used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A STRANGE MEETING.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He heard vague rumours about his step-mother going to marry again.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Three months afterwards, Frank was planting his tomatoes in his greenhouses.
anew
From this reading He heard vague rumours about his step-mother going to marry again.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had two span-roofs, each one hundred and forty feet long by forty feet wide.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He had sold the workshop which was situated a few yards to the north of the house, and had thus been enabled to build larger houses than he at first intended.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had sold the workshop which was situated a few yards to the north of the house, and had thus been enabled to build larger houses than he at first intended.
make by combining materials and parts
From this reading He had sold the workshop which was situated a few yards to the north of the house, and had thus been enabled to build larger houses than he at first intended.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He had two span-roofs, each one hundred and forty feet long by forty feet wide.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading He had two span-roofs, each one hundred and forty feet long by forty feet wide.
enabledverbUS /eˈneɪbəld/
past form of “enable” — render capable or able for some task
From this reading He had sold the workshop which was situated a few yards to the north of the house, and had thus been enabled to build larger houses than he at first intended.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading He had two span-roofs, each one hundred and forty feet long by forty feet wide.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading He had sold the workshop which was situated a few yards to the north of the house, and had thus been enabled to build larger houses than he at first intended.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading He had sold the workshop which was situated a few yards to the north of the house, and had thus been enabled to build larger houses than he at first intended.
fortyadjectiveUS /ˈfɔːrti/
being ten more than thirty
From this reading He had two span-roofs, each one hundred and forty feet long by forty feet wide.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading Three months afterwards, Frank was planting his tomatoes in his greenhouses.
the act of departing
From this reading He heard vague rumours about his step-mother going to marry again.
greenhousesnounUS /ˈɡriːnhaʊsɪz/
plural of “greenhouse” — a building with glass walls and roof; for the cultivation and exhibition of plants under controlled conditions
From this reading Three months afterwards, Frank was planting his tomatoes in his greenhouses.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had two span-roofs, each one hundred and forty feet long by forty feet wide.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had two span-roofs, each one hundred and forty feet long by forty feet wide.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading He heard vague rumours about his step-mother going to marry again.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Three months afterwards, Frank was planting his tomatoes in his greenhouses.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading He had sold the workshop which was situated a few yards to the north of the house, and had thus been enabled to build larger houses than he at first intended.
plural of “house” — a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading He had sold the workshop which was situated a few yards to the north of the house, and had thus been enabled to build larger houses than he at first intended.
ten 10s
From this reading He had two span-roofs, each one hundred and forty feet long by forty feet wide.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Three months afterwards, Frank was planting his tomatoes in his greenhouses.
resulting from one's intentions
From this reading He had sold the workshop which was situated a few yards to the north of the house, and had thus been enabled to build larger houses than he at first intended.
large or big relative to something else
From this reading He had sold the workshop which was situated a few yards to the north of the house, and had thus been enabled to build larger houses than he at first intended.
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 He had two span-roofs, each one hundred and forty feet long by forty feet wide.
take in marriage
From this reading He heard vague rumours about his step-mother going to marry again.
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading A STRANGE MEETING.
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading Three months afterwards, Frank was planting his tomatoes in his greenhouses.
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading He had sold the workshop which was situated a few yards to the north of the house, and had thus been enabled to build larger houses than he at first intended.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had sold the workshop which was situated a few yards to the north of the house, and had thus been enabled to build larger houses than he at first intended.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He had two span-roofs, each one hundred and forty feet long by forty feet wide.
plantingnounUS /ˈplæntɪŋ/
the act of fixing firmly in place
From this reading Three months afterwards, Frank was planting his tomatoes in his greenhouses.
rumoursnounUS /ˈruːmərz/
plural of “rumour” — gossip (usually a mixture of truth and untruth) passed around by word of mouth
From this reading He heard vague rumours about his step-mother going to marry again.
situatedadjectiveUS /ˈsɪtʃuːeɪtɪd/
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading He had sold the workshop which was situated a few yards to the north of the house, and had thus been enabled to build larger houses than he at first intended.
disposed of to a purchaser
From this reading He had sold the workshop which was situated a few yards to the north of the house, and had thus been enabled to build larger houses than he at first intended.
span-roofs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had two span-roofs, each one hundred and forty feet long by forty feet wide.
step-mother
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He heard vague rumours about his step-mother going to marry again.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading A STRANGE MEETING.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading He had sold the workshop which was situated a few yards to the north of the house, and had thus been enabled to build larger houses than he at first intended.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He had sold the workshop which was situated a few yards to the north of the house, and had thus been enabled to build larger houses than he at first intended.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Three months afterwards, Frank was planting his tomatoes in his greenhouses.
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading He had sold the workshop which was situated a few yards to the north of the house, and had thus been enabled to build larger houses than he at first intended.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He had sold the workshop which was situated a few yards to the north of the house, and had thus been enabled to build larger houses than he at first intended.
tomatoesnounUS /təˈmeɪtoʊz/
plural of “tomato” — mildly acid red or yellow pulpy fruit eaten as a vegetable
From this reading Three months afterwards, Frank was planting his tomatoes in his greenhouses.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He had two span-roofs, each one hundred and forty feet long by forty feet wide.
not clearly expressed or understood
From this reading He heard vague rumours about his step-mother going to marry again.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Three months afterwards, Frank was planting his tomatoes in his greenhouses.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He had sold the workshop which was situated a few yards to the north of the house, and had thus been enabled to build larger houses than he at first intended.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading He had two span-roofs, each one hundred and forty feet long by forty feet wide.
workshopnounUS /ˈwɜːrkʃɑːp/
small workplace where handcrafts or manufacturing are done
From this reading He had sold the workshop which was situated a few yards to the north of the house, and had thus been enabled to build larger houses than he at first intended.
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading He had sold the workshop which was situated a few yards to the north of the house, and had thus been enabled to build larger houses than he at first intended.
