used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was with a certain air of importance that Mrs. Winter walked along the pavement, closely followed by Madge.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading When, after about a dozen steps, the front-door of the adjoining house was reached, Mrs. Winter smiled with conscious pride as she put the key into the key-hole.
adjoiningverbUS /əˈdʒɔɪnɪŋ/
-ing form of “adjoin” — lie adjacent to another or share a boundary
From this reading When, after about a dozen steps, the front-door of the adjoining house was reached, Mrs. Winter smiled with conscious pride as she put the key into the key-hole.
matters of personal concern
From this reading The friendly old woman always took a great interest in her neighbours' affairs, and she thoroughly enjoyed seeing the recovery of the lost money with her own eyes.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading When, after about a dozen steps, the front-door of the adjoining house was reached, Mrs. Winter smiled with conscious pride as she put the key into the key-hole.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading It was with a certain air of importance that Mrs. Winter walked along the pavement, closely followed by Madge.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading It was with a certain air of importance that Mrs. Winter walked along the pavement, closely followed by Madge.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading The friendly old woman always took a great interest in her neighbours' affairs, and she thoroughly enjoyed seeing the recovery of the lost money with her own eyes.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading IN AN EMPTY HOUSE.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The friendly old woman always took a great interest in her neighbours' affairs, and she thoroughly enjoyed seeing the recovery of the lost money with her own eyes.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading When, after about a dozen steps, the front-door of the adjoining house was reached, Mrs. Winter smiled with conscious pride as she put the key into the key-hole.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It was with a certain air of importance that Mrs. Winter walked along the pavement, closely followed by Madge.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading It was with a certain air of importance that Mrs. Winter walked along the pavement, closely followed by Madge.
in a close relation or position in time or space
From this reading It was with a certain air of importance that Mrs. Winter walked along the pavement, closely followed by Madge.
intentionally conceived
From this reading When, after about a dozen steps, the front-door of the adjoining house was reached, Mrs. Winter smiled with conscious pride as she put the key into the key-hole.
criticaladjectiveUS /ˈkrɪtɪkəl/
marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws
From this reading It was a critical moment.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading When, after about a dozen steps, the front-door of the adjoining house was reached, Mrs. Winter smiled with conscious pride as she put the key into the key-hole.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading IN AN EMPTY HOUSE.
past form of “enjoy” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading The friendly old woman always took a great interest in her neighbours' affairs, and she thoroughly enjoyed seeing the recovery of the lost money with her own eyes.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The friendly old woman always took a great interest in her neighbours' affairs, and she thoroughly enjoyed seeing the recovery of the lost money with her own eyes.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading It was with a certain air of importance that Mrs. Winter walked along the pavement, closely followed by Madge.
characteristic of or befitting a friend
From this reading The friendly old woman always took a great interest in her neighbours' affairs, and she thoroughly enjoyed seeing the recovery of the lost money with her own eyes.
front-door
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When, after about a dozen steps, the front-door of the adjoining house was reached, Mrs. Winter smiled with conscious pride as she put the key into the key-hole.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The friendly old woman always took a great interest in her neighbours' affairs, and she thoroughly enjoyed seeing the recovery of the lost money with her own eyes.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The friendly old woman always took a great interest in her neighbours' affairs, and she thoroughly enjoyed seeing the recovery of the lost money with her own eyes.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading IN AN EMPTY HOUSE.
the quality of being important and worthy of note
From this reading It was with a certain air of importance that Mrs. Winter walked along the pavement, closely followed by Madge.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN AN EMPTY HOUSE.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading The friendly old woman always took a great interest in her neighbours' affairs, and she thoroughly enjoyed seeing the recovery of the lost money with her own eyes.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading When, after about a dozen steps, the front-door of the adjoining house was reached, Mrs. Winter smiled with conscious pride as she put the key into the key-hole.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was with a certain air of importance that Mrs. Winter walked along the pavement, closely followed by Madge.
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading When, after about a dozen steps, the front-door of the adjoining house was reached, Mrs. Winter smiled with conscious pride as she put the key into the key-hole.
key-hole
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When, after about a dozen steps, the front-door of the adjoining house was reached, Mrs. Winter smiled with conscious pride as she put the key into the key-hole.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading The friendly old woman always took a great interest in her neighbours' affairs, and she thoroughly enjoyed seeing the recovery of the lost money with her own eyes.
Madge
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was with a certain air of importance that Mrs. Winter walked along the pavement, closely followed by Madge.
a particular point in time
From this reading It was a critical moment.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading The friendly old woman always took a great interest in her neighbours' affairs, and she thoroughly enjoyed seeing the recovery of the lost money with her own eyes.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading It was with a certain air of importance that Mrs. Winter walked along the pavement, closely followed by Madge.
neighboursnounUS /ˈneɪbərz/
plural of “neighbour” — a person who lives (or is located) near another
From this reading The friendly old woman always took a great interest in her neighbours' affairs, and she thoroughly enjoyed seeing the recovery of the lost money with her own eyes.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was with a certain air of importance that Mrs. Winter walked along the pavement, closely followed by Madge.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The friendly old woman always took a great interest in her neighbours' affairs, and she thoroughly enjoyed seeing the recovery of the lost money with her own eyes.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading The friendly old woman always took a great interest in her neighbours' affairs, and she thoroughly enjoyed seeing the recovery of the lost money with her own eyes.
pavementnounUS /ˈpeɪvmənt/
the paved surface of a thoroughfare
From this reading It was with a certain air of importance that Mrs. Winter walked along the pavement, closely followed by Madge.
a feeling of self-respect and personal worth
From this reading When, after about a dozen steps, the front-door of the adjoining house was reached, Mrs. Winter smiled with conscious pride as she put the key into the key-hole.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading When, after about a dozen steps, the front-door of the adjoining house was reached, Mrs. Winter smiled with conscious pride as she put the key into the key-hole.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading When, after about a dozen steps, the front-door of the adjoining house was reached, Mrs. Winter smiled with conscious pride as she put the key into the key-hole.
recoverynounUS /rɪˈkʌvri/
return to an original state
From this reading The friendly old woman always took a great interest in her neighbours' affairs, and she thoroughly enjoyed seeing the recovery of the lost money with her own eyes.
perception by means of the eyes
From this reading The friendly old woman always took a great interest in her neighbours' affairs, and she thoroughly enjoyed seeing the recovery of the lost money with her own eyes.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The friendly old woman always took a great interest in her neighbours' affairs, and she thoroughly enjoyed seeing the recovery of the lost money with her own eyes.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading When, after about a dozen steps, the front-door of the adjoining house was reached, Mrs. Winter smiled with conscious pride as she put the key into the key-hole.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading When, after about a dozen steps, the front-door of the adjoining house was reached, Mrs. Winter smiled with conscious pride as she put the key into the key-hole.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was with a certain air of importance that Mrs. Winter walked along the pavement, closely followed by Madge.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was with a certain air of importance that Mrs. Winter walked along the pavement, closely followed by Madge.
in an exhaustive manner
From this reading The friendly old woman always took a great interest in her neighbours' affairs, and she thoroughly enjoyed seeing the recovery of the lost money with her own eyes.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading The friendly old woman always took a great interest in her neighbours' affairs, and she thoroughly enjoyed seeing the recovery of the lost money with her own eyes.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading It was with a certain air of importance that Mrs. Winter walked along the pavement, closely followed by Madge.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was with a certain air of importance that Mrs. Winter walked along the pavement, closely followed by Madge.
at the time that
From this reading When, after about a dozen steps, the front-door of the adjoining house was reached, Mrs. Winter smiled with conscious pride as she put the key into the key-hole.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading It was with a certain air of importance that Mrs. Winter walked along the pavement, closely followed by Madge.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It was with a certain air of importance that Mrs. Winter walked along the pavement, closely followed by Madge.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading The friendly old woman always took a great interest in her neighbours' affairs, and she thoroughly enjoyed seeing the recovery of the lost money with her own eyes.
