used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A great many people know me by sight--more do not.
how long something has existed
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “Yes, I am the King of Prussia.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
announcementnounUS /əˈnaʊnsmənt/
a formal public statement
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading You are evidently one of the latter class.”
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A great many people know me by sight--more do not.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
marked by lack of attention or consideration or forethought or thoroughness; not careful
From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:
a collection of things sharing a common attribute
From this reading You are evidently one of the latter class.”
closetnounUS /ˈklɑːzət/
a small room (or recess) or cabinet used for storage space
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
not accessible to view
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
confirmatoryadjectiveUS /kənˈfɜːrmətɔːri/
serving to support or corroborate
From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:
persuaded of; very sure
From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading A great many people know me by sight--more do not.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading You are evidently one of the latter class.”
opinion or judgment
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
FredericknounUS /ˈfredrɪk/
a town in northern Maryland to the west of Baltimore
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading A great many people know me by sight--more do not.
highest in quality
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Yes, I am the King of Prussia.
identitynounUS /aɪˈdentɪtiː/
the distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity
From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading “Yes, I am the King of Prussia.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading A great many people know me by sight--more do not.
referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several)
From this reading You are evidently one of the latter class.”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading A great many people know me by sight--more do not.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A great many people know me by sight--more do not.
melodiousadjectiveUS /məˈloʊdiəs/
having a musical sound; especially a pleasing tune
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
the force of workers available
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading A great many people know me by sight--more do not.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:
nodverbUS /nɑːd/
express or signify by nodding
From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading You are evidently one of the latter class.”
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading A great many people know me by sight--more do not.
PrussianounUS /ˈprʌʃə/
a former kingdom in north-central Europe including present-day northern Germany and northern Poland
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
rigidadjectiveUS /ˈrɪdʒəd/
incapable of or resistant to bending
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
express in words
From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:
shabbyadjectiveUS /ˈʃæbi/
showing signs of wear and tear
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading A great many people know me by sight--more do not.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
sparklingadjectiveUS /ˈspɑːrklɪŋ/
shining with brilliant points of light like stars
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
at the time that
From this reading They did not need his careless, but confirmatory nod to be convinced of his identity; but when he spoke it was to say:
in the company of; together with
From this reading AT the announcement that the shabby man with the sparkling and speaking eyes and the soft and melodious voice was Frederick of Prussia, the greatest captain of the age, the two men concealed in the closet grew rigid with astonishment.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, I am the King of Prussia.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You are evidently one of the latter class.”