used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Lucile Tucker's slim, tapered fingers trembled slightly as she rested them against a steel-framed bookcase.
AboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading About her, ranging tier on tier, towering from floor to ceiling, were books, thousands on thousands of books.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Lucile Tucker's slim, tapered fingers trembled slightly as she rested them against a steel-framed bookcase.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And, indeed, who, besides herself, could be in the book stacks at this hour of the night?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Lucile Tucker's slim, tapered fingers trembled slightly as she rested them against a steel-framed bookcase.
the verbal act of requesting
From this reading "Who can it be?" her madly thumping heart kept asking her.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading And, indeed, who, besides herself, could be in the book stacks at this hour of the night?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading She had paused to steady her shaken nerves, to collect her wits, to determine what her next move should be.
in addition to; as well as
From this reading And, indeed, who, besides herself, could be in the book stacks at this hour of the night?
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading And, indeed, who, besides herself, could be in the book stacks at this hour of the night?
bookcasenounUS /ˈbʊkkeɪs/
a piece of furniture with shelves for storing books
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Lucile Tucker's slim, tapered fingers trembled slightly as she rested them against a steel-framed bookcase.
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading About her, ranging tier on tier, towering from floor to ceiling, were books, thousands on thousands of books.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Who can it be?" her madly thumping heart kept asking her.
ceilingnounUS /ˈsiːlɪŋ/
the overhead upper surface of a covered space
From this reading About her, ranging tier on tier, towering from floor to ceiling, were books, thousands on thousands of books.
ChicagonounUS /ʃəˈkɑːɡoʊ/
largest city in Illinois; a bustling Great Lakes port that extends 26 miles along the southwestern shoreline of Lake Michigan
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Lucile Tucker's slim, tapered fingers trembled slightly as she rested them against a steel-framed bookcase.
ConounUS /koʊ/
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Lucile Tucker's slim, tapered fingers trembled slightly as she rested them against a steel-framed bookcase.
collectverbUS /kəˈlekt/
get or gather together
From this reading She had paused to steady her shaken nerves, to collect her wits, to determine what her next move should be.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading And, indeed, who, besides herself, could be in the book stacks at this hour of the night?
determineverbUS /dəˈtɜːrmən/
establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study
From this reading She had paused to steady her shaken nerves, to collect her wits, to determine what her next move should be.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Lucile Tucker's slim, tapered fingers trembled slightly as she rested them against a steel-framed bookcase.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading About her, ranging tier on tier, towering from floor to ceiling, were books, thousands on thousands of books.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading About her, ranging tier on tier, towering from floor to ceiling, were books, thousands on thousands of books.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had paused to steady her shaken nerves, to collect her wits, to determine what her next move should be.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading "Who can it be?" her madly thumping heart kept asking her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She had paused to steady her shaken nerves, to collect her wits, to determine what her next move should be.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading And, indeed, who, besides herself, could be in the book stacks at this hour of the night?
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading And, indeed, who, besides herself, could be in the book stacks at this hour of the night?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And, indeed, who, besides herself, could be in the book stacks at this hour of the night?
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading And, indeed, who, besides herself, could be in the book stacks at this hour of the night?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Who can it be?" her madly thumping heart kept asking her.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading "Who can it be?" her madly thumping heart kept asking her.
United States filmmaker whose works explore the richness of black culture in America (born in 1957)
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Lucile Tucker's slim, tapered fingers trembled slightly as she rested them against a steel-framed bookcase.
Lucile
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Lucile Tucker's slim, tapered fingers trembled slightly as she rested them against a steel-framed bookcase.
madlyadverbUS /ˈmædli/
in an uncontrolled manner
From this reading "Who can it be?" her madly thumping heart kept asking her.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading She had paused to steady her shaken nerves, to collect her wits, to determine what her next move should be.
an uneasy psychological state
From this reading She had paused to steady her shaken nerves, to collect her wits, to determine what her next move should be.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading She had paused to steady her shaken nerves, to collect her wits, to determine what her next move should be.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading And, indeed, who, besides herself, could be in the book stacks at this hour of the night?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And, indeed, who, besides herself, could be in the book stacks at this hour of the night?
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading About her, ranging tier on tier, towering from floor to ceiling, were books, thousands on thousands of books.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading She had paused to steady her shaken nerves, to collect her wits, to determine what her next move should be.
rangingadjectiveUS /ˈreɪndʒɪŋ/
wandering freely
From this reading About her, ranging tier on tier, towering from floor to ceiling, were books, thousands on thousands of books.
Reilly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Lucile Tucker's slim, tapered fingers trembled slightly as she rested them against a steel-framed bookcase.
not tired; refreshed as by sleeping or relaxing
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Lucile Tucker's slim, tapered fingers trembled slightly as she rested them against a steel-framed bookcase.
shakenadjectiveUS /ˈʃeɪkən/
disturbed psychologically as if by a physical jolt or shock
From this reading She had paused to steady her shaken nerves, to collect her wits, to determine what her next move should be.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Lucile Tucker's slim, tapered fingers trembled slightly as she rested them against a steel-framed bookcase.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading She had paused to steady her shaken nerves, to collect her wits, to determine what her next move should be.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Lucile Tucker's slim, tapered fingers trembled slightly as she rested them against a steel-framed bookcase.
slimadjectiveUS /slɪm/
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Lucile Tucker's slim, tapered fingers trembled slightly as she rested them against a steel-framed bookcase.
stacksnounUS /stæks/
a large number or amount
From this reading And, indeed, who, besides herself, could be in the book stacks at this hour of the night?
make steady
From this reading She had paused to steady her shaken nerves, to collect her wits, to determine what her next move should be.
steel-framed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Lucile Tucker's slim, tapered fingers trembled slightly as she rested them against a steel-framed bookcase.
taperedadjectiveUS /ˈteɪpərd/
becoming gradually narrower
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Lucile Tucker's slim, tapered fingers trembled slightly as she rested them against a steel-framed bookcase.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Lucile Tucker's slim, tapered fingers trembled slightly as she rested them against a steel-framed bookcase.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Lucile Tucker's slim, tapered fingers trembled slightly as she rested them against a steel-framed bookcase.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading And, indeed, who, besides herself, could be in the book stacks at this hour of the night?
plural of “thousand” — the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading About her, ranging tier on tier, towering from floor to ceiling, were books, thousands on thousands of books.
thumpingnounUS /ˈθʌmpɪŋ/
a heavy dull sound (as made by impact of heavy objects)
From this reading "Who can it be?" her madly thumping heart kept asking her.
tiernounUS /tiːr/
a relative position or degree of value in a graded group
From this reading About her, ranging tier on tier, towering from floor to ceiling, were books, thousands on thousands of books.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She had paused to steady her shaken nerves, to collect her wits, to determine what her next move should be.
toweringadjectiveUS /ˈtaʊərɪŋ/
of imposing height; especially standing out above others
From this reading About her, ranging tier on tier, towering from floor to ceiling, were books, thousands on thousands of books.
past form of “tremble” — move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Lucile Tucker's slim, tapered fingers trembled slightly as she rested them against a steel-framed bookcase.
Tucker'snounUS /ˈtʌkərz/
possessive form of “tucker” — United States anarchist influential before World War I (1854-1939)
From this reading The Reilly & Lee Co. Chicago Lucile Tucker's slim, tapered fingers trembled slightly as she rested them against a steel-framed bookcase.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading About her, ranging tier on tier, towering from floor to ceiling, were books, thousands on thousands of books.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading She had paused to steady her shaken nerves, to collect her wits, to determine what her next move should be.
which person or people
From this reading "Who can it be?" her madly thumping heart kept asking her.
witsnounUS /wɪts/
the basic human power of intelligent thought and perception
From this reading She had paused to steady her shaken nerves, to collect her wits, to determine what her next move should be.
