Chapter XVIII

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading It was a large apartment, originally handsomely wainscoted, but damp and vermin had made woeful havoc in the broad panels, and the ceiling was covered with green and black blotches of mildew.

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading No carpet covered the bare boards, which were strewn with fragments of papers, rags, splinters of an old chest, which had been partially broken up to light the fire, and occasionally a potato-skin, a bone, or an old shoe.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading THE USURER AND THE OAKEN BOX.

a suite of rooms usually on one floor of an apartment house

From this reading It was a large apartment, originally handsomely wainscoted, but damp and vermin had made woeful havoc in the broad panels, and the ceiling was covered with green and black blotches of mildew.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The room which Sir Henry Ashwoode entered was one of squalid disorder.

completely unclothed

From this reading No carpet covered the bare boards, which were strewn with fragments of papers, rags, splinters of an old chest, which had been partially broken up to light the fire, and occasionally a potato-skin, a bone, or an old shoe.

the past participle of “be”

From this reading No carpet covered the bare boards, which were strewn with fragments of papers, rags, splinters of an old chest, which had been partially broken up to light the fire, and occasionally a potato-skin, a bone, or an old shoe.

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading It was a large apartment, originally handsomely wainscoted, but damp and vermin had made woeful havoc in the broad panels, and the ceiling was covered with green and black blotches of mildew.

plural of “blotch” — an irregularly shaped spot

From this reading It was a large apartment, originally handsomely wainscoted, but damp and vermin had made woeful havoc in the broad panels, and the ceiling was covered with green and black blotches of mildew.

(used in the plural) the stage of a theater

From this reading No carpet covered the bare boards, which were strewn with fragments of papers, rags, splinters of an old chest, which had been partially broken up to light the fire, and occasionally a potato-skin, a bone, or an old shoe.

rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates

From this reading No carpet covered the bare boards, which were strewn with fragments of papers, rags, splinters of an old chest, which had been partially broken up to light the fire, and occasionally a potato-skin, a bone, or an old shoe.

a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid

From this reading THE USURER AND THE OAKEN BOX.

having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other

From this reading It was a large apartment, originally handsomely wainscoted, but damp and vermin had made woeful havoc in the broad panels, and the ceiling was covered with green and black blotches of mildew.

physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split

From this reading No carpet covered the bare boards, which were strewn with fragments of papers, rags, splinters of an old chest, which had been partially broken up to light the fire, and occasionally a potato-skin, a bone, or an old shoe.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading It was a large apartment, originally handsomely wainscoted, but damp and vermin had made woeful havoc in the broad panels, and the ceiling was covered with green and black blotches of mildew.

floor covering consisting of a piece of thick heavy fabric (usually with nap or pile)

From this reading No carpet covered the bare boards, which were strewn with fragments of papers, rags, splinters of an old chest, which had been partially broken up to light the fire, and occasionally a potato-skin, a bone, or an old shoe.

the overhead upper surface of a covered space

From this reading It was a large apartment, originally handsomely wainscoted, but damp and vermin had made woeful havoc in the broad panels, and the ceiling was covered with green and black blotches of mildew.

the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates

From this reading No carpet covered the bare boards, which were strewn with fragments of papers, rags, splinters of an old chest, which had been partially broken up to light the fire, and occasionally a potato-skin, a bone, or an old shoe.

overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form

From this reading It was a large apartment, originally handsomely wainscoted, but damp and vermin had made woeful havoc in the broad panels, and the ceiling was covered with green and black blotches of mildew.

slightly wet

From this reading It was a large apartment, originally handsomely wainscoted, but damp and vermin had made woeful havoc in the broad panels, and the ceiling was covered with green and black blotches of mildew.

a physical condition in which there is a disturbance of normal functioning

From this reading The room which Sir Henry Ashwoode entered was one of squalid disorder.

past form of “enter” — to come or go into

From this reading The room which Sir Henry Ashwoode entered was one of squalid disorder.

start firing a weapon

From this reading No carpet covered the bare boards, which were strewn with fragments of papers, rags, splinters of an old chest, which had been partially broken up to light the fire, and occasionally a potato-skin, a bone, or an old shoe.

plural of “fragment” — a piece broken off or cut off of something else

From this reading No carpet covered the bare boards, which were strewn with fragments of papers, rags, splinters of an old chest, which had been partially broken up to light the fire, and occasionally a potato-skin, a bone, or an old shoe.

furnishings that make a room or other area ready for occupancy

From this reading The furniture was scant, and no one piece matched the other.

green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass

From this reading It was a large apartment, originally handsomely wainscoted, but damp and vermin had made woeful havoc in the broad panels, and the ceiling was covered with green and black blotches of mildew.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading It was a large apartment, originally handsomely wainscoted, but damp and vermin had made woeful havoc in the broad panels, and the ceiling was covered with green and black blotches of mildew.

in an attractively handsome manner

From this reading It was a large apartment, originally handsomely wainscoted, but damp and vermin had made woeful havoc in the broad panels, and the ceiling was covered with green and black blotches of mildew.

violent and needless disturbance

From this reading It was a large apartment, originally handsomely wainscoted, but damp and vermin had made woeful havoc in the broad panels, and the ceiling was covered with green and black blotches of mildew.

a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second

From this reading The room which Sir Henry Ashwoode entered was one of squalid disorder.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading It was a large apartment, originally handsomely wainscoted, but damp and vermin had made woeful havoc in the broad panels, and the ceiling was covered with green and black blotches of mildew.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was a large apartment, originally handsomely wainscoted, but damp and vermin had made woeful havoc in the broad panels, and the ceiling was covered with green and black blotches of mildew.

above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading It was a large apartment, originally handsomely wainscoted, but damp and vermin had made woeful havoc in the broad panels, and the ceiling was covered with green and black blotches of mildew.

of comparatively little physical weight or density

From this reading No carpet covered the bare boards, which were strewn with fragments of papers, rags, splinters of an old chest, which had been partially broken up to light the fire, and occasionally a potato-skin, a bone, or an old shoe.

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading It was a large apartment, originally handsomely wainscoted, but damp and vermin had made woeful havoc in the broad panels, and the ceiling was covered with green and black blotches of mildew.

provided with a worthy adversary or competitor

From this reading The furniture was scant, and no one piece matched the other.

the process of becoming mildewed

From this reading It was a large apartment, originally handsomely wainscoted, but damp and vermin had made woeful havoc in the broad panels, and the ceiling was covered with green and black blotches of mildew.

not any; not one

From this reading No carpet covered the bare boards, which were strewn with fragments of papers, rags, splinters of an old chest, which had been partially broken up to light the fire, and occasionally a potato-skin, a bone, or an old shoe.

consisting of or made of wood of the oak tree

From this reading THE USURER AND THE OAKEN BOX.

sporadically and infrequently

From this reading No carpet covered the bare boards, which were strewn with fragments of papers, rags, splinters of an old chest, which had been partially broken up to light the fire, and occasionally a potato-skin, a bone, or an old shoe.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The room which Sir Henry Ashwoode entered was one of squalid disorder.

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading No carpet covered the bare boards, which were strewn with fragments of papers, rags, splinters of an old chest, which had been partially broken up to light the fire, and occasionally a potato-skin, a bone, or an old shoe.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading The room which Sir Henry Ashwoode entered was one of squalid disorder.

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading No carpet covered the bare boards, which were strewn with fragments of papers, rags, splinters of an old chest, which had been partially broken up to light the fire, and occasionally a potato-skin, a bone, or an old shoe.

in an original manner

From this reading It was a large apartment, originally handsomely wainscoted, but damp and vermin had made woeful havoc in the broad panels, and the ceiling was covered with green and black blotches of mildew.

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading The furniture was scant, and no one piece matched the other.

plural of “panel” — sheet that forms a distinct (usually flat and rectangular) section or component of something

From this reading It was a large apartment, originally handsomely wainscoted, but damp and vermin had made woeful havoc in the broad panels, and the ceiling was covered with green and black blotches of mildew.

writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)

From this reading No carpet covered the bare boards, which were strewn with fragments of papers, rags, splinters of an old chest, which had been partially broken up to light the fire, and occasionally a potato-skin, a bone, or an old shoe.

to some extent; in some degree; not wholly

From this reading No carpet covered the bare boards, which were strewn with fragments of papers, rags, splinters of an old chest, which had been partially broken up to light the fire, and occasionally a potato-skin, a bone, or an old shoe.

a separate part of a whole

From this reading The furniture was scant, and no one piece matched the other.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading No carpet covered the bare boards, which were strewn with fragments of papers, rags, splinters of an old chest, which had been partially broken up to light the fire, and occasionally a potato-skin, a bone, or an old shoe.

plural of “rag” — a small piece of cloth or paper

From this reading No carpet covered the bare boards, which were strewn with fragments of papers, rags, splinters of an old chest, which had been partially broken up to light the fire, and occasionally a potato-skin, a bone, or an old shoe.

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading The room which Sir Henry Ashwoode entered was one of squalid disorder.

less than the correct or legal or full amount often deliberately so

From this reading The furniture was scant, and no one piece matched the other.

footwear shaped to fit the foot (below the ankle) with a flexible upper of leather or plastic and a sole and heel of heavier material

From this reading No carpet covered the bare boards, which were strewn with fragments of papers, rags, splinters of an old chest, which had been partially broken up to light the fire, and occasionally a potato-skin, a bone, or an old shoe.

term of address for a man

From this reading The room which Sir Henry Ashwoode entered was one of squalid disorder.

wood in small pieces or splinters

From this reading No carpet covered the bare boards, which were strewn with fragments of papers, rags, splinters of an old chest, which had been partially broken up to light the fire, and occasionally a potato-skin, a bone, or an old shoe.

morally degraded

From this reading The room which Sir Henry Ashwoode entered was one of squalid disorder.

inflected form of “strew” — spread by scattering ("straw" is archaic)

From this reading No carpet covered the bare boards, which were strewn with fragments of papers, rags, splinters of an old chest, which had been partially broken up to light the fire, and occasionally a potato-skin, a bone, or an old shoe.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE USURER AND THE OAKEN BOX.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading No carpet covered the bare boards, which were strewn with fragments of papers, rags, splinters of an old chest, which had been partially broken up to light the fire, and occasionally a potato-skin, a bone, or an old shoe.

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading No carpet covered the bare boards, which were strewn with fragments of papers, rags, splinters of an old chest, which had been partially broken up to light the fire, and occasionally a potato-skin, a bone, or an old shoe.

someone who lends money at excessive rates of interest

From this reading THE USURER AND THE OAKEN BOX.

an irritating or obnoxious person

From this reading It was a large apartment, originally handsomely wainscoted, but damp and vermin had made woeful havoc in the broad panels, and the ceiling was covered with green and black blotches of mildew.

fitted or decorated with panels or wainscoting

From this reading It was a large apartment, originally handsomely wainscoted, but damp and vermin had made woeful havoc in the broad panels, and the ceiling was covered with green and black blotches of mildew.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The room which Sir Henry Ashwoode entered was one of squalid disorder.

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading No carpet covered the bare boards, which were strewn with fragments of papers, rags, splinters of an old chest, which had been partially broken up to light the fire, and occasionally a potato-skin, a bone, or an old shoe.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading The room which Sir Henry Ashwoode entered was one of squalid disorder.

in the company of; together with

From this reading It was a large apartment, originally handsomely wainscoted, but damp and vermin had made woeful havoc in the broad panels, and the ceiling was covered with green and black blotches of mildew.

affected by or full of grief or woe

From this reading It was a large apartment, originally handsomely wainscoted, but damp and vermin had made woeful havoc in the broad panels, and the ceiling was covered with green and black blotches of mildew.