used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading They entered the master’s room, and Patricia, seized by a sudden impulse, followed them, leaving Betty trembling in the window scat.
(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 Unnoted by all but one of the company, she slipt to a seat in the shadow of her father’s burly shoulders.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He was leaning forward, talking to the Governor, who sat very erect, his features fixed in an expression of dogged determination.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They entered the master’s room, and Patricia, seized by a sudden impulse, followed them, leaving Betty trembling in the window scat.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading He left the hall, but was back in five minutes’ time with the forger.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The Surveyor-General sat well behind the table, and upon the polished wood before him lay a little heap of torn petals and broken stems.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading The Surveyor-General sat well behind the table, and upon the polished wood before him lay a little heap of torn petals and broken stems.
Betty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They entered the master’s room, and Patricia, seized by a sudden impulse, followed them, leaving Betty trembling in the window scat.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading The Surveyor-General sat well behind the table, and upon the polished wood before him lay a little heap of torn petals and broken stems.
burlyadjectiveUS /ˈbɜːrli/
muscular and heavily built
From this reading Unnoted by all but one of the company, she slipt to a seat in the shadow of her father’s burly shoulders.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He left the hall, but was back in five minutes’ time with the forger.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading They entered the master’s room, and Patricia, seized by a sudden impulse, followed them, leaving Betty trembling in the window scat.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading Unnoted by all but one of the company, she slipt to a seat in the shadow of her father’s burly shoulders.
determinationnounUS /dɪˌtɜːrməˈneɪʃən/
the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation
From this reading He was leaning forward, talking to the Governor, who sat very erect, his features fixed in an expression of dogged determination.
doggedadjectiveUS /dɔːɡd/
stubbornly unyielding
From this reading He was leaning forward, talking to the Governor, who sat very erect, his features fixed in an expression of dogged determination.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading They entered the master’s room, and Patricia, seized by a sudden impulse, followed them, leaving Betty trembling in the window scat.
erectverbUS /ɪˈrekt/
construct, build, or erect
From this reading He was leaning forward, talking to the Governor, who sat very erect, his features fixed in an expression of dogged determination.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading He was leaning forward, talking to the Governor, who sat very erect, his features fixed in an expression of dogged determination.
father'snounUS /ˈfɑːðərz/
possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Unnoted by all but one of the company, she slipt to a seat in the shadow of her father’s burly shoulders.
plural of “feature” — a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading He was leaning forward, talking to the Governor, who sat very erect, his features fixed in an expression of dogged determination.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading He left the hall, but was back in five minutes’ time with the forger.
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading He was leaning forward, talking to the Governor, who sat very erect, his features fixed in an expression of dogged determination.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading They entered the master’s room, and Patricia, seized by a sudden impulse, followed them, leaving Betty trembling in the window scat.
forgernounUS /ˈfɔːrdʒər/
someone who operates a forge
From this reading He left the hall, but was back in five minutes’ time with the forger.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading He was leaning forward, talking to the Governor, who sat very erect, his features fixed in an expression of dogged determination.
the head of a state government
From this reading He was leaning forward, talking to the Governor, who sat very erect, his features fixed in an expression of dogged determination.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading He left the hall, but was back in five minutes’ time with the forger.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He left the hall, but was back in five minutes’ time with the forger.
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading The Surveyor-General sat well behind the table, and upon the polished wood before him lay a little heap of torn petals and broken stems.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Unnoted by all but one of the company, she slipt to a seat in the shadow of her father’s burly shoulders.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The Surveyor-General sat well behind the table, and upon the polished wood before him lay a little heap of torn petals and broken stems.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was leaning forward, talking to the Governor, who sat very erect, his features fixed in an expression of dogged determination.
an instinctive motive
From this reading They entered the master’s room, and Patricia, seized by a sudden impulse, followed them, leaving Betty trembling in the window scat.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He left the hall, but was back in five minutes’ time with the forger.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The Surveyor-General sat well behind the table, and upon the polished wood before him lay a little heap of torn petals and broken stems.
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading He was leaning forward, talking to the Governor, who sat very erect, his features fixed in an expression of dogged determination.
the act of departing
From this reading They entered the master’s room, and Patricia, seized by a sudden impulse, followed them, leaving Betty trembling in the window scat.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading He left the hall, but was back in five minutes’ time with the forger.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The Surveyor-General sat well behind the table, and upon the polished wood before him lay a little heap of torn petals and broken stems.
master'snounUS /ˈmæstərz/
possessive form of “master” — an artist of consummate skill
From this reading They entered the master’s room, and Patricia, seized by a sudden impulse, followed them, leaving Betty trembling in the window scat.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading He left the hall, but was back in five minutes’ time with the forger.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Unnoted by all but one of the company, she slipt to a seat in the shadow of her father’s burly shoulders.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Unnoted by all but one of the company, she slipt to a seat in the shadow of her father’s burly shoulders.
Patricia
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They entered the master’s room, and Patricia, seized by a sudden impulse, followed them, leaving Betty trembling in the window scat.
petalsnounUS /ˈpetəlz/
plural of “petal” — part of the perianth that is usually brightly colored
From this reading The Surveyor-General sat well behind the table, and upon the polished wood before him lay a little heap of torn petals and broken stems.
polishedadjectiveUS /ˈpɑːlɪʃt/
perfected or made shiny and smooth
From this reading The Surveyor-General sat well behind the table, and upon the polished wood before him lay a little heap of torn petals and broken stems.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading They entered the master’s room, and Patricia, seized by a sudden impulse, followed them, leaving Betty trembling in the window scat.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading He was leaning forward, talking to the Governor, who sat very erect, his features fixed in an expression of dogged determination.
scatnounUS /skæt/
singing jazz; the singer substitutes nonsense syllables for the words of the song and tries to sound like a musical instrument
From this reading They entered the master’s room, and Patricia, seized by a sudden impulse, followed them, leaving Betty trembling in the window scat.
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading Unnoted by all but one of the company, she slipt to a seat in the shadow of her father’s burly shoulders.
past form of “seize” — take hold of; grab
From this reading They entered the master’s room, and Patricia, seized by a sudden impulse, followed them, leaving Betty trembling in the window scat.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading Unnoted by all but one of the company, she slipt to a seat in the shadow of her father’s burly shoulders.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Unnoted by all but one of the company, she slipt to a seat in the shadow of her father’s burly shoulders.
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading Unnoted by all but one of the company, she slipt to a seat in the shadow of her father’s burly shoulders.
slipt
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Unnoted by all but one of the company, she slipt to a seat in the shadow of her father’s burly shoulders.
stemsnounUS /stemz/
plural of “stem” — (linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed
From this reading The Surveyor-General sat well behind the table, and upon the polished wood before him lay a little heap of torn petals and broken stems.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading They entered the master’s room, and Patricia, seized by a sudden impulse, followed them, leaving Betty trembling in the window scat.
Surveyor-General
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Surveyor-General sat well behind the table, and upon the polished wood before him lay a little heap of torn petals and broken stems.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading The Surveyor-General sat well behind the table, and upon the polished wood before him lay a little heap of torn petals and broken stems.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading He was leaning forward, talking to the Governor, who sat very erect, his features fixed in an expression of dogged determination.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He left the hall, but was back in five minutes’ time with the forger.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading They entered the master’s room, and Patricia, seized by a sudden impulse, followed them, leaving Betty trembling in the window scat.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They entered the master’s room, and Patricia, seized by a sudden impulse, followed them, leaving Betty trembling in the window scat.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading He left the hall, but was back in five minutes’ time with the forger.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Unnoted by all but one of the company, she slipt to a seat in the shadow of her father’s burly shoulders.
having edges that are jagged from injury
From this reading The Surveyor-General sat well behind the table, and upon the polished wood before him lay a little heap of torn petals and broken stems.
a shaky motion
From this reading They entered the master’s room, and Patricia, seized by a sudden impulse, followed them, leaving Betty trembling in the window scat.
Unnotedadjective
not taken into account
From this reading Unnoted by all but one of the company, she slipt to a seat in the shadow of her father’s burly shoulders.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The Surveyor-General sat well behind the table, and upon the polished wood before him lay a little heap of torn petals and broken stems.
precisely as stated
From this reading He was leaning forward, talking to the Governor, who sat very erect, his features fixed in an expression of dogged determination.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He left the hall, but was back in five minutes’ time with the forger.
(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 The Surveyor-General sat well behind the table, and upon the polished wood before him lay a little heap of torn petals and broken stems.
which person or people
From this reading He was leaning forward, talking to the Governor, who sat very erect, his features fixed in an expression of dogged determination.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading They entered the master’s room, and Patricia, seized by a sudden impulse, followed them, leaving Betty trembling in the window scat.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He left the hall, but was back in five minutes’ time with the forger.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading The Surveyor-General sat well behind the table, and upon the polished wood before him lay a little heap of torn petals and broken stems.
