used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading And upstairs, in Toppie’s room, the doves brooded upon a little box where Captain Owen’s letters lay.
(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 There were no flowers anywhere; all the little intimate things were gone.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading Toppie stood alone among her doves.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading Toppie stood alone among her doves.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The sun came in and shone upon the walls and the room looked pale and high and vacant.
at or in or to any place
From this reading There were no flowers anywhere; all the little intimate things were gone.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading Toppie stood in the middle of the room with open packing-cases around her.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading And upstairs, in Toppie’s room, the doves brooded upon a little box where Captain Owen’s letters lay.
broodedverbUS /ˈbruːdɪd/
past form of “brood” — think moodily or anxiously about something
From this reading And upstairs, in Toppie’s room, the doves brooded upon a little box where Captain Owen’s letters lay.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The sun came in and shone upon the walls and the room looked pale and high and vacant.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading And upstairs, in Toppie’s room, the doves brooded upon a little box where Captain Owen’s letters lay.
dovesnounUS /dʌvz/
plural of “dove” — any of numerous small pigeons
From this reading Toppie stood alone among her doves.
plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
From this reading There were no flowers anywhere; all the little intimate things were gone.
destroyed or killed
From this reading There were no flowers anywhere; all the little intimate things were gone.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Toppie stood in the middle of the room with open packing-cases around her.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading The sun came in and shone upon the walls and the room looked pale and high and vacant.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Toppie stood in the middle of the room with open packing-cases around her.
intimateadjectiveUS /ˈɪntəmət/
marked by close acquaintance, association, or familiarity
From this reading There were no flowers anywhere; all the little intimate things were gone.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading And upstairs, in Toppie’s room, the doves brooded upon a little box where Captain Owen’s letters lay.
the literary culture
From this reading And upstairs, in Toppie’s room, the doves brooded upon a little box where Captain Owen’s letters lay.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading There were no flowers anywhere; all the little intimate things were gone.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The sun came in and shone upon the walls and the room looked pale and high and vacant.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading Toppie stood in the middle of the room with open packing-cases around her.
not any; not one
From this reading There were no flowers anywhere; all the little intimate things were gone.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Toppie stood in the middle of the room with open packing-cases around her.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Toppie stood in the middle of the room with open packing-cases around her.
Owen'snounUS /ˈoʊənz/
possessive form of “owen” — Welsh industrialist and social reformer who founded cooperative communities (1771-1858)
From this reading And upstairs, in Toppie’s room, the doves brooded upon a little box where Captain Owen’s letters lay.
packing-cases
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Toppie stood in the middle of the room with open packing-cases around her.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading The sun came in and shone upon the walls and the room looked pale and high and vacant.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Toppie stood in the middle of the room with open packing-cases around her.
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading The sun came in and shone upon the walls and the room looked pale and high and vacant.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Toppie stood in the middle of the room with open packing-cases around her.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The sun came in and shone upon the walls and the room looked pale and high and vacant.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Toppie stood in the middle of the room with open packing-cases around her.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were no flowers anywhere; all the little intimate things were gone.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading There were no flowers anywhere; all the little intimate things were gone.
Toppie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Toppie stood in the middle of the room with open packing-cases around her.
Toppie's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And upstairs, in Toppie’s room, the doves brooded upon a little box where Captain Owen’s letters lay.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The sun came in and shone upon the walls and the room looked pale and high and vacant.
on a floor above
From this reading And upstairs, in Toppie’s room, the doves brooded upon a little box where Captain Owen’s letters lay.
vacantadjectiveUS /ˈveɪkənt/
void of intelligence or thought
From this reading The sun came in and shone upon the walls and the room looked pale and high and vacant.
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading The sun came in and shone upon the walls and the room looked pale and high and vacant.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were no flowers anywhere; all the little intimate things were gone.
in or at the place that
From this reading And upstairs, in Toppie’s room, the doves brooded upon a little box where Captain Owen’s letters lay.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Toppie stood in the middle of the room with open packing-cases around her.
