used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A DISCOVERY.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading It was some days before Gladys could summon courage to write to Walter about his sister.
the quality of having a superior or more favorable position
From this reading Had she known the consequences of that delay she would have been profoundly unhappy; it gave Liz the chance, which she took advantage of, to get clear away from the city.
(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 He was, indeed, utterly sick at heart; all incentive to push on seemed to be taken from him, and the daily round was gone through mechanically, simply because it waited his attention on every hand.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was, indeed, utterly sick at heart; all incentive to push on seemed to be taken from him, and the daily round was gone through mechanically, simply because it waited his attention on every hand.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Through these bright days of the early summer Walter kept plodding on at his business, but life had lost its charm.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading He was, indeed, utterly sick at heart; all incentive to push on seemed to be taken from him, and the daily round was gone through mechanically, simply because it waited his attention on every hand.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Had she known the consequences of that delay she would have been profoundly unhappy; it gave Liz the chance, which she took advantage of, to get clear away from the city.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He was, indeed, utterly sick at heart; all incentive to push on seemed to be taken from him, and the daily round was gone through mechanically, simply because it waited his attention on every hand.
for the reason that
From this reading He was, indeed, utterly sick at heart; all incentive to push on seemed to be taken from him, and the daily round was gone through mechanically, simply because it waited his attention on every hand.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Had she known the consequences of that delay she would have been profoundly unhappy; it gave Liz the chance, which she took advantage of, to get clear away from the city.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It was some days before Gladys could summon courage to write to Walter about his sister.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading Through these bright days of the early summer Walter kept plodding on at his business, but life had lost its charm.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading Through these bright days of the early summer Walter kept plodding on at his business, but life had lost its charm.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Through these bright days of the early summer Walter kept plodding on at his business, but life had lost its charm.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading Had she known the consequences of that delay she would have been profoundly unhappy; it gave Liz the chance, which she took advantage of, to get clear away from the city.
attractiveness that interests or pleases or stimulates
From this reading Through these bright days of the early summer Walter kept plodding on at his business, but life had lost its charm.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading Had she known the consequences of that delay she would have been profoundly unhappy; it gave Liz the chance, which she took advantage of, to get clear away from the city.
rid of obstructions
From this reading Had she known the consequences of that delay she would have been profoundly unhappy; it gave Liz the chance, which she took advantage of, to get clear away from the city.
consequencesnounUS /ˈkɑːnsəkwensəz/
plural of “consequence” — a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading Had she known the consequences of that delay she would have been profoundly unhappy; it gave Liz the chance, which she took advantage of, to get clear away from the city.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It was some days before Gladys could summon courage to write to Walter about his sister.
a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear
From this reading It was some days before Gladys could summon courage to write to Walter about his sister.
every day; without missing a day
From this reading He was, indeed, utterly sick at heart; all incentive to push on seemed to be taken from him, and the daily round was gone through mechanically, simply because it waited his attention on every hand.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading It was some days before Gladys could summon courage to write to Walter about his sister.
cause to be slowed down or delayed
From this reading Had she known the consequences of that delay she would have been profoundly unhappy; it gave Liz the chance, which she took advantage of, to get clear away from the city.
the act of discovering something
From this reading A DISCOVERY.
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading Through these bright days of the early summer Walter kept plodding on at his business, but life had lost its charm.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading He was, indeed, utterly sick at heart; all incentive to push on seemed to be taken from him, and the daily round was gone through mechanically, simply because it waited his attention on every hand.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Had she known the consequences of that delay she would have been profoundly unhappy; it gave Liz the chance, which she took advantage of, to get clear away from the city.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Had she known the consequences of that delay she would have been profoundly unhappy; it gave Liz the chance, which she took advantage of, to get clear away from the city.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Had she known the consequences of that delay she would have been profoundly unhappy; it gave Liz the chance, which she took advantage of, to get clear away from the city.
Gladys
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was some days before Gladys could summon courage to write to Walter about his sister.
destroyed or killed
From this reading He was, indeed, utterly sick at heart; all incentive to push on seemed to be taken from him, and the daily round was gone through mechanically, simply because it waited his attention on every hand.
Hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Had she known the consequences of that delay she would have been profoundly unhappy; it gave Liz the chance, which she took advantage of, to get clear away from the city.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He was, indeed, utterly sick at heart; all incentive to push on seemed to be taken from him, and the daily round was gone through mechanically, simply because it waited his attention on every hand.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Had she known the consequences of that delay she would have been profoundly unhappy; it gave Liz the chance, which she took advantage of, to get clear away from the city.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was, indeed, utterly sick at heart; all incentive to push on seemed to be taken from him, and the daily round was gone through mechanically, simply because it waited his attention on every hand.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading He was, indeed, utterly sick at heart; all incentive to push on seemed to be taken from him, and the daily round was gone through mechanically, simply because it waited his attention on every hand.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He was, indeed, utterly sick at heart; all incentive to push on seemed to be taken from him, and the daily round was gone through mechanically, simply because it waited his attention on every hand.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It was some days before Gladys could summon courage to write to Walter about his sister.
incentivenounUS /ˌɪnˈsentɪv/
a positive motivational influence
From this reading He was, indeed, utterly sick at heart; all incentive to push on seemed to be taken from him, and the daily round was gone through mechanically, simply because it waited his attention on every hand.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading He was, indeed, utterly sick at heart; all incentive to push on seemed to be taken from him, and the daily round was gone through mechanically, simply because it waited his attention on every hand.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was some days before Gladys could summon courage to write to Walter about his sister.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Through these bright days of the early summer Walter kept plodding on at his business, but life had lost its charm.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading Through these bright days of the early summer Walter kept plodding on at his business, but life had lost its charm.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading Had she known the consequences of that delay she would have been profoundly unhappy; it gave Liz the chance, which she took advantage of, to get clear away from the city.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Through these bright days of the early summer Walter kept plodding on at his business, but life had lost its charm.
Liz
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Had she known the consequences of that delay she would have been profoundly unhappy; it gave Liz the chance, which she took advantage of, to get clear away from the city.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading Through these bright days of the early summer Walter kept plodding on at his business, but life had lost its charm.
mechanicallyadverbUS /məˈkænɪkli/
in a mechanical manner; by a mechanism
From this reading He was, indeed, utterly sick at heart; all incentive to push on seemed to be taken from him, and the daily round was gone through mechanically, simply because it waited his attention on every hand.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Had she known the consequences of that delay she would have been profoundly unhappy; it gave Liz the chance, which she took advantage of, to get clear away from the city.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Through these bright days of the early summer Walter kept plodding on at his business, but life had lost its charm.
ploddingnounUS /ˈplɑːdɪŋ/
hard monotonous routine work
From this reading Through these bright days of the early summer Walter kept plodding on at his business, but life had lost its charm.
profoundlyadverbUS /proʊˈfaʊndli/
to a great depth psychologically or emotionally
From this reading Had she known the consequences of that delay she would have been profoundly unhappy; it gave Liz the chance, which she took advantage of, to get clear away from the city.
pushverbUS /pʊʃ/
move with force
From this reading He was, indeed, utterly sick at heart; all incentive to push on seemed to be taken from him, and the daily round was gone through mechanically, simply because it waited his attention on every hand.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading He was, indeed, utterly sick at heart; all incentive to push on seemed to be taken from him, and the daily round was gone through mechanically, simply because it waited his attention on every hand.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He was, indeed, utterly sick at heart; all incentive to push on seemed to be taken from him, and the daily round was gone through mechanically, simply because it waited his attention on every hand.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Had she known the consequences of that delay she would have been profoundly unhappy; it gave Liz the chance, which she took advantage of, to get clear away from the city.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading He was, indeed, utterly sick at heart; all incentive to push on seemed to be taken from him, and the daily round was gone through mechanically, simply because it waited his attention on every hand.
and nothing more
From this reading He was, indeed, utterly sick at heart; all incentive to push on seemed to be taken from him, and the daily round was gone through mechanically, simply because it waited his attention on every hand.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading It was some days before Gladys could summon courage to write to Walter about his sister.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It was some days before Gladys could summon courage to write to Walter about his sister.
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading Through these bright days of the early summer Walter kept plodding on at his business, but life had lost its charm.
summonverbUS /ˈsʌmən/
call in an official matter, such as to attend court
From this reading It was some days before Gladys could summon courage to write to Walter about his sister.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading He was, indeed, utterly sick at heart; all incentive to push on seemed to be taken from him, and the daily round was gone through mechanically, simply because it waited his attention on every hand.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Had she known the consequences of that delay she would have been profoundly unhappy; it gave Liz the chance, which she took advantage of, to get clear away from the city.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Had she known the consequences of that delay she would have been profoundly unhappy; it gave Liz the chance, which she took advantage of, to get clear away from the city.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Through these bright days of the early summer Walter kept plodding on at his business, but life had lost its charm.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Through these bright days of the early summer Walter kept plodding on at his business, but life had lost its charm.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was some days before Gladys could summon courage to write to Walter about his sister.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Had she known the consequences of that delay she would have been profoundly unhappy; it gave Liz the chance, which she took advantage of, to get clear away from the city.
experiencing or marked by or causing sadness or sorrow or discontent
From this reading Had she known the consequences of that delay she would have been profoundly unhappy; it gave Liz the chance, which she took advantage of, to get clear away from the city.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading He was, indeed, utterly sick at heart; all incentive to push on seemed to be taken from him, and the daily round was gone through mechanically, simply because it waited his attention on every hand.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading He was, indeed, utterly sick at heart; all incentive to push on seemed to be taken from him, and the daily round was gone through mechanically, simply because it waited his attention on every hand.
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading It was some days before Gladys could summon courage to write to Walter about his sister.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was some days before Gladys could summon courage to write to Walter about his sister.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Had she known the consequences of that delay she would have been profoundly unhappy; it gave Liz the chance, which she took advantage of, to get clear away from the city.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Had she known the consequences of that delay she would have been profoundly unhappy; it gave Liz the chance, which she took advantage of, to get clear away from the city.
produce a literary work
From this reading It was some days before Gladys could summon courage to write to Walter about his sister.
