aghastadjectiveUS /əˈɡæst/
struck with fear, dread, or consternation
From this reading What can be the matter?" she cried aghast, sitting down on the bed and drawing her mother's head into her lap.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading What can be the matter?" she cried aghast, sitting down on the bed and drawing her mother's head into her lap.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At last, when she had kissed and petted her, she called down to the others to come up-stairs quickly.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading What can be the matter?" she cried aghast, sitting down on the bed and drawing her mother's head into her lap.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading What can be the matter?" she cried aghast, sitting down on the bed and drawing her mother's head into her lap.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading But it was some time before Mrs. Hollister could recover her calmness, and Shirley began to be frightened.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading But it was some time before Mrs. Hollister could recover her calmness, and Shirley began to be frightened.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But it was some time before Mrs. Hollister could recover her calmness, and Shirley began to be frightened.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The crisis was precipitated by Shirley's finding her mother crying when she came up softly to see her.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading At last, when she had kissed and petted her, she called down to the others to come up-stairs quickly.
calmnessnounUS /ˈkɑːmnəs/
steadiness of mind under stress
From this reading But it was some time before Mrs. Hollister could recover her calmness, and Shirley began to be frightened.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The crisis was precipitated by Shirley's finding her mother crying when she came up softly to see her.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading What can be the matter?" she cried aghast, sitting down on the bed and drawing her mother's head into her lap.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading At last, when she had kissed and petted her, she called down to the others to come up-stairs quickly.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading But it was some time before Mrs. Hollister could recover her calmness, and Shirley began to be frightened.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading What can be the matter?" she cried aghast, sitting down on the bed and drawing her mother's head into her lap.
crisisnounUS /ˈkraɪsəs/
an unstable situation of extreme danger or difficulty
From this reading The crisis was precipitated by Shirley's finding her mother crying when she came up softly to see her.
demanding attention
From this reading The crisis was precipitated by Shirley's finding her mother crying when she came up softly to see her.
dearly loved
From this reading "Now, little mother, _dear_!
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading What can be the matter?" she cried aghast, sitting down on the bed and drawing her mother's head into her lap.
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading What can be the matter?" she cried aghast, sitting down on the bed and drawing her mother's head into her lap.
the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation
From this reading The crisis was precipitated by Shirley's finding her mother crying when she came up softly to see her.
made afraid
From this reading But it was some time before Mrs. Hollister could recover her calmness, and Shirley began to be frightened.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading At last, when she had kissed and petted her, she called down to the others to come up-stairs quickly.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading What can be the matter?" she cried aghast, sitting down on the bed and drawing her mother's head into her lap.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The crisis was precipitated by Shirley's finding her mother crying when she came up softly to see her.
Hollister
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But it was some time before Mrs. Hollister could recover her calmness, and Shirley began to be frightened.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading What can be the matter?" she cried aghast, sitting down on the bed and drawing her mother's head into her lap.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But it was some time before Mrs. Hollister could recover her calmness, and Shirley began to be frightened.
past form of “kiss” — touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.
From this reading At last, when she had kissed and petted her, she called down to the others to come up-stairs quickly.
lapverbUS /læp/
lie partly over or alongside of something or of one another
From this reading What can be the matter?" she cried aghast, sitting down on the bed and drawing her mother's head into her lap.
immediately past
From this reading At last, when she had kissed and petted her, she called down to the others to come up-stairs quickly.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Now, little mother, _dear_!
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading What can be the matter?" she cried aghast, sitting down on the bed and drawing her mother's head into her lap.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading The crisis was precipitated by Shirley's finding her mother crying when she came up softly to see her.
mother'snounUS /ˈmʌðərz/
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading What can be the matter?" she cried aghast, sitting down on the bed and drawing her mother's head into her lap.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading But it was some time before Mrs. Hollister could recover her calmness, and Shirley began to be frightened.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now, little mother, _dear_!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading What can be the matter?" she cried aghast, sitting down on the bed and drawing her mother's head into her lap.
others
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At last, when she had kissed and petted her, she called down to the others to come up-stairs quickly.
pettedverbUS /ˈpetɪd/
inflected form of “pet” — stroke or caress gently
From this reading At last, when she had kissed and petted her, she called down to the others to come up-stairs quickly.
precipitatedverbUS /prɪˈsɪpɪteɪtɪd/
past form of “precipitate” — bring about abruptly
From this reading The crisis was precipitated by Shirley's finding her mother crying when she came up softly to see her.
with speed
From this reading At last, when she had kissed and petted her, she called down to the others to come up-stairs quickly.
recoververbUS /rɪˈkʌvər/
get or find back; recover the use of
From this reading But it was some time before Mrs. Hollister could recover her calmness, and Shirley began to be frightened.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading The crisis was precipitated by Shirley's finding her mother crying when she came up softly to see her.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The crisis was precipitated by Shirley's finding her mother crying when she came up softly to see her.
Shirley
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But it was some time before Mrs. Hollister could recover her calmness, and Shirley began to be frightened.
Shirley's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The crisis was precipitated by Shirley's finding her mother crying when she came up softly to see her.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading What can be the matter?" she cried aghast, sitting down on the bed and drawing her mother's head into her lap.
with low volume
From this reading The crisis was precipitated by Shirley's finding her mother crying when she came up softly to see her.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading But it was some time before Mrs. Hollister could recover her calmness, and Shirley began to be frightened.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The crisis was precipitated by Shirley's finding her mother crying when she came up softly to see her.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading But it was some time before Mrs. Hollister could recover her calmness, and Shirley began to be frightened.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The crisis was precipitated by Shirley's finding her mother crying when she came up softly to see her.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The crisis was precipitated by Shirley's finding her mother crying when she came up softly to see her.
up-stairs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At last, when she had kissed and petted her, she called down to the others to come up-stairs quickly.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The crisis was precipitated by Shirley's finding her mother crying when she came up softly to see her.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What can be the matter?" she cried aghast, sitting down on the bed and drawing her mother's head into her lap.
at the time that
From this reading The crisis was precipitated by Shirley's finding her mother crying when she came up softly to see her.
