used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Mrs Shelf was a quick sort of woman, not at all gossipy, and she would be certainly anxious at the thought of Annie staying behind alone.
(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 She did not know whether her pain at the thought of all that lay before her and at the final severance of the ties of her entire life was as keen as her pleasure at the thought of escaping from her greatest fears.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading Annie was alone in the house.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She did not know whether her pain at the thought of all that lay before her and at the final severance of the ties of her entire life was as keen as her pleasure at the thought of escaping from her greatest fears.
Annie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Annie was alone in the house.
eagerly desirous
From this reading Mrs Shelf was a quick sort of woman, not at all gossipy, and she would be certainly anxious at the thought of Annie staying behind alone.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She did not know whether her pain at the thought of all that lay before her and at the final severance of the ties of her entire life was as keen as her pleasure at the thought of escaping from her greatest fears.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She did not know whether her pain at the thought of all that lay before her and at the final severance of the ties of her entire life was as keen as her pleasure at the thought of escaping from her greatest fears.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Mrs Shelf was a quick sort of woman, not at all gossipy, and she would be certainly anxious at the thought of Annie staying behind alone.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading She did not know whether her pain at the thought of all that lay before her and at the final severance of the ties of her entire life was as keen as her pleasure at the thought of escaping from her greatest fears.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Mrs Shelf was a quick sort of woman, not at all gossipy, and she would be certainly anxious at the thought of Annie staying behind alone.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading Mrs Shelf was a quick sort of woman, not at all gossipy, and she would be certainly anxious at the thought of Annie staying behind alone.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She did not know whether her pain at the thought of all that lay before her and at the final severance of the ties of her entire life was as keen as her pleasure at the thought of escaping from her greatest fears.
constituting the full quantity or extent; complete
From this reading She did not know whether her pain at the thought of all that lay before her and at the final severance of the ties of her entire life was as keen as her pleasure at the thought of escaping from her greatest fears.
escapingverbUS /ɪˈskeɪpɪŋ/
-ing form of “escape” — run away from confinement
From this reading She did not know whether her pain at the thought of all that lay before her and at the final severance of the ties of her entire life was as keen as her pleasure at the thought of escaping from her greatest fears.
plural of “fear” — an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
From this reading She did not know whether her pain at the thought of all that lay before her and at the final severance of the ties of her entire life was as keen as her pleasure at the thought of escaping from her greatest fears.
finaladjectiveUS /ˈfaɪnəl/
occurring at or forming an end or termination
From this reading She did not know whether her pain at the thought of all that lay before her and at the final severance of the ties of her entire life was as keen as her pleasure at the thought of escaping from her greatest fears.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading She did not know whether her pain at the thought of all that lay before her and at the final severance of the ties of her entire life was as keen as her pleasure at the thought of escaping from her greatest fears.
gossipyadjectiveUS /ˈɡɑːsəpi/
prone to friendly informal communication
From this reading Mrs Shelf was a quick sort of woman, not at all gossipy, and she would be certainly anxious at the thought of Annie staying behind alone.
highest in quality
From this reading She did not know whether her pain at the thought of all that lay before her and at the final severance of the ties of her entire life was as keen as her pleasure at the thought of escaping from her greatest fears.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She knew she had very little time to spare.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I have succeeded," she said to herself.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She did not know whether her pain at the thought of all that lay before her and at the final severance of the ties of her entire life was as keen as her pleasure at the thought of escaping from her greatest fears.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading "I have succeeded," she said to herself.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Annie was alone in the house.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I have succeeded," she said to herself.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Annie was alone in the house.
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading She did not know whether her pain at the thought of all that lay before her and at the final severance of the ties of her entire life was as keen as her pleasure at the thought of escaping from her greatest fears.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading She knew she had very little time to spare.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading She did not know whether her pain at the thought of all that lay before her and at the final severance of the ties of her entire life was as keen as her pleasure at the thought of escaping from her greatest fears.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading She did not know whether her pain at the thought of all that lay before her and at the final severance of the ties of her entire life was as keen as her pleasure at the thought of escaping from her greatest fears.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading She did not know whether her pain at the thought of all that lay before her and at the final severance of the ties of her entire life was as keen as her pleasure at the thought of escaping from her greatest fears.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She knew she had very little time to spare.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs Shelf was a quick sort of woman, not at all gossipy, and she would be certainly anxious at the thought of Annie staying behind alone.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She did not know whether her pain at the thought of all that lay before her and at the final severance of the ties of her entire life was as keen as her pleasure at the thought of escaping from her greatest fears.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She did not know whether her pain at the thought of all that lay before her and at the final severance of the ties of her entire life was as keen as her pleasure at the thought of escaping from her greatest fears.
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading She did not know whether her pain at the thought of all that lay before her and at the final severance of the ties of her entire life was as keen as her pleasure at the thought of escaping from her greatest fears.
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading She did not know whether her pain at the thought of all that lay before her and at the final severance of the ties of her entire life was as keen as her pleasure at the thought of escaping from her greatest fears.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading Mrs Shelf was a quick sort of woman, not at all gossipy, and she would be certainly anxious at the thought of Annie staying behind alone.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I have succeeded," she said to herself.
severancenounUS /ˈsevɜːrəns/
a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions)
From this reading She did not know whether her pain at the thought of all that lay before her and at the final severance of the ties of her entire life was as keen as her pleasure at the thought of escaping from her greatest fears.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I have succeeded," she said to herself.
ShelfnounUS /ʃelf/
A flat horizontal plane used to hold books or scrolls in a library.
From this reading Mrs Shelf was a quick sort of woman, not at all gossipy, and she would be certainly anxious at the thought of Annie staying behind alone.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading Mrs Shelf was a quick sort of woman, not at all gossipy, and she would be certainly anxious at the thought of Annie staying behind alone.
refrain from harming
From this reading She knew she had very little time to spare.
stayingverbUS /ˈsteɪɪŋ/
-ing form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading Mrs Shelf was a quick sort of woman, not at all gossipy, and she would be certainly anxious at the thought of Annie staying behind alone.
past form of “succeed” — attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading "I have succeeded," she said to herself.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She did not know whether her pain at the thought of all that lay before her and at the final severance of the ties of her entire life was as keen as her pleasure at the thought of escaping from her greatest fears.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Annie was alone in the house.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading She did not know whether her pain at the thought of all that lay before her and at the final severance of the ties of her entire life was as keen as her pleasure at the thought of escaping from her greatest fears.
tiesnounUS /taɪz/
plural of “tie” — neckwear consisting of a long narrow piece of material worn (mostly by men) under a collar and tied in knot at the front
From this reading She did not know whether her pain at the thought of all that lay before her and at the final severance of the ties of her entire life was as keen as her pleasure at the thought of escaping from her greatest fears.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading She knew she had very little time to spare.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I have succeeded," she said to herself.
precisely as stated
From this reading She knew she had very little time to spare.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Annie was alone in the house.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading She did not know whether her pain at the thought of all that lay before her and at the final severance of the ties of her entire life was as keen as her pleasure at the thought of escaping from her greatest fears.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Mrs Shelf was a quick sort of woman, not at all gossipy, and she would be certainly anxious at the thought of Annie staying behind alone.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Mrs Shelf was a quick sort of woman, not at all gossipy, and she would be certainly anxious at the thought of Annie staying behind alone.
