used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading His throat contracted strangely as his thoughts dwelt for a moment on his beloved parent.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Professor Palmer’s keen eyes followed him as he moved about.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Robert’s excitement of the previous minutes was forgotten as he expertly, almost lovingly, ran his eyes over every detail of the perfect, whirring machinery, most of which his father had produced.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Professor Palmer’s keen eyes followed him as he moved about.
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading His mother he could scarcely remember, for she had died when he was but a baby of three years.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading But his father had been his constant companion--his pal.
dearly loved
From this reading His throat contracted strangely as his thoughts dwelt for a moment on his beloved parent.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading His mother he could scarcely remember, for she had died when he was but a baby of three years.
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading But his father had been his constant companion--his pal.
unvarying in nature
From this reading But his father had been his constant companion--his pal.
contractedadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːntræktəd/
reduced in size or pulled together
From this reading His throat contracted strangely as his thoughts dwelt for a moment on his beloved parent.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading His mother he could scarcely remember, for she had died when he was but a baby of three years.
detailnounUS /dɪˈteɪl/
an isolated fact that is considered separately from the whole
From this reading Robert’s excitement of the previous minutes was forgotten as he expertly, almost lovingly, ran his eyes over every detail of the perfect, whirring machinery, most of which his father had produced.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading His mother he could scarcely remember, for she had died when he was but a baby of three years.
dweltverbUS /dwelt/
inflected form of “dwell” — think moodily or anxiously about something
From this reading His throat contracted strangely as his thoughts dwelt for a moment on his beloved parent.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Robert’s excitement of the previous minutes was forgotten as he expertly, almost lovingly, ran his eyes over every detail of the perfect, whirring machinery, most of which his father had produced.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading Robert’s excitement of the previous minutes was forgotten as he expertly, almost lovingly, ran his eyes over every detail of the perfect, whirring machinery, most of which his father had produced.
expertlyadverbUS /ˈekspərtli/
in an expert manner
From this reading Robert’s excitement of the previous minutes was forgotten as he expertly, almost lovingly, ran his eyes over every detail of the perfect, whirring machinery, most of which his father had produced.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Professor Palmer’s keen eyes followed him as he moved about.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Robert’s excitement of the previous minutes was forgotten as he expertly, almost lovingly, ran his eyes over every detail of the perfect, whirring machinery, most of which his father had produced.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading Professor Palmer’s keen eyes followed him as he moved about.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading His throat contracted strangely as his thoughts dwelt for a moment on his beloved parent.
Not remembered; lapsed from memory.
From this reading Robert’s excitement of the previous minutes was forgotten as he expertly, almost lovingly, ran his eyes over every detail of the perfect, whirring machinery, most of which his father had produced.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Robert’s excitement of the previous minutes was forgotten as he expertly, almost lovingly, ran his eyes over every detail of the perfect, whirring machinery, most of which his father had produced.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Professor Palmer’s keen eyes followed him as he moved about.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Professor Palmer’s keen eyes followed him as he moved about.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Robert’s excitement of the previous minutes was forgotten as he expertly, almost lovingly, ran his eyes over every detail of the perfect, whirring machinery, most of which his father had produced.
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading Professor Palmer’s keen eyes followed him as he moved about.
lovinglyadverbUS /ˈlʌvɪŋli/
with fondness; with love
From this reading Robert’s excitement of the previous minutes was forgotten as he expertly, almost lovingly, ran his eyes over every detail of the perfect, whirring machinery, most of which his father had produced.
machinerynounUS /məˈʃiːnəri/
machines or machine systems collectively
From this reading Robert’s excitement of the previous minutes was forgotten as he expertly, almost lovingly, ran his eyes over every detail of the perfect, whirring machinery, most of which his father had produced.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading Robert’s excitement of the previous minutes was forgotten as he expertly, almost lovingly, ran his eyes over every detail of the perfect, whirring machinery, most of which his father had produced.
a particular point in time
From this reading His throat contracted strangely as his thoughts dwelt for a moment on his beloved parent.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Robert’s excitement of the previous minutes was forgotten as he expertly, almost lovingly, ran his eyes over every detail of the perfect, whirring machinery, most of which his father had produced.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading His mother he could scarcely remember, for she had died when he was but a baby of three years.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading Professor Palmer’s keen eyes followed him as he moved about.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Robert’s excitement of the previous minutes was forgotten as he expertly, almost lovingly, ran his eyes over every detail of the perfect, whirring machinery, most of which his father had produced.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading His throat contracted strangely as his thoughts dwelt for a moment on his beloved parent.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Robert’s excitement of the previous minutes was forgotten as he expertly, almost lovingly, ran his eyes over every detail of the perfect, whirring machinery, most of which his father had produced.
palnounUS /pæl/
a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading But his father had been his constant companion--his pal.
Palmer'snounUS /ˈpɑːmərz/
possessive form of “palmer” — United States golfer (born in 1929)
From this reading Professor Palmer’s keen eyes followed him as he moved about.
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 His throat contracted strangely as his thoughts dwelt for a moment on his beloved parent.
being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
From this reading Robert’s excitement of the previous minutes was forgotten as he expertly, almost lovingly, ran his eyes over every detail of the perfect, whirring machinery, most of which his father had produced.
just preceding something else in time or order
From this reading Robert’s excitement of the previous minutes was forgotten as he expertly, almost lovingly, ran his eyes over every detail of the perfect, whirring machinery, most of which his father had produced.
past form of “produce” — bring forth or yield
From this reading Robert’s excitement of the previous minutes was forgotten as he expertly, almost lovingly, ran his eyes over every detail of the perfect, whirring machinery, most of which his father had produced.
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading Professor Palmer’s keen eyes followed him as he moved about.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Robert’s excitement of the previous minutes was forgotten as he expertly, almost lovingly, ran his eyes over every detail of the perfect, whirring machinery, most of which his father had produced.
To recall to mind.
From this reading His mother he could scarcely remember, for she had died when he was but a baby of three years.
Robert'snounUS /ˈrɑːbərts/
possessive form of “robert” — United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading Robert’s excitement of the previous minutes was forgotten as he expertly, almost lovingly, ran his eyes over every detail of the perfect, whirring machinery, most of which his father had produced.
only a very short time before
From this reading His mother he could scarcely remember, for she had died when he was but a baby of three years.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading His mother he could scarcely remember, for she had died when he was but a baby of three years.
in a strange manner
From this reading His throat contracted strangely as his thoughts dwelt for a moment on his beloved parent.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Robert’s excitement of the previous minutes was forgotten as he expertly, almost lovingly, ran his eyes over every detail of the perfect, whirring machinery, most of which his father had produced.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading His throat contracted strangely as his thoughts dwelt for a moment on his beloved parent.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading His mother he could scarcely remember, for she had died when he was but a baby of three years.
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading His throat contracted strangely as his thoughts dwelt for a moment on his beloved parent.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Robert’s excitement of the previous minutes was forgotten as he expertly, almost lovingly, ran his eyes over every detail of the perfect, whirring machinery, most of which his father had produced.
at the time that
From this reading His mother he could scarcely remember, for she had died when he was but a baby of three years.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Robert’s excitement of the previous minutes was forgotten as he expertly, almost lovingly, ran his eyes over every detail of the perfect, whirring machinery, most of which his father had produced.
whirringnounUS /ˈwɜːrɪŋ/
sound of something in rapid motion
From this reading Robert’s excitement of the previous minutes was forgotten as he expertly, almost lovingly, ran his eyes over every detail of the perfect, whirring machinery, most of which his father had produced.
a late time of life
From this reading His mother he could scarcely remember, for she had died when he was but a baby of three years.
