used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading They walked down a lovely avenue to the outer gates.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading Birds with the gayest plumage hopped among the branches of the trees, and came fearlessly up to the strangers.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading One bird, perhaps as big as an English bullfinch, of many colours and with a fan-shaped tail, perched on Mavis’ shoulder, and chirped prettily to her.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was grass-covered, soft and velvety and cool.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading One bird, perhaps as big as an English bullfinch, of many colours and with a fan-shaped tail, perched on Mavis’ shoulder, and chirped prettily to her.
a line of approach
From this reading They walked down a lovely avenue to the outer gates.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading One bird, perhaps as big as an English bullfinch, of many colours and with a fan-shaped tail, perched on Mavis’ shoulder, and chirped prettily to her.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading One bird, perhaps as big as an English bullfinch, of many colours and with a fan-shaped tail, perched on Mavis’ shoulder, and chirped prettily to her.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading Birds with the gayest plumage hopped among the branches of the trees, and came fearlessly up to the strangers.
plural of “branch” — a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading Birds with the gayest plumage hopped among the branches of the trees, and came fearlessly up to the strangers.
bullfinchnoun
United States architect who designed the Capitol Building in Washington which served as a model for state capitols throughout the United States (1763-1844)
From this reading One bird, perhaps as big as an English bullfinch, of many colours and with a fan-shaped tail, perched on Mavis’ shoulder, and chirped prettily to her.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Birds with the gayest plumage hopped among the branches of the trees, and came fearlessly up to the strangers.
chirped
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One bird, perhaps as big as an English bullfinch, of many colours and with a fan-shaped tail, perched on Mavis’ shoulder, and chirped prettily to her.
coloursnounUS /ˈkʌlərz/
a distinguishing emblem
From this reading One bird, perhaps as big as an English bullfinch, of many colours and with a fan-shaped tail, perched on Mavis’ shoulder, and chirped prettily to her.
neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat
From this reading It was grass-covered, soft and velvety and cool.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading They walked down a lovely avenue to the outer gates.
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading One bird, perhaps as big as an English bullfinch, of many colours and with a fan-shaped tail, perched on Mavis’ shoulder, and chirped prettily to her.
fan-shapedadjective
shaped in the form of a fan
From this reading One bird, perhaps as big as an English bullfinch, of many colours and with a fan-shaped tail, perched on Mavis’ shoulder, and chirped prettily to her.
fearlesslyadverb
without fear
From this reading Birds with the gayest plumage hopped among the branches of the trees, and came fearlessly up to the strangers.
United States computer entrepreneur whose software company made him the youngest multi-billionaire in the history of the United States (born in 1955)
From this reading They walked down a lovely avenue to the outer gates.
gayest
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Birds with the gayest plumage hopped among the branches of the trees, and came fearlessly up to the strangers.
grass-coveredadjective
covered with grass
From this reading It was grass-covered, soft and velvety and cool.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading One bird, perhaps as big as an English bullfinch, of many colours and with a fan-shaped tail, perched on Mavis’ shoulder, and chirped prettily to her.
hoppedverbUS /hɑːpt/
inflected form of “hop” — jump lightly
From this reading Birds with the gayest plumage hopped among the branches of the trees, and came fearlessly up to the strangers.
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How wonderful!” said she.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was grass-covered, soft and velvety and cool.
appealing to the emotions as well as the eye
From this reading They walked down a lovely avenue to the outer gates.
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 One bird, perhaps as big as an English bullfinch, of many colours and with a fan-shaped tail, perched on Mavis’ shoulder, and chirped prettily to her.
MavisnounUS /ˈmeɪvɪs/
common Old World thrush noted for its song
From this reading One bird, perhaps as big as an English bullfinch, of many colours and with a fan-shaped tail, perched on Mavis’ shoulder, and chirped prettily to her.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Birds with the gayest plumage hopped among the branches of the trees, and came fearlessly up to the strangers.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading One bird, perhaps as big as an English bullfinch, of many colours and with a fan-shaped tail, perched on Mavis’ shoulder, and chirped prettily to her.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One bird, perhaps as big as an English bullfinch, of many colours and with a fan-shaped tail, perched on Mavis’ shoulder, and chirped prettily to her.
outeradjectiveUS /ˈaʊtər/
being on the outside or further from a center
From this reading They walked down a lovely avenue to the outer gates.
perchedverbUS /pɜːrtʃt/
past form of “perch” — sit, as on a branch
From this reading One bird, perhaps as big as an English bullfinch, of many colours and with a fan-shaped tail, perched on Mavis’ shoulder, and chirped prettily to her.
by chance
From this reading One bird, perhaps as big as an English bullfinch, of many colours and with a fan-shaped tail, perched on Mavis’ shoulder, and chirped prettily to her.
plumagenounUS /ˈpluːmədʒ/
the light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds
From this reading Birds with the gayest plumage hopped among the branches of the trees, and came fearlessly up to the strangers.
prettilyadverb
in a pretty manner
From this reading One bird, perhaps as big as an English bullfinch, of many colours and with a fan-shaped tail, perched on Mavis’ shoulder, and chirped prettily to her.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “How wonderful!” said she.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “How wonderful!” said she.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading One bird, perhaps as big as an English bullfinch, of many colours and with a fan-shaped tail, perched on Mavis’ shoulder, and chirped prettily to her.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading It was grass-covered, soft and velvety and cool.
plural of “stranger” — anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading Birds with the gayest plumage hopped among the branches of the trees, and came fearlessly up to the strangers.
the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
From this reading One bird, perhaps as big as an English bullfinch, of many colours and with a fan-shaped tail, perched on Mavis’ shoulder, and chirped prettily to her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They walked down a lovely avenue to the outer gates.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They walked down a lovely avenue to the outer gates.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They walked down a lovely avenue to the outer gates.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading Birds with the gayest plumage hopped among the branches of the trees, and came fearlessly up to the strangers.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Birds with the gayest plumage hopped among the branches of the trees, and came fearlessly up to the strangers.
velvetyadjectiveUS /ˈvelvəti/
smooth and soft to sight or hearing or touch or taste
From this reading It was grass-covered, soft and velvety and cool.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading They walked down a lovely avenue to the outer gates.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was grass-covered, soft and velvety and cool.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Birds with the gayest plumage hopped among the branches of the trees, and came fearlessly up to the strangers.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading “How wonderful!” said she.
