used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He was used to the work, and did it with a dexterity and quickness that could not have been excelled.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Ever since his mother had died it had fallen upon Chet's young shoulders to do the culinary work about the ranch home.
the state of being absent
From this reading The Man in the Sink Hole We will now return to the ranch and see how Chet and Paul were faring during their elder brother's absence.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Man in the Sink Hole We will now return to the ranch and see how Chet and Paul were faring during their elder brother's absence.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He was used to the work, and did it with a dexterity and quickness that could not have been excelled.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Chet took the string of fish, and selecting two, began to clean them.
brother'snounUS /ˈbrʌðərz/
possessive form of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading The Man in the Sink Hole We will now return to the ranch and see how Chet and Paul were faring during their elder brother's absence.
busiedverbUS /ˈbɪzid/
inflected form of “busy” — keep busy with
From this reading While Chet was thus engaged Paul busied himself in looking over the shotguns, cleaning and oiling them and then loading up.
Chet
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Man in the Sink Hole We will now return to the ranch and see how Chet and Paul were faring during their elder brother's absence.
Chet's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ever since his mother had died it had fallen upon Chet's young shoulders to do the culinary work about the ranch home.
free from dirt or impurities; or having clean habits
From this reading Chet took the string of fish, and selecting two, began to clean them.
cleaningnounUS /ˈkliːnɪŋ/
the act of making something clean
From this reading While Chet was thus engaged Paul busied himself in looking over the shotguns, cleaning and oiling them and then loading up.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He was used to the work, and did it with a dexterity and quickness that could not have been excelled.
culinaryadjectiveUS /ˈkjuːlɪneri/
of or relating to or used in cooking
From this reading Ever since his mother had died it had fallen upon Chet's young shoulders to do the culinary work about the ranch home.
dexteritynounUS /dekˈsterəti/
adroitness in using the hands
From this reading He was used to the work, and did it with a dexterity and quickness that could not have been excelled.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He was used to the work, and did it with a dexterity and quickness that could not have been excelled.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading Ever since his mother had died it had fallen upon Chet's young shoulders to do the culinary work about the ranch home.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Ever since his mother had died it had fallen upon Chet's young shoulders to do the culinary work about the ranch home.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading The Man in the Sink Hole We will now return to the ranch and see how Chet and Paul were faring during their elder brother's absence.
a person who is older than you are
From this reading The Man in the Sink Hole We will now return to the ranch and see how Chet and Paul were faring during their elder brother's absence.
having ones attention or mind or energy engaged
From this reading While Chet was thus engaged Paul busied himself in looking over the shotguns, cleaning and oiling them and then loading up.
at any time
From this reading Ever since his mother had died it had fallen upon Chet's young shoulders to do the culinary work about the ranch home.
excelledverbUS /ɪkˈseld/
inflected form of “excel” — distinguish oneself
From this reading He was used to the work, and did it with a dexterity and quickness that could not have been excelled.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading Ever since his mother had died it had fallen upon Chet's young shoulders to do the culinary work about the ranch home.
faringverbUS /ˈferiŋ/
-ing form of “fare” — proceed or get along
From this reading The Man in the Sink Hole We will now return to the ranch and see how Chet and Paul were faring during their elder brother's absence.
any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
From this reading Chet took the string of fish, and selecting two, began to clean them.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Ever since his mother had died it had fallen upon Chet's young shoulders to do the culinary work about the ranch home.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He was used to the work, and did it with a dexterity and quickness that could not have been excelled.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was used to the work, and did it with a dexterity and quickness that could not have been excelled.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading While Chet was thus engaged Paul busied himself in looking over the shotguns, cleaning and oiling them and then loading up.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Ever since his mother had died it had fallen upon Chet's young shoulders to do the culinary work about the ranch home.
an opening into or through something
From this reading The Man in the Sink Hole We will now return to the ranch and see how Chet and Paul were faring during their elder brother's absence.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Ever since his mother had died it had fallen upon Chet's young shoulders to do the culinary work about the ranch home.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Man in the Sink Hole We will now return to the ranch and see how Chet and Paul were faring during their elder brother's absence.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Man in the Sink Hole We will now return to the ranch and see how Chet and Paul were faring during their elder brother's absence.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He was used to the work, and did it with a dexterity and quickness that could not have been excelled.
loadingnounUS /ˈloʊdɪŋ/
weight to be borne or conveyed
From this reading While Chet was thus engaged Paul busied himself in looking over the shotguns, cleaning and oiling them and then loading up.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading While Chet was thus engaged Paul busied himself in looking over the shotguns, cleaning and oiling them and then loading up.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The Man in the Sink Hole We will now return to the ranch and see how Chet and Paul were faring during their elder brother's absence.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Ever since his mother had died it had fallen upon Chet's young shoulders to do the culinary work about the ranch home.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He was used to the work, and did it with a dexterity and quickness that could not have been excelled.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The Man in the Sink Hole We will now return to the ranch and see how Chet and Paul were faring during their elder brother's absence.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Chet took the string of fish, and selecting two, began to clean them.
oilingverbUS /ˈɔɪlɪŋ/
-ing form of “oil” — cover with oil, as if by rubbing
From this reading While Chet was thus engaged Paul busied himself in looking over the shotguns, cleaning and oiling them and then loading up.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading While Chet was thus engaged Paul busied himself in looking over the shotguns, cleaning and oiling them and then loading up.
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading The Man in the Sink Hole We will now return to the ranch and see how Chet and Paul were faring during their elder brother's absence.
quicknessnounUS /ˈkwɪknəs/
skillful performance or ability without difficulty
From this reading He was used to the work, and did it with a dexterity and quickness that could not have been excelled.
ranchnounUS /ræntʃ/
farm consisting of a large tract of land along with facilities needed to raise livestock (especially cattle)
From this reading The Man in the Sink Hole We will now return to the ranch and see how Chet and Paul were faring during their elder brother's absence.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading The Man in the Sink Hole We will now return to the ranch and see how Chet and Paul were faring during their elder brother's absence.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading The Man in the Sink Hole We will now return to the ranch and see how Chet and Paul were faring during their elder brother's absence.
selectingverbUS /səˈlektɪŋ/
-ing form of “select” — pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives
From this reading Chet took the string of fish, and selecting two, began to clean them.
shotgunsnounUS /ˈʃɑːtɡʌnz/
plural of “shotgun” — firearm that is a double-barreled smoothbore shoulder weapon for firing shot at short ranges
From this reading While Chet was thus engaged Paul busied himself in looking over the shotguns, cleaning and oiling them and then loading up.
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading Ever since his mother had died it had fallen upon Chet's young shoulders to do the culinary work about the ranch home.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Ever since his mother had died it had fallen upon Chet's young shoulders to do the culinary work about the ranch home.
SinkverbUS /sɪŋk/
fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading The Man in the Sink Hole We will now return to the ranch and see how Chet and Paul were faring during their elder brother's absence.
a lightweight cord
From this reading Chet took the string of fish, and selecting two, began to clean them.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He was used to the work, and did it with a dexterity and quickness that could not have been excelled.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Man in the Sink Hole We will now return to the ranch and see how Chet and Paul were faring during their elder brother's absence.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The Man in the Sink Hole We will now return to the ranch and see how Chet and Paul were faring during their elder brother's absence.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Chet took the string of fish, and selecting two, began to clean them.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading While Chet was thus engaged Paul busied himself in looking over the shotguns, cleaning and oiling them and then loading up.
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading While Chet was thus engaged Paul busied himself in looking over the shotguns, cleaning and oiling them and then loading up.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Man in the Sink Hole We will now return to the ranch and see how Chet and Paul were faring during their elder brother's absence.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Chet took the string of fish, and selecting two, began to clean them.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Chet took the string of fish, and selecting two, began to clean them.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading While Chet was thus engaged Paul busied himself in looking over the shotguns, cleaning and oiling them and then loading up.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Ever since his mother had died it had fallen upon Chet's young shoulders to do the culinary work about the ranch home.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading He was used to the work, and did it with a dexterity and quickness that could not have been excelled.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was used to the work, and did it with a dexterity and quickness that could not have been excelled.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading The Man in the Sink Hole We will now return to the ranch and see how Chet and Paul were faring during their elder brother's absence.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The Man in the Sink Hole We will now return to the ranch and see how Chet and Paul were faring during their elder brother's absence.
WhileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading While Chet was thus engaged Paul busied himself in looking over the shotguns, cleaning and oiling them and then loading up.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading The Man in the Sink Hole We will now return to the ranch and see how Chet and Paul were faring during their elder brother's absence.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He was used to the work, and did it with a dexterity and quickness that could not have been excelled.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading He was used to the work, and did it with a dexterity and quickness that could not have been excelled.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Ever since his mother had died it had fallen upon Chet's young shoulders to do the culinary work about the ranch home.
