used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He kept himself awake devising schemes for his liberation; he would find some business to take him up to town to-morrow; or, if he could not find it, he would invent it; he would send himself a telegram.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading And then, against his will, his mind began running on Miss Tancred.
(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 He decided that he would not get through it at all.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And then, against his will, his mind began running on Miss Tancred.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As he had been possessed by the ideal, so now he was haunted by the reality; it had a horrible fascination for him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He decided that he would not get through it at all.
awakeadjectiveUS /əˈweɪk/
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading He kept himself awake devising schemes for his liberation; he would find some business to take him up to town to-morrow; or, if he could not find it, he would invent it; he would send himself a telegram.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading As he had been possessed by the ideal, so now he was haunted by the reality; it had a horrible fascination for him.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading And then, against his will, his mind began running on Miss Tancred.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading He kept himself awake devising schemes for his liberation; he would find some business to take him up to town to-morrow; or, if he could not find it, he would invent it; he would send himself a telegram.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading As he had been possessed by the ideal, so now he was haunted by the reality; it had a horrible fascination for him.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He kept himself awake devising schemes for his liberation; he would find some business to take him up to town to-morrow; or, if he could not find it, he would invent it; he would send himself a telegram.
recognizable; marked
From this reading He decided that he would not get through it at all.
devisingnounUS /dɪˈvaɪzɪŋ/
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading He kept himself awake devising schemes for his liberation; he would find some business to take him up to town to-morrow; or, if he could not find it, he would invent it; he would send himself a telegram.
fascinationnounUS /ˌfæsəˈneɪʃən/
the state of being intensely interested (as by awe or terror)
From this reading As he had been possessed by the ideal, so now he was haunted by the reality; it had a horrible fascination for him.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading He kept himself awake devising schemes for his liberation; he would find some business to take him up to town to-morrow; or, if he could not find it, he would invent it; he would send himself a telegram.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He kept himself awake devising schemes for his liberation; he would find some business to take him up to town to-morrow; or, if he could not find it, he would invent it; he would send himself a telegram.
fortnightnounUS /ˈfɔːrtnaɪt/
a period of fourteen consecutive days
From this reading Well, how was he to get through that fortnight?
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Well, how was he to get through that fortnight?
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading As he had been possessed by the ideal, so now he was haunted by the reality; it had a horrible fascination for him.
hauntedadjectiveUS /ˈhɔːntɪd/
having or showing excessive or compulsive concern with something
From this reading As he had been possessed by the ideal, so now he was haunted by the reality; it had a horrible fascination for him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Well, how was he to get through that fortnight?
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He kept himself awake devising schemes for his liberation; he would find some business to take him up to town to-morrow; or, if he could not find it, he would invent it; he would send himself a telegram.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He kept himself awake devising schemes for his liberation; he would find some business to take him up to town to-morrow; or, if he could not find it, he would invent it; he would send himself a telegram.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He kept himself awake devising schemes for his liberation; he would find some business to take him up to town to-morrow; or, if he could not find it, he would invent it; he would send himself a telegram.
provoking horror
From this reading As he had been possessed by the ideal, so now he was haunted by the reality; it had a horrible fascination for him.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, how was he to get through that fortnight?
idealadjectiveUS /aɪˈdiːl/
conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection or excellence; embodying an ideal
From this reading As he had been possessed by the ideal, so now he was haunted by the reality; it had a horrible fascination for him.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading He kept himself awake devising schemes for his liberation; he would find some business to take him up to town to-morrow; or, if he could not find it, he would invent it; he would send himself a telegram.
inventverbUS /ˌɪnˈvent/
come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort
From this reading He kept himself awake devising schemes for his liberation; he would find some business to take him up to town to-morrow; or, if he could not find it, he would invent it; he would send himself a telegram.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He decided that he would not get through it at all.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading He kept himself awake devising schemes for his liberation; he would find some business to take him up to town to-morrow; or, if he could not find it, he would invent it; he would send himself a telegram.
liberationnounUS /ˌlɪbɜːrˈeɪʃən/
the act of liberating someone or something
From this reading He kept himself awake devising schemes for his liberation; he would find some business to take him up to town to-morrow; or, if he could not find it, he would invent it; he would send himself a telegram.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading And then, against his will, his mind began running on Miss Tancred.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading And then, against his will, his mind began running on Miss Tancred.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He decided that he would not get through it at all.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading As he had been possessed by the ideal, so now he was haunted by the reality; it had a horrible fascination for him.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading And then, against his will, his mind began running on Miss Tancred.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He kept himself awake devising schemes for his liberation; he would find some business to take him up to town to-morrow; or, if he could not find it, he would invent it; he would send himself a telegram.
influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion
From this reading As he had been possessed by the ideal, so now he was haunted by the reality; it had a horrible fascination for him.
all of your experiences that determine how things appear to you
From this reading As he had been possessed by the ideal, so now he was haunted by the reality; it had a horrible fascination for him.
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading And then, against his will, his mind began running on Miss Tancred.
schemesnounUS /skiːmz/
plural of “scheme” — an elaborate and systematic plan of action
From this reading He kept himself awake devising schemes for his liberation; he would find some business to take him up to town to-morrow; or, if he could not find it, he would invent it; he would send himself a telegram.
cause to go somewhere
From this reading He kept himself awake devising schemes for his liberation; he would find some business to take him up to town to-morrow; or, if he could not find it, he would invent it; he would send himself a telegram.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading As he had been possessed by the ideal, so now he was haunted by the reality; it had a horrible fascination for him.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading He kept himself awake devising schemes for his liberation; he would find some business to take him up to town to-morrow; or, if he could not find it, he would invent it; he would send himself a telegram.
carry out
From this reading He kept himself awake devising schemes for his liberation; he would find some business to take him up to town to-morrow; or, if he could not find it, he would invent it; he would send himself a telegram.
Tancrednoun
Norman leader in the First Crusade who played an important role in the capture of Jerusalem (1078-1112)
From this reading And then, against his will, his mind began running on Miss Tancred.
telegramnounUS /ˈteləɡræm/
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading He kept himself awake devising schemes for his liberation; he would find some business to take him up to town to-morrow; or, if he could not find it, he would invent it; he would send himself a telegram.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Well, how was he to get through that fortnight?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As he had been possessed by the ideal, so now he was haunted by the reality; it had a horrible fascination for him.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then, against his will, his mind began running on Miss Tancred.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Well, how was he to get through that fortnight?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Well, how was he to get through that fortnight?
to-morrow
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He kept himself awake devising schemes for his liberation; he would find some business to take him up to town to-morrow; or, if he could not find it, he would invent it; he would send himself a telegram.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading He kept himself awake devising schemes for his liberation; he would find some business to take him up to town to-morrow; or, if he could not find it, he would invent it; he would send himself a telegram.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He kept himself awake devising schemes for his liberation; he would find some business to take him up to town to-morrow; or, if he could not find it, he would invent it; he would send himself a telegram.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Well, how was he to get through that fortnight?
(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, how was he to get through that fortnight?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading And then, against his will, his mind began running on Miss Tancred.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He decided that he would not get through it at all.
