used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE ATTIC PARTY “Nan,” said Jean, on Saturday morning, when she and Nan were the first arrivals in the attic with a load of articles for setting the tables.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “Nan, don’t you remember how Jimmy used to be very mysterious about some meeting of the boys?
how long something has existed
From this reading What if they had this society then,--the boys about his age?
in the past
From this reading How long ago was it?”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE ATTIC PARTY “Nan,” said Jean, on Saturday morning, when she and Nan were the first arrivals in the attic with a load of articles for setting the tables.
arrivalsnounUS /ərˈaɪvəlz/
plural of “arrival” — accomplishment of an objective
From this reading THE ATTIC PARTY “Nan,” said Jean, on Saturday morning, when she and Nan were the first arrivals in the attic with a load of articles for setting the tables.
plural of “article” — nonfictional prose forming an independent part of a publication
From this reading THE ATTIC PARTY “Nan,” said Jean, on Saturday morning, when she and Nan were the first arrivals in the attic with a load of articles for setting the tables.
ATTICnounUS /ˈætɪk/
floor consisting of open space at the top of a house just below roof; often used for storage
From this reading THE ATTIC PARTY “Nan,” said Jean, on Saturday morning, when she and Nan were the first arrivals in the attic with a load of articles for setting the tables.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Nan, don’t you remember how Jimmy used to be very mysterious about some meeting of the boys?
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading “Nan, don’t you remember how Jimmy used to be very mysterious about some meeting of the boys?
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading You and I weren’t much interested in those days.
don't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Nan, don’t you remember how Jimmy used to be very mysterious about some meeting of the boys?
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading THE ATTIC PARTY “Nan,” said Jean, on Saturday morning, when she and Nan were the first arrivals in the attic with a load of articles for setting the tables.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE ATTIC PARTY “Nan,” said Jean, on Saturday morning, when she and Nan were the first arrivals in the attic with a load of articles for setting the tables.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading What if they had this society then,--the boys about his age?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading What if they had this society then,--the boys about his age?
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Nan, don’t you remember how Jimmy used to be very mysterious about some meeting of the boys?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading You and I weren’t much interested in those days.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading What if they had this society then,--the boys about his age?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE ATTIC PARTY “Nan,” said Jean, on Saturday morning, when she and Nan were the first arrivals in the attic with a load of articles for setting the tables.
having or showing interest; especially curiosity or fascination or concern
From this reading You and I weren’t much interested in those days.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading How long ago was it?”
a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric
From this reading THE ATTIC PARTY “Nan,” said Jean, on Saturday morning, when she and Nan were the first arrivals in the attic with a load of articles for setting the tables.
to move or force, especially in an effort to get something open
From this reading “Nan, don’t you remember how Jimmy used to be very mysterious about some meeting of the boys?
loadnounUS /loʊd/
weight to be borne or conveyed
From this reading THE ATTIC PARTY “Nan,” said Jean, on Saturday morning, when she and Nan were the first arrivals in the attic with a load of articles for setting the tables.
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 How long ago was it?”
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading “Nan, don’t you remember how Jimmy used to be very mysterious about some meeting of the boys?
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading THE ATTIC PARTY “Nan,” said Jean, on Saturday morning, when she and Nan were the first arrivals in the attic with a load of articles for setting the tables.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading You and I weren’t much interested in those days.
of an obscure nature
From this reading “Nan, don’t you remember how Jimmy used to be very mysterious about some meeting of the boys?
NannounUS /næn/
your grandmother
From this reading THE ATTIC PARTY “Nan,” said Jean, on Saturday morning, when she and Nan were the first arrivals in the attic with a load of articles for setting the tables.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE ATTIC PARTY “Nan,” said Jean, on Saturday morning, when she and Nan were the first arrivals in the attic with a load of articles for setting the tables.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THE ATTIC PARTY “Nan,” said Jean, on Saturday morning, when she and Nan were the first arrivals in the attic with a load of articles for setting the tables.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading THE ATTIC PARTY “Nan,” said Jean, on Saturday morning, when she and Nan were the first arrivals in the attic with a load of articles for setting the tables.
To recall to mind.
From this reading “Nan, don’t you remember how Jimmy used to be very mysterious about some meeting of the boys?
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading THE ATTIC PARTY “Nan,” said Jean, on Saturday morning, when she and Nan were the first arrivals in the attic with a load of articles for setting the tables.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading THE ATTIC PARTY “Nan,” said Jean, on Saturday morning, when she and Nan were the first arrivals in the attic with a load of articles for setting the tables.
the context and environment in which something is set
From this reading THE ATTIC PARTY “Nan,” said Jean, on Saturday morning, when she and Nan were the first arrivals in the attic with a load of articles for setting the tables.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE ATTIC PARTY “Nan,” said Jean, on Saturday morning, when she and Nan were the first arrivals in the attic with a load of articles for setting the tables.
an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
From this reading What if they had this society then,--the boys about his age?
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading “Nan, don’t you remember how Jimmy used to be very mysterious about some meeting of the boys?
tablesnounUS /ˈteɪbəlz/
plural of “table” — a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading THE ATTIC PARTY “Nan,” said Jean, on Saturday morning, when she and Nan were the first arrivals in the attic with a load of articles for setting the tables.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE ATTIC PARTY “Nan,” said Jean, on Saturday morning, when she and Nan were the first arrivals in the attic with a load of articles for setting the tables.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading What if they had this society then,--the boys about his age?
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading What if they had this society then,--the boys about his age?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading What if they had this society then,--the boys about his age?
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading You and I weren’t much interested in those days.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Nan, don’t you remember how Jimmy used to be very mysterious about some meeting of the boys?
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading “Nan, don’t you remember how Jimmy used to be very mysterious about some meeting of the boys?
precisely as stated
From this reading “Nan, don’t you remember how Jimmy used to be very mysterious about some meeting of the boys?
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading How long ago was it?”
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading THE ATTIC PARTY “Nan,” said Jean, on Saturday morning, when she and Nan were the first arrivals in the attic with a load of articles for setting the tables.
weren't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You and I weren’t much interested in those days.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What if they had this society then,--the boys about his age?
at the time that
From this reading THE ATTIC PARTY “Nan,” said Jean, on Saturday morning, when she and Nan were the first arrivals in the attic with a load of articles for setting the tables.
in the company of; together with
From this reading THE ATTIC PARTY “Nan,” said Jean, on Saturday morning, when she and Nan were the first arrivals in the attic with a load of articles for setting the tables.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Nan, don’t you remember how Jimmy used to be very mysterious about some meeting of the boys?
