Chapter I · Chapter 1

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading They took tea, the daintiest, pleasantest, most charming of teas, as the _elite_ of Marbridge knew; everybody--or, rather, a selection of everybody, had had tea with them one time or another.

later than; following

From this reading After that there was no record; the _elite_, who would as soon have thought of going without their heads as without their dinner, concluded they dined, because they were "one of us."

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading They took tea, the daintiest, pleasantest, most charming of teas, as the _elite_ of Marbridge knew; everybody--or, rather, a selection of everybody, had had tea with them one time or another.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading They took tea, the daintiest, pleasantest, most charming of teas, as the _elite_ of Marbridge knew; everybody--or, rather, a selection of everybody, had had tea with them one time or another.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

for the reason that

From this reading After that there was no record; the _elite_, who would as soon have thought of going without their heads as without their dinner, concluded they dined, because they were "one of us."

the past participle of “be”

From this reading They lunched, though few besides Johnny Gillat, who did not count, had been invited to share that meal with them.

in addition to; as well as

From this reading They lunched, though few besides Johnny Gillat, who did not count, had been invited to share that meal with them.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

pleasing or delighting

From this reading They took tea, the daintiest, pleasantest, most charming of teas, as the _elite_ of Marbridge knew; everybody--or, rather, a selection of everybody, had had tea with them one time or another.

having come or been brought to a conclusion

From this reading After that there was no record; the _elite_, who would as soon have thought of going without their heads as without their dinner, concluded they dined, because they were "one of us."

determine the number or amount of

From this reading They lunched, though few besides Johnny Gillat, who did not count, had been invited to share that meal with them.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They took tea, the daintiest, pleasantest, most charming of teas, as the _elite_ of Marbridge knew; everybody--or, rather, a selection of everybody, had had tea with them one time or another.

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading They lunched, though few besides Johnny Gillat, who did not count, had been invited to share that meal with them.

have supper; eat dinner

From this reading The Polkingtons were of those people who do not dine.

past form of “dine” — have supper; eat dinner

From this reading After that there was no record; the _elite_, who would as soon have thought of going without their heads as without their dinner, concluded they dined, because they were "one of us."

the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday

From this reading After that there was no record; the _elite_, who would as soon have thought of going without their heads as without their dinner, concluded they dined, because they were "one of us."

inflected form of “dispel” — force to go away; used both with concrete and metaphoric meanings

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading The Polkingtons were of those people who do not dine.

first in order of birth

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

a group or class of persons enjoying superior intellectual or social or economic status

From this reading They took tea, the daintiest, pleasantest, most charming of teas, as the _elite_ of Marbridge knew; everybody--or, rather, a selection of everybody, had had tea with them one time or another.

divisible by two

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

every person

From this reading They took tea, the daintiest, pleasantest, most charming of teas, as the _elite_ of Marbridge knew; everybody--or, rather, a selection of everybody, had had tea with them one time or another.

accept an excuse for

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading They lunched, though few besides Johnny Gillat, who did not count, had been invited to share that meal with them.

people in general (often used in the plural)

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They lunched, though few besides Johnny Gillat, who did not count, had been invited to share that meal with them.

the act of departing

From this reading After that there was no record; the _elite_, who would as soon have thought of going without their heads as without their dinner, concluded they dined, because they were "one of us."

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading They lunched, though few besides Johnny Gillat, who did not count, had been invited to share that meal with them.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading After that there was no record; the _elite_, who would as soon have thought of going without their heads as without their dinner, concluded they dined, because they were "one of us."

plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading After that there was no record; the _elite_, who would as soon have thought of going without their heads as without their dinner, concluded they dined, because they were "one of us."

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

comparative of “humble” — low or inferior in station or quality

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

past form of “invite” — increase the likelihood of

From this reading They lunched, though few besides Johnny Gillat, who did not count, had been invited to share that meal with them.

“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms

From this reading They lunched, though few besides Johnny Gillat, who did not count, had been invited to share that meal with them.

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 They took tea, the daintiest, pleasantest, most charming of teas, as the _elite_ of Marbridge knew; everybody--or, rather, a selection of everybody, had had tea with them one time or another.

being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

take the midday meal

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

past form of “lunch” — take the midday meal

From this reading They lunched, though few besides Johnny Gillat, who did not count, had been invited to share that meal with them.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They took tea, the daintiest, pleasantest, most charming of teas, as the _elite_ of Marbridge knew; everybody--or, rather, a selection of everybody, had had tea with them one time or another.

the food served and eaten at one time

From this reading They lunched, though few besides Johnny Gillat, who did not count, had been invited to share that meal with them.

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

used to form the superlative

From this reading They took tea, the daintiest, pleasantest, most charming of teas, as the _elite_ of Marbridge knew; everybody--or, rather, a selection of everybody, had had tea with them one time or another.

not any; not one

From this reading After that there was no record; the _elite_, who would as soon have thought of going without their heads as without their dinner, concluded they dined, because they were "one of us."

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The Polkingtons were of those people who do not dine.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The Polkingtons were of those people who do not dine.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

on one occasion

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading They took tea, the daintiest, pleasantest, most charming of teas, as the _elite_ of Marbridge knew; everybody--or, rather, a selection of everybody, had had tea with them one time or another.

and nothing more

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading They took tea, the daintiest, pleasantest, most charming of teas, as the _elite_ of Marbridge knew; everybody--or, rather, a selection of everybody, had had tea with them one time or another.

a fully differentiated structural and functional unit in an animal that is specialized for some particular function

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading The Polkingtons were of those people who do not dine.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They took tea, the daintiest, pleasantest, most charming of teas, as the _elite_ of Marbridge knew; everybody--or, rather, a selection of everybody, had had tea with them one time or another.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Polkingtons were of those people who do not dine.

on the contrary

From this reading They took tea, the daintiest, pleasantest, most charming of teas, as the _elite_ of Marbridge knew; everybody--or, rather, a selection of everybody, had had tea with them one time or another.

the act of giving an account describing incidents or a course of events

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events

From this reading After that there was no record; the _elite_, who would as soon have thought of going without their heads as without their dinner, concluded they dined, because they were "one of us."

the act of choosing or selecting

From this reading They took tea, the daintiest, pleasantest, most charming of teas, as the _elite_ of Marbridge knew; everybody--or, rather, a selection of everybody, had had tea with them one time or another.

work done by one person or group that benefits another

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

have in common

From this reading They lunched, though few besides Johnny Gillat, who did not count, had been invited to share that meal with them.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

in the near future

From this reading After that there was no record; the _elite_, who would as soon have thought of going without their heads as without their dinner, concluded they dined, because they were "one of us."

first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

plural of “sunday” — first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water

From this reading They took tea, the daintiest, pleasantest, most charming of teas, as the _elite_ of Marbridge knew; everybody--or, rather, a selection of everybody, had had tea with them one time or another.

plural of “tea” — a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water

From this reading They took tea, the daintiest, pleasantest, most charming of teas, as the _elite_ of Marbridge knew; everybody--or, rather, a selection of everybody, had had tea with them one time or another.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading They lunched, though few besides Johnny Gillat, who did not count, had been invited to share that meal with them.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The Polkingtons were of those people who do not dine.

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading After that there was no record; the _elite_, who would as soon have thought of going without their heads as without their dinner, concluded they dined, because they were "one of us."

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading They lunched, though few besides Johnny Gillat, who did not count, had been invited to share that meal with them.

in or at that place or location

From this reading After that there was no record; the _elite_, who would as soon have thought of going without their heads as without their dinner, concluded they dined, because they were "one of us."

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They lunched, though few besides Johnny Gillat, who did not count, had been invited to share that meal with them.

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading The Polkingtons were of those people who do not dine.

in spite of the fact that

From this reading They lunched, though few besides Johnny Gillat, who did not count, had been invited to share that meal with them.

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading After that there was no record; the _elite_, who would as soon have thought of going without their heads as without their dinner, concluded they dined, because they were "one of us."

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading They took tea, the daintiest, pleasantest, most charming of teas, as the _elite_ of Marbridge knew; everybody--or, rather, a selection of everybody, had had tea with them one time or another.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading They lunched, though few besides Johnny Gillat, who did not count, had been invited to share that meal with them.

inflected form of “take” — carry out

From this reading They took tea, the daintiest, pleasantest, most charming of teas, as the _elite_ of Marbridge knew; everybody--or, rather, a selection of everybody, had had tea with them one time or another.

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading After that there was no record; the _elite_, who would as soon have thought of going without their heads as without their dinner, concluded they dined, because they were "one of us."

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading After that there was no record; the _elite_, who would as soon have thought of going without their heads as without their dinner, concluded they dined, because they were "one of us."

any period of seven consecutive days

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading The Polkingtons were of those people who do not dine.

at the time that

From this reading But some humbler folk were of opinion that they only dined once a week, and that after morning service on Sundays; but even this idea was dispelled when the eldest Miss Polkington was heard to excuse her non-appearance at an organ recital because "lunch was always so late on Sunday."

which person or people

From this reading The Polkingtons were of those people who do not dine.

in the company of; together with

From this reading They lunched, though few besides Johnny Gillat, who did not count, had been invited to share that meal with them.

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading After that there was no record; the _elite_, who would as soon have thought of going without their heads as without their dinner, concluded they dined, because they were "one of us."

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading After that there was no record; the _elite_, who would as soon have thought of going without their heads as without their dinner, concluded they dined, because they were "one of us."