used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT I THE Duke, in his morning-room, was reading a letter which had just come to him by post.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading And when, after much reflection, he took the letter again from its envelope and solemnly re-read it, the look deepened to the verge of the saturnine.
anew
From this reading And when, after much reflection, he took the letter again from its envelope and solemnly re-read it, the look deepened to the verge of the saturnine.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading As he folded it neatly and returned it to an envelope which bore the stamp of the south-eastern postal district, the light of humor played over an expressive face.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT I THE Duke, in his morning-room, was reading a letter which had just come to him by post.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As he folded it neatly and returned it to an envelope which bore the stamp of the south-eastern postal district, the light of humor played over an expressive face.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At last he dropped his glasses and broke into a guffaw.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Still pondering what he plainly considered to be a priceless document, a succession of odd grimaces caused him to purse his lips and to frown perplexedly.
cause to be bored
From this reading As he folded it neatly and returned it to an envelope which bore the stamp of the south-eastern postal district, the light of humor played over an expressive face.
lacking funds
From this reading At last he dropped his glasses and broke into a guffaw.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT I THE Duke, in his morning-room, was reading a letter which had just come to him by post.
past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally
From this reading Still pondering what he plainly considered to be a priceless document, a succession of odd grimaces caused him to purse his lips and to frown perplexedly.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT I THE Duke, in his morning-room, was reading a letter which had just come to him by post.
carefully weighed
From this reading Still pondering what he plainly considered to be a priceless document, a succession of odd grimaces caused him to purse his lips and to frown perplexedly.
COUNTERPLOTnoun
a plot intended to subvert another plot
From this reading PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT I THE Duke, in his morning-room, was reading a letter which had just come to him by post.
deepenedverbUS /ˈdiːpənd/
past form of “deepen” — make more intense, stronger, or more marked
From this reading And when, after much reflection, he took the letter again from its envelope and solemnly re-read it, the look deepened to the verge of the saturnine.
a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
From this reading As he folded it neatly and returned it to an envelope which bore the stamp of the south-eastern postal district, the light of humor played over an expressive face.
documentnounUS /ˈdɑːkjəment/
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading Still pondering what he plainly considered to be a priceless document, a succession of odd grimaces caused him to purse his lips and to frown perplexedly.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading At last he dropped his glasses and broke into a guffaw.
a British peer of the highest rank
From this reading PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT I THE Duke, in his morning-room, was reading a letter which had just come to him by post.
envelopenounUS /ˈenvəloʊp/
a flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.
From this reading As he folded it neatly and returned it to an envelope which bore the stamp of the south-eastern postal district, the light of humor played over an expressive face.
expressiveadjectiveUS /ɪkˈspresɪv/
characterized by expression
From this reading As he folded it neatly and returned it to an envelope which bore the stamp of the south-eastern postal district, the light of humor played over an expressive face.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading As he folded it neatly and returned it to an envelope which bore the stamp of the south-eastern postal district, the light of humor played over an expressive face.
past form of “fold” — bend or lay so that one part covers the other
From this reading As he folded it neatly and returned it to an envelope which bore the stamp of the south-eastern postal district, the light of humor played over an expressive face.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading And when, after much reflection, he took the letter again from its envelope and solemnly re-read it, the look deepened to the verge of the saturnine.
frownverbUS /fraʊn/
look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading Still pondering what he plainly considered to be a priceless document, a succession of odd grimaces caused him to purse his lips and to frown perplexedly.
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading At last he dropped his glasses and broke into a guffaw.
grimacesnounUS /ˈɡrɪməsɪz/
plural of “grimace” — a contorted facial expression
From this reading Still pondering what he plainly considered to be a priceless document, a succession of odd grimaces caused him to purse his lips and to frown perplexedly.
guffawnounUS /ɡəˈfɔː/
a burst of deep loud hearty laughter
From this reading At last he dropped his glasses and broke into a guffaw.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT I THE Duke, in his morning-room, was reading a letter which had just come to him by post.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As he folded it neatly and returned it to an envelope which bore the stamp of the south-eastern postal district, the light of humor played over an expressive face.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT I THE Duke, in his morning-room, was reading a letter which had just come to him by post.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT I THE Duke, in his morning-room, was reading a letter which had just come to him by post.
humornounUS /ˈhjuːmər/
a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter
From this reading As he folded it neatly and returned it to an envelope which bore the stamp of the south-eastern postal district, the light of humor played over an expressive face.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT I THE Duke, in his morning-room, was reading a letter which had just come to him by post.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT I THE Duke, in his morning-room, was reading a letter which had just come to him by post.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading At last he dropped his glasses and broke into a guffaw.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading As he folded it neatly and returned it to an envelope which bore the stamp of the south-eastern postal district, the light of humor played over an expressive face.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading And when, after much reflection, he took the letter again from its envelope and solemnly re-read it, the look deepened to the verge of the saturnine.
and nothing more
From this reading PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT I THE Duke, in his morning-room, was reading a letter which had just come to him by post.
immediately past
From this reading At last he dropped his glasses and broke into a guffaw.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT I THE Duke, in his morning-room, was reading a letter which had just come to him by post.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading As he folded it neatly and returned it to an envelope which bore the stamp of the south-eastern postal district, the light of humor played over an expressive face.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Still pondering what he plainly considered to be a priceless document, a succession of odd grimaces caused him to purse his lips and to frown perplexedly.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading And when, after much reflection, he took the letter again from its envelope and solemnly re-read it, the look deepened to the verge of the saturnine.
morning-room
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT I THE Duke, in his morning-room, was reading a letter which had just come to him by post.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading And when, after much reflection, he took the letter again from its envelope and solemnly re-read it, the look deepened to the verge of the saturnine.
neatlyadverbUS /ˈniːtli/
with neatness
From this reading As he folded it neatly and returned it to an envelope which bore the stamp of the south-eastern postal district, the light of humor played over an expressive face.
not divisible by two
From this reading Still pondering what he plainly considered to be a priceless document, a succession of odd grimaces caused him to purse his lips and to frown perplexedly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As he folded it neatly and returned it to an envelope which bore the stamp of the south-eastern postal district, the light of humor played over an expressive face.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading As he folded it neatly and returned it to an envelope which bore the stamp of the south-eastern postal district, the light of humor played over an expressive face.
perplexedlyadverb
in a perplexed manner
From this reading Still pondering what he plainly considered to be a priceless document, a succession of odd grimaces caused him to purse his lips and to frown perplexedly.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Still pondering what he plainly considered to be a priceless document, a succession of odd grimaces caused him to purse his lips and to frown perplexedly.
(of games) engaged in
From this reading As he folded it neatly and returned it to an envelope which bore the stamp of the south-eastern postal district, the light of humor played over an expressive face.
PLOTnounUS /plɑːt/
a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal)
From this reading PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT I THE Duke, in his morning-room, was reading a letter which had just come to him by post.
ponderingadjectiveUS /ˈpɑːndərɪŋ/
deeply or seriously thoughtful
From this reading Still pondering what he plainly considered to be a priceless document, a succession of odd grimaces caused him to purse his lips and to frown perplexedly.
affix in a public place or for public notice
From this reading PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT I THE Duke, in his morning-room, was reading a letter which had just come to him by post.
postaladjectiveUS /ˈpoʊstəl/
of or relating to the system for delivering mail
From this reading As he folded it neatly and returned it to an envelope which bore the stamp of the south-eastern postal district, the light of humor played over an expressive face.
pricelessadjectiveUS /ˈpraɪsləs/
having incalculable monetary, intellectual, or spiritual worth
From this reading Still pondering what he plainly considered to be a priceless document, a succession of odd grimaces caused him to purse his lips and to frown perplexedly.
pursenounUS /pɜːrs/
a container used for carrying money and small personal items or accessories (especially by women)
From this reading Still pondering what he plainly considered to be a priceless document, a succession of odd grimaces caused him to purse his lips and to frown perplexedly.
re-read
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And when, after much reflection, he took the letter again from its envelope and solemnly re-read it, the look deepened to the verge of the saturnine.
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT I THE Duke, in his morning-room, was reading a letter which had just come to him by post.
a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading And when, after much reflection, he took the letter again from its envelope and solemnly re-read it, the look deepened to the verge of the saturnine.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading As he folded it neatly and returned it to an envelope which bore the stamp of the south-eastern postal district, the light of humor played over an expressive face.
saturnineadjective
bitter or scornful
From this reading And when, after much reflection, he took the letter again from its envelope and solemnly re-read it, the look deepened to the verge of the saturnine.
solemnlyadverbUS /ˈsɔːləmli/
in a grave and sedate manner
From this reading And when, after much reflection, he took the letter again from its envelope and solemnly re-read it, the look deepened to the verge of the saturnine.
south-eastern
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As he folded it neatly and returned it to an envelope which bore the stamp of the south-eastern postal district, the light of humor played over an expressive face.
stampverbUS /stæmp/
walk heavily
From this reading As he folded it neatly and returned it to an envelope which bore the stamp of the south-eastern postal district, the light of humor played over an expressive face.
not in physical motion
From this reading Still pondering what he plainly considered to be a priceless document, a succession of odd grimaces caused him to purse his lips and to frown perplexedly.
successionnounUS /səkˈseʃən/
a following of one thing after another in time
From this reading Still pondering what he plainly considered to be a priceless document, a succession of odd grimaces caused him to purse his lips and to frown perplexedly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT I THE Duke, in his morning-room, was reading a letter which had just come to him by post.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT I THE Duke, in his morning-room, was reading a letter which had just come to him by post.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading And when, after much reflection, he took the letter again from its envelope and solemnly re-read it, the look deepened to the verge of the saturnine.
vergenounUS /vɜːrdʒ/
a region marking a boundary
From this reading And when, after much reflection, he took the letter again from its envelope and solemnly re-read it, the look deepened to the verge of the saturnine.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT I THE Duke, in his morning-room, was reading a letter which had just come to him by post.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Still pondering what he plainly considered to be a priceless document, a succession of odd grimaces caused him to purse his lips and to frown perplexedly.
at the time that
From this reading And when, after much reflection, he took the letter again from its envelope and solemnly re-read it, the look deepened to the verge of the saturnine.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading PLOT AND COUNTERPLOT I THE Duke, in his morning-room, was reading a letter which had just come to him by post.
