adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE HEAD WAITER AT CHAFFEY'S Polly Sparkes had a father.
acquaintancenounUS /əˈkweɪntəns/
personal knowledge or information about someone or something
From this reading That Mr. Sparkes still lived was not known to the outer circles of Polly's acquaintance; she never spoke of her family, and it was not easy to think of Polly in the filial relation.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading That Mr. Sparkes still lived was not known to the outer circles of Polly's acquaintance; she never spoke of her family, and it was not easy to think of Polly in the filial relation.
apartadverbUS /əˈpɑːrt/
separated or at a distance in place or position or time
From this reading Not that they were on ill terms, unpleasantness of that kind had been avoided by their satisfaction in living apart.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Polly sometimes wished she had a father "to be proud of"--a sufficiently intelligible phrase on Polly's lips; but for the rest she thought of him with tolerance as a good, silly sort of man, who "couldn't help himself"--that is to say, could not help being what he was.
ATprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE HEAD WAITER AT CHAFFEY'S Polly Sparkes had a father.
avoidedverbUS /əˈvɔɪdɪd/
past form of “avoid” — stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
From this reading Not that they were on ill terms, unpleasantness of that kind had been avoided by their satisfaction in living apart.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Polly sometimes wished she had a father "to be proud of"--a sufficiently intelligible phrase on Polly's lips; but for the rest she thought of him with tolerance as a good, silly sort of man, who "couldn't help himself"--that is to say, could not help being what he was.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Not that they were on ill terms, unpleasantness of that kind had been avoided by their satisfaction in living apart.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Polly sometimes wished she had a father "to be proud of"--a sufficiently intelligible phrase on Polly's lips; but for the rest she thought of him with tolerance as a good, silly sort of man, who "couldn't help himself"--that is to say, could not help being what he was.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading For some years she had lived in complete independence, now and then exchanging a letter with her parent, but seeing him rarely.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Not that they were on ill terms, unpleasantness of that kind had been avoided by their satisfaction in living apart.
CHAFFEY'S
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE HEAD WAITER AT CHAFFEY'S Polly Sparkes had a father.
circlesnounUS /ˈsɜːrkəlz/
plural of “circle” — ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading That Mr. Sparkes still lived was not known to the outer circles of Polly's acquaintance; she never spoke of her family, and it was not easy to think of Polly in the filial relation.
completeverbUS /kəmˈpliːt/
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading For some years she had lived in complete independence, now and then exchanging a letter with her parent, but seeing him rarely.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Polly sometimes wished she had a father "to be proud of"--a sufficiently intelligible phrase on Polly's lips; but for the rest she thought of him with tolerance as a good, silly sort of man, who "couldn't help himself"--that is to say, could not help being what he was.
couldn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Polly sometimes wished she had a father "to be proud of"--a sufficiently intelligible phrase on Polly's lips; but for the rest she thought of him with tolerance as a good, silly sort of man, who "couldn't help himself"--that is to say, could not help being what he was.
easyadjectiveUS /ˈiːzi/
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading That Mr. Sparkes still lived was not known to the outer circles of Polly's acquaintance; she never spoke of her family, and it was not easy to think of Polly in the filial relation.
exchangingverbUS /ɪksˈtʃeɪndʒɪŋ/
-ing form of “exchange” — give to, and receive from, one another
From this reading For some years she had lived in complete independence, now and then exchanging a letter with her parent, but seeing him rarely.
familynounUS /ˈfæməli/
a social unit living together
From this reading That Mr. Sparkes still lived was not known to the outer circles of Polly's acquaintance; she never spoke of her family, and it was not easy to think of Polly in the filial relation.
fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading THE HEAD WAITER AT CHAFFEY'S Polly Sparkes had a father.
filialadjectiveUS /ˈfɪliəl/
designating the generation or the sequence of generations following the parental generation
From this reading That Mr. Sparkes still lived was not known to the outer circles of Polly's acquaintance; she never spoke of her family, and it was not easy to think of Polly in the filial relation.
ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For some years she had lived in complete independence, now and then exchanging a letter with her parent, but seeing him rarely.
goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Polly sometimes wished she had a father "to be proud of"--a sufficiently intelligible phrase on Polly's lips; but for the rest she thought of him with tolerance as a good, silly sort of man, who "couldn't help himself"--that is to say, could not help being what he was.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE HEAD WAITER AT CHAFFEY'S Polly Sparkes had a father.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Polly sometimes wished she had a father "to be proud of"--a sufficiently intelligible phrase on Polly's lips; but for the rest she thought of him with tolerance as a good, silly sort of man, who "couldn't help himself"--that is to say, could not help being what he was.
HEADnounUS /hed/
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading THE HEAD WAITER AT CHAFFEY'S Polly Sparkes had a father.
helpverbUS /help/
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading Polly sometimes wished she had a father "to be proud of"--a sufficiently intelligible phrase on Polly's lips; but for the rest she thought of him with tolerance as a good, silly sort of man, who "couldn't help himself"--that is to say, could not help being what he was.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading That Mr. Sparkes still lived was not known to the outer circles of Polly's acquaintance; she never spoke of her family, and it was not easy to think of Polly in the filial relation.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading For some years she had lived in complete independence, now and then exchanging a letter with her parent, but seeing him rarely.
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Polly sometimes wished she had a father "to be proud of"--a sufficiently intelligible phrase on Polly's lips; but for the rest she thought of him with tolerance as a good, silly sort of man, who "couldn't help himself"--that is to say, could not help being what he was.
illadjectiveUS /ɪl/
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading Not that they were on ill terms, unpleasantness of that kind had been avoided by their satisfaction in living apart.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading That Mr. Sparkes still lived was not known to the outer circles of Polly's acquaintance; she never spoke of her family, and it was not easy to think of Polly in the filial relation.
independencenounUS /ˌɪndɪˈpendəns/
freedom from control or influence of another or others
From this reading For some years she had lived in complete independence, now and then exchanging a letter with her parent, but seeing him rarely.
intelligibleadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈtelədʒəbəl/
capable of being apprehended or understood
From this reading Polly sometimes wished she had a father "to be proud of"--a sufficiently intelligible phrase on Polly's lips; but for the rest she thought of him with tolerance as a good, silly sort of man, who "couldn't help himself"--that is to say, could not help being what he was.
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Polly sometimes wished she had a father "to be proud of"--a sufficiently intelligible phrase on Polly's lips; but for the rest she thought of him with tolerance as a good, silly sort of man, who "couldn't help himself"--that is to say, could not help being what he was.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading That Mr. Sparkes still lived was not known to the outer circles of Polly's acquaintance; she never spoke of her family, and it was not easy to think of Polly in the filial relation.
kindadjectiveUS /kaɪnd/
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading Not that they were on ill terms, unpleasantness of that kind had been avoided by their satisfaction in living apart.
knownadjectiveUS /noʊn/
apprehended with certainty
From this reading That Mr. Sparkes still lived was not known to the outer circles of Polly's acquaintance; she never spoke of her family, and it was not easy to think of Polly in the filial relation.
letternounUS /ˈletər/
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading For some years she had lived in complete independence, now and then exchanging a letter with her parent, but seeing him rarely.
lipsnounUS /lɪps/
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Polly sometimes wished she had a father "to be proud of"--a sufficiently intelligible phrase on Polly's lips; but for the rest she thought of him with tolerance as a good, silly sort of man, who "couldn't help himself"--that is to say, could not help being what he was.
livedverbUS /lɪvd/
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading That Mr. Sparkes still lived was not known to the outer circles of Polly's acquaintance; she never spoke of her family, and it was not easy to think of Polly in the filial relation.
livingnounUS /ˈlɪvɪŋ/
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading Not that they were on ill terms, unpleasantness of that kind had been avoided by their satisfaction in living apart.
mannounUS /mæn/
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Polly sometimes wished she had a father "to be proud of"--a sufficiently intelligible phrase on Polly's lips; but for the rest she thought of him with tolerance as a good, silly sort of man, who "couldn't help himself"--that is to say, could not help being what he was.
MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/
a form of address for a man
From this reading That Mr. Sparkes still lived was not known to the outer circles of Polly's acquaintance; she never spoke of her family, and it was not easy to think of Polly in the filial relation.
neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading That Mr. Sparkes still lived was not known to the outer circles of Polly's acquaintance; she never spoke of her family, and it was not easy to think of Polly in the filial relation.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading That Mr. Sparkes still lived was not known to the outer circles of Polly's acquaintance; she never spoke of her family, and it was not easy to think of Polly in the filial relation.
nowadverbUS /naʊ/
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading For some years she had lived in complete independence, now and then exchanging a letter with her parent, but seeing him rarely.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading That Mr. Sparkes still lived was not known to the outer circles of Polly's acquaintance; she never spoke of her family, and it was not easy to think of Polly in the filial relation.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Not that they were on ill terms, unpleasantness of that kind had been avoided by their satisfaction in living apart.
outeradjectiveUS /ˈaʊtər/
being on the outside or further from a center
From this reading That Mr. Sparkes still lived was not known to the outer circles of Polly's acquaintance; she never spoke of her family, and it was not easy to think of Polly in the filial relation.
parentnounUS /ˈperənt/
a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
From this reading For some years she had lived in complete independence, now and then exchanging a letter with her parent, but seeing him rarely.
phrasenounUS /freɪz/
an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence
From this reading Polly sometimes wished she had a father "to be proud of"--a sufficiently intelligible phrase on Polly's lips; but for the rest she thought of him with tolerance as a good, silly sort of man, who "couldn't help himself"--that is to say, could not help being what he was.
Polly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE HEAD WAITER AT CHAFFEY'S Polly Sparkes had a father.
Polly's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That Mr. Sparkes still lived was not known to the outer circles of Polly's acquaintance; she never spoke of her family, and it was not easy to think of Polly in the filial relation.
proudadjectiveUS /praʊd/
feeling self-respect or pleasure in something by which you measure your self-worth; or being a reason for pride
From this reading Polly sometimes wished she had a father "to be proud of"--a sufficiently intelligible phrase on Polly's lips; but for the rest she thought of him with tolerance as a good, silly sort of man, who "couldn't help himself"--that is to say, could not help being what he was.
rarelyadverbUS /ˈrerli/
not often
From this reading For some years she had lived in complete independence, now and then exchanging a letter with her parent, but seeing him rarely.
relationnounUS /riˈleɪʃən/
an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of two entities or parts together
From this reading That Mr. Sparkes still lived was not known to the outer circles of Polly's acquaintance; she never spoke of her family, and it was not easy to think of Polly in the filial relation.
restverbUS /rest/
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading Polly sometimes wished she had a father "to be proud of"--a sufficiently intelligible phrase on Polly's lips; but for the rest she thought of him with tolerance as a good, silly sort of man, who "couldn't help himself"--that is to say, could not help being what he was.
satisfactionnounUS /ˌsætəˈsfækʃən/
the contentment one feels when one has fulfilled a desire, need, or expectation
From this reading Not that they were on ill terms, unpleasantness of that kind had been avoided by their satisfaction in living apart.
sayverbUS /seɪ/
express in words
From this reading Polly sometimes wished she had a father "to be proud of"--a sufficiently intelligible phrase on Polly's lips; but for the rest she thought of him with tolerance as a good, silly sort of man, who "couldn't help himself"--that is to say, could not help being what he was.
seeingnounUS /ˈsiːɪŋ/
perception by means of the eyes
From this reading For some years she had lived in complete independence, now and then exchanging a letter with her parent, but seeing him rarely.
shepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading That Mr. Sparkes still lived was not known to the outer circles of Polly's acquaintance; she never spoke of her family, and it was not easy to think of Polly in the filial relation.
sillyadjectiveUS /ˈsɪli/
ludicrous, foolish
From this reading Polly sometimes wished she had a father "to be proud of"--a sufficiently intelligible phrase on Polly's lips; but for the rest she thought of him with tolerance as a good, silly sort of man, who "couldn't help himself"--that is to say, could not help being what he was.
someadjectiveUS /sʌm/
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading For some years she had lived in complete independence, now and then exchanging a letter with her parent, but seeing him rarely.
sometimesadverbUS /səmˈtaɪmz/
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading Polly sometimes wished she had a father "to be proud of"--a sufficiently intelligible phrase on Polly's lips; but for the rest she thought of him with tolerance as a good, silly sort of man, who "couldn't help himself"--that is to say, could not help being what he was.
sortnounUS /sɔːrt/
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading Polly sometimes wished she had a father "to be proud of"--a sufficiently intelligible phrase on Polly's lips; but for the rest she thought of him with tolerance as a good, silly sort of man, who "couldn't help himself"--that is to say, could not help being what he was.
SparkesverbUS /spɑːrks/
third-person singular of “spark” — put in motion or move to act
From this reading THE HEAD WAITER AT CHAFFEY'S Polly Sparkes had a father.
spokenounUS /spoʊk/
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading That Mr. Sparkes still lived was not known to the outer circles of Polly's acquaintance; she never spoke of her family, and it was not easy to think of Polly in the filial relation.
stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/
not in physical motion
From this reading That Mr. Sparkes still lived was not known to the outer circles of Polly's acquaintance; she never spoke of her family, and it was not easy to think of Polly in the filial relation.
sufficientlyadverbUS /səˈfɪʃəntli/
to a sufficient degree
From this reading Polly sometimes wished she had a father "to be proud of"--a sufficiently intelligible phrase on Polly's lips; but for the rest she thought of him with tolerance as a good, silly sort of man, who "couldn't help himself"--that is to say, could not help being what he was.
termsnounUS /tɜːrmz/
status with respect to the relations between people or groups
From this reading Not that they were on ill terms, unpleasantness of that kind had been avoided by their satisfaction in living apart.
ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That Mr. Sparkes still lived was not known to the outer circles of Polly's acquaintance; she never spoke of her family, and it was not easy to think of Polly in the filial relation.
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE HEAD WAITER AT CHAFFEY'S Polly Sparkes had a father.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Not that they were on ill terms, unpleasantness of that kind had been avoided by their satisfaction in living apart.
thenadverbUS /ðen/
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading For some years she had lived in complete independence, now and then exchanging a letter with her parent, but seeing him rarely.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Not that they were on ill terms, unpleasantness of that kind had been avoided by their satisfaction in living apart.
thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading That Mr. Sparkes still lived was not known to the outer circles of Polly's acquaintance; she never spoke of her family, and it was not easy to think of Polly in the filial relation.
thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Polly sometimes wished she had a father "to be proud of"--a sufficiently intelligible phrase on Polly's lips; but for the rest she thought of him with tolerance as a good, silly sort of man, who "couldn't help himself"--that is to say, could not help being what he was.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading That Mr. Sparkes still lived was not known to the outer circles of Polly's acquaintance; she never spoke of her family, and it was not easy to think of Polly in the filial relation.
tolerancenounUS /ˈtɑːlərəns/
the power or capacity of an organism to tolerate unfavorable environmental conditions
From this reading Polly sometimes wished she had a father "to be proud of"--a sufficiently intelligible phrase on Polly's lips; but for the rest she thought of him with tolerance as a good, silly sort of man, who "couldn't help himself"--that is to say, could not help being what he was.
unpleasantnessnounUS /ənˈplezəntnəs/
the feeling caused by disagreeable stimuli; one pole of a continuum of states of feeling
From this reading Not that they were on ill terms, unpleasantness of that kind had been avoided by their satisfaction in living apart.
WAITERnounUS /ˈweɪtər/
a person whose occupation is to serve at table (as in a restaurant)
From this reading THE HEAD WAITER AT CHAFFEY'S Polly Sparkes had a father.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That Mr. Sparkes still lived was not known to the outer circles of Polly's acquaintance; she never spoke of her family, and it was not easy to think of Polly in the filial relation.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Not that they were on ill terms, unpleasantness of that kind had been avoided by their satisfaction in living apart.
whatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Polly sometimes wished she had a father "to be proud of"--a sufficiently intelligible phrase on Polly's lips; but for the rest she thought of him with tolerance as a good, silly sort of man, who "couldn't help himself"--that is to say, could not help being what he was.
whopronounUS /huː/
which person or people
From this reading Polly sometimes wished she had a father "to be proud of"--a sufficiently intelligible phrase on Polly's lips; but for the rest she thought of him with tolerance as a good, silly sort of man, who "couldn't help himself"--that is to say, could not help being what he was.
wishedverbUS /wɪʃt/
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading Polly sometimes wished she had a father "to be proud of"--a sufficiently intelligible phrase on Polly's lips; but for the rest she thought of him with tolerance as a good, silly sort of man, who "couldn't help himself"--that is to say, could not help being what he was.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading For some years she had lived in complete independence, now and then exchanging a letter with her parent, but seeing him rarely.
yearsnounUS /jɪrz/
a late time of life
From this reading For some years she had lived in complete independence, now and then exchanging a letter with her parent, but seeing him rarely.
