adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He found Eleanor where he had left her a few minutes before, at the piano, busy with a difficult passage of Brahms.
addressedadjectiveUS /əˈdrest/
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading One was addressed to Ross Mallard, Esq., care of Edward Spence, Esq.; another, to Mrs. Spence; the third, to Mrs. Baske.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading LETTERS On the thirteenth day after the flight from Capri, Edward Spence, leaving the villa for his afternoon walk, encountered the postman and received from him three letters.
afternoonnounUS /ˌæftərˈnuːn/
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading LETTERS On the thirteenth day after the flight from Capri, Edward Spence, leaving the villa for his afternoon walk, encountered the postman and received from him three letters.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading LETTERS On the thirteenth day after the flight from Capri, Edward Spence, leaving the villa for his afternoon walk, encountered the postman and received from him three letters.
anotherdeterminerUS /əˈnʌðər/
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading One was addressed to Ross Mallard, Esq., care of Edward Spence, Esq.; another, to Mrs. Spence; the third, to Mrs. Baske.
AsconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As he reascended the stairs, somewhat more quickly than his wont, Spence gave narrow attention to the handwriting on the envelopes.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He found Eleanor where he had left her a few minutes before, at the piano, busy with a difficult passage of Brahms.
attentionnounUS /əˈtenʃən/
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading As he reascended the stairs, somewhat more quickly than his wont, Spence gave narrow attention to the handwriting on the envelopes.
Baske
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One was addressed to Ross Mallard, Esq., care of Edward Spence, Esq.; another, to Mrs. Spence; the third, to Mrs. Baske.
beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading He found Eleanor where he had left her a few minutes before, at the piano, busy with a difficult passage of Brahms.
BrahmsnounUS /brɑːmz/
German composer who developed the romantic style of both lyrical and classical music (1833-1897)
From this reading He found Eleanor where he had left her a few minutes before, at the piano, busy with a difficult passage of Brahms.
busyadjectiveUS /ˈbɪzi/
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading He found Eleanor where he had left her a few minutes before, at the piano, busy with a difficult passage of Brahms.
CaprinounUS /ˈkæpri/
an island (part of Campania) in the Bay of Naples in southern Italy; a tourist attraction noted for beautiful scenery
From this reading LETTERS On the thirteenth day after the flight from Capri, Edward Spence, leaving the villa for his afternoon walk, encountered the postman and received from him three letters.
carenounUS /ker/
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading One was addressed to Ross Mallard, Esq., care of Edward Spence, Esq.; another, to Mrs. Spence; the third, to Mrs. Baske.
daynounUS /deɪ/
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading LETTERS On the thirteenth day after the flight from Capri, Edward Spence, leaving the villa for his afternoon walk, encountered the postman and received from him three letters.
difficultadjectiveUS /ˈdɪfəkəlt/
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading He found Eleanor where he had left her a few minutes before, at the piano, busy with a difficult passage of Brahms.
eagerlyadverbUS /ˈiːɡərli/
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading She looked round in surprise, and on seeing the letters started up eagerly.
EdwardnounUS /ˈedwərd/
King of England and Ireland in 1936; his marriage to Wallis Warfield Simpson created a constitutional crisis leading to his abdication (1894-1972)
From this reading LETTERS On the thirteenth day after the flight from Capri, Edward Spence, leaving the villa for his afternoon walk, encountered the postman and received from him three letters.
Eleanor
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He found Eleanor where he had left her a few minutes before, at the piano, busy with a difficult passage of Brahms.
encounteredverbUS /ɪnˈkaʊntərd/
past form of “encounter” — come together
From this reading LETTERS On the thirteenth day after the flight from Capri, Edward Spence, leaving the villa for his afternoon walk, encountered the postman and received from him three letters.
envelopesnounUS /ˈenvəloʊps/
plural of “envelope” — a flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.
From this reading As he reascended the stairs, somewhat more quickly than his wont, Spence gave narrow attention to the handwriting on the envelopes.
Esqnoun
a title of respect for a member of the English gentry ranking just below a knight; placed after the name
From this reading One was addressed to Ross Mallard, Esq., care of Edward Spence, Esq.; another, to Mrs. Spence; the third, to Mrs. Baske.
fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading He found Eleanor where he had left her a few minutes before, at the piano, busy with a difficult passage of Brahms.
flightnounUS /flaɪt/
a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading LETTERS On the thirteenth day after the flight from Capri, Edward Spence, leaving the villa for his afternoon walk, encountered the postman and received from him three letters.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading LETTERS On the thirteenth day after the flight from Capri, Edward Spence, leaving the villa for his afternoon walk, encountered the postman and received from him three letters.
foundverbUS /faʊnd/
set up or found
From this reading He found Eleanor where he had left her a few minutes before, at the piano, busy with a difficult passage of Brahms.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading LETTERS On the thirteenth day after the flight from Capri, Edward Spence, leaving the villa for his afternoon walk, encountered the postman and received from him three letters.
gaveverbUS /ɡeɪv/
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading As he reascended the stairs, somewhat more quickly than his wont, Spence gave narrow attention to the handwriting on the envelopes.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He found Eleanor where he had left her a few minutes before, at the piano, busy with a difficult passage of Brahms.
handwritingnounUS /ˈhændraɪtɪŋ/
something written by hand
From this reading As he reascended the stairs, somewhat more quickly than his wont, Spence gave narrow attention to the handwriting on the envelopes.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As he reascended the stairs, somewhat more quickly than his wont, Spence gave narrow attention to the handwriting on the envelopes.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He found Eleanor where he had left her a few minutes before, at the piano, busy with a difficult passage of Brahms.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading LETTERS On the thirteenth day after the flight from Capri, Edward Spence, leaving the villa for his afternoon walk, encountered the postman and received from him three letters.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading LETTERS On the thirteenth day after the flight from Capri, Edward Spence, leaving the villa for his afternoon walk, encountered the postman and received from him three letters.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She looked round in surprise, and on seeing the letters started up eagerly.
leavingnounUS /ˈliːvɪŋ/
the act of departing
From this reading LETTERS On the thirteenth day after the flight from Capri, Edward Spence, leaving the villa for his afternoon walk, encountered the postman and received from him three letters.
leftnounUS /left/
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading He found Eleanor where he had left her a few minutes before, at the piano, busy with a difficult passage of Brahms.
LETTERSnounUS /ˈletərz/
the literary culture
From this reading LETTERS On the thirteenth day after the flight from Capri, Edward Spence, leaving the villa for his afternoon walk, encountered the postman and received from him three letters.
lookedverbUS /lʊkt/
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She looked round in surprise, and on seeing the letters started up eagerly.
MallardnounUS /ˈmælərd/
wild dabbling duck from which domestic ducks are descended; widely distributed
From this reading One was addressed to Ross Mallard, Esq., care of Edward Spence, Esq.; another, to Mrs. Spence; the third, to Mrs. Baske.
minutesnounUS /ˈmɪnəts/
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading He found Eleanor where he had left her a few minutes before, at the piano, busy with a difficult passage of Brahms.
moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading As he reascended the stairs, somewhat more quickly than his wont, Spence gave narrow attention to the handwriting on the envelopes.
MrsnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading One was addressed to Ross Mallard, Esq., care of Edward Spence, Esq.; another, to Mrs. Spence; the third, to Mrs. Baske.
narrowverbUS /ˈneroʊ/
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading As he reascended the stairs, somewhat more quickly than his wont, Spence gave narrow attention to the handwriting on the envelopes.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading One was addressed to Ross Mallard, Esq., care of Edward Spence, Esq.; another, to Mrs. Spence; the third, to Mrs. Baske.
OnprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading LETTERS On the thirteenth day after the flight from Capri, Edward Spence, leaving the villa for his afternoon walk, encountered the postman and received from him three letters.
OnepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One was addressed to Ross Mallard, Esq., care of Edward Spence, Esq.; another, to Mrs. Spence; the third, to Mrs. Baske.
passagenounUS /ˈpæsədʒ/
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading He found Eleanor where he had left her a few minutes before, at the piano, busy with a difficult passage of Brahms.
pianonounUS /piˈænoʊ/
a keyboard instrument that is played by depressing keys that cause hammers to strike tuned strings and produce sounds
From this reading He found Eleanor where he had left her a few minutes before, at the piano, busy with a difficult passage of Brahms.
postmannounUS /ˈpoʊstmən/
a man who delivers the mail
From this reading LETTERS On the thirteenth day after the flight from Capri, Edward Spence, leaving the villa for his afternoon walk, encountered the postman and received from him three letters.
quicklyadverbUS /ˈkwɪkli/
with speed
From this reading As he reascended the stairs, somewhat more quickly than his wont, Spence gave narrow attention to the handwriting on the envelopes.
reascended
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As he reascended the stairs, somewhat more quickly than his wont, Spence gave narrow attention to the handwriting on the envelopes.
receivedadjectiveUS /rəˈsiːvd/
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading LETTERS On the thirteenth day after the flight from Capri, Edward Spence, leaving the villa for his afternoon walk, encountered the postman and received from him three letters.
RossnounUS /rɑːs/
Scottish explorer who led Arctic expeditions that yielded geographic discoveries while searching for the Northwest Passage (1777-1856)
From this reading One was addressed to Ross Mallard, Esq., care of Edward Spence, Esq.; another, to Mrs. Spence; the third, to Mrs. Baske.
roundnounUS /raʊnd/
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading She looked round in surprise, and on seeing the letters started up eagerly.
seeingnounUS /ˈsiːɪŋ/
perception by means of the eyes
From this reading She looked round in surprise, and on seeing the letters started up eagerly.
ShepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She looked round in surprise, and on seeing the letters started up eagerly.
somewhatadverbUS /ˈsʌmˈwʌt/
to a small degree or extent
From this reading As he reascended the stairs, somewhat more quickly than his wont, Spence gave narrow attention to the handwriting on the envelopes.
Spence
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LETTERS On the thirteenth day after the flight from Capri, Edward Spence, leaving the villa for his afternoon walk, encountered the postman and received from him three letters.
stairsnounUS /sterz/
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading As he reascended the stairs, somewhat more quickly than his wont, Spence gave narrow attention to the handwriting on the envelopes.
startedverbUS /ˈstɑːrtɪd/
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading She looked round in surprise, and on seeing the letters started up eagerly.
surprisenounUS /sərˈpraɪz/
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading She looked round in surprise, and on seeing the letters started up eagerly.
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading As he reascended the stairs, somewhat more quickly than his wont, Spence gave narrow attention to the handwriting on the envelopes.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading LETTERS On the thirteenth day after the flight from Capri, Edward Spence, leaving the villa for his afternoon walk, encountered the postman and received from him three letters.
thirdnounUS /θɜːrd/
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading One was addressed to Ross Mallard, Esq., care of Edward Spence, Esq.; another, to Mrs. Spence; the third, to Mrs. Baske.
thirteenthadjectiveUS /ˈθɜːr.tiːnθ/
Constituting number thirteen in a sequence.
From this reading LETTERS On the thirteenth day after the flight from Capri, Edward Spence, leaving the villa for his afternoon walk, encountered the postman and received from him three letters.
threenounUS /θriː/
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading LETTERS On the thirteenth day after the flight from Capri, Edward Spence, leaving the villa for his afternoon walk, encountered the postman and received from him three letters.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading One was addressed to Ross Mallard, Esq., care of Edward Spence, Esq.; another, to Mrs. Spence; the third, to Mrs. Baske.
upadjectiveUS /ʌp/
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading She looked round in surprise, and on seeing the letters started up eagerly.
villanounUS /ˈvɪlə/
Mexican revolutionary leader (1877-1923)
From this reading LETTERS On the thirteenth day after the flight from Capri, Edward Spence, leaving the villa for his afternoon walk, encountered the postman and received from him three letters.
walknounUS /wɔːk/
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading LETTERS On the thirteenth day after the flight from Capri, Edward Spence, leaving the villa for his afternoon walk, encountered the postman and received from him three letters.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading One was addressed to Ross Mallard, Esq., care of Edward Spence, Esq.; another, to Mrs. Spence; the third, to Mrs. Baske.
whereconjunctionUS /wer/
in or at the place that
From this reading He found Eleanor where he had left her a few minutes before, at the piano, busy with a difficult passage of Brahms.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading He found Eleanor where he had left her a few minutes before, at the piano, busy with a difficult passage of Brahms.
wontnounUS /woʊnt/
an established custom
From this reading As he reascended the stairs, somewhat more quickly than his wont, Spence gave narrow attention to the handwriting on the envelopes.
