used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The water had got into the basement at the store, he telephoned, one of the flood-gates in a sewer having leaked, and they were moving some of the departments to an upper floor.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Mr. Reynolds did not come home to dinner after all.
anew
From this reading I had expected to have him in the house that evening, and now I was left alone again.
(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 Mr. Reynolds did not come home to dinner after all.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading I had expected to have him in the house that evening, and now I was left alone again.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The water had got into the basement at the store, he telephoned, one of the flood-gates in a sewer having leaked, and they were moving some of the departments to an upper floor.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The water had got into the basement at the store, he telephoned, one of the flood-gates in a sewer having leaked, and they were moving some of the departments to an upper floor.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading But, as it happened, I was not alone.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The water had got into the basement at the store, he telephoned, one of the flood-gates in a sewer having leaked, and they were moving some of the departments to an upper floor.
basementnounUS /ˈbeɪsmənt/
the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage
From this reading The water had got into the basement at the store, he telephoned, one of the flood-gates in a sewer having leaked, and they were moving some of the departments to an upper floor.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But, as it happened, I was not alone.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Mr. Graves, one of the city detectives, came at half past six, and went carefully over the Ladleys' room.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading Mr. Graves, one of the city detectives, came at half past six, and went carefully over the Ladleys' room.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading Mr. Graves, one of the city detectives, came at half past six, and went carefully over the Ladleys' room.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Mr. Reynolds did not come home to dinner after all.
departmentsnounUS /dɪˈpɑːrtmənts/
plural of “department” — a specialized division of a large organization
From this reading The water had got into the basement at the store, he telephoned, one of the flood-gates in a sewer having leaked, and they were moving some of the departments to an upper floor.
detectivesnounUS /dɪˈtektɪvz/
plural of “detective” — a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading Mr. Graves, one of the city detectives, came at half past six, and went carefully over the Ladleys' room.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Mr. Reynolds did not come home to dinner after all.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading Mr. Reynolds did not come home to dinner after all.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading I had expected to have him in the house that evening, and now I was left alone again.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading I had expected to have him in the house that evening, and now I was left alone again.
flood-gates
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The water had got into the basement at the store, he telephoned, one of the flood-gates in a sewer having leaked, and they were moving some of the departments to an upper floor.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading The water had got into the basement at the store, he telephoned, one of the flood-gates in a sewer having leaked, and they were moving some of the departments to an upper floor.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading The water had got into the basement at the store, he telephoned, one of the flood-gates in a sewer having leaked, and they were moving some of the departments to an upper floor.
GravesnounUS /ɡreɪvz/
English writer known for his interest in mythology and in the classics (1895-1985)
From this reading Mr. Graves, one of the city detectives, came at half past six, and went carefully over the Ladleys' room.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The water had got into the basement at the store, he telephoned, one of the flood-gates in a sewer having leaked, and they were moving some of the departments to an upper floor.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading Mr. Graves, one of the city detectives, came at half past six, and went carefully over the Ladleys' room.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading But, as it happened, I was not alone.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I had expected to have him in the house that evening, and now I was left alone again.
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading The water had got into the basement at the store, he telephoned, one of the flood-gates in a sewer having leaked, and they were moving some of the departments to an upper floor.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The water had got into the basement at the store, he telephoned, one of the flood-gates in a sewer having leaked, and they were moving some of the departments to an upper floor.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I had expected to have him in the house that evening, and now I was left alone again.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Mr. Reynolds did not come home to dinner after all.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading I had expected to have him in the house that evening, and now I was left alone again.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I had expected to have him in the house that evening, and now I was left alone again.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The water had got into the basement at the store, he telephoned, one of the flood-gates in a sewer having leaked, and they were moving some of the departments to an upper floor.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The water had got into the basement at the store, he telephoned, one of the flood-gates in a sewer having leaked, and they were moving some of the departments to an upper floor.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But, as it happened, I was not alone.
Ladleys
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Graves, one of the city detectives, came at half past six, and went carefully over the Ladleys' room.
leakedverbUS /liːkt/
past form of “leak” — tell anonymously
From this reading The water had got into the basement at the store, he telephoned, one of the flood-gates in a sewer having leaked, and they were moving some of the departments to an upper floor.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading I had expected to have him in the house that evening, and now I was left alone again.
in motion
From this reading The water had got into the basement at the store, he telephoned, one of the flood-gates in a sewer having leaked, and they were moving some of the departments to an upper floor.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Reynolds did not come home to dinner after all.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Mr. Reynolds did not come home to dinner after all.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading I had expected to have him in the house that evening, and now I was left alone again.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The water had got into the basement at the store, he telephoned, one of the flood-gates in a sewer having leaked, and they were moving some of the departments to an upper floor.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The water had got into the basement at the store, he telephoned, one of the flood-gates in a sewer having leaked, and they were moving some of the departments to an upper floor.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Mr. Graves, one of the city detectives, came at half past six, and went carefully over the Ladleys' room.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading Mr. Graves, one of the city detectives, came at half past six, and went carefully over the Ladleys' room.
ReynoldsnounUS /ˈrenəldz/
English portrait painter and first president of the Royal Academy (1723-1792)
From this reading Mr. Reynolds did not come home to dinner after all.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Mr. Graves, one of the city detectives, came at half past six, and went carefully over the Ladleys' room.
sewernounUS /ˈsuːər/
a waste pipe that carries away sewage or surface water
From this reading The water had got into the basement at the store, he telephoned, one of the flood-gates in a sewer having leaked, and they were moving some of the departments to an upper floor.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading Mr. Graves, one of the city detectives, came at half past six, and went carefully over the Ladleys' room.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The water had got into the basement at the store, he telephoned, one of the flood-gates in a sewer having leaked, and they were moving some of the departments to an upper floor.
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading The water had got into the basement at the store, he telephoned, one of the flood-gates in a sewer having leaked, and they were moving some of the departments to an upper floor.
telephonedverbUS /ˈteləfoʊnd/
past form of “telephone” — get or try to get into communication (with someone) by telephone
From this reading The water had got into the basement at the store, he telephoned, one of the flood-gates in a sewer having leaked, and they were moving some of the departments to an upper floor.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I had expected to have him in the house that evening, and now I was left alone again.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The water had got into the basement at the store, he telephoned, one of the flood-gates in a sewer having leaked, and they were moving some of the departments to an upper floor.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The water had got into the basement at the store, he telephoned, one of the flood-gates in a sewer having leaked, and they were moving some of the departments to an upper floor.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mr. Reynolds did not come home to dinner after all.
the topmost one of two
From this reading The water had got into the basement at the store, he telephoned, one of the flood-gates in a sewer having leaked, and they were moving some of the departments to an upper floor.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I had expected to have him in the house that evening, and now I was left alone again.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading The water had got into the basement at the store, he telephoned, one of the flood-gates in a sewer having leaked, and they were moving some of the departments to an upper floor.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Mr. Graves, one of the city detectives, came at half past six, and went carefully over the Ladleys' room.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The water had got into the basement at the store, he telephoned, one of the flood-gates in a sewer having leaked, and they were moving some of the departments to an upper floor.
