completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading Only two persons knew absolutely which either of us was, and those two were ourselves.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “My brother and I were marvellously like.
separated or at a distance in place or position or time
From this reading Very few of our friends, none of them with certainty, could name either of us apart--or even together.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Our mother certainly did not--at least without seeing one or other of our backs.
backsnounUS /bæks/
plural of “back” — the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine
From this reading Our mother certainly did not--at least without seeing one or other of our backs.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading “My brother and I were marvellously like.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading Our mother certainly did not--at least without seeing one or other of our backs.
certaintynounUS /ˈsɜːrtənti/
the state of being certain
From this reading Very few of our friends, none of them with certainty, could name either of us apart--or even together.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Very few of our friends, none of them with certainty, could name either of us apart--or even together.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Our mother certainly did not--at least without seeing one or other of our backs.
one or the other of two
From this reading Very few of our friends, none of them with certainty, could name either of us apart--or even together.
divisible by two
From this reading Very few of our friends, none of them with certainty, could name either of us apart--or even together.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Very few of our friends, none of them with certainty, could name either of us apart--or even together.
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Very few of our friends, none of them with certainty, could name either of us apart--or even together.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “My brother and I were marvellously like.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Only two persons knew absolutely which either of us was, and those two were ourselves.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading Our mother certainly did not--at least without seeing one or other of our backs.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “My brother and I were marvellously like.
marvellouslyadverb
(used as an intensifier) extremely well
From this reading “My brother and I were marvellously like.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Our mother certainly did not--at least without seeing one or other of our backs.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading THE STORY OF MY TWIN UNCLES.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Very few of our friends, none of them with certainty, could name either of us apart--or even together.
not one, and not any
From this reading Very few of our friends, none of them with certainty, could name either of us apart--or even together.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Our mother certainly did not--at least without seeing one or other of our backs.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE STORY OF MY TWIN UNCLES.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Our mother certainly did not--at least without seeing one or other of our backs.
and nothing more
From this reading Only two persons knew absolutely which either of us was, and those two were ourselves.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Very few of our friends, none of them with certainty, could name either of us apart--or even together.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Our mother certainly did not--at least without seeing one or other of our backs.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Very few of our friends, none of them with certainty, could name either of us apart--or even together.
used when we are both doing the action and receiving it
From this reading Only two persons knew absolutely which either of us was, and those two were ourselves.
plural of “person” — a human being
From this reading Only two persons knew absolutely which either of us was, and those two were ourselves.
perception by means of the eyes
From this reading Our mother certainly did not--at least without seeing one or other of our backs.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading THE STORY OF MY TWIN UNCLES.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE STORY OF MY TWIN UNCLES.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Very few of our friends, none of them with certainty, could name either of us apart--or even together.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Only two persons knew absolutely which either of us was, and those two were ourselves.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading Very few of our friends, none of them with certainty, could name either of us apart--or even together.
TWINnounUS /twɪn/
either of two offspring born at the same time from the same pregnancy
From this reading THE STORY OF MY TWIN UNCLES.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Only two persons knew absolutely which either of us was, and those two were ourselves.
UNCLESnounUS /ˈʌŋkəlz/
plural of “uncle” — the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading THE STORY OF MY TWIN UNCLES.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Very few of our friends, none of them with certainty, could name either of us apart--or even together.
precisely as stated
From this reading Very few of our friends, none of them with certainty, could name either of us apart--or even together.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Only two persons knew absolutely which either of us was, and those two were ourselves.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “My brother and I were marvellously like.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Only two persons knew absolutely which either of us was, and those two were ourselves.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Very few of our friends, none of them with certainty, could name either of us apart--or even together.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Our mother certainly did not--at least without seeing one or other of our backs.
