used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading In the dark arch of the church porch a certain anticipatory liveliness is noted.
allegiancenounUS /əˈliːdʒəns/
the act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action
From this reading The boys at the porch have been tumbling over pews and mixing up the bride's guests with those who owe allegiance to the bridegroom.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The boys at the porch have been tumbling over pews and mixing up the bride's guests with those who owe allegiance to the bridegroom.
anticipatoryadjectiveUS /ænˈtɪsəpətɔːri/
in anticipation
From this reading In the dark arch of the church porch a certain anticipatory liveliness is noted.
archnounUS /ɑːrtʃ/
a curved shape in the vertical plane that spans an opening
From this reading In the dark arch of the church porch a certain anticipatory liveliness is noted.
the verbal act of requesting
From this reading Pink young men in morning clothes, white gardenias in their buttonholes, fuss helplessly, asking each other whispered questions, pointing, hesitating, muddling.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The boys at the porch have been tumbling over pews and mixing up the bride's guests with those who owe allegiance to the bridegroom.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading Marriage is a bad day for young brothers.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The boys at the porch have been tumbling over pews and mixing up the bride's guests with those who owe allegiance to the bridegroom.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading The boys at the porch have been tumbling over pews and mixing up the bride's guests with those who owe allegiance to the bridegroom.
bride'snounUS /braɪdz/
possessive form of “bride” — a woman who has recently been married
From this reading The boys at the porch have been tumbling over pews and mixing up the bride's guests with those who owe allegiance to the bridegroom.
bridegroomnounUS /ˈbraɪdɡruːm/
a man who has recently been married
From this reading The boys at the porch have been tumbling over pews and mixing up the bride's guests with those who owe allegiance to the bridegroom.
plural of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading Marriage is a bad day for young brothers.
buttonholesnounUS /ˈbʌtənhoʊlz/
plural of “buttonhole” — a hole through which buttons are pushed
From this reading Pink young men in morning clothes, white gardenias in their buttonholes, fuss helplessly, asking each other whispered questions, pointing, hesitating, muddling.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading In the dark arch of the church porch a certain anticipatory liveliness is noted.
one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading In the dark arch of the church porch a certain anticipatory liveliness is noted.
clothing in general
From this reading Pink young men in morning clothes, white gardenias in their buttonholes, fuss helplessly, asking each other whispered questions, pointing, hesitating, muddling.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading In the dark arch of the church porch a certain anticipatory liveliness is noted.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Marriage is a bad day for young brothers.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Pink young men in morning clothes, white gardenias in their buttonholes, fuss helplessly, asking each other whispered questions, pointing, hesitating, muddling.
experiencing or showing fear
From this reading It has been a fearful sweat for them.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Marriage is a bad day for young brothers.
fussverbUS /fʌs/
worry unnecessarily or excessively
From this reading Pink young men in morning clothes, white gardenias in their buttonholes, fuss helplessly, asking each other whispered questions, pointing, hesitating, muddling.
gardeniasnounUS /ɡɑːrˈdiːnjəz/
plural of “gardenia” — any of various shrubs and small trees of the genus Gardenia having large fragrant white or yellow flowers
From this reading Pink young men in morning clothes, white gardenias in their buttonholes, fuss helplessly, asking each other whispered questions, pointing, hesitating, muddling.
plural of “guest” — a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading The boys at the porch have been tumbling over pews and mixing up the bride's guests with those who owe allegiance to the bridegroom.
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It has been a fearful sweat for them.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The boys at the porch have been tumbling over pews and mixing up the bride's guests with those who owe allegiance to the bridegroom.
helplesslyadverbUS /ˈhelpləsli/
in a helpless manner
From this reading Pink young men in morning clothes, white gardenias in their buttonholes, fuss helplessly, asking each other whispered questions, pointing, hesitating, muddling.
hesitatingadjectiveUS /ˈhezəteɪtɪŋ/
lacking decisiveness of character; unable to act or decide quickly or firmly
From this reading Pink young men in morning clothes, white gardenias in their buttonholes, fuss helplessly, asking each other whispered questions, pointing, hesitating, muddling.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the dark arch of the church porch a certain anticipatory liveliness is noted.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In the dark arch of the church porch a certain anticipatory liveliness is noted.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It has been a fearful sweat for them.
livelinessnounUS /ˈlaɪvlinəs/
general activity and motion
From this reading In the dark arch of the church porch a certain anticipatory liveliness is noted.
the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
From this reading Marriage is a bad day for young brothers.
the force of workers available
From this reading Pink young men in morning clothes, white gardenias in their buttonholes, fuss helplessly, asking each other whispered questions, pointing, hesitating, muddling.
mixingnounUS /ˈmɪksɪŋ/
the act of mixing together
From this reading The boys at the porch have been tumbling over pews and mixing up the bride's guests with those who owe allegiance to the bridegroom.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Pink young men in morning clothes, white gardenias in their buttonholes, fuss helplessly, asking each other whispered questions, pointing, hesitating, muddling.
muddlingverbUS /ˈmʌdəlɪŋ/
-ing form of “muddle” — make into a puddle
From this reading Pink young men in morning clothes, white gardenias in their buttonholes, fuss helplessly, asking each other whispered questions, pointing, hesitating, muddling.
notedadjectiveUS /ˈnoʊtəd/
widely known and esteemed
From this reading In the dark arch of the church porch a certain anticipatory liveliness is noted.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In the dark arch of the church porch a certain anticipatory liveliness is noted.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Pink young men in morning clothes, white gardenias in their buttonholes, fuss helplessly, asking each other whispered questions, pointing, hesitating, muddling.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The boys at the porch have been tumbling over pews and mixing up the bride's guests with those who owe allegiance to the bridegroom.
be obliged to pay or repay
From this reading The boys at the porch have been tumbling over pews and mixing up the bride's guests with those who owe allegiance to the bridegroom.
pewsnounUS /pjuːz/
plural of “pew” — long bench with backs; used in church by the congregation
From this reading The boys at the porch have been tumbling over pews and mixing up the bride's guests with those who owe allegiance to the bridegroom.
a light shade of red
From this reading Pink young men in morning clothes, white gardenias in their buttonholes, fuss helplessly, asking each other whispered questions, pointing, hesitating, muddling.
-ing form of “point” — indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively
From this reading Pink young men in morning clothes, white gardenias in their buttonholes, fuss helplessly, asking each other whispered questions, pointing, hesitating, muddling.
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading In the dark arch of the church porch a certain anticipatory liveliness is noted.
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading Pink young men in morning clothes, white gardenias in their buttonholes, fuss helplessly, asking each other whispered questions, pointing, hesitating, muddling.
sweatnounUS /swet/
salty fluid secreted by sweat glands
From this reading It has been a fearful sweat for them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In the dark arch of the church porch a certain anticipatory liveliness is noted.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Pink young men in morning clothes, white gardenias in their buttonholes, fuss helplessly, asking each other whispered questions, pointing, hesitating, muddling.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading It has been a fearful sweat for them.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading The boys at the porch have been tumbling over pews and mixing up the bride's guests with those who owe allegiance to the bridegroom.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The boys at the porch have been tumbling over pews and mixing up the bride's guests with those who owe allegiance to the bridegroom.
tumblingnounUS /ˈtʌmbəlɪŋ/
the gymnastic moves of an acrobat
From this reading The boys at the porch have been tumbling over pews and mixing up the bride's guests with those who owe allegiance to the bridegroom.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The boys at the porch have been tumbling over pews and mixing up the bride's guests with those who owe allegiance to the bridegroom.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading Pink young men in morning clothes, white gardenias in their buttonholes, fuss helplessly, asking each other whispered questions, pointing, hesitating, muddling.
a Caucasian
From this reading Pink young men in morning clothes, white gardenias in their buttonholes, fuss helplessly, asking each other whispered questions, pointing, hesitating, muddling.
which person or people
From this reading The boys at the porch have been tumbling over pews and mixing up the bride's guests with those who owe allegiance to the bridegroom.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The boys at the porch have been tumbling over pews and mixing up the bride's guests with those who owe allegiance to the bridegroom.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Pink young men in morning clothes, white gardenias in their buttonholes, fuss helplessly, asking each other whispered questions, pointing, hesitating, muddling.
