used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A COFFIN AND AN OWL Dawson laid the letter and the telegram upon his breakfast-table, and bent his head over them.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading I am almost sure of that.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am almost sure of that.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading A COFFIN AND AN OWL Dawson laid the letter and the telegram upon his breakfast-table, and bent his head over them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A COFFIN AND AN OWL Dawson laid the letter and the telegram upon his breakfast-table, and bent his head over them.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading A COFFIN AND AN OWL Dawson laid the letter and the telegram upon his breakfast-table, and bent his head over them.
breakfast-table
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A COFFIN AND AN OWL Dawson laid the letter and the telegram upon his breakfast-table, and bent his head over them.
buryverbUS /ˈberi/
cover from sight
From this reading My man of the dockyard who wants leave to bury his mother in Essex has not yet received permission from his Chief.
a person who is in charge
From this reading My man of the dockyard who wants leave to bury his mother in Essex has not yet received permission from his Chief.
COFFINnounUS /ˈkɔːfɪn/
box in which a corpse is buried or cremated
From this reading A COFFIN AND AN OWL Dawson laid the letter and the telegram upon his breakfast-table, and bent his head over them.
DawsonnounUS /ˈdɔːsən/
a town in northwestern Canada in the Yukon on the Yukon River; a boom town around 1900 when gold was discovered in the Klondike
From this reading A COFFIN AND AN OWL Dawson laid the letter and the telegram upon his breakfast-table, and bent his head over them.
distinctadjectiveUS /dɪˈstɪŋkt/
(often followed by “from”) not alike; different in nature or quality
From this reading "We have here, Froissart, two distinct people.
dockyardnounUS /ˈdɑːkjɑːrd/
an establishment on the waterfront where vessels are built or fitted out or repaired
From this reading My man of the dockyard who wants leave to bury his mother in Essex has not yet received permission from his Chief.
EssexnounUS /ˈesɪks/
a county in southeastern England on the North Sea and the Thames estuary
From this reading My man of the dockyard who wants leave to bury his mother in Essex has not yet received permission from his Chief.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading In a few minutes he had weighed them up, sorted out their relative significance, and spoke.
Froissart
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We have here, Froissart, two distinct people.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading My man of the dockyard who wants leave to bury his mother in Essex has not yet received permission from his Chief.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading In a few minutes he had weighed them up, sorted out their relative significance, and spoke.
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My man of the dockyard who wants leave to bury his mother in Essex has not yet received permission from his Chief.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "We have here, Froissart, two distinct people.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In a few minutes he had weighed them up, sorted out their relative significance, and spoke.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading A COFFIN AND AN OWL Dawson laid the letter and the telegram upon his breakfast-table, and bent his head over them.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "We have here, Froissart, two distinct people.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A COFFIN AND AN OWL Dawson laid the letter and the telegram upon his breakfast-table, and bent his head over them.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I am almost sure of that.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In a few minutes he had weighed them up, sorted out their relative significance, and spoke.
set down according to a plan
From this reading A COFFIN AND AN OWL Dawson laid the letter and the telegram upon his breakfast-table, and bent his head over them.
go away from a place
From this reading My man of the dockyard who wants leave to bury his mother in Essex has not yet received permission from his Chief.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading A COFFIN AND AN OWL Dawson laid the letter and the telegram upon his breakfast-table, and bent his head over them.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading My man of the dockyard who wants leave to bury his mother in Essex has not yet received permission from his Chief.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading In a few minutes he had weighed them up, sorted out their relative significance, and spoke.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading My man of the dockyard who wants leave to bury his mother in Essex has not yet received permission from his Chief.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My man of the dockyard who wants leave to bury his mother in Essex has not yet received permission from his Chief.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading My man of the dockyard who wants leave to bury his mother in Essex has not yet received permission from his Chief.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I am almost sure of that.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading In a few minutes he had weighed them up, sorted out their relative significance, and spoke.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading A COFFIN AND AN OWL Dawson laid the letter and the telegram upon his breakfast-table, and bent his head over them.
OWLnounUS /aʊl/
nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes
From this reading A COFFIN AND AN OWL Dawson laid the letter and the telegram upon his breakfast-table, and bent his head over them.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading "We have here, Froissart, two distinct people.
approval to do something
From this reading My man of the dockyard who wants leave to bury his mother in Essex has not yet received permission from his Chief.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading My man of the dockyard who wants leave to bury his mother in Essex has not yet received permission from his Chief.
relativenounUS /ˈrelətɪv/
a person related by blood or marriage
From this reading In a few minutes he had weighed them up, sorted out their relative significance, and spoke.
significancenounUS /səɡˈnɪfɪkəns/
the quality of being significant
From this reading In a few minutes he had weighed them up, sorted out their relative significance, and spoke.
sortedadjectiveUS /ˈsɔːrtɪd/
arranged according to size
From this reading In a few minutes he had weighed them up, sorted out their relative significance, and spoke.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading In a few minutes he had weighed them up, sorted out their relative significance, and spoke.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading I am almost sure of that.
telegramnounUS /ˈteləɡræm/
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading A COFFIN AND AN OWL Dawson laid the letter and the telegram upon his breakfast-table, and bent his head over them.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I am almost sure of that.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A COFFIN AND AN OWL Dawson laid the letter and the telegram upon his breakfast-table, and bent his head over them.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading In a few minutes he had weighed them up, sorted out their relative significance, and spoke.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading A COFFIN AND AN OWL Dawson laid the letter and the telegram upon his breakfast-table, and bent his head over them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading My man of the dockyard who wants leave to bury his mother in Essex has not yet received permission from his Chief.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "We have here, Froissart, two distinct people.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading In a few minutes he had weighed them up, sorted out their relative significance, and spoke.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading A COFFIN AND AN OWL Dawson laid the letter and the telegram upon his breakfast-table, and bent his head over them.
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading My man of the dockyard who wants leave to bury his mother in Essex has not yet received permission from his Chief.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We have here, Froissart, two distinct people.
weighedverbUS /weɪd/
past form of “weigh” — have a certain weight
From this reading In a few minutes he had weighed them up, sorted out their relative significance, and spoke.
which person or people
From this reading My man of the dockyard who wants leave to bury his mother in Essex has not yet received permission from his Chief.
but in spite of that
From this reading My man of the dockyard who wants leave to bury his mother in Essex has not yet received permission from his Chief.
