Chapter XL · Chapter 40

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading He said he was going home for the holidays and had come to say goodbye for a time.

(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

(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 Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

in spite of the fact that

From this reading Owen had not been doing very well during these last few months, although he was one of the few lucky ones who had had some small share of work.

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading He said he was going home for the holidays and had come to say goodbye for a time.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The End The following evening Barrington called at Owen’s place.

having undesirable or negative qualities

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The End The following evening Barrington called at Owen’s place.

enter or assume a certain state or condition

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Owen had not been doing very well during these last few months, although he was one of the few lucky ones who had had some small share of work.

a dyspneic condition

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading The End The following evening Barrington called at Owen’s place.

the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading He said he was going home for the holidays and had come to say goodbye for a time.

continue a certain state, condition, or activity

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

a sudden noisy expulsion of air from the lungs that clears the air passages; a common symptom of upper respiratory infection or bronchitis or pneumonia or tuberculosis

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

-ing form of “do” — engage in

From this reading Owen had not been doing very well during these last few months, although he was one of the few lucky ones who had had some small share of work.

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading Owen had not been doing very well during these last few months, although he was one of the few lucky ones who had had some small share of work.

gained or acquired; especially through merit or as a result of effort or action

From this reading Most of the money he earned went for rent, to pay which they often had to go short of food.

earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading The End The following evening Barrington called at Owen’s place.

divisible by two

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading The End The following evening Barrington called at Owen’s place.

use of physical or mental energy; hard work

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading Owen had not been doing very well during these last few months, although he was one of the few lucky ones who had had some small share of work.

plural of “fit” — a display of bad temper

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

about to be mentioned or specified

From this reading The End The following evening Barrington called at Owen’s place.

any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue

From this reading Most of the money he earned went for rent, to pay which they often had to go short of food.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading He said he was going home for the holidays and had come to say goodbye for a time.

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading Most of the money he earned went for rent, to pay which they often had to go short of food.

the act of departing

From this reading He said he was going home for the holidays and had come to say goodbye for a time.

a farewell remark

From this reading He said he was going home for the holidays and had come to say goodbye for a time.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading He said he was going home for the holidays and had come to say goodbye for a time.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He said he was going home for the holidays and had come to say goodbye for a time.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

plural of “holiday” — leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure

From this reading He said he was going home for the holidays and had come to say goodbye for a time.

where you live at a particular time

From this reading He said he was going home for the holidays and had come to say goodbye for a time.

not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

immediately past

From this reading Owen had not been doing very well during these last few months, although he was one of the few lucky ones who had had some small share of work.

in the recent past

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

occurring by chance

From this reading Owen had not been doing very well during these last few months, although he was one of the few lucky ones who had had some small share of work.

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender

From this reading Most of the money he earned went for rent, to pay which they often had to go short of food.

plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year

From this reading Owen had not been doing very well during these last few months, although he was one of the few lucky ones who had had some small share of work.

used to form the superlative

From this reading Most of the money he earned went for rent, to pay which they often had to go short of food.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Owen had not been doing very well during these last few months, although he was one of the few lucky ones who had had some small share of work.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Owen had not been doing very well during these last few months, although he was one of the few lucky ones who had had some small share of work.

many times at short intervals

From this reading Most of the money he earned went for rent, to pay which they often had to go short of food.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Owen had not been doing very well during these last few months, although he was one of the few lucky ones who had had some small share of work.

plural of “one” — the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number

From this reading Owen had not been doing very well during these last few months, although he was one of the few lucky ones who had had some small share of work.

and nothing more

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

Welsh industrialist and social reformer who founded cooperative communities (1771-1858)

From this reading Owen had not been doing very well during these last few months, although he was one of the few lucky ones who had had some small share of work.

possessive form of “owen” — Welsh industrialist and social reformer who founded cooperative communities (1771-1858)

From this reading The End The following evening Barrington called at Owen’s place.

give money, usually in exchange for goods or services

From this reading Most of the money he earned went for rent, to pay which they often had to go short of food.

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading The End The following evening Barrington called at Owen’s place.

let for money

From this reading Most of the money he earned went for rent, to pay which they often had to go short of food.

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading He said he was going home for the holidays and had come to say goodbye for a time.

express in words

From this reading He said he was going home for the holidays and had come to say goodbye for a time.

have in common

From this reading Owen had not been doing very well during these last few months, although he was one of the few lucky ones who had had some small share of work.

primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration

From this reading Most of the money he earned went for rent, to pay which they often had to go short of food.

superlative of “slight” — (quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none or (with “a”) at least some

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading Owen had not been doing very well during these last few months, although he was one of the few lucky ones who had had some small share of work.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading Owen had not been doing very well during these last few months, although he was one of the few lucky ones who had had some small share of work.

above or beyond the human or demanding more than human power or endurance

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The End The following evening Barrington called at Owen’s place.

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading Owen had not been doing very well during these last few months, although he was one of the few lucky ones who had had some small share of work.

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Most of the money he earned went for rent, to pay which they often had to go short of food.

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading He said he was going home for the holidays and had come to say goodbye for a time.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading He said he was going home for the holidays and had come to say goodbye for a time.

precisely as stated

From this reading Owen had not been doing very well during these last few months, although he was one of the few lucky ones who had had some small share of work.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading He said he was going home for the holidays and had come to say goodbye for a time.

(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 Owen had not been doing very well during these last few months, although he was one of the few lucky ones who had had some small share of work.

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading Most of the money he earned went for rent, to pay which they often had to go short of food.

at the time that

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Most of the money he earned went for rent, to pay which they often had to go short of food.

which person or people

From this reading Owen had not been doing very well during these last few months, although he was one of the few lucky ones who had had some small share of work.

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.

exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

From this reading Owen had not been doing very well during these last few months, although he was one of the few lucky ones who had had some small share of work.

actively engaged in paid work

From this reading Lately his chest had become so bad that the slightest exertion brought on fits of coughing and breathlessness, which made it almost impossible to work even when he had the opportunity; often it was only by an almost superhuman effort of will that he was able to continue working at all.