used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading For more than a week now he had been confined to the house.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading The easterly wind blew strong and shattering, bleak and dreary, against the windows of the bedchamber at the back of the house.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading These sounds reached Iglesias in the sitting-room, where he sat, alone and unoccupied, before the fire.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The easterly wind blew strong and shattering, bleak and dreary, against the windows of the bedchamber at the back of the house.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading The complaint of the cedar tree, as the branches sawed upon one another, was long-drawn and loud.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The complaint of the cedar tree, as the branches sawed upon one another, was long-drawn and loud.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The easterly wind blew strong and shattering, bleak and dreary, against the windows of the bedchamber at the back of the house.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading The easterly wind blew strong and shattering, bleak and dreary, against the windows of the bedchamber at the back of the house.
bedchambernounUS /ˈbedtʃeɪmbər/
a room used primarily for sleeping
From this reading The easterly wind blew strong and shattering, bleak and dreary, against the windows of the bedchamber at the back of the house.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading For more than a week now he had been confined to the house.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading These sounds reached Iglesias in the sitting-room, where he sat, alone and unoccupied, before the fire.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading He had set the door of communication between the two rooms open, so as to gain a greater sense of space and that he might take a little exercise by walking the whole length of them.
bleakadjectiveUS /bliːk/
offering little or no hope
From this reading The easterly wind blew strong and shattering, bleak and dreary, against the windows of the bedchamber at the back of the house.
inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard
From this reading The easterly wind blew strong and shattering, bleak and dreary, against the windows of the bedchamber at the back of the house.
plural of “branch” — a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading The complaint of the cedar tree, as the branches sawed upon one another, was long-drawn and loud.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He had set the door of communication between the two rooms open, so as to gain a greater sense of space and that he might take a little exercise by walking the whole length of them.
cedarnounUS /ˈsiːdər/
any of numerous trees of the family Cupressaceae that resemble cedars
From this reading The complaint of the cedar tree, as the branches sawed upon one another, was long-drawn and loud.
communicationnounUS /kəˌmjuːnəˈkeɪʃən/
the activity of communicating; the activity of conveying information
From this reading He had set the door of communication between the two rooms open, so as to gain a greater sense of space and that he might take a little exercise by walking the whole length of them.
complaintnounUS /kəmˈpleɪnt/
an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining
From this reading The complaint of the cedar tree, as the branches sawed upon one another, was long-drawn and loud.
confinedadjectiveUS /kənˈfaɪnd/
not invading healthy tissue
From this reading For more than a week now he had been confined to the house.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading He had set the door of communication between the two rooms open, so as to gain a greater sense of space and that he might take a little exercise by walking the whole length of them.
drearyadjectiveUS /ˈdrɪri/
lacking in liveliness or charm or surprise
From this reading The easterly wind blew strong and shattering, bleak and dreary, against the windows of the bedchamber at the back of the house.
easterlyadjectiveUS /ˈiːstərli/
lying in or toward the east
From this reading The easterly wind blew strong and shattering, bleak and dreary, against the windows of the bedchamber at the back of the house.
the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit
From this reading He had set the door of communication between the two rooms open, so as to gain a greater sense of space and that he might take a little exercise by walking the whole length of them.
start firing a weapon
From this reading These sounds reached Iglesias in the sitting-room, where he sat, alone and unoccupied, before the fire.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For more than a week now he had been confined to the house.
obtain
From this reading He had set the door of communication between the two rooms open, so as to gain a greater sense of space and that he might take a little exercise by walking the whole length of them.
greater in size or importance or degree
From this reading He had set the door of communication between the two rooms open, so as to gain a greater sense of space and that he might take a little exercise by walking the whole length of them.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For more than a week now he had been confined to the house.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading These sounds reached Iglesias in the sitting-room, where he sat, alone and unoccupied, before the fire.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The easterly wind blew strong and shattering, bleak and dreary, against the windows of the bedchamber at the back of the house.
IglesiasnounUS /ˌɪˈɡleɪsiɪs/
Spanish singer noted for his ballads and love songs (born in 1943)
From this reading These sounds reached Iglesias in the sitting-room, where he sat, alone and unoccupied, before the fire.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading These sounds reached Iglesias in the sitting-room, where he sat, alone and unoccupied, before the fire.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading He had set the door of communication between the two rooms open, so as to gain a greater sense of space and that he might take a little exercise by walking the whole length of them.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He had set the door of communication between the two rooms open, so as to gain a greater sense of space and that he might take a little exercise by walking the whole length of them.
long-drawn
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The complaint of the cedar tree, as the branches sawed upon one another, was long-drawn and loud.
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading The complaint of the cedar tree, as the branches sawed upon one another, was long-drawn and loud.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading He had set the door of communication between the two rooms open, so as to gain a greater sense of space and that he might take a little exercise by walking the whole length of them.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading For more than a week now he had been confined to the house.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading For more than a week now he had been confined to the house.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The easterly wind blew strong and shattering, bleak and dreary, against the windows of the bedchamber at the back of the house.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The complaint of the cedar tree, as the branches sawed upon one another, was long-drawn and loud.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading He had set the door of communication between the two rooms open, so as to gain a greater sense of space and that he might take a little exercise by walking the whole length of them.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading These sounds reached Iglesias in the sitting-room, where he sat, alone and unoccupied, before the fire.
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading He had set the door of communication between the two rooms open, so as to gain a greater sense of space and that he might take a little exercise by walking the whole length of them.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading These sounds reached Iglesias in the sitting-room, where he sat, alone and unoccupied, before the fire.
sawedverbUS /sɔːd/
past form of “saw” — cut with a saw
From this reading The complaint of the cedar tree, as the branches sawed upon one another, was long-drawn and loud.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading He had set the door of communication between the two rooms open, so as to gain a greater sense of space and that he might take a little exercise by walking the whole length of them.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He had set the door of communication between the two rooms open, so as to gain a greater sense of space and that he might take a little exercise by walking the whole length of them.
shatteringadjectiveUS /ˈʃætərɪŋ/
seemingly loud enough to break something; violently rattling or clattering
From this reading The easterly wind blew strong and shattering, bleak and dreary, against the windows of the bedchamber at the back of the house.
sitting-room
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading These sounds reached Iglesias in the sitting-room, where he sat, alone and unoccupied, before the fire.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He had set the door of communication between the two rooms open, so as to gain a greater sense of space and that he might take a little exercise by walking the whole length of them.
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading These sounds reached Iglesias in the sitting-room, where he sat, alone and unoccupied, before the fire.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading He had set the door of communication between the two rooms open, so as to gain a greater sense of space and that he might take a little exercise by walking the whole length of them.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading The easterly wind blew strong and shattering, bleak and dreary, against the windows of the bedchamber at the back of the house.
carry out
From this reading He had set the door of communication between the two rooms open, so as to gain a greater sense of space and that he might take a little exercise by walking the whole length of them.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading For more than a week now he had been confined to the house.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He had set the door of communication between the two rooms open, so as to gain a greater sense of space and that he might take a little exercise by walking the whole length of them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The easterly wind blew strong and shattering, bleak and dreary, against the windows of the bedchamber at the back of the house.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He had set the door of communication between the two rooms open, so as to gain a greater sense of space and that he might take a little exercise by walking the whole length of them.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These sounds reached Iglesias in the sitting-room, where he sat, alone and unoccupied, before the fire.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For more than a week now he had been confined to the house.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading The complaint of the cedar tree, as the branches sawed upon one another, was long-drawn and loud.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He had set the door of communication between the two rooms open, so as to gain a greater sense of space and that he might take a little exercise by walking the whole length of them.
unoccupiedadjectiveUS /əˈnɑːkjəpaɪd/
not held or filled or in use
From this reading These sounds reached Iglesias in the sitting-room, where he sat, alone and unoccupied, before the fire.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The complaint of the cedar tree, as the branches sawed upon one another, was long-drawn and loud.
close enough to be walked to
From this reading He had set the door of communication between the two rooms open, so as to gain a greater sense of space and that he might take a little exercise by walking the whole length of them.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The complaint of the cedar tree, as the branches sawed upon one another, was long-drawn and loud.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading For more than a week now he had been confined to the house.
in or at the place that
From this reading These sounds reached Iglesias in the sitting-room, where he sat, alone and unoccupied, before the fire.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading He had set the door of communication between the two rooms open, so as to gain a greater sense of space and that he might take a little exercise by walking the whole length of them.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading The easterly wind blew strong and shattering, bleak and dreary, against the windows of the bedchamber at the back of the house.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading The easterly wind blew strong and shattering, bleak and dreary, against the windows of the bedchamber at the back of the house.
