used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
(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 Then they all began talking at once, at least the boys did, until the merchant, with a laugh, remarked that they were making so much noise that the clerks would think something serious had happened.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading “Mr. Jackson may get away from Durham any minute.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Then they all began talking at once, at least the boys did, until the merchant, with a laugh, remarked that they were making so much noise that the clerks would think something serious had happened.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “Mr. Jackson may get away from Durham any minute.”
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Then they all began talking at once, at least the boys did, until the merchant, with a laugh, remarked that they were making so much noise that the clerks would think something serious had happened.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading “Well, we’d better get started,” urged Jerry.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading Then they all began talking at once, at least the boys did, until the merchant, with a laugh, remarked that they were making so much noise that the clerks would think something serious had happened.
chumsnounUS /tʃʌmz/
plural of “chum” — a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading This quieted the three chums.
clerksnounUS /klɜːrks/
plural of “clerk” — an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading Then they all began talking at once, at least the boys did, until the merchant, with a laugh, remarked that they were making so much noise that the clerks would think something serious had happened.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Then they all began talking at once, at least the boys did, until the merchant, with a laugh, remarked that they were making so much noise that the clerks would think something serious had happened.
DurhamnounUS /ˈdɜːrəm/
a city of north central North Carolina; site of Duke University
From this reading “Mr. Jackson may get away from Durham any minute.”
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “Mr. Jackson may get away from Durham any minute.”
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “Well, we’d better get started,” urged Jerry.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Then they all began talking at once, at least the boys did, until the merchant, with a laugh, remarked that they were making so much noise that the clerks would think something serious had happened.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading Then they all began talking at once, at least the boys did, until the merchant, with a laugh, remarked that they were making so much noise that the clerks would think something serious had happened.
only a very short time before
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
JacksonnounUS /ˈdʒæksən/
English film actress who later became a member of British Parliament (born in 1936)
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading “Well, we’d better get started,” urged Jerry.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
the sound of laughing
From this reading Then they all began talking at once, at least the boys did, until the merchant, with a laugh, remarked that they were making so much noise that the clerks would think something serious had happened.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading Then they all began talking at once, at least the boys did, until the merchant, with a laugh, remarked that they were making so much noise that the clerks would think something serious had happened.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
locationnounUS /loʊˈkeɪʃən/
a point or extent in space
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading Then they all began talking at once, at least the boys did, until the merchant, with a laugh, remarked that they were making so much noise that the clerks would think something serious had happened.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading “Mr. Jackson may get away from Durham any minute.”
merchantnounUS /ˈmɜːr.tʃənt/
A person or company involved in wholesale trade, especially with foreign countries.
From this reading Then they all began talking at once, at least the boys did, until the merchant, with a laugh, remarked that they were making so much noise that the clerks would think something serious had happened.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading “Mr. Jackson may get away from Durham any minute.”
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
a form of address for a man
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Then they all began talking at once, at least the boys did, until the merchant, with a laugh, remarked that they were making so much noise that the clerks would think something serious had happened.
information about recent and important events
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading Then they all began talking at once, at least the boys did, until the merchant, with a laugh, remarked that they were making so much noise that the clerks would think something serious had happened.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
on one occasion
From this reading Then they all began talking at once, at least the boys did, until the merchant, with a laugh, remarked that they were making so much noise that the clerks would think something serious had happened.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
PROFESSOR'SnounUS /prəˈfesərz/
possessive form of “professor” — someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
QUESTnounUS /kwest/
a search for an alternative that meets cognitive criteria
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
quietedverbUS /ˈkwaɪətɪd/
past form of “quiet” — become quiet or quieter
From this reading This quieted the three chums.
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading Then they all began talking at once, at least the boys did, until the merchant, with a laugh, remarked that they were making so much noise that the clerks would think something serious had happened.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading Then they all began talking at once, at least the boys did, until the merchant, with a laugh, remarked that they were making so much noise that the clerks would think something serious had happened.
Slade's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Then they all began talking at once, at least the boys did, until the merchant, with a laugh, remarked that they were making so much noise that the clerks would think something serious had happened.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “Well, we’d better get started,” urged Jerry.
carry out
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading Then they all began talking at once, at least the boys did, until the merchant, with a laugh, remarked that they were making so much noise that the clerks would think something serious had happened.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then they all began talking at once, at least the boys did, until the merchant, with a laugh, remarked that they were making so much noise that the clerks would think something serious had happened.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then they all began talking at once, at least the boys did, until the merchant, with a laugh, remarked that they were making so much noise that the clerks would think something serious had happened.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Then they all began talking at once, at least the boys did, until the merchant, with a laugh, remarked that they were making so much noise that the clerks would think something serious had happened.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This quieted the three chums.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading This quieted the three chums.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
not expected or anticipated
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading Then they all began talking at once, at least the boys did, until the merchant, with a laugh, remarked that they were making so much noise that the clerks would think something serious had happened.
past form of “urge” — force or impel in an indicated direction
From this reading “Well, we’d better get started,” urged Jerry.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE PROFESSOR’S QUEST The good news of the location of Mr. Jackson was so unexpected, that, for a few moments the little party in Mr. Slade’s office hardly knew how to take it.
we'd
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, we’d better get started,” urged Jerry.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Well, we’d better get started,” urged Jerry.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Then they all began talking at once, at least the boys did, until the merchant, with a laugh, remarked that they were making so much noise that the clerks would think something serious had happened.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Then they all began talking at once, at least the boys did, until the merchant, with a laugh, remarked that they were making so much noise that the clerks would think something serious had happened.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Then they all began talking at once, at least the boys did, until the merchant, with a laugh, remarked that they were making so much noise that the clerks would think something serious had happened.
