used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A shade of bitterness crept into her voice, a quality of hardness aroused by a man who no longer existed save in the gray portrait behind her.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “If it had been Irene,” she continued and then, checking herself, “but what am I thinking of?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “If it had been Irene,” she continued and then, checking herself, “but what am I thinking of?
arousedadjectiveUS /ərˈaʊzd/
aroused to action
From this reading A shade of bitterness crept into her voice, a quality of hardness aroused by a man who no longer existed save in the gray portrait behind her.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “If it had been Irene,” she continued and then, checking herself, “but what am I thinking of?
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading A shade of bitterness crept into her voice, a quality of hardness aroused by a man who no longer existed save in the gray portrait behind her.
bitternessnounUS /ˈbɪtərnəs/
a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will
From this reading A shade of bitterness crept into her voice, a quality of hardness aroused by a man who no longer existed save in the gray portrait behind her.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “If it had been Irene,” she continued and then, checking herself, “but what am I thinking of?
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A shade of bitterness crept into her voice, a quality of hardness aroused by a man who no longer existed save in the gray portrait behind her.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “You see,” said the mother, “I can do nothing.
checkingverbUS /ˈtʃekɪŋ/
-ing form of “check” — examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition
From this reading “If it had been Irene,” she continued and then, checking herself, “but what am I thinking of?
without stop or interruption
From this reading “If it had been Irene,” she continued and then, checking herself, “but what am I thinking of?
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It could never have been Irene.”
inflected form of “creep” — move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground
From this reading A shade of bitterness crept into her voice, a quality of hardness aroused by a man who no longer existed save in the gray portrait behind her.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “You see,” said the mother, “I can do nothing.
existedverbUS /ɪɡˈzɪstəd/
past form of “exist” — have an existence, be extant
From this reading A shade of bitterness crept into her voice, a quality of hardness aroused by a man who no longer existed save in the gray portrait behind her.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading There is too much of her father in her.”
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading A shade of bitterness crept into her voice, a quality of hardness aroused by a man who no longer existed save in the gray portrait behind her.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “If it had been Irene,” she continued and then, checking herself, “but what am I thinking of?
hardnessnounUS /ˈhɑːrdnəs/
the property of being rigid and resistant to pressure; not easily scratched; measured on Mohs scale
From this reading A shade of bitterness crept into her voice, a quality of hardness aroused by a man who no longer existed save in the gray portrait behind her.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It could never have been Irene.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading There is too much of her father in her.”
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading “If it had been Irene,” she continued and then, checking herself, “but what am I thinking of?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “You see,” said the mother, “I can do nothing.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If it had been Irene,” she continued and then, checking herself, “but what am I thinking of?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There is too much of her father in her.”
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading A shade of bitterness crept into her voice, a quality of hardness aroused by a man who no longer existed save in the gray portrait behind her.
Irene
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If it had been Irene,” she continued and then, checking herself, “but what am I thinking of?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There is too much of her father in her.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “If it had been Irene,” she continued and then, checking herself, “but what am I thinking of?
for more time
From this reading A shade of bitterness crept into her voice, a quality of hardness aroused by a man who no longer existed save in the gray portrait behind her.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading A shade of bitterness crept into her voice, a quality of hardness aroused by a man who no longer existed save in the gray portrait behind her.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “You see,” said the mother, “I can do nothing.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading There is too much of her father in her.”
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading It could never have been Irene.”
not any; not one
From this reading A shade of bitterness crept into her voice, a quality of hardness aroused by a man who no longer existed save in the gray portrait behind her.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “You see,” said the mother, “I can do nothing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There is too much of her father in her.”
a word picture of a person's appearance and character
From this reading A shade of bitterness crept into her voice, a quality of hardness aroused by a man who no longer existed save in the gray portrait behind her.
an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone
From this reading A shade of bitterness crept into her voice, a quality of hardness aroused by a man who no longer existed save in the gray portrait behind her.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “You see,” said the mother, “I can do nothing.
except for; apart from
From this reading A shade of bitterness crept into her voice, a quality of hardness aroused by a man who no longer existed save in the gray portrait behind her.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “You see,” said the mother, “I can do nothing.
relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body
From this reading A shade of bitterness crept into her voice, a quality of hardness aroused by a man who no longer existed save in the gray portrait behind her.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “If it had been Irene,” she continued and then, checking herself, “but what am I thinking of?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “You see,” said the mother, “I can do nothing.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “If it had been Irene,” she continued and then, checking herself, “but what am I thinking of?
in or at that place or location
From this reading There is too much of her father in her.”
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading “If it had been Irene,” she continued and then, checking herself, “but what am I thinking of?
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading There is too much of her father in her.”
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading A shade of bitterness crept into her voice, a quality of hardness aroused by a man who no longer existed save in the gray portrait behind her.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “If it had been Irene,” she continued and then, checking herself, “but what am I thinking of?
which person or people
From this reading A shade of bitterness crept into her voice, a quality of hardness aroused by a man who no longer existed save in the gray portrait behind her.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You see,” said the mother, “I can do nothing.
