Chapter VI

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

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading "He must be a man of about father's age," I reflected, "or even a little older, if he is a contemporary of Mr Grey's."

how long something has existed

From this reading "He must be a man of about father's age," I reflected, "or even a little older, if he is a contemporary of Mr Grey's."

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

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading "Ernest Fitzmaurice"--who could he be?

past form of “belong” — be owned by; be in the possession of

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

characteristic of a clan especially in being unified

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

completely ordinary and unremarkable

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

large or relatively large in number or amount or extent or degree

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

characteristic of the present

From this reading "He must be a man of about father's age," I reflected, "or even a little older, if he is a contemporary of Mr Grey's."

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

From this reading "Ernest Fitzmaurice"--who could he be?

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

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

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

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

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

(physics) a thermodynamic quantity equivalent to the capacity of a physical system to do work; the units of energy are joules or ergs

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

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

From this reading "Ernest Fitzmaurice"--who could he be?

divisible by two

From this reading "He must be a man of about father's age," I reflected, "or even a little older, if he is a contemporary of Mr Grey's."

a social unit living together

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading "He must be a man of about father's age," I reflected, "or even a little older, if he is a contemporary of Mr Grey's."

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading I had never heard of him, I felt sure.

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

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

From this reading "Ernest Fitzmaurice"--who could he be?

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

possessive form of “grey” — United States writer of western adventure novels (1875-1939)

From this reading "He must be a man of about father's age," I reflected, "or even a little older, if he is a contemporary of Mr Grey's."

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

From this reading The mention of our own surname had naturally impressed them much more vividly on me.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "Ernest Fitzmaurice"--who could he be?

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading I had never heard of him, I felt sure.

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading I had never heard of him, I felt sure.

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I had never heard of him, I felt sure.

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

deeply or markedly affected or influenced

From this reading The mention of our own surname had naturally impressed them much more vividly on me.

people of Ireland or of Irish extraction

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

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

From this reading "He must be a man of about father's age," I reflected, "or even a little older, if he is a contemporary of Mr Grey's."

(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

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 Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

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

From this reading "He must be a man of about father's age," I reflected, "or even a little older, if he is a contemporary of Mr Grey's."

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading "He must be a man of about father's age," I reflected, "or even a little older, if he is a contemporary of Mr Grey's."

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading The mention of our own surname had naturally impressed them much more vividly on me.

make reference to

From this reading The mention of our own surname had naturally impressed them much more vividly on me.

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading The mention of our own surname had naturally impressed them much more vividly on me.

a form of address for a man

From this reading "He must be a man of about father's age," I reflected, "or even a little older, if he is a contemporary of Mr Grey's."

to a great degree or extent

From this reading The mention of our own surname had naturally impressed them much more vividly on me.

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading "He must be a man of about father's age," I reflected, "or even a little older, if he is a contemporary of Mr Grey's."

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

as might be expected

From this reading The mention of our own surname had naturally impressed them much more vividly on me.

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading I had never heard of him, I felt sure.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The mention of our own surname had naturally impressed them much more vividly on me.

advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)

From this reading "He must be a man of about father's age," I reflected, "or even a little older, if he is a contemporary of Mr Grey's."

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The mention of our own surname had naturally impressed them much more vividly on me.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading "He must be a man of about father's age," I reflected, "or even a little older, if he is a contemporary of Mr Grey's."

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading The mention of our own surname had naturally impressed them much more vividly on me.

have ownership or possession of

From this reading The mention of our own surname had naturally impressed them much more vividly on me.

by chance

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

(especially of incident sound or light) bent or sent back

From this reading "He must be a man of about father's age," I reflected, "or even a little older, if he is a contemporary of Mr Grey's."

a person related by blood or marriage

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

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

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured

From this reading I had never heard of him, I felt sure.

the name used to identify the members of a family (as distinguished from each member's given name)

From this reading The mention of our own surname had naturally impressed them much more vividly on me.

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

From this reading The mention of our own surname had naturally impressed them much more vividly on me.

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading The mention of our own surname had naturally impressed them much more vividly on me.

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

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

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

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

precisely as stated

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

in a vivid manner

From this reading The mention of our own surname had naturally impressed them much more vividly on me.

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

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

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

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

which person or people

From this reading "Ernest Fitzmaurice"--who could he be?

belonging to which person

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

in the company of; together with

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.

but in spite of that

From this reading Yet our name was not a commonplace one, and the great Irish family to which we belonged were very clannish, and kept up their knowledge of each other with considerable energy; my father did so, I well knew; some day perhaps I might ask him if he knew of any relative whose first name was Ernest.