used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading While the Americans were learning endurance in the hard school of Valley Forge the British were having a gay time in Philadelphia.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading And amid this light-hearted jollity Howe seemed to forget all about the war.
(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 And amid this light-hearted jollity Howe seemed to forget all about the war.
AmericansnounUS /əˈmerəkənz/
plural of “american” — a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading While the Americans were learning endurance in the hard school of Valley Forge the British were having a gay time in Philadelphia.
amidprepositionUS /əˈmɪd/
in the middle of; surrounded by
From this reading And amid this light-hearted jollity Howe seemed to forget all about the war.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The grave old Quaker town rang with song and laughter as never before.
a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state
From this reading Had he chosen he could easily have attacked Valley Forge, and crushed Washington's perishing army out of existence.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The grave old Quaker town rang with song and laughter as never before.
attackedverbUS /əˈtækt/
past form of “attack” — launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with
From this reading Had he chosen he could easily have attacked Valley Forge, and crushed Washington's perishing army out of existence.
BallsnounUS /bɔːlz/
plural of “ball” — round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading Balls and parties, theatricals and races, followed each other in a constant round of gaiety.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The grave old Quaker town rang with song and laughter as never before.
the people of Great Britain
From this reading While the Americans were learning endurance in the hard school of Valley Forge the British were having a gay time in Philadelphia.
one who is the object of choice; who is given preference
From this reading Had he chosen he could easily have attacked Valley Forge, and crushed Washington's perishing army out of existence.
unvarying in nature
From this reading Balls and parties, theatricals and races, followed each other in a constant round of gaiety.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Had he chosen he could easily have attacked Valley Forge, and crushed Washington's perishing army out of existence.
crushedadjectiveUS /krʌʃt/
treated so as to have a permanently wrinkled appearance
From this reading Had he chosen he could easily have attacked Valley Forge, and crushed Washington's perishing army out of existence.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Balls and parties, theatricals and races, followed each other in a constant round of gaiety.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading Had he chosen he could easily have attacked Valley Forge, and crushed Washington's perishing army out of existence.
endurancenounUS /ˈendərəns/
the power to withstand hardship or stress
From this reading While the Americans were learning endurance in the hard school of Valley Forge the British were having a gay time in Philadelphia.
the state or fact of existing
From this reading Had he chosen he could easily have attacked Valley Forge, and crushed Washington's perishing army out of existence.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading Balls and parties, theatricals and races, followed each other in a constant round of gaiety.
ForgeverbUS /fɔːrdʒ/
create by hammering
From this reading While the Americans were learning endurance in the hard school of Valley Forge the British were having a gay time in Philadelphia.
dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading And amid this light-hearted jollity Howe seemed to forget all about the war.
gaietynoun
a gay feeling
From this reading Balls and parties, theatricals and races, followed each other in a constant round of gaiety.
bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading While the Americans were learning endurance in the hard school of Valley Forge the British were having a gay time in Philadelphia.
death of a person
From this reading The grave old Quaker town rang with song and laughter as never before.
Hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Had he chosen he could easily have attacked Valley Forge, and crushed Washington's perishing army out of existence.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading While the Americans were learning endurance in the hard school of Valley Forge the British were having a gay time in Philadelphia.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Had he chosen he could easily have attacked Valley Forge, and crushed Washington's perishing army out of existence.
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading While the Americans were learning endurance in the hard school of Valley Forge the British were having a gay time in Philadelphia.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Had he chosen he could easily have attacked Valley Forge, and crushed Washington's perishing army out of existence.
HowenounUS /haʊ/
United States editor (1920-1993)
From this reading And amid this light-hearted jollity Howe seemed to forget all about the war.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading While the Americans were learning endurance in the hard school of Valley Forge the British were having a gay time in Philadelphia.
jollitynoun
feeling jolly and jovial and full of good humor
From this reading And amid this light-hearted jollity Howe seemed to forget all about the war.
the sound of laughing
From this reading The grave old Quaker town rang with song and laughter as never before.
the cognitive process of acquiring skill or knowledge
From this reading While the Americans were learning endurance in the hard school of Valley Forge the British were having a gay time in Philadelphia.
light-heartedadjective
carefree and happy and lighthearted
From this reading And amid this light-hearted jollity Howe seemed to forget all about the war.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading The grave old Quaker town rang with song and laughter as never before.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading While the Americans were learning endurance in the hard school of Valley Forge the British were having a gay time in Philadelphia.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The grave old Quaker town rang with song and laughter as never before.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Balls and parties, theatricals and races, followed each other in a constant round of gaiety.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Had he chosen he could easily have attacked Valley Forge, and crushed Washington's perishing army out of existence.
plural of “party” — an organization to gain political power
From this reading Balls and parties, theatricals and races, followed each other in a constant round of gaiety.
perishingverbUS /ˈperɪʃɪŋ/
-ing form of “perish” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading Had he chosen he could easily have attacked Valley Forge, and crushed Washington's perishing army out of existence.
PhiladelphianounUS /ˌfɪləˈdelfiə/
the largest city in Pennsylvania; located in the southeastern part of the state on the Delaware river; site of Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed; site of the University of Pennsylvania
From this reading While the Americans were learning endurance in the hard school of Valley Forge the British were having a gay time in Philadelphia.
QuakernounUS /ˈkweɪkər/
a member of the Religious Society of Friends founded by George Fox (the Friends have never called themselves Quakers)
From this reading The grave old Quaker town rang with song and laughter as never before.
racesnounUS /ˈreɪsəz/
plural of “race” — any competition
From this reading Balls and parties, theatricals and races, followed each other in a constant round of gaiety.
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading The grave old Quaker town rang with song and laughter as never before.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading Balls and parties, theatricals and races, followed each other in a constant round of gaiety.
an educational institution
From this reading While the Americans were learning endurance in the hard school of Valley Forge the British were having a gay time in Philadelphia.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading And amid this light-hearted jollity Howe seemed to forget all about the war.
a short musical composition with words
From this reading The grave old Quaker town rang with song and laughter as never before.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading While the Americans were learning endurance in the hard school of Valley Forge the British were having a gay time in Philadelphia.
theatricals
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Balls and parties, theatricals and races, followed each other in a constant round of gaiety.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading And amid this light-hearted jollity Howe seemed to forget all about the war.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading While the Americans were learning endurance in the hard school of Valley Forge the British were having a gay time in Philadelphia.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And amid this light-hearted jollity Howe seemed to forget all about the war.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading The grave old Quaker town rang with song and laughter as never before.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading While the Americans were learning endurance in the hard school of Valley Forge the British were having a gay time in Philadelphia.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading And amid this light-hearted jollity Howe seemed to forget all about the war.
Washington'snounUS /ˈwɑːʃɪŋtənz/
possessive form of “washington” — the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791
From this reading Had he chosen he could easily have attacked Valley Forge, and crushed Washington's perishing army out of existence.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading While the Americans were learning endurance in the hard school of Valley Forge the British were having a gay time in Philadelphia.
WhileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading While the Americans were learning endurance in the hard school of Valley Forge the British were having a gay time in Philadelphia.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The grave old Quaker town rang with song and laughter as never before.
