used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading ‘They begin with making falsehood appear like truth, and end with making truth appear like falsehood.’
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading ‘They begin with making falsehood appear like truth, and end with making truth appear like falsehood.’
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Mrs. Prior’s tones are soft and suave and persuasive.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
Barrys
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading ‘They begin with making falsehood appear like truth, and end with making truth appear like falsehood.’
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
a small house with a single story
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
cause to be slowed down or delayed
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
Denis's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading ‘They begin with making falsehood appear like truth, and end with making truth appear like falsehood.’
falsehoodnounUS /ˈfælshʊd/
a false statement
From this reading ‘They begin with making falsehood appear like truth, and end with making truth appear like falsehood.’
front-gate
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
in a gradual manner
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading ‘It is I, Mrs. Prior.’
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ‘It is I, Mrs. Prior.’
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
knocksnounUS /nɑːks/
plural of “knock” — the sound of knocking (as on a door or in an engine or bearing)
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading ‘They begin with making falsehood appear like truth, and end with making truth appear like falsehood.’
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading ‘They begin with making falsehood appear like truth, and end with making truth appear like falsehood.’
martialadjectiveUS /ˈmɑːrʃəl/
(of persons) befitting a warrior
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
persuasiveadjectiveUS /pərˈsweɪsɪv/
intended or having the power to induce action or belief
From this reading Mrs. Prior’s tones are soft and suave and persuasive.
pierces
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
PrioradjectiveUS /ˈpraɪər/
earlier in time
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
Prior's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Prior’s tones are soft and suave and persuasive.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading Mrs. Prior’s tones are soft and suave and persuasive.
stridesnounUS /straɪdz/
plural of “stride” — a step in walking or running
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
suaveadjectiveUS /swɑːv/
having a sophisticated charm
From this reading Mrs. Prior’s tones are soft and suave and persuasive.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
in or at that place or location
From this reading ‘Who’s there?’
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading ‘They begin with making falsehood appear like truth, and end with making truth appear like falsehood.’
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
plural of “tone” — the quality of a person's voice
From this reading Mrs. Prior’s tones are soft and suave and persuasive.
a fact that has been verified
From this reading ‘They begin with making falsehood appear like truth, and end with making truth appear like falsehood.’
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
(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 Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
Who's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Who’s there?’
in the company of; together with
From this reading ‘They begin with making falsehood appear like truth, and end with making truth appear like falsehood.’
woodworknounUS /ˈwʊdwɜːrk/
work made of wood; especially moldings or stairways or furniture
From this reading Mrs. Prior knocks gently at the front-gate of the Cottage, not the little green gate so well known to the Barrys; and after a little delay Mrs. Denis’s martial strides can be heard behind it, and her voice pierces the woodwork.
