used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Oh, I'm all ready, and you had better remove to a little distance, as I'm about to fire my trains."
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Oh, I'm all ready, and you had better remove to a little distance, as I'm about to fire my trains."
(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 "Oh, I'm all ready, and you had better remove to a little distance, as I'm about to fire my trains."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am going to blast the rock."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Oh, I'm all ready, and you had better remove to a little distance, as I'm about to fire my trains."
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "The devil you are--then I'm off;" cried Courtenay, who, with Seymour, retreated from the well-known effects of gunpowder.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Oh, I'm all ready, and you had better remove to a little distance, as I'm about to fire my trains."
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Fire your trains!--Why, what have you been about?"
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "Oh, I'm all ready, and you had better remove to a little distance, as I'm about to fire my trains."
blastverbUS /blæst/
make a strident sound
From this reading "I am going to blast the rock."
Courtenay
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, doctor, how do you get on?" inquired Courtenay.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "The devil you are--then I'm off;" cried Courtenay, who, with Seymour, retreated from the well-known effects of gunpowder.
(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading "The devil you are--then I'm off;" cried Courtenay, who, with Seymour, retreated from the well-known effects of gunpowder.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading "Oh, I'm all ready, and you had better remove to a little distance, as I'm about to fire my trains."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Well, doctor, how do you get on?" inquired Courtenay.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading "Well, doctor, how do you get on?" inquired Courtenay.
effectsnounUS /ɪˈfekts/
property of a personal character that is portable but not used in business
From this reading "The devil you are--then I'm off;" cried Courtenay, who, with Seymour, retreated from the well-known effects of gunpowder.
start firing a weapon
From this reading "Oh, I'm all ready, and you had better remove to a little distance, as I'm about to fire my trains."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "The devil you are--then I'm off;" cried Courtenay, who, with Seymour, retreated from the well-known effects of gunpowder.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Well, doctor, how do you get on?" inquired Courtenay.
the act of departing
From this reading "I am going to blast the rock."
gunpowdernounUS /ˈɡʌnpaʊdər/
a mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur in a 75:15:10 ratio which is used in gunnery, time fuses, and fireworks
From this reading "The devil you are--then I'm off;" cried Courtenay, who, with Seymour, retreated from the well-known effects of gunpowder.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Oh, I'm all ready, and you had better remove to a little distance, as I'm about to fire my trains."
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Fire your trains!--Why, what have you been about?"
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, doctor, how do you get on?" inquired Courtenay.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I am going to blast the rock."
I'm
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, I'm all ready, and you had better remove to a little distance, as I'm about to fire my trains."
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading "Well, doctor, how do you get on?" inquired Courtenay.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Oh, I'm all ready, and you had better remove to a little distance, as I'm about to fire my trains."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Oh, I'm all ready, and you had better remove to a little distance, as I'm about to fire my trains."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "The devil you are--then I'm off;" cried Courtenay, who, with Seymour, retreated from the well-known effects of gunpowder.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "The devil you are--then I'm off;" cried Courtenay, who, with Seymour, retreated from the well-known effects of gunpowder.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, I'm all ready, and you had better remove to a little distance, as I'm about to fire my trains."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Well, doctor, how do you get on?" inquired Courtenay.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading "Oh, I'm all ready, and you had better remove to a little distance, as I'm about to fire my trains."
removeverbUS /riˈmuːv/
remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract
From this reading "Oh, I'm all ready, and you had better remove to a little distance, as I'm about to fire my trains."
retreatednounUS /riˈtriːtəd/
people who have retreated
From this reading "The devil you are--then I'm off;" cried Courtenay, who, with Seymour, retreated from the well-known effects of gunpowder.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading "I am going to blast the rock."
SeymournounUS /ˈsiːmɔːr/
Queen of England as the third wife of Henry VIII and mother of Edward VI (1509-1537)
From this reading "The devil you are--then I'm off;" cried Courtenay, who, with Seymour, retreated from the well-known effects of gunpowder.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I am going to blast the rock."
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "The devil you are--then I'm off;" cried Courtenay, who, with Seymour, retreated from the well-known effects of gunpowder.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Oh, I'm all ready, and you had better remove to a little distance, as I'm about to fire my trains."
trainsnounUS /treɪnz/
plural of “train” — public transport provided by a line of railway cars coupled together and drawn by a locomotive
From this reading "Oh, I'm all ready, and you had better remove to a little distance, as I'm about to fire my trains."
(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, doctor, how do you get on?" inquired Courtenay.
well-knownadjectiveUS /ˈwelˈnoʊn/
widely or fully known
From this reading "The devil you are--then I'm off;" cried Courtenay, who, with Seymour, retreated from the well-known effects of gunpowder.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Fire your trains!--Why, what have you been about?"
which person or people
From this reading "The devil you are--then I'm off;" cried Courtenay, who, with Seymour, retreated from the well-known effects of gunpowder.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Fire your trains!--Why, what have you been about?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading "The devil you are--then I'm off;" cried Courtenay, who, with Seymour, retreated from the well-known effects of gunpowder.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, doctor, how do you get on?" inquired Courtenay.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Fire your trains!--Why, what have you been about?"
