used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He chased them a little, and they fluttered and scrambled awkwardly away from him.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Away back in the time of his puppyhood Betsy had laughed when he had chased an old hen.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He chased them a little, and they fluttered and scrambled awkwardly away from him.
any thing at all
From this reading VAN IN DISGRACE Van never forgot anything that he wanted to remember.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Away back in the time of his puppyhood Betsy had laughed when he had chased an old hen.
awkwardlyadverbUS /ˈɔːkwərdli/
in an awkward manner
From this reading He chased them a little, and they fluttered and scrambled awkwardly away from him.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Away back in the time of his puppyhood Betsy had laughed when he had chased an old hen.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Now anything that runs is to be chased.
Betsy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Away back in the time of his puppyhood Betsy had laughed when he had chased an old hen.
catsnounUS /kæts/
plural of “cat” — feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading When the cats were pretty well thinned out, he, in his solitary excursions, chanced on some half-grown chickens.
chancedverbUS /tʃænst/
past form of “chance” — be the case by chance
From this reading When the cats were pretty well thinned out, he, in his solitary excursions, chanced on some half-grown chickens.
chasednounUS /tʃeɪst/
a person who is being chased
From this reading Away back in the time of his puppyhood Betsy had laughed when he had chased an old hen.
chickensnounUS /ˈtʃɪkənz/
plural of “chicken” — the flesh of a chicken used for food
From this reading When the cats were pretty well thinned out, he, in his solitary excursions, chanced on some half-grown chickens.
DISGRACEverbUS /dɪsˈɡreɪs/
bring shame or dishonor upon
From this reading VAN IN DISGRACE Van never forgot anything that he wanted to remember.
excursionsnounUS /ɪkˈskɜːrʒənz/
plural of “excursion” — a journey taken for pleasure
From this reading When the cats were pretty well thinned out, he, in his solitary excursions, chanced on some half-grown chickens.
flutteredverbUS /ˈflʌtərd/
past form of “flutter” — move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading He chased them a little, and they fluttered and scrambled awkwardly away from him.
inflected form of “forget” — dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading VAN IN DISGRACE Van never forgot anything that he wanted to remember.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He chased them a little, and they fluttered and scrambled awkwardly away from him.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Away back in the time of his puppyhood Betsy had laughed when he had chased an old hen.
half-grown
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When the cats were pretty well thinned out, he, in his solitary excursions, chanced on some half-grown chickens.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading VAN IN DISGRACE Van never forgot anything that he wanted to remember.
hennounUS /hen/
adult female chicken
From this reading Away back in the time of his puppyhood Betsy had laughed when he had chased an old hen.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He chased them a little, and they fluttered and scrambled awkwardly away from him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Away back in the time of his puppyhood Betsy had laughed when he had chased an old hen.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading VAN IN DISGRACE Van never forgot anything that he wanted to remember.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Now anything that runs is to be chased.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading Away back in the time of his puppyhood Betsy had laughed when he had chased an old hen.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He chased them a little, and they fluttered and scrambled awkwardly away from him.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading VAN IN DISGRACE Van never forgot anything that he wanted to remember.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now anything that runs is to be chased.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Away back in the time of his puppyhood Betsy had laughed when he had chased an old hen.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Away back in the time of his puppyhood Betsy had laughed when he had chased an old hen.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading When the cats were pretty well thinned out, he, in his solitary excursions, chanced on some half-grown chickens.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading When the cats were pretty well thinned out, he, in his solitary excursions, chanced on some half-grown chickens.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading When the cats were pretty well thinned out, he, in his solitary excursions, chanced on some half-grown chickens.
puppyhood
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Away back in the time of his puppyhood Betsy had laughed when he had chased an old hen.
To recall to mind.
From this reading VAN IN DISGRACE Van never forgot anything that he wanted to remember.
plural of “run” — a score in baseball made by a runner touching all four bases safely
From this reading Now anything that runs is to be chased.
scrambledadjectiveUS /ˈskræmbəld/
thrown together in a disorderly fashion
From this reading He chased them a little, and they fluttered and scrambled awkwardly away from him.
characterized by or preferring solitude
From this reading When the cats were pretty well thinned out, he, in his solitary excursions, chanced on some half-grown chickens.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading When the cats were pretty well thinned out, he, in his solitary excursions, chanced on some half-grown chickens.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading VAN IN DISGRACE Van never forgot anything that he wanted to remember.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Away back in the time of his puppyhood Betsy had laughed when he had chased an old hen.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He chased them a little, and they fluttered and scrambled awkwardly away from him.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He chased them a little, and they fluttered and scrambled awkwardly away from him.
thinnedadjectiveUS /θɪnd/
mixed with water
From this reading When the cats were pretty well thinned out, he, in his solitary excursions, chanced on some half-grown chickens.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Away back in the time of his puppyhood Betsy had laughed when he had chased an old hen.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading VAN IN DISGRACE Van never forgot anything that he wanted to remember.
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading VAN IN DISGRACE Van never forgot anything that he wanted to remember.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading VAN IN DISGRACE Van never forgot anything that he wanted to remember.
(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 When the cats were pretty well thinned out, he, in his solitary excursions, chanced on some half-grown chickens.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading When the cats were pretty well thinned out, he, in his solitary excursions, chanced on some half-grown chickens.
at the time that
From this reading Away back in the time of his puppyhood Betsy had laughed when he had chased an old hen.
