUS /kəˈmɪti/
a special group delegated to consider some matter
From this reading What would be the verdict of the committee, who seemed to have so exalted an opinion of his abilities, and whose confidence in him had led them to place in his hands a thousand dollars of the university’s money?
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading What would be the verdict of the committee, who seemed to have so exalted an opinion of his abilities, and whose confidence in him had led them to place in his hands a thousand dollars of the university’s money?
disastrousadjectiveUS /dɪˈzæstrəs/
(of events) having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin
From this reading This was a most unexpected and disastrous ending to the expedition upon which he had set out with such high hopes.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading What would his mother do now?
plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents
From this reading What would be the verdict of the committee, who seemed to have so exalted an opinion of his abilities, and whose confidence in him had led them to place in his hands a thousand dollars of the university’s money?
DUG-OUT
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading INSIDE THE DUG-OUT.
endingnounUS /ˈendɪŋ/
the end of a word (a suffix or inflectional ending or final morpheme)
From this reading This was a most unexpected and disastrous ending to the expedition upon which he had set out with such high hopes.
exaltedadjectiveUS /ɪɡˈzɔːltɪd/
of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style
From this reading What would be the verdict of the committee, who seemed to have so exalted an opinion of his abilities, and whose confidence in him had led them to place in his hands a thousand dollars of the university’s money?
a military campaign designed to achieve a specific objective in a foreign country
From this reading This was a most unexpected and disastrous ending to the expedition upon which he had set out with such high hopes.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading This was a most unexpected and disastrous ending to the expedition upon which he had set out with such high hopes.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading What would be the verdict of the committee, who seemed to have so exalted an opinion of his abilities, and whose confidence in him had led them to place in his hands a thousand dollars of the university’s money?
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading What would be the verdict of the committee, who seemed to have so exalted an opinion of his abilities, and whose confidence in him had led them to place in his hands a thousand dollars of the university’s money?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading This was a most unexpected and disastrous ending to the expedition upon which he had set out with such high hopes.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading This was a most unexpected and disastrous ending to the expedition upon which he had set out with such high hopes.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading What would be the verdict of the committee, who seemed to have so exalted an opinion of his abilities, and whose confidence in him had led them to place in his hands a thousand dollars of the university’s money?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading What would his mother do now?
plural of “hope” — a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading This was a most unexpected and disastrous ending to the expedition upon which he had set out with such high hopes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading What would be the verdict of the committee, who seemed to have so exalted an opinion of his abilities, and whose confidence in him had led them to place in his hands a thousand dollars of the university’s money?
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading INSIDE THE DUG-OUT.
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading What would be the verdict of the committee, who seemed to have so exalted an opinion of his abilities, and whose confidence in him had led them to place in his hands a thousand dollars of the university’s money?
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading What would be the verdict of the committee, who seemed to have so exalted an opinion of his abilities, and whose confidence in him had led them to place in his hands a thousand dollars of the university’s money?
used to form the superlative
From this reading This was a most unexpected and disastrous ending to the expedition upon which he had set out with such high hopes.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading What would his mother do now?
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading What would his mother do now?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading What would be the verdict of the committee, who seemed to have so exalted an opinion of his abilities, and whose confidence in him had led them to place in his hands a thousand dollars of the university’s money?
a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty
From this reading What would be the verdict of the committee, who seemed to have so exalted an opinion of his abilities, and whose confidence in him had led them to place in his hands a thousand dollars of the university’s money?
OscarnounUS /ˈɔːskər/
an annual award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for achievements in motion picture production and performance
From this reading Poor Oscar!
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading This was a most unexpected and disastrous ending to the expedition upon which he had set out with such high hopes.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading What would be the verdict of the committee, who seemed to have so exalted an opinion of his abilities, and whose confidence in him had led them to place in his hands a thousand dollars of the university’s money?
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Poor Oscar!
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading What would be the verdict of the committee, who seemed to have so exalted an opinion of his abilities, and whose confidence in him had led them to place in his hands a thousand dollars of the university’s money?
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading This was a most unexpected and disastrous ending to the expedition upon which he had set out with such high hopes.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading What would be the verdict of the committee, who seemed to have so exalted an opinion of his abilities, and whose confidence in him had led them to place in his hands a thousand dollars of the university’s money?
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading This was a most unexpected and disastrous ending to the expedition upon which he had set out with such high hopes.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading INSIDE THE DUG-OUT.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading What would be the verdict of the committee, who seemed to have so exalted an opinion of his abilities, and whose confidence in him had led them to place in his hands a thousand dollars of the university’s money?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This was a most unexpected and disastrous ending to the expedition upon which he had set out with such high hopes.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading What would be the verdict of the committee, who seemed to have so exalted an opinion of his abilities, and whose confidence in him had led them to place in his hands a thousand dollars of the university’s money?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading This was a most unexpected and disastrous ending to the expedition upon which he had set out with such high hopes.
not expected or anticipated
From this reading This was a most unexpected and disastrous ending to the expedition upon which he had set out with such high hopes.
university'snounUS /ˌjuːnəˈvɜːrsətiz/
possessive form of “university” — the body of faculty and students at a university
From this reading What would be the verdict of the committee, who seemed to have so exalted an opinion of his abilities, and whose confidence in him had led them to place in his hands a thousand dollars of the university’s money?
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading This was a most unexpected and disastrous ending to the expedition upon which he had set out with such high hopes.
verdictnounUS /ˈvɜːrdɪkt/
(law) the findings of a jury on issues of fact submitted to it for decision; can be used in formulating a judgment
From this reading What would be the verdict of the committee, who seemed to have so exalted an opinion of his abilities, and whose confidence in him had led them to place in his hands a thousand dollars of the university’s money?
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This was a most unexpected and disastrous ending to the expedition upon which he had set out with such high hopes.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What would his mother do now?
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading This was a most unexpected and disastrous ending to the expedition upon which he had set out with such high hopes.
which person or people
From this reading What would be the verdict of the committee, who seemed to have so exalted an opinion of his abilities, and whose confidence in him had led them to place in his hands a thousand dollars of the university’s money?
belonging to which person
From this reading What would be the verdict of the committee, who seemed to have so exalted an opinion of his abilities, and whose confidence in him had led them to place in his hands a thousand dollars of the university’s money?
in the company of; together with
From this reading This was a most unexpected and disastrous ending to the expedition upon which he had set out with such high hopes.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading What would his mother do now?
