used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A Missing Messenger IT was Thursday when Mabel discovered the boy.
aliveadjectiveUS /əˈlaɪv/
possessing life
From this reading He ought to have a doctor; and, if the boy's people live in Lakeville, they'll surely want to know that he's alive."
(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 "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
always-hungry
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Friday morning Dave was still missing and the lad was still unconscious.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
bountifullyadverb
in a bountiful manner
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
a youthful male person
From this reading A Missing Messenger IT was Thursday when Mabel discovered the boy.
boy'snounUS /bɔɪz/
possessive form of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading He ought to have a doctor; and, if the boy's people live in Lakeville, they'll surely want to know that he's alive."
eat an early morning meal
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
a boy or man
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
CraneverbUS /kreɪn/
stretch (the neck) so as to see better
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
Dave
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Friday morning Dave was still missing and the lad was still unconscious.
made known or openly avowed
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading A Missing Messenger IT was Thursday when Mabel discovered the boy.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading He ought to have a doctor; and, if the boy's people live in Lakeville, they'll surely want to know that he's alive."
a social unit living together
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
a rise in the temperature of the body; frequently a symptom of infection
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
FridaynounUS /ˈfraɪdi/
the sixth day of the week; the fifth working day
From this reading Friday morning Dave was still missing and the lad was still unconscious.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
he's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He ought to have a doctor; and, if the boy's people live in Lakeville, they'll surely want to know that he's alive."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading I wish Dave was here.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I wish Dave was here.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading He ought to have a doctor; and, if the boy's people live in Lakeville, they'll surely want to know that he's alive."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He ought to have a doctor; and, if the boy's people live in Lakeville, they'll surely want to know that he's alive."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A Missing Messenger IT was Thursday when Mabel discovered the boy.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He ought to have a doctor; and, if the boy's people live in Lakeville, they'll surely want to know that he's alive."
a boy or man
From this reading Friday morning Dave was still missing and the lad was still unconscious.
Lakeville
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He ought to have a doctor; and, if the boy's people live in Lakeville, they'll surely want to know that he's alive."
lastedverbUS /ˈlæstəd/
past form of “last” — persist for a specified period of time
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading He ought to have a doctor; and, if the boy's people live in Lakeville, they'll surely want to know that he's alive."
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 "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
Mabel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A Missing Messenger IT was Thursday when Mabel discovered the boy.
plural of “member” — one of the persons who compose a social group (especially individuals who have joined and participate in a group organization)
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
a person who carries a message
From this reading A Missing Messenger IT was Thursday when Mabel discovered the boy.
not able to be found
From this reading A Missing Messenger IT was Thursday when Mabel discovered the boy.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Friday morning Dave was still missing and the lad was still unconscious.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading He ought to have a doctor; and, if the boy's people live in Lakeville, they'll surely want to know that he's alive."
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading He ought to have a doctor; and, if the boy's people live in Lakeville, they'll surely want to know that he's alive."
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
past form of “serve” — serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
steamingadjectiveUS /ˈstiːmɪŋ/
filled with steam or emitting moisture in the form of vapor or mist
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
not in physical motion
From this reading Friday morning Dave was still missing and the lad was still unconscious.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading He ought to have a doctor; and, if the boy's people live in Lakeville, they'll surely want to know that he's alive."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He ought to have a doctor; and, if the boy's people live in Lakeville, they'll surely want to know that he's alive."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A Missing Messenger IT was Thursday when Mabel discovered the boy.
they'll
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He ought to have a doctor; and, if the boy's people live in Lakeville, they'll surely want to know that he's alive."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
ThursdaynounUS /ˈθɜːrzdeɪ/
the fifth day of the week; the fourth working day
From this reading A Missing Messenger IT was Thursday when Mabel discovered the boy.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
toughadjectiveUS /tʌf/
not given to gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
not conscious; lacking awareness and the capacity for sensory perception as if asleep or dead
From this reading Friday morning Dave was still missing and the lad was still unconscious.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading He ought to have a doctor; and, if the boy's people live in Lakeville, they'll surely want to know that he's alive."
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A Missing Messenger IT was Thursday when Mabel discovered the boy.
at the time that
From this reading A Missing Messenger IT was Thursday when Mabel discovered the boy.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading I wish Dave was here.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "He must have been a pretty tough little chap to start with," declared Mrs. Crane, when all the members of her always-hungry family had been bountifully served with steaming breakfast food, "or he never would have lasted as long as this with such a fever.
