Chapter IV

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

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

in the past

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading Now, though the Little Tree was straight as an arrow and had glossy green leaves, she was the most unhappy little tree in all the world.

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

From this reading Now, though the Little Tree was straight as an arrow and had glossy green leaves, she was the most unhappy little tree in all the world.

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

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

react verbally

From this reading When she did not answer, they thought the Little Tree stupid and sulky.

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

a mark to indicate a direction or relation

From this reading Now, though the Little Tree was straight as an arrow and had glossy green leaves, she was the most unhappy little tree in all the world.

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

From this reading Now, though the Little Tree was straight as an arrow and had glossy green leaves, she was the most unhappy little tree in all the world.

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading These other trees often spoke to the Little Tree and asked her questions.

inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

plural of “breeze” — a slight wind (usually refreshing)

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading She could not sing with the winds, and neither could she speak to the other trees around her.

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

From this reading When she did not answer, they thought the Little Tree stupid and sulky.

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

based on pretense; deceptively pleasing

From this reading Now, though the Little Tree was straight as an arrow and had glossy green leaves, she was the most unhappy little tree in all the world.

plural of “grass” — narrow-leaved green herbage: grown as lawns; used as pasture for grazing animals; cut and dried as hay

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass

From this reading Now, though the Little Tree was straight as an arrow and had glossy green leaves, she was the most unhappy little tree in all the world.

inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

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

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

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

From this reading She could not sing with the winds, and neither could she speak to the other trees around her.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants

From this reading Now, though the Little Tree was straight as an arrow and had glossy green leaves, she was the most unhappy little tree in all the world.

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

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 THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

the location of something surrounded by other things

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

used to form the superlative

From this reading Now, though the Little Tree was straight as an arrow and had glossy green leaves, she was the most unhappy little tree in all the world.

not one and not the other of two

From this reading She could not sing with the winds, and neither could she speak to the other trees around her.

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading She could not sing with the winds, and neither could she speak to the other trees around her.

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading Now, though the Little Tree was straight as an arrow and had glossy green leaves, she was the most unhappy little tree in all the world.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

many times at short intervals

From this reading These other trees often spoke to the Little Tree and asked her questions.

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

plural of “question” — an instance of questioning

From this reading These other trees often spoke to the Little Tree and asked her questions.

North American woodland herb similar to and used as substitute for the Chinese ginseng

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Now, though the Little Tree was straight as an arrow and had glossy green leaves, she was the most unhappy little tree in all the world.

deliver by singing

From this reading She could not sing with the winds, and neither could she speak to the other trees around her.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

with low volume

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

express in speech

From this reading She could not sing with the winds, and neither could she speak to the other trees around her.

support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim

From this reading These other trees often spoke to the Little Tree and asked her questions.

successive (without a break)

From this reading Now, though the Little Tree was straight as an arrow and had glossy green leaves, she was the most unhappy little tree in all the world.

lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity

From this reading When she did not answer, they thought the Little Tree stupid and sulky.

sullen or moody

From this reading When she did not answer, they thought the Little Tree stupid and sulky.

past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

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

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

in or at that place or location

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading These other trees often spoke to the Little Tree and asked her questions.

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

From this reading When she did not answer, they thought the Little Tree stupid and sulky.

in spite of the fact that

From this reading Now, though the Little Tree was straight as an arrow and had glossy green leaves, she was the most unhappy little tree in all the world.

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

From this reading When she did not answer, they thought the Little Tree stupid and sulky.

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

From this reading She could not sing with the winds, and neither could she speak to the other trees around her.

a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

experiencing or marked by or causing sadness or sorrow or discontent

From this reading Now, though the Little Tree was straight as an arrow and had glossy green leaves, she was the most unhappy little tree in all the world.

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

precisely as stated

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

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

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

at the time that

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

plural of “wind” — air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure

From this reading She could not sing with the winds, and neither could she speak to the other trees around her.

in the company of; together with

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading THE LITTLE TREE THAT NEVER GREW UP Long, long ago, when the world was very young, so young that the flowers and trees and grasses had voices and talked with each other, or sang with the breezes that blew softly around them, there lived in the midst of a forest a very little tree.