used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It must have been a great aggravation of the trials of a prisoner of war that, from first to last, he was uncertain as to the duration of his captivity.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Had it not been for the sham peace of Amiens, some of the prisoners would have been in confinement seventeen years, while others were set at liberty after only one or two.
aggravationnounUS /ˌæɡrəˈveɪʃən/
an exasperated feeling of annoyance
From this reading It must have been a great aggravation of the trials of a prisoner of war that, from first to last, he was uncertain as to the duration of his captivity.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading It may be said, Yes, but then they might always hope.
Amiens
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Had it not been for the sham peace of Amiens, some of the prisoners would have been in confinement seventeen years, while others were set at liberty after only one or two.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It cannot bring much consolation, when it lives upon fluctuation and uncertainty.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It must have been a great aggravation of the trials of a prisoner of war that, from first to last, he was uncertain as to the duration of his captivity.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Had it not been for the sham peace of Amiens, some of the prisoners would have been in confinement seventeen years, while others were set at liberty after only one or two.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It may be said, Yes, but then they might always hope.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It must have been a great aggravation of the trials of a prisoner of war that, from first to last, he was uncertain as to the duration of his captivity.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading It cannot bring much consolation, when it lives upon fluctuation and uncertainty.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It may be said, Yes, but then they might always hope.
cannot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It cannot bring much consolation, when it lives upon fluctuation and uncertainty.
captivitynounUS /kæpˈtɪvəti/
the state of being imprisoned
From this reading It must have been a great aggravation of the trials of a prisoner of war that, from first to last, he was uncertain as to the duration of his captivity.
confinementnounUS /kənˈfaɪnmənt/
concluding state of pregnancy; from the onset of contractions to the birth of a child
From this reading Had it not been for the sham peace of Amiens, some of the prisoners would have been in confinement seventeen years, while others were set at liberty after only one or two.
consolationnounUS /ˌkɑːnsəˈleɪʃən/
the comfort you feel when consoled in times of disappointment
From this reading It cannot bring much consolation, when it lives upon fluctuation and uncertainty.
durationnounUS /ˈdʊˈreɪʃən/
the period of time during which something continues
From this reading It must have been a great aggravation of the trials of a prisoner of war that, from first to last, he was uncertain as to the duration of his captivity.
provide as food
From this reading But hope, like other things, wants something to feed upon.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading It must have been a great aggravation of the trials of a prisoner of war that, from first to last, he was uncertain as to the duration of his captivity.
fluctuationnounUS /ˌflʌktʃuːˈeɪʃən/
a wave motion
From this reading It cannot bring much consolation, when it lives upon fluctuation and uncertainty.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Had it not been for the sham peace of Amiens, some of the prisoners would have been in confinement seventeen years, while others were set at liberty after only one or two.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It must have been a great aggravation of the trials of a prisoner of war that, from first to last, he was uncertain as to the duration of his captivity.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading It must have been a great aggravation of the trials of a prisoner of war that, from first to last, he was uncertain as to the duration of his captivity.
Hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Had it not been for the sham peace of Amiens, some of the prisoners would have been in confinement seventeen years, while others were set at liberty after only one or two.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It must have been a great aggravation of the trials of a prisoner of war that, from first to last, he was uncertain as to the duration of his captivity.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It must have been a great aggravation of the trials of a prisoner of war that, from first to last, he was uncertain as to the duration of his captivity.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It must have been a great aggravation of the trials of a prisoner of war that, from first to last, he was uncertain as to the duration of his captivity.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading It may be said, Yes, but then they might always hope.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Had it not been for the sham peace of Amiens, some of the prisoners would have been in confinement seventeen years, while others were set at liberty after only one or two.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It must have been a great aggravation of the trials of a prisoner of war that, from first to last, he was uncertain as to the duration of his captivity.
immediately past
From this reading It must have been a great aggravation of the trials of a prisoner of war that, from first to last, he was uncertain as to the duration of his captivity.
The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions on one's way of life.
From this reading Had it not been for the sham peace of Amiens, some of the prisoners would have been in confinement seventeen years, while others were set at liberty after only one or two.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading But hope, like other things, wants something to feed upon.
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading It cannot bring much consolation, when it lives upon fluctuation and uncertainty.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading It may be said, Yes, but then they might always hope.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading It may be said, Yes, but then they might always hope.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading It cannot bring much consolation, when it lives upon fluctuation and uncertainty.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading It must have been a great aggravation of the trials of a prisoner of war that, from first to last, he was uncertain as to the duration of his captivity.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Had it not been for the sham peace of Amiens, some of the prisoners would have been in confinement seventeen years, while others were set at liberty after only one or two.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It must have been a great aggravation of the trials of a prisoner of war that, from first to last, he was uncertain as to the duration of his captivity.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Had it not been for the sham peace of Amiens, some of the prisoners would have been in confinement seventeen years, while others were set at liberty after only one or two.
and nothing more
From this reading Had it not been for the sham peace of Amiens, some of the prisoners would have been in confinement seventeen years, while others were set at liberty after only one or two.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Had it not been for the sham peace of Amiens, some of the prisoners would have been in confinement seventeen years, while others were set at liberty after only one or two.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading But hope, like other things, wants something to feed upon.
others
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Had it not been for the sham peace of Amiens, some of the prisoners would have been in confinement seventeen years, while others were set at liberty after only one or two.
the state prevailing during the absence of war
From this reading Had it not been for the sham peace of Amiens, some of the prisoners would have been in confinement seventeen years, while others were set at liberty after only one or two.
a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading It must have been a great aggravation of the trials of a prisoner of war that, from first to last, he was uncertain as to the duration of his captivity.
plural of “prisoner” — a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading Had it not been for the sham peace of Amiens, some of the prisoners would have been in confinement seventeen years, while others were set at liberty after only one or two.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading It may be said, Yes, but then they might always hope.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Had it not been for the sham peace of Amiens, some of the prisoners would have been in confinement seventeen years, while others were set at liberty after only one or two.
seventeenadjectiveUS /ˈsevənˈtiːn/
being one more than sixteen
From this reading Had it not been for the sham peace of Amiens, some of the prisoners would have been in confinement seventeen years, while others were set at liberty after only one or two.
shamnounUS /ʃæm/
something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be
From this reading Had it not been for the sham peace of Amiens, some of the prisoners would have been in confinement seventeen years, while others were set at liberty after only one or two.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Had it not been for the sham peace of Amiens, some of the prisoners would have been in confinement seventeen years, while others were set at liberty after only one or two.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading But hope, like other things, wants something to feed upon.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It must have been a great aggravation of the trials of a prisoner of war that, from first to last, he was uncertain as to the duration of his captivity.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It must have been a great aggravation of the trials of a prisoner of war that, from first to last, he was uncertain as to the duration of his captivity.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading It may be said, Yes, but then they might always hope.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It may be said, Yes, but then they might always hope.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading But hope, like other things, wants something to feed upon.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It must have been a great aggravation of the trials of a prisoner of war that, from first to last, he was uncertain as to the duration of his captivity.
trialsnounUS /ˈtraɪəlz/
plural of “trial” — the act of testing something
From this reading It must have been a great aggravation of the trials of a prisoner of war that, from first to last, he was uncertain as to the duration of his captivity.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Had it not been for the sham peace of Amiens, some of the prisoners would have been in confinement seventeen years, while others were set at liberty after only one or two.
uncertainadjectiveUS /ənˈsɜːrtən/
lacking or indicating lack of confidence or assurance
From this reading It must have been a great aggravation of the trials of a prisoner of war that, from first to last, he was uncertain as to the duration of his captivity.
uncertaintynounUS /ənˈsɜːrtənti/
being unsettled or in doubt or dependent on chance
From this reading It cannot bring much consolation, when it lives upon fluctuation and uncertainty.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading But hope, like other things, wants something to feed upon.
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading But hope, like other things, wants something to feed upon.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading It must have been a great aggravation of the trials of a prisoner of war that, from first to last, he was uncertain as to the duration of his captivity.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It must have been a great aggravation of the trials of a prisoner of war that, from first to last, he was uncertain as to the duration of his captivity.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Had it not been for the sham peace of Amiens, some of the prisoners would have been in confinement seventeen years, while others were set at liberty after only one or two.
at the time that
From this reading It cannot bring much consolation, when it lives upon fluctuation and uncertainty.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading Had it not been for the sham peace of Amiens, some of the prisoners would have been in confinement seventeen years, while others were set at liberty after only one or two.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Had it not been for the sham peace of Amiens, some of the prisoners would have been in confinement seventeen years, while others were set at liberty after only one or two.
a late time of life
From this reading Had it not been for the sham peace of Amiens, some of the prisoners would have been in confinement seventeen years, while others were set at liberty after only one or two.
an affirmative
From this reading It may be said, Yes, but then they might always hope.
