adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/
(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 ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
AmericannounUS /əˈmerəkən/
a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
Anthea
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A soft ‘Oh!’ of contradiction sprang to the lips of Cyril, Robert, Jane, and Anthea.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
backedadjectiveUS /bækt/
having a back or backing, usually of a specified type
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
badadjectiveUS /bæd/
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
bargainnounUS /ˈbɑːrɡən/
an agreement between parties (usually arrived at after discussion) fixing obligations of each
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
boughtverbUS /bɑːt/
inflected form of “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
boysnounUS /bɔɪz/
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading ‘The boys helped too,’ said the dears, honourably.
ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading ‘But, still--twenty-two and ninepence!
carpetnounUS /ˈkɑːrpət/
floor covering consisting of a piece of thick heavy fabric (usually with nap or pile)
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
clothnounUS /klɔːθ/
artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
contradictionnounUS /ˌkɑːntrəˈdɪkʃən/
opposition between two conflicting forces or ideas
From this reading A soft ‘Oh!’ of contradiction sprang to the lips of Cyril, Robert, Jane, and Anthea.
coursenounUS /kɔːrs/
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Mother looked at them quickly, and said-- ‘Well, of course, I see you’ve mended it very nicely, and that was sweet of you, dears.’
CyrilnounUS /ˈsɪrəl/
Greek missionary; the invention of the Cyrillic alphabet is attributed to him (826-869)
From this reading A soft ‘Oh!’ of contradiction sprang to the lips of Cyril, Robert, Jane, and Anthea.
darnedadjectiveUS /dɑːrnd/
expletives used informally as intensifiers
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
dears
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mother looked at them quickly, and said-- ‘Well, of course, I see you’ve mended it very nicely, and that was sweet of you, dears.’
floornounUS /flɔːr/
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
helpedverbUS /helpt/
past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading ‘The boys helped too,’ said the dears, honourably.
honourablyadverbUS /ˈɑːnərəbli/
with honor
From this reading ‘The boys helped too,’ said the dears, honourably.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
I've
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
Jane
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A soft ‘Oh!’ of contradiction sprang to the lips of Cyril, Robert, Jane, and Anthea.
layverbUS /leɪ/
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
lifenounUS /laɪf/
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
lipsnounUS /lɪps/
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading A soft ‘Oh!’ of contradiction sprang to the lips of Cyril, Robert, Jane, and Anthea.
lookedverbUS /lʊkt/
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Mother looked at them quickly, and said-- ‘Well, of course, I see you’ve mended it very nicely, and that was sweet of you, dears.’
lookingnounUS /ˈlʊkɪŋ/
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
mendedverbUS /ˈmendɪd/
past form of “mend” — restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
mothernounUS /ˈmʌðər/
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
MUSTmodal verbUS /mʌst/
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
nicelyadverbUS /ˈnaɪsli/
in a nice way
From this reading Mother looked at them quickly, and said-- ‘Well, of course, I see you’ve mended it very nicely, and that was sweet of you, dears.’
ninepencenoun
a coin worth nine pennies
From this reading ‘But, still--twenty-two and ninepence!
nurserynounUS /ˈnɜːrsəri/
a child's room for a baby
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
OhnounUS /oʊ/
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading A soft ‘Oh!’ of contradiction sprang to the lips of Cyril, Robert, Jane, and Anthea.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
quicklyadverbUS /ˈkwɪkli/
with speed
From this reading Mother looked at them quickly, and said-- ‘Well, of course, I see you’ve mended it very nicely, and that was sweet of you, dears.’
RobertnounUS /ˈrɑːbərt/
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading A soft ‘Oh!’ of contradiction sprang to the lips of Cyril, Robert, Jane, and Anthea.
saidadjectiveUS /sed/
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
sayverbUS /seɪ/
express in words
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
seeverbUS /siː/
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Mother looked at them quickly, and said-- ‘Well, of course, I see you’ve mended it very nicely, and that was sweet of you, dears.’
shinyadjectiveUS /ˈʃaɪni/
reflecting light
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
softadjectiveUS /sɑːft/
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading A soft ‘Oh!’ of contradiction sprang to the lips of Cyril, Robert, Jane, and Anthea.
sprangverbUS /spræŋ/
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading A soft ‘Oh!’ of contradiction sprang to the lips of Cyril, Robert, Jane, and Anthea.
stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/
not in physical motion
From this reading ‘But, still--twenty-two and ninepence!
suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
sweetadjectiveUS /swiːt/
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading Mother looked at them quickly, and said-- ‘Well, of course, I see you’ve mended it very nicely, and that was sweet of you, dears.’
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Mother looked at them quickly, and said-- ‘Well, of course, I see you’ve mended it very nicely, and that was sweet of you, dears.’
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A soft ‘Oh!’ of contradiction sprang to the lips of Cyril, Robert, Jane, and Anthea.
tooadverbUS /tuː/
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading ‘The boys helped too,’ said the dears, honourably.
twenty-twonounUS /ˈtwentituː/
the cardinal number that is the sum of twenty-one and one
From this reading ‘But, still--twenty-two and ninepence!
veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/
precisely as stated
From this reading Mother looked at them quickly, and said-- ‘Well, of course, I see you’ve mended it very nicely, and that was sweet of you, dears.’
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mother looked at them quickly, and said-- ‘Well, of course, I see you’ve mended it very nicely, and that was sweet of you, dears.’
WelladverbUS /wel/
(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, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
wishingnounUS /ˈwɪʃɪŋ/
a specific feeling of desire
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading ‘Well, I MUST say,’ mother said, looking at the wishing carpet as it lay, all darned and mended and backed with shiny American cloth, on the floor of the nursery--‘I MUST say I’ve never in my life bought such a bad bargain as that carpet.’
youpronounUS /juː/
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Mother looked at them quickly, and said-- ‘Well, of course, I see you’ve mended it very nicely, and that was sweet of you, dears.’
you've
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mother looked at them quickly, and said-- ‘Well, of course, I see you’ve mended it very nicely, and that was sweet of you, dears.’
