used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was a good one," said Father, in a tone of settled melancholy.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They sat in their tremendously varnished and steam-heated room on the second floor of daughter Lulu's house, and found some occupation in being gloomy.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading For ten days now they had been her guests.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading They sat in their tremendously varnished and steam-heated room on the second floor of daughter Lulu's house, and found some occupation in being gloomy.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Well, it wa'n't much of a cap," said Mother, "but I do know how you feel."
a tight-fitting headdress
From this reading "Doggonit, I liked that cap.
a female human offspring
From this reading They sat in their tremendously varnished and steam-heated room on the second floor of daughter Lulu's house, and found some occupation in being gloomy.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading For ten days now they had been her guests.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Well, it wa'n't much of a cap," said Mother, "but I do know how you feel."
Doggonit
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Doggonit, I liked that cap.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading It was a good one," said Father, in a tone of settled melancholy.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading "Well, it wa'n't much of a cap," said Mother, "but I do know how you feel."
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading They sat in their tremendously varnished and steam-heated room on the second floor of daughter Lulu's house, and found some occupation in being gloomy.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For ten days now they had been her guests.
set up or found
From this reading They sat in their tremendously varnished and steam-heated room on the second floor of daughter Lulu's house, and found some occupation in being gloomy.
depressingly dark
From this reading They sat in their tremendously varnished and steam-heated room on the second floor of daughter Lulu's house, and found some occupation in being gloomy.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading It was a good one," said Father, in a tone of settled melancholy.
plural of “guest” — a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading For ten days now they had been her guests.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For ten days now they had been her guests.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading For ten days now they had been her guests.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading They sat in their tremendously varnished and steam-heated room on the second floor of daughter Lulu's house, and found some occupation in being gloomy.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, it wa'n't much of a cap," said Mother, "but I do know how you feel."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Doggonit, I liked that cap.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was a good one," said Father, in a tone of settled melancholy.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a good one," said Father, in a tone of settled melancholy.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Well, it wa'n't much of a cap," said Mother, "but I do know how you feel."
found pleasant or attractive; often used as a combining form
From this reading "Doggonit, I liked that cap.
Lulu's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They sat in their tremendously varnished and steam-heated room on the second floor of daughter Lulu's house, and found some occupation in being gloomy.
a feeling of thoughtful sadness
From this reading It was a good one," said Father, in a tone of settled melancholy.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "Well, it wa'n't much of a cap," said Mother, "but I do know how you feel."
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "Well, it wa'n't much of a cap," said Mother, "but I do know how you feel."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading For ten days now they had been her guests.
occupationnounUS /ˌɑːkjəˈpeɪʃən/
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading They sat in their tremendously varnished and steam-heated room on the second floor of daughter Lulu's house, and found some occupation in being gloomy.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was a good one," said Father, in a tone of settled melancholy.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They sat in their tremendously varnished and steam-heated room on the second floor of daughter Lulu's house, and found some occupation in being gloomy.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It was a good one," said Father, in a tone of settled melancholy.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading They sat in their tremendously varnished and steam-heated room on the second floor of daughter Lulu's house, and found some occupation in being gloomy.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading It was a good one," said Father, in a tone of settled melancholy.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading They sat in their tremendously varnished and steam-heated room on the second floor of daughter Lulu's house, and found some occupation in being gloomy.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading They sat in their tremendously varnished and steam-heated room on the second floor of daughter Lulu's house, and found some occupation in being gloomy.
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading It was a good one," said Father, in a tone of settled melancholy.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading They sat in their tremendously varnished and steam-heated room on the second floor of daughter Lulu's house, and found some occupation in being gloomy.
steam-heated
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They sat in their tremendously varnished and steam-heated room on the second floor of daughter Lulu's house, and found some occupation in being gloomy.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading For ten days now they had been her guests.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Doggonit, I liked that cap.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They sat in their tremendously varnished and steam-heated room on the second floor of daughter Lulu's house, and found some occupation in being gloomy.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They sat in their tremendously varnished and steam-heated room on the second floor of daughter Lulu's house, and found some occupation in being gloomy.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They sat in their tremendously varnished and steam-heated room on the second floor of daughter Lulu's house, and found some occupation in being gloomy.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading It was a good one," said Father, in a tone of settled melancholy.
tremendouslyadverbUS /trəˈmendəsli/
extremely
From this reading They sat in their tremendously varnished and steam-heated room on the second floor of daughter Lulu's house, and found some occupation in being gloomy.
varnishedadjectiveUS /ˈvɑːrnɪʃt/
having a coating of stain or varnish
From this reading They sat in their tremendously varnished and steam-heated room on the second floor of daughter Lulu's house, and found some occupation in being gloomy.
wa'n't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, it wa'n't much of a cap," said Mother, "but I do know how you feel."
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a good one," said Father, in a tone of settled melancholy.
(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 "Well, it wa'n't much of a cap," said Mother, "but I do know how you feel."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, it wa'n't much of a cap," said Mother, "but I do know how you feel."
