used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A VERY SHORT CHAPTER, IN ONE SENSE The next day it rained.
absorbingadjectiveUS /əbˈzɔːrbɪŋ/
capable of arousing and holding the attention
From this reading Harry shut himself up in his room and wrote violently all the morning, less in the hope of accomplishing valuable work than in the desire to keep his mind off the one absorbing topic.
accomplishingverbUS /əˈkɑːmplɪʃɪŋ/
-ing form of “accomplish” — put in effect
From this reading Harry shut himself up in his room and wrote violently all the morning, less in the hope of accomplishing valuable work than in the desire to keep his mind off the one absorbing topic.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Harry shut himself up in his room and wrote violently all the morning, less in the hope of accomplishing valuable work than in the desire to keep his mind off the one absorbing topic.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Harry shut himself up in his room and wrote violently all the morning, less in the hope of accomplishing valuable work than in the desire to keep his mind off the one absorbing topic.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At lunch time he threw all that he had written into the fireplace and resolved to tell the immediate members of his family.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It proved to be of little use.
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading A VERY SHORT CHAPTER, IN ONE SENSE The next day it rained.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading A VERY SHORT CHAPTER, IN ONE SENSE The next day it rained.
the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
From this reading Harry shut himself up in his room and wrote violently all the morning, less in the hope of accomplishing valuable work than in the desire to keep his mind off the one absorbing topic.
a social unit living together
From this reading At lunch time he threw all that he had written into the fireplace and resolved to tell the immediate members of his family.
fireplacenounUS /ˈfaɪərpleɪs/
an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built
From this reading At lunch time he threw all that he had written into the fireplace and resolved to tell the immediate members of his family.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading At lunch time he threw all that he had written into the fireplace and resolved to tell the immediate members of his family.
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading Harry shut himself up in his room and wrote violently all the morning, less in the hope of accomplishing valuable work than in the desire to keep his mind off the one absorbing topic.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At lunch time he threw all that he had written into the fireplace and resolved to tell the immediate members of his family.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Harry shut himself up in his room and wrote violently all the morning, less in the hope of accomplishing valuable work than in the desire to keep his mind off the one absorbing topic.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Harry shut himself up in his room and wrote violently all the morning, less in the hope of accomplishing valuable work than in the desire to keep his mind off the one absorbing topic.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading Harry shut himself up in his room and wrote violently all the morning, less in the hope of accomplishing valuable work than in the desire to keep his mind off the one absorbing topic.
of the present time and place
From this reading At lunch time he threw all that he had written into the fireplace and resolved to tell the immediate members of his family.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A VERY SHORT CHAPTER, IN ONE SENSE The next day it rained.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading At lunch time he threw all that he had written into the fireplace and resolved to tell the immediate members of his family.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A VERY SHORT CHAPTER, IN ONE SENSE The next day it rained.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Harry shut himself up in his room and wrote violently all the morning, less in the hope of accomplishing valuable work than in the desire to keep his mind off the one absorbing topic.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading Harry shut himself up in his room and wrote violently all the morning, less in the hope of accomplishing valuable work than in the desire to keep his mind off the one absorbing topic.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It proved to be of little use.
take the midday meal
From this reading At lunch time he threw all that he had written into the fireplace and resolved to tell the immediate members of his family.
plural of “member” — one of the persons who compose a social group (especially individuals who have joined and participate in a group organization)
From this reading At lunch time he threw all that he had written into the fireplace and resolved to tell the immediate members of his family.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Harry shut himself up in his room and wrote violently all the morning, less in the hope of accomplishing valuable work than in the desire to keep his mind off the one absorbing topic.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Harry shut himself up in his room and wrote violently all the morning, less in the hope of accomplishing valuable work than in the desire to keep his mind off the one absorbing topic.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading A VERY SHORT CHAPTER, IN ONE SENSE The next day it rained.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Harry shut himself up in his room and wrote violently all the morning, less in the hope of accomplishing valuable work than in the desire to keep his mind off the one absorbing topic.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Harry shut himself up in his room and wrote violently all the morning, less in the hope of accomplishing valuable work than in the desire to keep his mind off the one absorbing topic.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading A VERY SHORT CHAPTER, IN ONE SENSE The next day it rained.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading It worked out very well.
established beyond doubt
From this reading It proved to be of little use.
rainedverbUS /reɪnd/
past form of “rain” — precipitate as rain
From this reading A VERY SHORT CHAPTER, IN ONE SENSE The next day it rained.
determined
From this reading At lunch time he threw all that he had written into the fireplace and resolved to tell the immediate members of his family.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Harry shut himself up in his room and wrote violently all the morning, less in the hope of accomplishing valuable work than in the desire to keep his mind off the one absorbing topic.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading A VERY SHORT CHAPTER, IN ONE SENSE The next day it rained.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading A VERY SHORT CHAPTER, IN ONE SENSE The next day it rained.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading Harry shut himself up in his room and wrote violently all the morning, less in the hope of accomplishing valuable work than in the desire to keep his mind off the one absorbing topic.
express in words
From this reading At lunch time he threw all that he had written into the fireplace and resolved to tell the immediate members of his family.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Harry shut himself up in his room and wrote violently all the morning, less in the hope of accomplishing valuable work than in the desire to keep his mind off the one absorbing topic.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading At lunch time he threw all that he had written into the fireplace and resolved to tell the immediate members of his family.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A VERY SHORT CHAPTER, IN ONE SENSE The next day it rained.
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading At lunch time he threw all that he had written into the fireplace and resolved to tell the immediate members of his family.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading At lunch time he threw all that he had written into the fireplace and resolved to tell the immediate members of his family.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Harry shut himself up in his room and wrote violently all the morning, less in the hope of accomplishing valuable work than in the desire to keep his mind off the one absorbing topic.
topicnounUS /ˈtɑːpɪk/
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading Harry shut himself up in his room and wrote violently all the morning, less in the hope of accomplishing valuable work than in the desire to keep his mind off the one absorbing topic.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Harry shut himself up in his room and wrote violently all the morning, less in the hope of accomplishing valuable work than in the desire to keep his mind off the one absorbing topic.
the act of using
From this reading It proved to be of little use.
having great material or monetary value especially for use or exchange
From this reading Harry shut himself up in his room and wrote violently all the morning, less in the hope of accomplishing valuable work than in the desire to keep his mind off the one absorbing topic.
precisely as stated
From this reading A VERY SHORT CHAPTER, IN ONE SENSE The next day it rained.
violentlyadverbUS /ˈvaɪələntli/
in a violent manner
From this reading Harry shut himself up in his room and wrote violently all the morning, less in the hope of accomplishing valuable work than in the desire to keep his mind off the one absorbing topic.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading It worked out very well.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading Harry shut himself up in his room and wrote violently all the morning, less in the hope of accomplishing valuable work than in the desire to keep his mind off the one absorbing topic.
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading It worked out very well.
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading At lunch time he threw all that he had written into the fireplace and resolved to tell the immediate members of his family.
inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading Harry shut himself up in his room and wrote violently all the morning, less in the hope of accomplishing valuable work than in the desire to keep his mind off the one absorbing topic.
