used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “Won’t you come in and sit down, Mrs. Brock?” she asked, pulling forward a rocking chair which Katharine had just vacated.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading “Just came after my watch.”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading For an instant nobody spoke or moved; then Mrs. Vincent got up and crossed the room to greet the unexpected visitor.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For an instant nobody spoke or moved; then Mrs. Vincent got up and crossed the room to greet the unexpected visitor.
Queen of England and Scotland and Ireland; daughter if James II and the last of the Stuart monarchs; in 1707 she was the last English ruler to exercise the royal veto over parliament (1665-1714)
From this reading “How the dickens did she know that it had been found?” whispered Anne to Frances, who was standing beside her on the opposite side of the room.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Won’t you come in and sit down, Mrs. Brock?” she asked, pulling forward a rocking chair which Katharine had just vacated.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “How the dickens did she know that it had been found?” whispered Anne to Frances, who was standing beside her on the opposite side of the room.
next to; at the side of
From this reading “How the dickens did she know that it had been found?” whispered Anne to Frances, who was standing beside her on the opposite side of the room.
Brock
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Won’t you come in and sit down, Mrs. Brock?” she asked, pulling forward a rocking chair which Katharine had just vacated.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Just came after my watch.”
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading “Won’t you come in and sit down, Mrs. Brock?” she asked, pulling forward a rocking chair which Katharine had just vacated.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Won’t you come in and sit down, Mrs. Brock?” she asked, pulling forward a rocking chair which Katharine had just vacated.
crispadjectiveUS /krɪsp/
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading “Not going to stay, thank you,” was the crisp response.
placed crosswise
From this reading For an instant nobody spoke or moved; then Mrs. Vincent got up and crossed the room to greet the unexpected visitor.
dickensnounUS /ˈdɪkənz/
a word used in exclamations of confusion
From this reading “How the dickens did she know that it had been found?” whispered Anne to Frances, who was standing beside her on the opposite side of the room.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “How the dickens did she know that it had been found?” whispered Anne to Frances, who was standing beside her on the opposite side of the room.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “Won’t you come in and sit down, Mrs. Brock?” she asked, pulling forward a rocking chair which Katharine had just vacated.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For an instant nobody spoke or moved; then Mrs. Vincent got up and crossed the room to greet the unexpected visitor.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading “Won’t you come in and sit down, Mrs. Brock?” she asked, pulling forward a rocking chair which Katharine had just vacated.
set up or found
From this reading “How the dickens did she know that it had been found?” whispered Anne to Frances, who was standing beside her on the opposite side of the room.
FrancesnounUS /ˈfrænsɪs/
plural of “france” — a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
From this reading “How the dickens did she know that it had been found?” whispered Anne to Frances, who was standing beside her on the opposite side of the room.
the act of departing
From this reading “Not going to stay, thank you,” was the crisp response.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading For an instant nobody spoke or moved; then Mrs. Vincent got up and crossed the room to greet the unexpected visitor.
greetverbUS /ɡriːt/
express greetings upon meeting someone
From this reading For an instant nobody spoke or moved; then Mrs. Vincent got up and crossed the room to greet the unexpected visitor.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “Won’t you come in and sit down, Mrs. Brock?” she asked, pulling forward a rocking chair which Katharine had just vacated.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “How the dickens did she know that it had been found?” whispered Anne to Frances, who was standing beside her on the opposite side of the room.
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How the dickens did she know that it had been found?” whispered Anne to Frances, who was standing beside her on the opposite side of the room.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Won’t you come in and sit down, Mrs. Brock?” she asked, pulling forward a rocking chair which Katharine had just vacated.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading For an instant nobody spoke or moved; then Mrs. Vincent got up and crossed the room to greet the unexpected visitor.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “How the dickens did she know that it had been found?” whispered Anne to Frances, who was standing beside her on the opposite side of the room.
and nothing more
From this reading “Won’t you come in and sit down, Mrs. Brock?” she asked, pulling forward a rocking chair which Katharine had just vacated.
Katharine
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Won’t you come in and sit down, Mrs. Brock?” she asked, pulling forward a rocking chair which Katharine had just vacated.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “How the dickens did she know that it had been found?” whispered Anne to Frances, who was standing beside her on the opposite side of the room.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading For an instant nobody spoke or moved; then Mrs. Vincent got up and crossed the room to greet the unexpected visitor.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading For an instant nobody spoke or moved; then Mrs. Vincent got up and crossed the room to greet the unexpected visitor.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Just came after my watch.”
no person; not anyone
From this reading For an instant nobody spoke or moved; then Mrs. Vincent got up and crossed the room to greet the unexpected visitor.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Not going to stay, thank you,” was the crisp response.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “How the dickens did she know that it had been found?” whispered Anne to Frances, who was standing beside her on the opposite side of the room.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “How the dickens did she know that it had been found?” whispered Anne to Frances, who was standing beside her on the opposite side of the room.
being directly across from each other; facing
From this reading “How the dickens did she know that it had been found?” whispered Anne to Frances, who was standing beside her on the opposite side of the room.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading For an instant nobody spoke or moved; then Mrs. Vincent got up and crossed the room to greet the unexpected visitor.
the act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you
From this reading “Won’t you come in and sit down, Mrs. Brock?” she asked, pulling forward a rocking chair which Katharine had just vacated.
responsenounUS /rɪˈspɑːns/
a result
From this reading “Not going to stay, thank you,” was the crisp response.
rockingverbUS /ˈrɑːkɪŋ/
-ing form of “rock” — move back and forth or sideways
From this reading “Won’t you come in and sit down, Mrs. Brock?” she asked, pulling forward a rocking chair which Katharine had just vacated.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading For an instant nobody spoke or moved; then Mrs. Vincent got up and crossed the room to greet the unexpected visitor.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Won’t you come in and sit down, Mrs. Brock?” she asked, pulling forward a rocking chair which Katharine had just vacated.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading “How the dickens did she know that it had been found?” whispered Anne to Frances, who was standing beside her on the opposite side of the room.
be seated
From this reading “Won’t you come in and sit down, Mrs. Brock?” she asked, pulling forward a rocking chair which Katharine had just vacated.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading For an instant nobody spoke or moved; then Mrs. Vincent got up and crossed the room to greet the unexpected visitor.
having a supporting base
From this reading “How the dickens did she know that it had been found?” whispered Anne to Frances, who was standing beside her on the opposite side of the room.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “Not going to stay, thank you,” was the crisp response.
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading “Not going to stay, thank you,” was the crisp response.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “How the dickens did she know that it had been found?” whispered Anne to Frances, who was standing beside her on the opposite side of the room.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For an instant nobody spoke or moved; then Mrs. Vincent got up and crossed the room to greet the unexpected visitor.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading For an instant nobody spoke or moved; then Mrs. Vincent got up and crossed the room to greet the unexpected visitor.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For an instant nobody spoke or moved; then Mrs. Vincent got up and crossed the room to greet the unexpected visitor.
not expected or anticipated
From this reading For an instant nobody spoke or moved; then Mrs. Vincent got up and crossed the room to greet the unexpected visitor.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading For an instant nobody spoke or moved; then Mrs. Vincent got up and crossed the room to greet the unexpected visitor.
vacatedverbUS /veɪˈkeɪtɪd/
past form of “vacate” — leave (a job, post, or position) voluntarily
From this reading “Won’t you come in and sit down, Mrs. Brock?” she asked, pulling forward a rocking chair which Katharine had just vacated.
Vincent
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For an instant nobody spoke or moved; then Mrs. Vincent got up and crossed the room to greet the unexpected visitor.
someone who visits
From this reading For an instant nobody spoke or moved; then Mrs. Vincent got up and crossed the room to greet the unexpected visitor.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Not going to stay, thank you,” was the crisp response.
look attentively
From this reading “Just came after my watch.”
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading “Won’t you come in and sit down, Mrs. Brock?” she asked, pulling forward a rocking chair which Katharine had just vacated.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading “How the dickens did she know that it had been found?” whispered Anne to Frances, who was standing beside her on the opposite side of the room.
which person or people
From this reading “How the dickens did she know that it had been found?” whispered Anne to Frances, who was standing beside her on the opposite side of the room.
Won't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Won’t you come in and sit down, Mrs. Brock?” she asked, pulling forward a rocking chair which Katharine had just vacated.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Won’t you come in and sit down, Mrs. Brock?” she asked, pulling forward a rocking chair which Katharine had just vacated.
