Chapter II · Chapter 2

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Presently Gay was laid upon the old-fashioned settle, and Samantha stationed herself where she could keep the flies off her by waving a palm-leaf fan.

later than; following

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "But we ain't got any doorplate, to begin with."

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Presently Gay was laid upon the old-fashioned settle, and Samantha stationed herself where she could keep the flies off her by waving a palm-leaf fan.

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading "But we ain't got any doorplate, to begin with."

make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading "But we ain't got any doorplate, to begin with."

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading "But we ain't got any doorplate, to begin with."

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Presently Gay was laid upon the old-fashioned settle, and Samantha stationed herself where she could keep the flies off her by waving a palm-leaf fan.

a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts

From this reading "Not a silver one on your door, like they have in the city; but isn't that white marble piece in the yard a doorplate?

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading Presently Gay was laid upon the old-fashioned settle, and Samantha stationed herself where she could keep the flies off her by waving a palm-leaf fan.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

a nameplate fastened to a door; indicates the person who works or lives there

From this reading "Why, I thought it was the lady-of-the-house's name," said Timothy; "I saw it on her doorplate."

fraught with uncertainty or doubt

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

strike out (a batter), (of a pitcher)

From this reading Presently Gay was laid upon the old-fashioned settle, and Samantha stationed herself where she could keep the flies off her by waving a palm-leaf fan.

(theater) the space over the stage (out of view of the audience) used to store scenery (drop curtains)

From this reading Presently Gay was laid upon the old-fashioned settle, and Samantha stationed herself where she could keep the flies off her by waving a palm-leaf fan.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

yet to be or coming

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer

From this reading Presently Gay was laid upon the old-fashioned settle, and Samantha stationed herself where she could keep the flies off her by waving a palm-leaf fan.

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading "But we ain't got any doorplate, to begin with."

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "Not a silver one on your door, like they have in the city; but isn't that white marble piece in the yard a doorplate?

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Presently Gay was laid upon the old-fashioned settle, and Samantha stationed herself where she could keep the flies off her by waving a palm-leaf fan.

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading Presently Gay was laid upon the old-fashioned settle, and Samantha stationed herself where she could keep the flies off her by waving a palm-leaf fan.

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading "Not a silver one on your door, like they have in the city; but isn't that white marble piece in the yard a doorplate?

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Not a silver one on your door, like they have in the city; but isn't that white marble piece in the yard a doorplate?

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "Why, I thought it was the lady-of-the-house's name," said Timothy; "I saw it on her doorplate."

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading Presently Gay was laid upon the old-fashioned settle, and Samantha stationed herself where she could keep the flies off her by waving a palm-leaf fan.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Why, I thought it was the lady-of-the-house's name," said Timothy; "I saw it on her doorplate."

set down according to a plan

From this reading Presently Gay was laid upon the old-fashioned settle, and Samantha stationed herself where she could keep the flies off her by waving a palm-leaf fan.

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading "Not a silver one on your door, like they have in the city; but isn't that white marble piece in the yard a doorplate?

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

a hard crystalline metamorphic rock that takes a high polish; used for sculpture and as building material

From this reading "Not a silver one on your door, like they have in the city; but isn't that white marble piece in the yard a doorplate?

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading "Why, I thought it was the lady-of-the-house's name," said Timothy; "I saw it on her doorplate."

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading "Not a silver one on your door, like they have in the city; but isn't that white marble piece in the yard a doorplate?

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading Presently Gay was laid upon the old-fashioned settle, and Samantha stationed herself where she could keep the flies off her by waving a palm-leaf fan.

out of fashion

From this reading Presently Gay was laid upon the old-fashioned settle, and Samantha stationed herself where she could keep the flies off her by waving a palm-leaf fan.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading "Why, I thought it was the lady-of-the-house's name," said Timothy; "I saw it on her doorplate."

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Presently Gay was laid upon the old-fashioned settle, and Samantha stationed herself where she could keep the flies off her by waving a palm-leaf fan.

the time that has elapsed

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

a separate part of a whole

From this reading "Not a silver one on your door, like they have in the city; but isn't that white marble piece in the yard a doorplate?

influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

in the near future

From this reading Presently Gay was laid upon the old-fashioned settle, and Samantha stationed herself where she could keep the flies off her by waving a palm-leaf fan.

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Presently Gay was laid upon the old-fashioned settle, and Samantha stationed herself where she could keep the flies off her by waving a palm-leaf fan.

cut with a saw

From this reading "Why, I thought it was the lady-of-the-house's name," said Timothy; "I saw it on her doorplate."

settle into a position, usually on a surface or ground

From this reading Presently Gay was laid upon the old-fashioned settle, and Samantha stationed herself where she could keep the flies off her by waving a palm-leaf fan.

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Presently Gay was laid upon the old-fashioned settle, and Samantha stationed herself where she could keep the flies off her by waving a palm-leaf fan.

a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography

From this reading "Not a silver one on your door, like they have in the city; but isn't that white marble piece in the yard a doorplate?

past form of “station” — assign to a station

From this reading Presently Gay was laid upon the old-fashioned settle, and Samantha stationed herself where she could keep the flies off her by waving a palm-leaf fan.

not in physical motion

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

express in words

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Presently Gay was laid upon the old-fashioned settle, and Samantha stationed herself where she could keep the flies off her by waving a palm-leaf fan.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "Not a silver one on your door, like they have in the city; but isn't that white marble piece in the yard a doorplate?

a special situation

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading "Why, I thought it was the lady-of-the-house's name," said Timothy; "I saw it on her doorplate."

grass with long cylindrical spikes grown in northern United States and Europe for hay

From this reading "Why, I thought it was the lady-of-the-house's name," said Timothy; "I saw it on her doorplate."

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

lacking or indicating lack of confidence or assurance

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

experiencing or marked by or causing sadness or sorrow or discontent

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Presently Gay was laid upon the old-fashioned settle, and Samantha stationed herself where she could keep the flies off her by waving a palm-leaf fan.

feel or have a desire for; want strongly

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Presently Gay was laid upon the old-fashioned settle, and Samantha stationed herself where she could keep the flies off her by waving a palm-leaf fan.

the act of signaling by a movement of the hand

From this reading Presently Gay was laid upon the old-fashioned settle, and Samantha stationed herself where she could keep the flies off her by waving a palm-leaf fan.

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading "But we ain't got any doorplate, to begin with."

used to ask for information about something

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

at the time that

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

in or at the place that

From this reading Presently Gay was laid upon the old-fashioned settle, and Samantha stationed herself where she could keep the flies off her by waving a palm-leaf fan.

a Caucasian

From this reading "Not a silver one on your door, like they have in the city; but isn't that white marble piece in the yard a doorplate?

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading "Why, I thought it was the lady-of-the-house's name," said Timothy; "I saw it on her doorplate."

in the company of; together with

From this reading "But we ain't got any doorplate, to begin with."

a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride

From this reading "Not a silver one on your door, like they have in the city; but isn't that white marble piece in the yard a doorplate?

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Now, there's one thing more I want you to tell me," said she, after she had possessed herself of Timothy's unhappy past, uncertain present, and still more dubious future; "and that is, what made you ask for Miss Marthy Cummins when you come to the door?"

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Not a silver one on your door, like they have in the city; but isn't that white marble piece in the yard a doorplate?