used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading When John Brancker had brought his narrative to a close, Hermia sat awhile without speaking.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Whoever my unknown relatives may be," she said, with a little catch in her breath, "they cannot care greatly about me.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then she got up, and flinging her arms round John's neck, she kissed him twice very tenderly; then she crossed to the opposite side of the fireplace and did the same to Aunt Charlotte.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They chose to cast me off when I was a child, and they are evidently determined that I shall never know more about them than I do now.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading Then she got up, and flinging her arms round John's neck, she kissed him twice very tenderly; then she crossed to the opposite side of the fireplace and did the same to Aunt Charlotte.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading Then she got up, and flinging her arms round John's neck, she kissed him twice very tenderly; then she crossed to the opposite side of the fireplace and did the same to Aunt Charlotte.
awhileadverbUS /əˈwaɪl/
for a short time
From this reading When John Brancker had brought his narrative to a close, Hermia sat awhile without speaking.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Whoever my unknown relatives may be," she said, with a little catch in her breath, "they cannot care greatly about me.
Brancker
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When John Brancker had brought his narrative to a close, Hermia sat awhile without speaking.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading "Whoever my unknown relatives may be," she said, with a little catch in her breath, "they cannot care greatly about me.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading When John Brancker had brought his narrative to a close, Hermia sat awhile without speaking.
cannot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Whoever my unknown relatives may be," she said, with a little catch in her breath, "they cannot care greatly about me.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading "Whoever my unknown relatives may be," she said, with a little catch in her breath, "they cannot care greatly about me.
put or send forth
From this reading They chose to cast me off when I was a child, and they are evidently determined that I shall never know more about them than I do now.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading "Whoever my unknown relatives may be," she said, with a little catch in her breath, "they cannot care greatly about me.
CharlottenounUS /ˈʃɑːrlət/
the largest city in North Carolina; located in south central North Carolina
From this reading Then she got up, and flinging her arms round John's neck, she kissed him twice very tenderly; then she crossed to the opposite side of the fireplace and did the same to Aunt Charlotte.
a young person of either sex
From this reading They chose to cast me off when I was a child, and they are evidently determined that I shall never know more about them than I do now.
inflected form of “choose” — pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives
From this reading They chose to cast me off when I was a child, and they are evidently determined that I shall never know more about them than I do now.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading When John Brancker had brought his narrative to a close, Hermia sat awhile without speaking.
placed crosswise
From this reading Then she got up, and flinging her arms round John's neck, she kissed him twice very tenderly; then she crossed to the opposite side of the fireplace and did the same to Aunt Charlotte.
characterized by great determination
From this reading They chose to cast me off when I was a child, and they are evidently determined that I shall never know more about them than I do now.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Then she got up, and flinging her arms round John's neck, she kissed him twice very tenderly; then she crossed to the opposite side of the fireplace and did the same to Aunt Charlotte.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading They chose to cast me off when I was a child, and they are evidently determined that I shall never know more about them than I do now.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading They chose to cast me off when I was a child, and they are evidently determined that I shall never know more about them than I do now.
fireplacenounUS /ˈfaɪərpleɪs/
an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built
From this reading Then she got up, and flinging her arms round John's neck, she kissed him twice very tenderly; then she crossed to the opposite side of the fireplace and did the same to Aunt Charlotte.
flingingverbUS /ˈflɪŋɪŋ/
-ing form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness
From this reading Then she got up, and flinging her arms round John's neck, she kissed him twice very tenderly; then she crossed to the opposite side of the fireplace and did the same to Aunt Charlotte.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Then she got up, and flinging her arms round John's neck, she kissed him twice very tenderly; then she crossed to the opposite side of the fireplace and did the same to Aunt Charlotte.
to an extraordinary extent or degree
From this reading "Whoever my unknown relatives may be," she said, with a little catch in her breath, "they cannot care greatly about me.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When John Brancker had brought his narrative to a close, Hermia sat awhile without speaking.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Then she got up, and flinging her arms round John's neck, she kissed him twice very tenderly; then she crossed to the opposite side of the fireplace and did the same to Aunt Charlotte.
Hermia
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When John Brancker had brought his narrative to a close, Hermia sat awhile without speaking.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Then she got up, and flinging her arms round John's neck, she kissed him twice very tenderly; then she crossed to the opposite side of the fireplace and did the same to Aunt Charlotte.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading When John Brancker had brought his narrative to a close, Hermia sat awhile without speaking.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading They chose to cast me off when I was a child, and they are evidently determined that I shall never know more about them than I do now.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Whoever my unknown relatives may be," she said, with a little catch in her breath, "they cannot care greatly about me.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading When John Brancker had brought his narrative to a close, Hermia sat awhile without speaking.
John'snounUS /dʒɑːnz/
possessive form of “john” — a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading Then she got up, and flinging her arms round John's neck, she kissed him twice very tenderly; then she crossed to the opposite side of the fireplace and did the same to Aunt Charlotte.
past form of “kiss” — touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.
From this reading Then she got up, and flinging her arms round John's neck, she kissed him twice very tenderly; then she crossed to the opposite side of the fireplace and did the same to Aunt Charlotte.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading They chose to cast me off when I was a child, and they are evidently determined that I shall never know more about them than I do now.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Whoever my unknown relatives may be," she said, with a little catch in her breath, "they cannot care greatly about me.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "Whoever my unknown relatives may be," she said, with a little catch in her breath, "they cannot care greatly about me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Whoever my unknown relatives may be," she said, with a little catch in her breath, "they cannot care greatly about me.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading They chose to cast me off when I was a child, and they are evidently determined that I shall never know more about them than I do now.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Whoever my unknown relatives may be," she said, with a little catch in her breath, "they cannot care greatly about me.
narrativenounUS /ˈnærətɪv/
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading When John Brancker had brought his narrative to a close, Hermia sat awhile without speaking.
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading Then she got up, and flinging her arms round John's neck, she kissed him twice very tenderly; then she crossed to the opposite side of the fireplace and did the same to Aunt Charlotte.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading They chose to cast me off when I was a child, and they are evidently determined that I shall never know more about them than I do now.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading They chose to cast me off when I was a child, and they are evidently determined that I shall never know more about them than I do now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then she got up, and flinging her arms round John's neck, she kissed him twice very tenderly; then she crossed to the opposite side of the fireplace and did the same to Aunt Charlotte.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading They chose to cast me off when I was a child, and they are evidently determined that I shall never know more about them than I do now.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading THE OLD STORY.
being directly across from each other; facing
From this reading Then she got up, and flinging her arms round John's neck, she kissed him twice very tenderly; then she crossed to the opposite side of the fireplace and did the same to Aunt Charlotte.
relativesnounUS /ˈrelətɪvz/
plural of “relative” — a person related by blood or marriage
From this reading "Whoever my unknown relatives may be," she said, with a little catch in her breath, "they cannot care greatly about me.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading Then she got up, and flinging her arms round John's neck, she kissed him twice very tenderly; then she crossed to the opposite side of the fireplace and did the same to Aunt Charlotte.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Whoever my unknown relatives may be," she said, with a little catch in her breath, "they cannot care greatly about me.
Identical; not different.
From this reading Then she got up, and flinging her arms round John's neck, she kissed him twice very tenderly; then she crossed to the opposite side of the fireplace and did the same to Aunt Charlotte.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading When John Brancker had brought his narrative to a close, Hermia sat awhile without speaking.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading They chose to cast me off when I was a child, and they are evidently determined that I shall never know more about them than I do now.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then she got up, and flinging her arms round John's neck, she kissed him twice very tenderly; then she crossed to the opposite side of the fireplace and did the same to Aunt Charlotte.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Then she got up, and flinging her arms round John's neck, she kissed him twice very tenderly; then she crossed to the opposite side of the fireplace and did the same to Aunt Charlotte.
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading When John Brancker had brought his narrative to a close, Hermia sat awhile without speaking.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading THE OLD STORY.
tenderlyadverbUS /ˈtendərli/
with tenderness; in a tender manner
From this reading Then she got up, and flinging her arms round John's neck, she kissed him twice very tenderly; then she crossed to the opposite side of the fireplace and did the same to Aunt Charlotte.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading They chose to cast me off when I was a child, and they are evidently determined that I shall never know more about them than I do now.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They chose to cast me off when I was a child, and they are evidently determined that I shall never know more about them than I do now.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE OLD STORY.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading They chose to cast me off when I was a child, and they are evidently determined that I shall never know more about them than I do now.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then she got up, and flinging her arms round John's neck, she kissed him twice very tenderly; then she crossed to the opposite side of the fireplace and did the same to Aunt Charlotte.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Whoever my unknown relatives may be," she said, with a little catch in her breath, "they cannot care greatly about me.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When John Brancker had brought his narrative to a close, Hermia sat awhile without speaking.
two times
From this reading Then she got up, and flinging her arms round John's neck, she kissed him twice very tenderly; then she crossed to the opposite side of the fireplace and did the same to Aunt Charlotte.
not known
From this reading "Whoever my unknown relatives may be," she said, with a little catch in her breath, "they cannot care greatly about me.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Then she got up, and flinging her arms round John's neck, she kissed him twice very tenderly; then she crossed to the opposite side of the fireplace and did the same to Aunt Charlotte.
precisely as stated
From this reading Then she got up, and flinging her arms round John's neck, she kissed him twice very tenderly; then she crossed to the opposite side of the fireplace and did the same to Aunt Charlotte.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading They chose to cast me off when I was a child, and they are evidently determined that I shall never know more about them than I do now.
at the time that
From this reading When John Brancker had brought his narrative to a close, Hermia sat awhile without speaking.
Whoever
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Whoever my unknown relatives may be," she said, with a little catch in her breath, "they cannot care greatly about me.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Whoever my unknown relatives may be," she said, with a little catch in her breath, "they cannot care greatly about me.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading When John Brancker had brought his narrative to a close, Hermia sat awhile without speaking.
