used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading SHOAL WATER Punch’s sense of duty condemned him to a rather dull day.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He spent several uneventful hours wandering over the house, watching workmen and servants going about their duty, but without detecting anything that looked suspicious.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The Oaks is an enormous house; old, as such matters are reckoned out in this part of the world.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He ate a solitary lunch, for his mother hadn’t returned from town, and Judy was apparently making a day of it with his bicycle.
any thing at all
From this reading He spent several uneventful hours wandering over the house, watching workmen and servants going about their duty, but without detecting anything that looked suspicious.
from appearances alone
From this reading He ate a solitary lunch, for his mother hadn’t returned from town, and Judy was apparently making a day of it with his bicycle.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The Oaks is an enormous house; old, as such matters are reckoned out in this part of the world.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The Oaks is an enormous house; old, as such matters are reckoned out in this part of the world.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Of course he couldn’t be everywhere at once.
goddess of criminal rashness and its punishment
From this reading He ate a solitary lunch, for his mother hadn’t returned from town, and Judy was apparently making a day of it with his bicycle.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Of course he couldn’t be everywhere at once.
bicyclenounUS /ˈbaɪsɪkəl/
a wheeled vehicle that has two wheels and is moved by foot pedals
From this reading He ate a solitary lunch, for his mother hadn’t returned from town, and Judy was apparently making a day of it with his bicycle.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He spent several uneventful hours wandering over the house, watching workmen and servants going about their duty, but without detecting anything that looked suspicious.
condemnedverbUS /kənˈdemd/
past form of “condemn” — express strong disapproval of
From this reading SHOAL WATER Punch’s sense of duty condemned him to a rather dull day.
couldn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Of course he couldn’t be everywhere at once.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Of course he couldn’t be everywhere at once.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading SHOAL WATER Punch’s sense of duty condemned him to a rather dull day.
detectingnounUS /dɪˈtektɪŋ/
a police investigation to determine the perpetrator
From this reading He spent several uneventful hours wandering over the house, watching workmen and servants going about their duty, but without detecting anything that looked suspicious.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading SHOAL WATER Punch’s sense of duty condemned him to a rather dull day.
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading SHOAL WATER Punch’s sense of duty condemned him to a rather dull day.
extraordinarily large in size or extent or amount or power or degree
From this reading The Oaks is an enormous house; old, as such matters are reckoned out in this part of the world.
to or in any or all places
From this reading Of course he couldn’t be everywhere at once.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He ate a solitary lunch, for his mother hadn’t returned from town, and Judy was apparently making a day of it with his bicycle.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He ate a solitary lunch, for his mother hadn’t returned from town, and Judy was apparently making a day of it with his bicycle.
the act of departing
From this reading He spent several uneventful hours wandering over the house, watching workmen and servants going about their duty, but without detecting anything that looked suspicious.
hadn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He ate a solitary lunch, for his mother hadn’t returned from town, and Judy was apparently making a day of it with his bicycle.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He ate a solitary lunch, for his mother hadn’t returned from town, and Judy was apparently making a day of it with his bicycle.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading SHOAL WATER Punch’s sense of duty condemned him to a rather dull day.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He ate a solitary lunch, for his mother hadn’t returned from town, and Judy was apparently making a day of it with his bicycle.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading He spent several uneventful hours wandering over the house, watching workmen and servants going about their duty, but without detecting anything that looked suspicious.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading He spent several uneventful hours wandering over the house, watching workmen and servants going about their duty, but without detecting anything that looked suspicious.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Oaks is an enormous house; old, as such matters are reckoned out in this part of the world.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Oaks is an enormous house; old, as such matters are reckoned out in this part of the world.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He ate a solitary lunch, for his mother hadn’t returned from town, and Judy was apparently making a day of it with his bicycle.
Judy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He ate a solitary lunch, for his mother hadn’t returned from town, and Judy was apparently making a day of it with his bicycle.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He spent several uneventful hours wandering over the house, watching workmen and servants going about their duty, but without detecting anything that looked suspicious.
take the midday meal
From this reading He ate a solitary lunch, for his mother hadn’t returned from town, and Judy was apparently making a day of it with his bicycle.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading He ate a solitary lunch, for his mother hadn’t returned from town, and Judy was apparently making a day of it with his bicycle.
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading The Oaks is an enormous house; old, as such matters are reckoned out in this part of the world.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading He ate a solitary lunch, for his mother hadn’t returned from town, and Judy was apparently making a day of it with his bicycle.
OaksnounUS /oʊks/
plural of “oak” — the hard durable wood of any oak; used especially for furniture and flooring
From this reading The Oaks is an enormous house; old, as such matters are reckoned out in this part of the world.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading SHOAL WATER Punch’s sense of duty condemned him to a rather dull day.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The Oaks is an enormous house; old, as such matters are reckoned out in this part of the world.
on one occasion
From this reading Of course he couldn’t be everywhere at once.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The Oaks is an enormous house; old, as such matters are reckoned out in this part of the world.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading He spent several uneventful hours wandering over the house, watching workmen and servants going about their duty, but without detecting anything that looked suspicious.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading The Oaks is an enormous house; old, as such matters are reckoned out in this part of the world.
Punch's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SHOAL WATER Punch’s sense of duty condemned him to a rather dull day.
on the contrary
From this reading SHOAL WATER Punch’s sense of duty condemned him to a rather dull day.
reckonedverbUS /ˈrekənd/
past form of “reckon” — expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading The Oaks is an enormous house; old, as such matters are reckoned out in this part of the world.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading He ate a solitary lunch, for his mother hadn’t returned from town, and Judy was apparently making a day of it with his bicycle.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading SHOAL WATER Punch’s sense of duty condemned him to a rather dull day.
plural of “servant” — a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading He spent several uneventful hours wandering over the house, watching workmen and servants going about their duty, but without detecting anything that looked suspicious.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading He spent several uneventful hours wandering over the house, watching workmen and servants going about their duty, but without detecting anything that looked suspicious.
SHOALnoun
a sandbank in a stretch of water that is visible at low tide
From this reading SHOAL WATER Punch’s sense of duty condemned him to a rather dull day.
characterized by or preferring solitude
From this reading He ate a solitary lunch, for his mother hadn’t returned from town, and Judy was apparently making a day of it with his bicycle.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading He spent several uneventful hours wandering over the house, watching workmen and servants going about their duty, but without detecting anything that looked suspicious.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading The Oaks is an enormous house; old, as such matters are reckoned out in this part of the world.
suspiciousadjectiveUS /səˈspɪʃəs/
openly distrustful and unwilling to confide
From this reading He spent several uneventful hours wandering over the house, watching workmen and servants going about their duty, but without detecting anything that looked suspicious.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He spent several uneventful hours wandering over the house, watching workmen and servants going about their duty, but without detecting anything that looked suspicious.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He spent several uneventful hours wandering over the house, watching workmen and servants going about their duty, but without detecting anything that looked suspicious.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading He spent several uneventful hours wandering over the house, watching workmen and servants going about their duty, but without detecting anything that looked suspicious.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The Oaks is an enormous house; old, as such matters are reckoned out in this part of the world.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading SHOAL WATER Punch’s sense of duty condemned him to a rather dull day.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading He ate a solitary lunch, for his mother hadn’t returned from town, and Judy was apparently making a day of it with his bicycle.
uneventfuladjectiveUS /ˌʌniˈventfəl/
marked by no noteworthy or significant events
From this reading He spent several uneventful hours wandering over the house, watching workmen and servants going about their duty, but without detecting anything that looked suspicious.
migratory
From this reading He spent several uneventful hours wandering over the house, watching workmen and servants going about their duty, but without detecting anything that looked suspicious.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He ate a solitary lunch, for his mother hadn’t returned from town, and Judy was apparently making a day of it with his bicycle.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading He spent several uneventful hours wandering over the house, watching workmen and servants going about their duty, but without detecting anything that looked suspicious.
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 SHOAL WATER Punch’s sense of duty condemned him to a rather dull day.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He ate a solitary lunch, for his mother hadn’t returned from town, and Judy was apparently making a day of it with his bicycle.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading He spent several uneventful hours wandering over the house, watching workmen and servants going about their duty, but without detecting anything that looked suspicious.
workmennounUS /ˈwɜːrkmɪn/
plural of “workman” — an employee who performs manual or industrial labor
From this reading He spent several uneventful hours wandering over the house, watching workmen and servants going about their duty, but without detecting anything that looked suspicious.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading The Oaks is an enormous house; old, as such matters are reckoned out in this part of the world.
