used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “That I was sure of,” Ned said with a hard laugh.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
quickly and without warning
From this reading “How is my mother?” he asked at last abruptly.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Not until they had left York behind them did Ned ask after his mother.
conforming to your own liking or feelings or nature
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “Well, Ned,” Dr. Green replied, “I have been expecting your question, and I am sorry to say that I have nothing agreeable to tell you.”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
any thing at all
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Not until they had left York behind them did Ned ask after his mother.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “How is my mother?” he asked at last abruptly.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Not until they had left York behind them did Ned ask after his mother.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Not until they had left York behind them did Ned ask after his mother.
Dr
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, Ned,” Dr. Green replied, “I have been expecting your question, and I am sorry to say that I have nothing agreeable to tell you.”
-ing form of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “Well, Ned,” Dr. Green replied, “I have been expecting your question, and I am sorry to say that I have nothing agreeable to tell you.”
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading “Well, Ned,” Dr. Green replied, “I have been expecting your question, and I am sorry to say that I have nothing agreeable to tell you.”
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Not until they had left York behind them did Ned ask after his mother.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading “That I was sure of,” Ned said with a hard laugh.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Not until they had left York behind them did Ned ask after his mother.
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How is my mother?” he asked at last abruptly.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Well, Ned,” Dr. Green replied, “I have been expecting your question, and I am sorry to say that I have nothing agreeable to tell you.”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “How is my mother?” he asked at last abruptly.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
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 He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
immediately past
From this reading “How is my mother?” he asked at last abruptly.
the sound of laughing
From this reading “That I was sure of,” Ned said with a hard laugh.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading Not until they had left York behind them did Ned ask after his mother.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Not until they had left York behind them did Ned ask after his mother.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “How is my mother?” he asked at last abruptly.
Ned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Not until they had left York behind them did Ned ask after his mother.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not until they had left York behind them did Ned ask after his mother.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “Well, Ned,” Dr. Green replied, “I have been expecting your question, and I am sorry to say that I have nothing agreeable to tell you.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
on one occasion
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading “Well, Ned,” Dr. Green replied, “I have been expecting your question, and I am sorry to say that I have nothing agreeable to tell you.”
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “Well, Ned,” Dr. Green replied, “I have been expecting your question, and I am sorry to say that I have nothing agreeable to tell you.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “That I was sure of,” Ned said with a hard laugh.
express in words
From this reading “Well, Ned,” Dr. Green replied, “I have been expecting your question, and I am sorry to say that I have nothing agreeable to tell you.”
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
sorryadjectiveUS /ˈsɑːri/
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading “Well, Ned,” Dr. Green replied, “I have been expecting your question, and I am sorry to say that I have nothing agreeable to tell you.”
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading “That I was sure of,” Ned said with a hard laugh.
express in words
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Not until they had left York behind them did Ned ask after his mother.
in or at that place or location
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Not until they had left York behind them did Ned ask after his mother.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading Not until they had left York behind them did Ned ask after his mother.
past form of “warn” — notify of danger, potential harm, or risk
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
(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 “Well, Ned,” Dr. Green replied, “I have been expecting your question, and I am sorry to say that I have nothing agreeable to tell you.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “That I was sure of,” Ned said with a hard laugh.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He knew that if there had been anything pleasant to tell about her he would have heard it at once, and the silence of his friends warned him that the subject was not an agreeable one.
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading Not until they had left York behind them did Ned ask after his mother.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Well, Ned,” Dr. Green replied, “I have been expecting your question, and I am sorry to say that I have nothing agreeable to tell you.”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Well, Ned,” Dr. Green replied, “I have been expecting your question, and I am sorry to say that I have nothing agreeable to tell you.”
