used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "But, father, isn't there something we can do?" asked Jack, for about the tenth time that day.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading It was about three o'clock in the afternoon of the day following Bob's disappearance.
agencynounUS /ˈeɪdʒənsi/
an administrative unit of government
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
ARRIVESverbUS /ərˈaɪvz/
third-person singular of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading THE DETECTIVE ARRIVES.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "But, father, isn't there something we can do?" asked Jack, for about the tenth time that day.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
Bob'snounUS /bɑːbz/
possessive form of “bob” — a former monetary unit in Great Britain
From this reading It was about three o'clock in the afternoon of the day following Bob's disappearance.
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
a youthful male person
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But, father, isn't there something we can do?" asked Jack, for about the tenth time that day.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "But, father, isn't there something we can do?" asked Jack, for about the tenth time that day.
communicationnounUS /kəˌmjuːnəˈkeɪʃən/
the activity of communicating; the activity of conveying information
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading "But, father, isn't there something we can do?" asked Jack, for about the tenth time that day.
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading THE DETECTIVE ARRIVES.
disappearancenounUS /ˌdɪsəˈpɪrəns/
the act of leaving secretly or without explanation
From this reading It was about three o'clock in the afternoon of the day following Bob's disappearance.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "But, father, isn't there something we can do?" asked Jack, for about the tenth time that day.
eight-thirty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading "But, father, isn't there something we can do?" asked Jack, for about the tenth time that day.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading It was about three o'clock in the afternoon of the day following Bob's disappearance.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "But, father, isn't there something we can do?" asked Jack, for about the tenth time that day.
four-forty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading "Yes, I guess we can do something now.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Yes, I guess we can do something now.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was about three o'clock in the afternoon of the day following Bob's disappearance.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
isn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But, father, isn't there something we can do?" asked Jack, for about the tenth time that day.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was about three o'clock in the afternoon of the day following Bob's disappearance.
a small worthless amount
From this reading "But, father, isn't there something we can do?" asked Jack, for about the tenth time that day.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
the force of workers available
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
a form of address for a man
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
information about recent and important events
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Yes, I guess we can do something now.
o'clockadverbUS /əˈklɑːk/
according to the clock
From this reading It was about three o'clock in the afternoon of the day following Bob's disappearance.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was about three o'clock in the afternoon of the day following Bob's disappearance.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading "But, father, isn't there something we can do?" asked Jack, for about the tenth time that day.
telephonenounUS /ˈteləfoʊn/
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
tenthnounUS /tenθ/
a tenth part; one part in ten equal parts
From this reading "But, father, isn't there something we can do?" asked Jack, for about the tenth time that day.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "But, father, isn't there something we can do?" asked Jack, for about the tenth time that day.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE DETECTIVE ARRIVES.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "But, father, isn't there something we can do?" asked Jack, for about the tenth time that day.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading It was about three o'clock in the afternoon of the day following Bob's disappearance.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "But, father, isn't there something we can do?" asked Jack, for about the tenth time that day.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
create by training and teaching
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was about three o'clock in the afternoon of the day following Bob's disappearance.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "But, father, isn't there something we can do?" asked Jack, for about the tenth time that day.
well-knownadjectiveUS /ˈwelˈnoʊn/
widely or fully known
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
in the company of; together with
From this reading They had waited in vain for any news of the lost boy and at about eight-thirty o'clock, Mr. Golden had got into communication, by telephone, with a well-known detective agency in Boston and they had promised to have one of their best men there on the four-forty train.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, I guess we can do something now.
