used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The way was long, and the avenue swept upward with what, to the old woman, was a toilsome ascent.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE OLD COUNTESS AND HER SERVANT.
ascentnounUS /əˈsent/
an upward slope or grade (as in a road)
From this reading The way was long, and the avenue swept upward with what, to the old woman, was a toilsome ascent.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The next morning Mrs. Yates was early at the park-gate.
a line of approach
From this reading She found no trouble in passing through now, and was soon in the avenue, making slow progress toward the castle, under the shade of those vast oaks and chestnuts.
a flexible container with a single opening
From this reading The bag, which she carried in her hand, was of some weight, too, and the cramped inaction of so many years had rendered walking a slow and painful process.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading The bag, which she carried in her hand, was of some weight, too, and the cramped inaction of so many years had rendered walking a slow and painful process.
a large and stately mansion
From this reading She found no trouble in passing through now, and was soon in the avenue, making slow progress toward the castle, under the shade of those vast oaks and chestnuts.
chestnutsnounUS /ˈtʃesnəts/
plural of “chestnut” — wood of any of various chestnut trees of the genus Castanea
From this reading She found no trouble in passing through now, and was soon in the avenue, making slow progress toward the castle, under the shade of those vast oaks and chestnuts.
female equivalent of a count or earl
From this reading THE OLD COUNTESS AND HER SERVANT.
crampedadjectiveUS /kræmpt/
constricted in size
From this reading The bag, which she carried in her hand, was of some weight, too, and the cramped inaction of so many years had rendered walking a slow and painful process.
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading The next morning Mrs. Yates was early at the park-gate.
set up or found
From this reading She found no trouble in passing through now, and was soon in the avenue, making slow progress toward the castle, under the shade of those vast oaks and chestnuts.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The bag, which she carried in her hand, was of some weight, too, and the cramped inaction of so many years had rendered walking a slow and painful process.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The bag, which she carried in her hand, was of some weight, too, and the cramped inaction of so many years had rendered walking a slow and painful process.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading THE OLD COUNTESS AND HER SERVANT.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She found no trouble in passing through now, and was soon in the avenue, making slow progress toward the castle, under the shade of those vast oaks and chestnuts.
inactionnounUS /ˌɪˈnækʃən/
the state of being inactive
From this reading The bag, which she carried in her hand, was of some weight, too, and the cramped inaction of so many years had rendered walking a slow and painful process.
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 The way was long, and the avenue swept upward with what, to the old woman, was a toilsome ascent.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading She found no trouble in passing through now, and was soon in the avenue, making slow progress toward the castle, under the shade of those vast oaks and chestnuts.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading The bag, which she carried in her hand, was of some weight, too, and the cramped inaction of so many years had rendered walking a slow and painful process.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The next morning Mrs. Yates was early at the park-gate.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading The next morning Mrs. Yates was early at the park-gate.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next morning Mrs. Yates was early at the park-gate.
not any; not one
From this reading She found no trouble in passing through now, and was soon in the avenue, making slow progress toward the castle, under the shade of those vast oaks and chestnuts.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading She found no trouble in passing through now, and was soon in the avenue, making slow progress toward the castle, under the shade of those vast oaks and chestnuts.
oaksnounUS /oʊks/
plural of “oak” — the hard durable wood of any oak; used especially for furniture and flooring
From this reading She found no trouble in passing through now, and was soon in the avenue, making slow progress toward the castle, under the shade of those vast oaks and chestnuts.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She found no trouble in passing through now, and was soon in the avenue, making slow progress toward the castle, under the shade of those vast oaks and chestnuts.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading THE OLD COUNTESS AND HER SERVANT.
causing physical or psychological pain
From this reading The bag, which she carried in her hand, was of some weight, too, and the cramped inaction of so many years had rendered walking a slow and painful process.
park-gate
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next morning Mrs. Yates was early at the park-gate.
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading She found no trouble in passing through now, and was soon in the avenue, making slow progress toward the castle, under the shade of those vast oaks and chestnuts.
processverbUS /ˈprɑːses/
subject to a process or treatment, with the aim of readying for some purpose, improving, or remedying a condition
From this reading The bag, which she carried in her hand, was of some weight, too, and the cramped inaction of so many years had rendered walking a slow and painful process.
gradual improvement or growth or development
From this reading She found no trouble in passing through now, and was soon in the avenue, making slow progress toward the castle, under the shade of those vast oaks and chestnuts.
past form of “render” — cause to become
From this reading The bag, which she carried in her hand, was of some weight, too, and the cramped inaction of so many years had rendered walking a slow and painful process.
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading THE OLD COUNTESS AND HER SERVANT.
relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body
From this reading She found no trouble in passing through now, and was soon in the avenue, making slow progress toward the castle, under the shade of those vast oaks and chestnuts.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She found no trouble in passing through now, and was soon in the avenue, making slow progress toward the castle, under the shade of those vast oaks and chestnuts.
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading She found no trouble in passing through now, and was soon in the avenue, making slow progress toward the castle, under the shade of those vast oaks and chestnuts.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The bag, which she carried in her hand, was of some weight, too, and the cramped inaction of so many years had rendered walking a slow and painful process.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The bag, which she carried in her hand, was of some weight, too, and the cramped inaction of so many years had rendered walking a slow and painful process.
in the near future
From this reading She found no trouble in passing through now, and was soon in the avenue, making slow progress toward the castle, under the shade of those vast oaks and chestnuts.
possessing sweep
From this reading The way was long, and the avenue swept upward with what, to the old woman, was a toilsome ascent.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE OLD COUNTESS AND HER SERVANT.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading She found no trouble in passing through now, and was soon in the avenue, making slow progress toward the castle, under the shade of those vast oaks and chestnuts.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading She found no trouble in passing through now, and was soon in the avenue, making slow progress toward the castle, under the shade of those vast oaks and chestnuts.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The way was long, and the avenue swept upward with what, to the old woman, was a toilsome ascent.
toilsomeadjective
characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort
From this reading The way was long, and the avenue swept upward with what, to the old woman, was a toilsome ascent.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading The bag, which she carried in her hand, was of some weight, too, and the cramped inaction of so many years had rendered walking a slow and painful process.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading She found no trouble in passing through now, and was soon in the avenue, making slow progress toward the castle, under the shade of those vast oaks and chestnuts.
a source of difficulty
From this reading She found no trouble in passing through now, and was soon in the avenue, making slow progress toward the castle, under the shade of those vast oaks and chestnuts.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading She found no trouble in passing through now, and was soon in the avenue, making slow progress toward the castle, under the shade of those vast oaks and chestnuts.
directed up
From this reading The way was long, and the avenue swept upward with what, to the old woman, was a toilsome ascent.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading She found no trouble in passing through now, and was soon in the avenue, making slow progress toward the castle, under the shade of those vast oaks and chestnuts.
close enough to be walked to
From this reading The bag, which she carried in her hand, was of some weight, too, and the cramped inaction of so many years had rendered walking a slow and painful process.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The next morning Mrs. Yates was early at the park-gate.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The way was long, and the avenue swept upward with what, to the old woman, was a toilsome ascent.
the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity
From this reading The bag, which she carried in her hand, was of some weight, too, and the cramped inaction of so many years had rendered walking a slow and painful process.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading The way was long, and the avenue swept upward with what, to the old woman, was a toilsome ascent.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The bag, which she carried in her hand, was of some weight, too, and the cramped inaction of so many years had rendered walking a slow and painful process.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The way was long, and the avenue swept upward with what, to the old woman, was a toilsome ascent.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading The way was long, and the avenue swept upward with what, to the old woman, was a toilsome ascent.
Yates
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next morning Mrs. Yates was early at the park-gate.
a late time of life
From this reading The bag, which she carried in her hand, was of some weight, too, and the cramped inaction of so many years had rendered walking a slow and painful process.
