used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Elias's Story "Some sixty years ago my grandfather dwelt in Manila, being employed as a bookkeeper in a Spanish commercial house.
accusednounUS /əˈkjuːzd/
a defendant in a criminal proceeding
From this reading The losses were great, a scapegoat was sought, and the merchant accused my grandfather.
in the past
From this reading Elias's Story "Some sixty years ago my grandfather dwelt in Manila, being employed as a bookkeeper in a Spanish commercial house.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was then very young, was married, and had a son.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Elias's Story "Some sixty years ago my grandfather dwelt in Manila, being employed as a bookkeeper in a Spanish commercial house.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Elias's Story "Some sixty years ago my grandfather dwelt in Manila, being employed as a bookkeeper in a Spanish commercial house.
bookkeepernounUS /ˈbʊkkiːpər/
someone who records the transactions of a business
From this reading Elias's Story "Some sixty years ago my grandfather dwelt in Manila, being employed as a bookkeeper in a Spanish commercial house.
buildingsnounUS /ˈbɪldɪŋz/
plural of “building” — a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading The fire was communicated to the dwelling of his employer and from there to many other buildings.
treated by heating to a high temperature but below the melting or fusing point
From this reading One night from some unknown cause the warehouse burned down.
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading One night from some unknown cause the warehouse burned down.
commercialadjectiveUS /kəˈmɜːrʃəl/
connected with or engaged in or sponsored by or used in commerce or commercial enterprises
From this reading Elias's Story "Some sixty years ago my grandfather dwelt in Manila, being employed as a bookkeeper in a Spanish commercial house.
communicatedverbUS /kəˈmjuːnəkeɪtɪd/
past form of “communicate” — transmit information
From this reading The fire was communicated to the dwelling of his employer and from there to many other buildings.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading One night from some unknown cause the warehouse burned down.
dwellingnounUS /ˈdwelɪŋ/
housing that someone is living in
From this reading The fire was communicated to the dwelling of his employer and from there to many other buildings.
dweltverbUS /dwelt/
inflected form of “dwell” — think moodily or anxiously about something
From this reading Elias's Story "Some sixty years ago my grandfather dwelt in Manila, being employed as a bookkeeper in a Spanish commercial house.
Elias's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Elias's Story "Some sixty years ago my grandfather dwelt in Manila, being employed as a bookkeeper in a Spanish commercial house.
having your services engaged for; or having a job especially one that pays wages or a salary
From this reading Elias's Story "Some sixty years ago my grandfather dwelt in Manila, being employed as a bookkeeper in a Spanish commercial house.
employernounUS /emˈplɔɪər/
a person or firm that employs workers
From this reading The fire was communicated to the dwelling of his employer and from there to many other buildings.
start firing a weapon
From this reading The fire was communicated to the dwelling of his employer and from there to many other buildings.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading One night from some unknown cause the warehouse burned down.
the father of your father or mother
From this reading Elias's Story "Some sixty years ago my grandfather dwelt in Manila, being employed as a bookkeeper in a Spanish commercial house.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The losses were great, a scapegoat was sought, and the merchant accused my grandfather.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He was then very young, was married, and had a son.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was then very young, was married, and had a son.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The fire was communicated to the dwelling of his employer and from there to many other buildings.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Elias's Story "Some sixty years ago my grandfather dwelt in Manila, being employed as a bookkeeper in a Spanish commercial house.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Elias's Story "Some sixty years ago my grandfather dwelt in Manila, being employed as a bookkeeper in a Spanish commercial house.
lossesnounUS /ˈlɔːsəz/
something lost (especially money lost at gambling)
From this reading The losses were great, a scapegoat was sought, and the merchant accused my grandfather.
ManilanounUS /məˈnɪlə/
a strong paper or thin cardboard with a smooth light brown finish made from e.g. Manila hemp
From this reading Elias's Story "Some sixty years ago my grandfather dwelt in Manila, being employed as a bookkeeper in a Spanish commercial house.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading The fire was communicated to the dwelling of his employer and from there to many other buildings.
joined in matrimony
From this reading He was then very young, was married, and had a son.
A person or company involved in wholesale trade, especially with foreign countries.
From this reading The losses were great, a scapegoat was sought, and the merchant accused my grandfather.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Elias's Story "Some sixty years ago my grandfather dwelt in Manila, being employed as a bookkeeper in a Spanish commercial house.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading One night from some unknown cause the warehouse burned down.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The fire was communicated to the dwelling of his employer and from there to many other buildings.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One night from some unknown cause the warehouse burned down.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The fire was communicated to the dwelling of his employer and from there to many other buildings.
scapegoatnounUS /ˈskeɪpɡoʊt/
someone who is punished for the errors of others
From this reading The losses were great, a scapegoat was sought, and the merchant accused my grandfather.
sixtyadjectiveUS /ˈsɪksti/
being ten more than fifty
From this reading Elias's Story "Some sixty years ago my grandfather dwelt in Manila, being employed as a bookkeeper in a Spanish commercial house.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Elias's Story "Some sixty years ago my grandfather dwelt in Manila, being employed as a bookkeeper in a Spanish commercial house.
a male human offspring
From this reading He was then very young, was married, and had a son.
that is looked for
From this reading The losses were great, a scapegoat was sought, and the merchant accused my grandfather.
the Romance language spoken in most of Spain and the countries colonized by Spain
From this reading Elias's Story "Some sixty years ago my grandfather dwelt in Manila, being employed as a bookkeeper in a Spanish commercial house.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading Elias's Story "Some sixty years ago my grandfather dwelt in Manila, being employed as a bookkeeper in a Spanish commercial house.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading One night from some unknown cause the warehouse burned down.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He was then very young, was married, and had a son.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The fire was communicated to the dwelling of his employer and from there to many other buildings.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The fire was communicated to the dwelling of his employer and from there to many other buildings.
not known
From this reading One night from some unknown cause the warehouse burned down.
precisely as stated
From this reading He was then very young, was married, and had a son.
warehousenounUS /ˈwerhaʊs/
a storehouse for goods and merchandise
From this reading One night from some unknown cause the warehouse burned down.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was then very young, was married, and had a son.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The losses were great, a scapegoat was sought, and the merchant accused my grandfather.
a late time of life
From this reading Elias's Story "Some sixty years ago my grandfather dwelt in Manila, being employed as a bookkeeper in a Spanish commercial house.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading He was then very young, was married, and had a son.
