used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading As a rule, when Kirk paid his daily visit, Lora Delane Porter was there, watchful and forbidding, prepared, on the slightest excuse, to fall upon him with rules and prohibitions.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading They were alone.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As a rule, when Kirk paid his daily visit, Lora Delane Porter was there, watchful and forbidding, prepared, on the slightest excuse, to fall upon him with rules and prohibitions.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As a rule, when Kirk paid his daily visit, Lora Delane Porter was there, watchful and forbidding, prepared, on the slightest excuse, to fall upon him with rules and prohibitions.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The Real Thing Kirk sat in the nursery with his chin on his hands, staring gloomily at William Bannister.
BannisternounUS /ˈbænəstər/
English runner who in 1954 became the first person to run a mile in less than four minutes (born in 1929)
From this reading The Real Thing Kirk sat in the nursery with his chin on his hands, staring gloomily at William Bannister.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It was the first time they had been alone together for two weeks.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading On the floor William Bannister played some game of his own invention with his box of bricks.
bricksnounUS /brɪks/
plural of “brick” — rectangular block of clay baked by the sun or in a kiln; used as a building or paving material
From this reading On the floor William Bannister played some game of his own invention with his box of bricks.
the protruding part of the lower jaw
From this reading The Real Thing Kirk sat in the nursery with his chin on his hands, staring gloomily at William Bannister.
every day; without missing a day
From this reading As a rule, when Kirk paid his daily visit, Lora Delane Porter was there, watchful and forbidding, prepared, on the slightest excuse, to fall upon him with rules and prohibitions.
Delane
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As a rule, when Kirk paid his daily visit, Lora Delane Porter was there, watchful and forbidding, prepared, on the slightest excuse, to fall upon him with rules and prohibitions.
accept an excuse for
From this reading As a rule, when Kirk paid his daily visit, Lora Delane Porter was there, watchful and forbidding, prepared, on the slightest excuse, to fall upon him with rules and prohibitions.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading As a rule, when Kirk paid his daily visit, Lora Delane Porter was there, watchful and forbidding, prepared, on the slightest excuse, to fall upon him with rules and prohibitions.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading It was the first time they had been alone together for two weeks.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading On the floor William Bannister played some game of his own invention with his box of bricks.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was the first time they had been alone together for two weeks.
forbiddingadjectiveUS /fərˈbɪdɪŋ/
harshly uninviting or formidable in manner or appearance
From this reading As a rule, when Kirk paid his daily visit, Lora Delane Porter was there, watchful and forbidding, prepared, on the slightest excuse, to fall upon him with rules and prohibitions.
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading On the floor William Bannister played some game of his own invention with his box of bricks.
gloomilyadverbUS /ˈɡluːməli/
with gloom
From this reading The Real Thing Kirk sat in the nursery with his chin on his hands, staring gloomily at William Bannister.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was the first time they had been alone together for two weeks.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading The Real Thing Kirk sat in the nursery with his chin on his hands, staring gloomily at William Bannister.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading As a rule, when Kirk paid his daily visit, Lora Delane Porter was there, watchful and forbidding, prepared, on the slightest excuse, to fall upon him with rules and prohibitions.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The Real Thing Kirk sat in the nursery with his chin on his hands, staring gloomily at William Bannister.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Real Thing Kirk sat in the nursery with his chin on his hands, staring gloomily at William Bannister.
inventionnounUS /ˌɪnˈvenʃən/
the creation of something in the mind
From this reading On the floor William Bannister played some game of his own invention with his box of bricks.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the first time they had been alone together for two weeks.
KirknounUS /kɜːrk/
a Scottish church
From this reading The Real Thing Kirk sat in the nursery with his chin on his hands, staring gloomily at William Bannister.
Lora
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As a rule, when Kirk paid his daily visit, Lora Delane Porter was there, watchful and forbidding, prepared, on the slightest excuse, to fall upon him with rules and prohibitions.
nurserynounUS /ˈnɜːrsəri/
a child's room for a baby
From this reading The Real Thing Kirk sat in the nursery with his chin on his hands, staring gloomily at William Bannister.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading On the floor William Bannister played some game of his own invention with his box of bricks.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The Real Thing Kirk sat in the nursery with his chin on his hands, staring gloomily at William Bannister.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading On the floor William Bannister played some game of his own invention with his box of bricks.
marked by the reception of pay
From this reading As a rule, when Kirk paid his daily visit, Lora Delane Porter was there, watchful and forbidding, prepared, on the slightest excuse, to fall upon him with rules and prohibitions.
(of games) engaged in
From this reading On the floor William Bannister played some game of his own invention with his box of bricks.
PorternounUS /ˈpɔːrtər/
a person employed to carry luggage and supplies
From this reading As a rule, when Kirk paid his daily visit, Lora Delane Porter was there, watchful and forbidding, prepared, on the slightest excuse, to fall upon him with rules and prohibitions.
made ready or fit or suitable beforehand
From this reading As a rule, when Kirk paid his daily visit, Lora Delane Porter was there, watchful and forbidding, prepared, on the slightest excuse, to fall upon him with rules and prohibitions.
prohibitionsnounUS /ˌproʊəˈbɪʃənz/
plural of “prohibition” — a law forbidding the sale of alcoholic beverages
From this reading As a rule, when Kirk paid his daily visit, Lora Delane Porter was there, watchful and forbidding, prepared, on the slightest excuse, to fall upon him with rules and prohibitions.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading The Real Thing Kirk sat in the nursery with his chin on his hands, staring gloomily at William Bannister.
a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
From this reading As a rule, when Kirk paid his daily visit, Lora Delane Porter was there, watchful and forbidding, prepared, on the slightest excuse, to fall upon him with rules and prohibitions.
rulesnounUS /ruːlz/
plural of “rule” — a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
From this reading As a rule, when Kirk paid his daily visit, Lora Delane Porter was there, watchful and forbidding, prepared, on the slightest excuse, to fall upon him with rules and prohibitions.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading The Real Thing Kirk sat in the nursery with his chin on his hands, staring gloomily at William Bannister.
superlative of “slight” — (quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none or (with “a”) at least some
From this reading As a rule, when Kirk paid his daily visit, Lora Delane Porter was there, watchful and forbidding, prepared, on the slightest excuse, to fall upon him with rules and prohibitions.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading On the floor William Bannister played some game of his own invention with his box of bricks.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading The Real Thing Kirk sat in the nursery with his chin on his hands, staring gloomily at William Bannister.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Real Thing Kirk sat in the nursery with his chin on his hands, staring gloomily at William Bannister.
in or at that place or location
From this reading As a rule, when Kirk paid his daily visit, Lora Delane Porter was there, watchful and forbidding, prepared, on the slightest excuse, to fall upon him with rules and prohibitions.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were alone.
a special situation
From this reading The Real Thing Kirk sat in the nursery with his chin on his hands, staring gloomily at William Bannister.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It was the first time they had been alone together for two weeks.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As a rule, when Kirk paid his daily visit, Lora Delane Porter was there, watchful and forbidding, prepared, on the slightest excuse, to fall upon him with rules and prohibitions.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading It was the first time they had been alone together for two weeks.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading It was the first time they had been alone together for two weeks.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading As a rule, when Kirk paid his daily visit, Lora Delane Porter was there, watchful and forbidding, prepared, on the slightest excuse, to fall upon him with rules and prohibitions.
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading As a rule, when Kirk paid his daily visit, Lora Delane Porter was there, watchful and forbidding, prepared, on the slightest excuse, to fall upon him with rules and prohibitions.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the first time they had been alone together for two weeks.
watchfuladjectiveUS /ˈwɑːtʃfəl/
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading As a rule, when Kirk paid his daily visit, Lora Delane Porter was there, watchful and forbidding, prepared, on the slightest excuse, to fall upon him with rules and prohibitions.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading It was the first time they had been alone together for two weeks.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were alone.
at the time that
From this reading As a rule, when Kirk paid his daily visit, Lora Delane Porter was there, watchful and forbidding, prepared, on the slightest excuse, to fall upon him with rules and prohibitions.
William
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Real Thing Kirk sat in the nursery with his chin on his hands, staring gloomily at William Bannister.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The Real Thing Kirk sat in the nursery with his chin on his hands, staring gloomily at William Bannister.
