used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The _ménage_ of Ninette was a strange one!
in the past
From this reading It stood apart, in an overgrown weedy garden, and has long ago been pulled down.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It stood apart, in an overgrown weedy garden, and has long ago been pulled down.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It stood apart, in an overgrown weedy garden, and has long ago been pulled down.
separated or at a distance in place or position or time
From this reading It stood apart, in an overgrown weedy garden, and has long ago been pulled down.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Through the broken palings in the garden she had no difficulty in passing, and as its back door had fallen to pieces, there was nothing to bar her further entry.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Through the broken palings in the garden she had no difficulty in passing, and as its back door had fallen to pieces, there was nothing to bar her further entry.
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading Through the broken palings in the garden she had no difficulty in passing, and as its back door had fallen to pieces, there was nothing to bar her further entry.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It stood apart, in an overgrown weedy garden, and has long ago been pulled down.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading Through the broken palings in the garden she had no difficulty in passing, and as its back door had fallen to pieces, there was nothing to bar her further entry.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was uninhabited; no one but a Parisian _gamine_ could have lived in it, and Ninette had long occupied it, unmolested, save by the rats.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It was uninhabited; no one but a Parisian _gamine_ could have lived in it, and Ninette had long occupied it, unmolested, save by the rats.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It was uninhabited; no one but a Parisian _gamine_ could have lived in it, and Ninette had long occupied it, unmolested, save by the rats.
forsaken by owner or inhabitants
From this reading There was a tumbledown deserted house in the Montparnasse district.
an effort that is inconvenient
From this reading Through the broken palings in the garden she had no difficulty in passing, and as its back door had fallen to pieces, there was nothing to bar her further entry.
districtnounUS /ˈdɪstrɪkt/
a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
From this reading There was a tumbledown deserted house in the Montparnasse district.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Through the broken palings in the garden she had no difficulty in passing, and as its back door had fallen to pieces, there was nothing to bar her further entry.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading It stood apart, in an overgrown weedy garden, and has long ago been pulled down.
entrynounUS /ˈentri/
an item inserted in a written record
From this reading Through the broken palings in the garden she had no difficulty in passing, and as its back door had fallen to pieces, there was nothing to bar her further entry.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading Through the broken palings in the garden she had no difficulty in passing, and as its back door had fallen to pieces, there was nothing to bar her further entry.
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading Through the broken palings in the garden she had no difficulty in passing, and as its back door had fallen to pieces, there was nothing to bar her further entry.
gaminenoun
a homeless girl who roams the streets
From this reading It was uninhabited; no one but a Parisian _gamine_ could have lived in it, and Ninette had long occupied it, unmolested, save by the rats.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading It stood apart, in an overgrown weedy garden, and has long ago been pulled down.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was uninhabited; no one but a Parisian _gamine_ could have lived in it, and Ninette had long occupied it, unmolested, save by the rats.
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It stood apart, in an overgrown weedy garden, and has long ago been pulled down.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It was uninhabited; no one but a Parisian _gamine_ could have lived in it, and Ninette had long occupied it, unmolested, save by the rats.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Through the broken palings in the garden she had no difficulty in passing, and as its back door had fallen to pieces, there was nothing to bar her further entry.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading There was a tumbledown deserted house in the Montparnasse district.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was a tumbledown deserted house in the Montparnasse district.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It stood apart, in an overgrown weedy garden, and has long ago been pulled down.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Through the broken palings in the garden she had no difficulty in passing, and as its back door had fallen to pieces, there was nothing to bar her further entry.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading It was uninhabited; no one but a Parisian _gamine_ could have lived in it, and Ninette had long occupied it, unmolested, save by the rats.
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 It stood apart, in an overgrown weedy garden, and has long ago been pulled down.
Montparnasse
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was a tumbledown deserted house in the Montparnasse district.
ménage
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The _ménage_ of Ninette was a strange one!
Ninette
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The _ménage_ of Ninette was a strange one!
not any; not one
From this reading It was uninhabited; no one but a Parisian _gamine_ could have lived in it, and Ninette had long occupied it, unmolested, save by the rats.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Through the broken palings in the garden she had no difficulty in passing, and as its back door had fallen to pieces, there was nothing to bar her further entry.
held or filled or in use
From this reading It was uninhabited; no one but a Parisian _gamine_ could have lived in it, and Ninette had long occupied it, unmolested, save by the rats.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The _ménage_ of Ninette was a strange one!
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The _ménage_ of Ninette was a strange one!
overgrownadjectiveUS /ˌoʊvərˈɡroʊn/
covered with growing plants
From this reading It stood apart, in an overgrown weedy garden, and has long ago been pulled down.
palings
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Through the broken palings in the garden she had no difficulty in passing, and as its back door had fallen to pieces, there was nothing to bar her further entry.
ParisianadjectiveUS /pərˈɪʒən/
of or relating to or characteristic of Paris or its inhabitants
From this reading It was uninhabited; no one but a Parisian _gamine_ could have lived in it, and Ninette had long occupied it, unmolested, save by the rats.
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading Through the broken palings in the garden she had no difficulty in passing, and as its back door had fallen to pieces, there was nothing to bar her further entry.
plural of “piece” — a separate part of a whole
From this reading Through the broken palings in the garden she had no difficulty in passing, and as its back door had fallen to pieces, there was nothing to bar her further entry.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading It stood apart, in an overgrown weedy garden, and has long ago been pulled down.
ratsnounUS /ræts/
plural of “rat” — any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading It was uninhabited; no one but a Parisian _gamine_ could have lived in it, and Ninette had long occupied it, unmolested, save by the rats.
except for; apart from
From this reading It was uninhabited; no one but a Parisian _gamine_ could have lived in it, and Ninette had long occupied it, unmolested, save by the rats.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Through the broken palings in the garden she had no difficulty in passing, and as its back door had fallen to pieces, there was nothing to bar her further entry.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading It stood apart, in an overgrown weedy garden, and has long ago been pulled down.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading The _ménage_ of Ninette was a strange one!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The _ménage_ of Ninette was a strange one!
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a tumbledown deserted house in the Montparnasse district.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Through the broken palings in the garden she had no difficulty in passing, and as its back door had fallen to pieces, there was nothing to bar her further entry.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Through the broken palings in the garden she had no difficulty in passing, and as its back door had fallen to pieces, there was nothing to bar her further entry.
tumbledown
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was a tumbledown deserted house in the Montparnasse district.
uninhabitedadjectiveUS /ˌʌnɪnˈhæbətɪd/
not having inhabitants; not lived in
From this reading It was uninhabited; no one but a Parisian _gamine_ could have lived in it, and Ninette had long occupied it, unmolested, save by the rats.
unmolestedadjectiveUS /ˌʌnməˈlestɪd/
not interfered with, disturbed, or harmed
From this reading It was uninhabited; no one but a Parisian _gamine_ could have lived in it, and Ninette had long occupied it, unmolested, save by the rats.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The _ménage_ of Ninette was a strange one!
weedyadjectiveUS /ˈwiːdi/
abounding with or resembling weeds
From this reading It stood apart, in an overgrown weedy garden, and has long ago been pulled down.
