aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading He and William Todd had been trampling down the elder-bushes, and returning to the house, found Minnie alone on the porch.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “Safe?” he said to his daughter, who turned an anxious face upon him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Judge Briscoe smiled grimly and leaned on his shot-gun in the moonlight by the veranda.
eagerly desirous
From this reading “Safe?” he said to his daughter, who turned an anxious face upon him.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “They'll be safe enough now, and in our garden.”
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He and William Todd had been trampling down the elder-bushes, and returning to the house, found Minnie alone on the porch.
Briscoe
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Judge Briscoe smiled grimly and leaned on his shot-gun in the moonlight by the veranda.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Judge Briscoe smiled grimly and leaned on his shot-gun in the moonlight by the veranda.
a female human offspring
From this reading “Safe?” he said to his daughter, who turned an anxious face upon him.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He and William Todd had been trampling down the elder-bushes, and returning to the house, found Minnie alone on the porch.
elder-bushes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He and William Todd had been trampling down the elder-bushes, and returning to the house, found Minnie alone on the porch.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading “They'll be safe enough now, and in our garden.”
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading “Safe?” he said to his daughter, who turned an anxious face upon him.
set up or found
From this reading He and William Todd had been trampling down the elder-bushes, and returning to the house, found Minnie alone on the porch.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading “They'll be safe enough now, and in our garden.”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Maybe I oughtn't to have let them go,” she returned, nervously.
grimlyadverbUS /ˈɡrɪmli/
in a grim implacable manner
From this reading Judge Briscoe smiled grimly and leaned on his shot-gun in the moonlight by the veranda.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He and William Todd had been trampling down the elder-bushes, and returning to the house, found Minnie alone on the porch.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Maybe I oughtn't to have let them go,” she returned, nervously.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He and William Todd had been trampling down the elder-bushes, and returning to the house, found Minnie alone on the porch.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Safe?” he said to his daughter, who turned an anxious face upon him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Judge Briscoe smiled grimly and leaned on his shot-gun in the moonlight by the veranda.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading He and William Todd had been trampling down the elder-bushes, and returning to the house, found Minnie alone on the porch.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Maybe I oughtn't to have let them go,” she returned, nervously.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Judge Briscoe smiled grimly and leaned on his shot-gun in the moonlight by the veranda.
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading Judge Briscoe smiled grimly and leaned on his shot-gun in the moonlight by the veranda.
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading Judge Briscoe smiled grimly and leaned on his shot-gun in the moonlight by the veranda.
letauxiliary verbUS /let/
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading “Maybe I oughtn't to have let them go,” she returned, nervously.
by chance
From this reading “Maybe I oughtn't to have let them go,” she returned, nervously.
Minnie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He and William Todd had been trampling down the elder-bushes, and returning to the house, found Minnie alone on the porch.
the light of the Moon
From this reading Judge Briscoe smiled grimly and leaned on his shot-gun in the moonlight by the veranda.
nervouslyadverbUS /ˈnɜːrvəsli/
in an anxiously nervous manner
From this reading “Maybe I oughtn't to have let them go,” she returned, nervously.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “They'll be safe enough now, and in our garden.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Judge Briscoe smiled grimly and leaned on his shot-gun in the moonlight by the veranda.
oughtn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Maybe I oughtn't to have let them go,” she returned, nervously.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “They'll be safe enough now, and in our garden.”
porchnounUS /pɔːrtʃ/
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading He and William Todd had been trampling down the elder-bushes, and returning to the house, found Minnie alone on the porch.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading “Maybe I oughtn't to have let them go,” she returned, nervously.
tending to return to an earlier state
From this reading He and William Todd had been trampling down the elder-bushes, and returning to the house, found Minnie alone on the porch.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading “Safe?” he said to his daughter, who turned an anxious face upon him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Safe?” he said to his daughter, who turned an anxious face upon him.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Maybe I oughtn't to have let them go,” she returned, nervously.
shot-gun
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Judge Briscoe smiled grimly and leaned on his shot-gun in the moonlight by the veranda.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Judge Briscoe smiled grimly and leaned on his shot-gun in the moonlight by the veranda.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Judge Briscoe smiled grimly and leaned on his shot-gun in the moonlight by the veranda.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading “Maybe I oughtn't to have let them go,” she returned, nervously.
They'll
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “They'll be safe enough now, and in our garden.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He and William Todd had been trampling down the elder-bushes, and returning to the house, found Minnie alone on the porch.
ToddnounUS /tɑːd/
Scottish chemist noted for his research into the structure of nucleic acids (born in 1907)
From this reading He and William Todd had been trampling down the elder-bushes, and returning to the house, found Minnie alone on the porch.
tramplingnounUS /ˈtræmplɪŋ/
the sound of heavy treading or stomping
From this reading He and William Todd had been trampling down the elder-bushes, and returning to the house, found Minnie alone on the porch.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading “Safe?” he said to his daughter, who turned an anxious face upon him.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading “Safe?” he said to his daughter, who turned an anxious face upon him.
verandanounUS /vərˈændə/
a porch along the outside of a building (sometimes partly enclosed)
From this reading Judge Briscoe smiled grimly and leaned on his shot-gun in the moonlight by the veranda.
which person or people
From this reading “Safe?” he said to his daughter, who turned an anxious face upon him.
William
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He and William Todd had been trampling down the elder-bushes, and returning to the house, found Minnie alone on the porch.
