used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She heard him catch his breath, and then they sat motionless for a long while, just as they had been sitting when she spoke.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She heard him catch his breath, and then they sat motionless for a long while, just as they had been sitting when she spoke.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She heard him catch his breath, and then they sat motionless for a long while, just as they had been sitting when she spoke.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading She heard him catch his breath, and then they sat motionless for a long while, just as they had been sitting when she spoke.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading She heard him catch his breath, and then they sat motionless for a long while, just as they had been sitting when she spoke.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading She heard him catch his breath, and then they sat motionless for a long while, just as they had been sitting when she spoke.
something that interests you because it is important or affects you
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
an alert cognitive state in which you are aware of yourself and your situation
From this reading In him consciousness could never waver from the sound of what she had said.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading In him consciousness could never waver from the sound of what she had said.
degreesnounUS /dɪˈɡriːz/
plural of “degree” — a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
divisible by two
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She heard him catch his breath, and then they sat motionless for a long while, just as they had been sitting when she spoke.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading In him consciousness could never waver from the sound of what she had said.
yet to be or coming
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She heard him catch his breath, and then they sat motionless for a long while, just as they had been sitting when she spoke.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading She heard him catch his breath, and then they sat motionless for a long while, just as they had been sitting when she spoke.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading She had known passion and shame--she herself!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She heard him catch his breath, and then they sat motionless for a long while, just as they had been sitting when she spoke.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She heard him catch his breath, and then they sat motionless for a long while, just as they had been sitting when she spoke.
impureadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpjʊr/
combined with extraneous elements
From this reading She was impure.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In him consciousness could never waver from the sound of what she had said.
inevitableadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈnevətəbəl/
incapable of being avoided or prevented
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
and nothing more
From this reading She heard him catch his breath, and then they sat motionless for a long while, just as they had been sitting when she spoke.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading She had known passion and shame--she herself!
the act of departing
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading She heard him catch his breath, and then they sat motionless for a long while, just as they had been sitting when she spoke.
not in physical motion
From this reading She heard him catch his breath, and then they sat motionless for a long while, just as they had been sitting when she spoke.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading In him consciousness could never waver from the sound of what she had said.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
a strong feeling or emotion
From this reading She had known passion and shame--she herself!
poignancynounUS /ˈpɔɪnjənsi/
a state of deeply felt distress or sorrow
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
realisedadjectiveUS /ˈriːəlaɪzd/
successfully completed or brought to an end
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading In him consciousness could never waver from the sound of what she had said.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading She heard him catch his breath, and then they sat motionless for a long while, just as they had been sitting when she spoke.
a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt
From this reading She had known passion and shame--she herself!
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She heard him catch his breath, and then they sat motionless for a long while, just as they had been sitting when she spoke.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading She heard him catch his breath, and then they sat motionless for a long while, just as they had been sitting when she spoke.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading In him consciousness could never waver from the sound of what she had said.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading She heard him catch his breath, and then they sat motionless for a long while, just as they had been sitting when she spoke.
subsidedverbUS /səbˈsaɪdɪd/
past form of “subside” — wear off or die down
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
a state of acute pain
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading She heard him catch his breath, and then they sat motionless for a long while, just as they had been sitting when she spoke.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She heard him catch his breath, and then they sat motionless for a long while, just as they had been sitting when she spoke.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
vaguelyadverbUS /ˈveɪɡli/
in a vague way
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
waververbUS /ˈweɪvər/
pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading In him consciousness could never waver from the sound of what she had said.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading In him consciousness could never waver from the sound of what she had said.
at the time that
From this reading She heard him catch his breath, and then they sat motionless for a long while, just as they had been sitting when she spoke.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading She heard him catch his breath, and then they sat motionless for a long while, just as they had been sitting when she spoke.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
wrenchedverbUS /rentʃt/
past form of “wrench” — twist or pull violently or suddenly, especially so as to remove (something) from that to which it is attached or from where it originates
From this reading Now that she had wrenched the fact out, the poignancy of her suffering subsided; even by degrees she realised that, after this, her leaving the town was inevitable, and her thoughts began to concern themselves vaguely with her future.
