used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A Glance at the Ellis Family.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He has been gone over an hour; it surely cannot take him that time to go to Watson's."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "It is a great distance, mother," said Esther Ellis, who was busily plying her needle; "and I don't think he has been quite so long as you suppose."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "It is a great distance, mother," said Esther Ellis, who was busily plying her needle; "and I don't think he has been quite so long as you suppose."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A Glance at the Ellis Family.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "I wonder what can keep him so long away.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He has been gone over an hour; it surely cannot take him that time to go to Watson's."
busilyadverbUS /ˈbɪzəli/
in a busy manner
From this reading "It is a great distance, mother," said Esther Ellis, who was busily plying her needle; "and I don't think he has been quite so long as you suppose."
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "I wonder what can keep him so long away.
cannot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He has been gone over an hour; it surely cannot take him that time to go to Watson's."
Charlie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I wish Charlie would come with that tea," exclaimed Mrs. Ellis, who sat finishing off some work, which had to go home that evening.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "I wish Charlie would come with that tea," exclaimed Mrs. Ellis, who sat finishing off some work, which had to go home that evening.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading "It is a great distance, mother," said Esther Ellis, who was busily plying her needle; "and I don't think he has been quite so long as you suppose."
don't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It is a great distance, mother," said Esther Ellis, who was busily plying her needle; "and I don't think he has been quite so long as you suppose."
EllisnounUS /ˈelɪs/
plural of “elli” — (Norse mythology) goddess of old age who defeated Thor in a wrestling match
From this reading A Glance at the Ellis Family.
EsthernounUS /ˈestər/
(Old Testament) a beautiful Jewess chosen by the king of Persia to be his queen; she stopped a plot to massacre all the Jews in Persia (an event celebrated by Jews as the feast of Purim)
From this reading "It is a great distance, mother," said Esther Ellis, who was busily plying her needle; "and I don't think he has been quite so long as you suppose."
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading "I wish Charlie would come with that tea," exclaimed Mrs. Ellis, who sat finishing off some work, which had to go home that evening.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "I wish Charlie would come with that tea," exclaimed Mrs. Ellis, who sat finishing off some work, which had to go home that evening.
a social unit living together
From this reading A Glance at the Ellis Family.
finishingnounUS /ˈfɪnɪʃɪŋ/
a decorative texture or appearance of a surface (or the substance that gives it that appearance)
From this reading "I wish Charlie would come with that tea," exclaimed Mrs. Ellis, who sat finishing off some work, which had to go home that evening.
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading A Glance at the Ellis Family.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "I wish Charlie would come with that tea," exclaimed Mrs. Ellis, who sat finishing off some work, which had to go home that evening.
destroyed or killed
From this reading He has been gone over an hour; it surely cannot take him that time to go to Watson's."
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading "It is a great distance, mother," said Esther Ellis, who was busily plying her needle; "and I don't think he has been quite so long as you suppose."
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "I wish Charlie would come with that tea," exclaimed Mrs. Ellis, who sat finishing off some work, which had to go home that evening.
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He has been gone over an hour; it surely cannot take him that time to go to Watson's."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He has been gone over an hour; it surely cannot take him that time to go to Watson's."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "It is a great distance, mother," said Esther Ellis, who was busily plying her needle; "and I don't think he has been quite so long as you suppose."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I wonder what can keep him so long away.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading "I wish Charlie would come with that tea," exclaimed Mrs. Ellis, who sat finishing off some work, which had to go home that evening.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading He has been gone over an hour; it surely cannot take him that time to go to Watson's."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I wish Charlie would come with that tea," exclaimed Mrs. Ellis, who sat finishing off some work, which had to go home that evening.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is a great distance, mother," said Esther Ellis, who was busily plying her needle; "and I don't think he has been quite so long as you suppose."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He has been gone over an hour; it surely cannot take him that time to go to Watson's."
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading "I wonder what can keep him so long away.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading "I wonder what can keep him so long away.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "It is a great distance, mother," said Esther Ellis, who was busily plying her needle; "and I don't think he has been quite so long as you suppose."
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "I wish Charlie would come with that tea," exclaimed Mrs. Ellis, who sat finishing off some work, which had to go home that evening.
needlenounUS /ˈniːdəl/
the leaf of a conifer
From this reading "It is a great distance, mother," said Esther Ellis, who was busily plying her needle; "and I don't think he has been quite so long as you suppose."
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "I wish Charlie would come with that tea," exclaimed Mrs. Ellis, who sat finishing off some work, which had to go home that evening.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading He has been gone over an hour; it surely cannot take him that time to go to Watson's."
plyingverbUS /ˈplaɪɪŋ/
-ing form of “ply” — give what is desired or needed, especially support, food or sustenance
From this reading "It is a great distance, mother," said Esther Ellis, who was busily plying her needle; "and I don't think he has been quite so long as you suppose."
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading "It is a great distance, mother," said Esther Ellis, who was busily plying her needle; "and I don't think he has been quite so long as you suppose."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It is a great distance, mother," said Esther Ellis, who was busily plying her needle; "and I don't think he has been quite so long as you suppose."
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading "I wish Charlie would come with that tea," exclaimed Mrs. Ellis, who sat finishing off some work, which had to go home that evening.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "I wonder what can keep him so long away.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "I wish Charlie would come with that tea," exclaimed Mrs. Ellis, who sat finishing off some work, which had to go home that evening.
express a supposition
From this reading "It is a great distance, mother," said Esther Ellis, who was busily plying her needle; "and I don't think he has been quite so long as you suppose."
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading He has been gone over an hour; it surely cannot take him that time to go to Watson's."
carry out
From this reading He has been gone over an hour; it surely cannot take him that time to go to Watson's."
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading "I wish Charlie would come with that tea," exclaimed Mrs. Ellis, who sat finishing off some work, which had to go home that evening.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I wish Charlie would come with that tea," exclaimed Mrs. Ellis, who sat finishing off some work, which had to go home that evening.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A Glance at the Ellis Family.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "It is a great distance, mother," said Esther Ellis, who was busily plying her needle; "and I don't think he has been quite so long as you suppose."
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading He has been gone over an hour; it surely cannot take him that time to go to Watson's."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I wish Charlie would come with that tea," exclaimed Mrs. Ellis, who sat finishing off some work, which had to go home that evening.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is a great distance, mother," said Esther Ellis, who was busily plying her needle; "and I don't think he has been quite so long as you suppose."
Watson'snounUS /ˈwɑːtsənz/
possessive form of “watson” — United States telephone engineer who assisted Alexander Graham Bell in his experiments (1854-1934)
From this reading He has been gone over an hour; it surely cannot take him that time to go to Watson's."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "I wonder what can keep him so long away.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "I wish Charlie would come with that tea," exclaimed Mrs. Ellis, who sat finishing off some work, which had to go home that evening.
which person or people
From this reading "I wish Charlie would come with that tea," exclaimed Mrs. Ellis, who sat finishing off some work, which had to go home that evening.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading "I wish Charlie would come with that tea," exclaimed Mrs. Ellis, who sat finishing off some work, which had to go home that evening.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "I wish Charlie would come with that tea," exclaimed Mrs. Ellis, who sat finishing off some work, which had to go home that evening.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading "I wonder what can keep him so long away.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading "I wish Charlie would come with that tea," exclaimed Mrs. Ellis, who sat finishing off some work, which had to go home that evening.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "I wish Charlie would come with that tea," exclaimed Mrs. Ellis, who sat finishing off some work, which had to go home that evening.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "It is a great distance, mother," said Esther Ellis, who was busily plying her needle; "and I don't think he has been quite so long as you suppose."
