used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She laughed at the idea of risks or danger, scoffed at difficulties, and made light of every obstacle as if ours was a mere holiday jaunt.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading NESSA'S DOWNFALL The chief event of the hours following the railway smash was histrionic rather than serious, although Nessa regarded it as both humiliating and tragic.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading NESSA'S DOWNFALL The chief event of the hours following the railway smash was histrionic rather than serious, although Nessa regarded it as both humiliating and tragic.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading NESSA'S DOWNFALL The chief event of the hours following the railway smash was histrionic rather than serious, although Nessa regarded it as both humiliating and tragic.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She laughed at the idea of risks or danger, scoffed at difficulties, and made light of every obstacle as if ours was a mere holiday jaunt.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading And tragic it might easily have been.
the two together, not just one
From this reading NESSA'S DOWNFALL The chief event of the hours following the railway smash was histrionic rather than serious, although Nessa regarded it as both humiliating and tragic.
a person who is in charge
From this reading NESSA'S DOWNFALL The chief event of the hours following the railway smash was histrionic rather than serious, although Nessa regarded it as both humiliating and tragic.
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading Nothing could damp her spirits nor lessen her high confidence.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Nothing could damp her spirits nor lessen her high confidence.
a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear
From this reading Her courage was wonderful.
dampadjectiveUS /dæmp/
slightly wet
From this reading Nothing could damp her spirits nor lessen her high confidence.
the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury
From this reading She laughed at the idea of risks or danger, scoffed at difficulties, and made light of every obstacle as if ours was a mere holiday jaunt.
plural of “difficulty” — an effort that is inconvenient
From this reading She laughed at the idea of risks or danger, scoffed at difficulties, and made light of every obstacle as if ours was a mere holiday jaunt.
DOWNFALLnounUS /ˈdaʊnfɔːl/
failure that results in a loss of position or reputation
From this reading NESSA'S DOWNFALL The chief event of the hours following the railway smash was histrionic rather than serious, although Nessa regarded it as both humiliating and tragic.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading And tragic it might easily have been.
something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading NESSA'S DOWNFALL The chief event of the hours following the railway smash was histrionic rather than serious, although Nessa regarded it as both humiliating and tragic.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading She laughed at the idea of risks or danger, scoffed at difficulties, and made light of every obstacle as if ours was a mere holiday jaunt.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading NESSA'S DOWNFALL The chief event of the hours following the railway smash was histrionic rather than serious, although Nessa regarded it as both humiliating and tragic.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading And tragic it might easily have been.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her courage was wonderful.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Nothing could damp her spirits nor lessen her high confidence.
histrionicadjectiveUS /ˌhɪstriˈɑːnɪk/
characteristic of acting or a stage performance; often affected
From this reading NESSA'S DOWNFALL The chief event of the hours following the railway smash was histrionic rather than serious, although Nessa regarded it as both humiliating and tragic.
holidaynounUS /ˈhɑːlədeɪ/
leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading She laughed at the idea of risks or danger, scoffed at difficulties, and made light of every obstacle as if ours was a mere holiday jaunt.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading NESSA'S DOWNFALL The chief event of the hours following the railway smash was histrionic rather than serious, although Nessa regarded it as both humiliating and tragic.
humiliatingadjectiveUS /hjuːˈmɪlieɪtɪŋ/
causing awareness of your shortcomings
From this reading NESSA'S DOWNFALL The chief event of the hours following the railway smash was histrionic rather than serious, although Nessa regarded it as both humiliating and tragic.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading She laughed at the idea of risks or danger, scoffed at difficulties, and made light of every obstacle as if ours was a mere holiday jaunt.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading She laughed at the idea of risks or danger, scoffed at difficulties, and made light of every obstacle as if ours was a mere holiday jaunt.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading NESSA'S DOWNFALL The chief event of the hours following the railway smash was histrionic rather than serious, although Nessa regarded it as both humiliating and tragic.
jauntnounUS /dʒɔːnt/
a journey taken for pleasure
From this reading She laughed at the idea of risks or danger, scoffed at difficulties, and made light of every obstacle as if ours was a mere holiday jaunt.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading She laughed at the idea of risks or danger, scoffed at difficulties, and made light of every obstacle as if ours was a mere holiday jaunt.
lessenverbUS /ˈlesən/
decrease in size, extent, or range
From this reading Nothing could damp her spirits nor lessen her high confidence.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading She laughed at the idea of risks or danger, scoffed at difficulties, and made light of every obstacle as if ours was a mere holiday jaunt.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading She laughed at the idea of risks or danger, scoffed at difficulties, and made light of every obstacle as if ours was a mere holiday jaunt.
being nothing more than specified
From this reading She laughed at the idea of risks or danger, scoffed at difficulties, and made light of every obstacle as if ours was a mere holiday jaunt.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading And tragic it might easily have been.
Nessa
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading NESSA'S DOWNFALL The chief event of the hours following the railway smash was histrionic rather than serious, although Nessa regarded it as both humiliating and tragic.
NESSA'S
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading NESSA'S DOWNFALL The chief event of the hours following the railway smash was histrionic rather than serious, although Nessa regarded it as both humiliating and tragic.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading Nothing could damp her spirits nor lessen her high confidence.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Nothing could damp her spirits nor lessen her high confidence.
obstaclenounUS /ˈɑːbstəkəl/
something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted
From this reading She laughed at the idea of risks or danger, scoffed at difficulties, and made light of every obstacle as if ours was a mere holiday jaunt.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading NESSA'S DOWNFALL The chief event of the hours following the railway smash was histrionic rather than serious, although Nessa regarded it as both humiliating and tragic.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading She laughed at the idea of risks or danger, scoffed at difficulties, and made light of every obstacle as if ours was a mere holiday jaunt.
the one or ones belonging to us
From this reading She laughed at the idea of risks or danger, scoffed at difficulties, and made light of every obstacle as if ours was a mere holiday jaunt.
railwaynounUS /ˈreɪlweɪ/
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading NESSA'S DOWNFALL The chief event of the hours following the railway smash was histrionic rather than serious, although Nessa regarded it as both humiliating and tragic.
on the contrary
From this reading NESSA'S DOWNFALL The chief event of the hours following the railway smash was histrionic rather than serious, although Nessa regarded it as both humiliating and tragic.
past form of “regard” — deem to be
From this reading NESSA'S DOWNFALL The chief event of the hours following the railway smash was histrionic rather than serious, although Nessa regarded it as both humiliating and tragic.
risksnounUS /rɪsks/
plural of “risk” — a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading She laughed at the idea of risks or danger, scoffed at difficulties, and made light of every obstacle as if ours was a mere holiday jaunt.
scoffedverbUS /skɔːft/
past form of “scoff” — laugh at with contempt and derision
From this reading She laughed at the idea of risks or danger, scoffed at difficulties, and made light of every obstacle as if ours was a mere holiday jaunt.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading NESSA'S DOWNFALL The chief event of the hours following the railway smash was histrionic rather than serious, although Nessa regarded it as both humiliating and tragic.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She laughed at the idea of risks or danger, scoffed at difficulties, and made light of every obstacle as if ours was a mere holiday jaunt.
smashverbUS /smæʃ/
hit hard
From this reading NESSA'S DOWNFALL The chief event of the hours following the railway smash was histrionic rather than serious, although Nessa regarded it as both humiliating and tragic.
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading Nothing could damp her spirits nor lessen her high confidence.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading NESSA'S DOWNFALL The chief event of the hours following the railway smash was histrionic rather than serious, although Nessa regarded it as both humiliating and tragic.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading NESSA'S DOWNFALL The chief event of the hours following the railway smash was histrionic rather than serious, although Nessa regarded it as both humiliating and tragic.
tragicadjectiveUS /ˈtrædʒɪk/
very sad; especially involving grief or death or destruction
From this reading NESSA'S DOWNFALL The chief event of the hours following the railway smash was histrionic rather than serious, although Nessa regarded it as both humiliating and tragic.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading NESSA'S DOWNFALL The chief event of the hours following the railway smash was histrionic rather than serious, although Nessa regarded it as both humiliating and tragic.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading Her courage was wonderful.
