used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He did not understand Tom's wanting to talk about their mother's death any more than Tom understood how Bill could be a spy and a traitor.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He did not understand Tom's wanting to talk about their mother's death any more than Tom understood how Bill could be a spy and a traitor.
in addition
From this reading In short, the wily, self-seeking Bill, who would stop at nothing, probably thought his brother had a screw loose, as the saying is, and perhaps that is what the others thought also.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading HE IS ARRESTED AND PUT IN THE GUARDHOUSE But of course his brother _had_ received that letter.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading He did not understand Tom's wanting to talk about their mother's death any more than Tom understood how Bill could be a spy and a traitor.
ARRESTEDverbUS /ərˈestɪd/
past form of “arrest” — take into custody
From this reading HE IS ARRESTED AND PUT IN THE GUARDHOUSE But of course his brother _had_ received that letter.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading In short, the wily, self-seeking Bill, who would stop at nothing, probably thought his brother had a screw loose, as the saying is, and perhaps that is what the others thought also.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading In short, the wily, self-seeking Bill, who would stop at nothing, probably thought his brother had a screw loose, as the saying is, and perhaps that is what the others thought also.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He did not understand Tom's wanting to talk about their mother's death any more than Tom understood how Bill could be a spy and a traitor.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading He did not understand Tom's wanting to talk about their mother's death any more than Tom understood how Bill could be a spy and a traitor.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading HE IS ARRESTED AND PUT IN THE GUARDHOUSE But of course his brother _had_ received that letter.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading HE IS ARRESTED AND PUT IN THE GUARDHOUSE But of course his brother _had_ received that letter.
choppyadjectiveUS /ˈtʃɑːpi/
marked by abrupt transitions
From this reading Tom was never very lucid in explanation, and his emotion had made his surprising story choppy and unsatisfactory.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading The circumstances of his mother's death were the least of his troubles now and he must have thought his young brother very innocent and sentimental.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He did not understand Tom's wanting to talk about their mother's death any more than Tom understood how Bill could be a spy and a traitor.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading HE IS ARRESTED AND PUT IN THE GUARDHOUSE But of course his brother _had_ received that letter.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading The circumstances of his mother's death were the least of his troubles now and he must have thought his young brother very innocent and sentimental.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not understand Tom's wanting to talk about their mother's death any more than Tom understood how Bill could be a spy and a traitor.
any strong feeling
From this reading Tom was never very lucid in explanation, and his emotion had made his surprising story choppy and unsatisfactory.
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading Tom was never very lucid in explanation, and his emotion had made his surprising story choppy and unsatisfactory.
GUARDHOUSEnoun
a military facility that serves as the headquarters for military police and in which military prisoners can be detained
From this reading HE IS ARRESTED AND PUT IN THE GUARDHOUSE But of course his brother _had_ received that letter.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading HE IS ARRESTED AND PUT IN THE GUARDHOUSE But of course his brother _had_ received that letter.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The circumstances of his mother's death were the least of his troubles now and he must have thought his young brother very innocent and sentimental.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading HE IS ARRESTED AND PUT IN THE GUARDHOUSE But of course his brother _had_ received that letter.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading HE IS ARRESTED AND PUT IN THE GUARDHOUSE But of course his brother _had_ received that letter.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He did not understand Tom's wanting to talk about their mother's death any more than Tom understood how Bill could be a spy and a traitor.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading HE IS ARRESTED AND PUT IN THE GUARDHOUSE But of course his brother _had_ received that letter.
free from evil or guilt
From this reading The circumstances of his mother's death were the least of his troubles now and he must have thought his young brother very innocent and sentimental.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading HE IS ARRESTED AND PUT IN THE GUARDHOUSE But of course his brother _had_ received that letter.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading The circumstances of his mother's death were the least of his troubles now and he must have thought his young brother very innocent and sentimental.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading HE IS ARRESTED AND PUT IN THE GUARDHOUSE But of course his brother _had_ received that letter.
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading In short, the wily, self-seeking Bill, who would stop at nothing, probably thought his brother had a screw loose, as the saying is, and perhaps that is what the others thought also.
lucidadjectiveUS /ˈluːsəd/
(of language) transparently clear; easily understandable
From this reading Tom was never very lucid in explanation, and his emotion had made his surprising story choppy and unsatisfactory.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Tom was never very lucid in explanation, and his emotion had made his surprising story choppy and unsatisfactory.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading He did not understand Tom's wanting to talk about their mother's death any more than Tom understood how Bill could be a spy and a traitor.
mother'snounUS /ˈmʌðərz/
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading The circumstances of his mother's death were the least of his troubles now and he must have thought his young brother very innocent and sentimental.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading The circumstances of his mother's death were the least of his troubles now and he must have thought his young brother very innocent and sentimental.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Tom was never very lucid in explanation, and his emotion had made his surprising story choppy and unsatisfactory.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He did not understand Tom's wanting to talk about their mother's death any more than Tom understood how Bill could be a spy and a traitor.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading In short, the wily, self-seeking Bill, who would stop at nothing, probably thought his brother had a screw loose, as the saying is, and perhaps that is what the others thought also.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The circumstances of his mother's death were the least of his troubles now and he must have thought his young brother very innocent and sentimental.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading HE IS ARRESTED AND PUT IN THE GUARDHOUSE But of course his brother _had_ received that letter.
others
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In short, the wily, self-seeking Bill, who would stop at nothing, probably thought his brother had a screw loose, as the saying is, and perhaps that is what the others thought also.
by chance
From this reading In short, the wily, self-seeking Bill, who would stop at nothing, probably thought his brother had a screw loose, as the saying is, and perhaps that is what the others thought also.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading In short, the wily, self-seeking Bill, who would stop at nothing, probably thought his brother had a screw loose, as the saying is, and perhaps that is what the others thought also.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading HE IS ARRESTED AND PUT IN THE GUARDHOUSE But of course his brother _had_ received that letter.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading HE IS ARRESTED AND PUT IN THE GUARDHOUSE But of course his brother _had_ received that letter.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading In short, the wily, self-seeking Bill, who would stop at nothing, probably thought his brother had a screw loose, as the saying is, and perhaps that is what the others thought also.
screwnounUS /skruː/
someone who guards prisoners
From this reading In short, the wily, self-seeking Bill, who would stop at nothing, probably thought his brother had a screw loose, as the saying is, and perhaps that is what the others thought also.
self-seekingnoun
taking advantage of opportunities without regard for the consequences for others
From this reading In short, the wily, self-seeking Bill, who would stop at nothing, probably thought his brother had a screw loose, as the saying is, and perhaps that is what the others thought also.
sentimentaladjectiveUS /ˌsentəˈmentəl/
given to or marked by sentiment or sentimentality
From this reading The circumstances of his mother's death were the least of his troubles now and he must have thought his young brother very innocent and sentimental.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading In short, the wily, self-seeking Bill, who would stop at nothing, probably thought his brother had a screw loose, as the saying is, and perhaps that is what the others thought also.
spyverbUS /spaɪ/
catch sight of
From this reading He did not understand Tom's wanting to talk about their mother's death any more than Tom understood how Bill could be a spy and a traitor.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading In short, the wily, self-seeking Bill, who would stop at nothing, probably thought his brother had a screw loose, as the saying is, and perhaps that is what the others thought also.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading Tom was never very lucid in explanation, and his emotion had made his surprising story choppy and unsatisfactory.
surprisingadjectiveUS /sərˈpraɪzɪŋ/
causing surprise or wonder or amazement
From this reading Tom was never very lucid in explanation, and his emotion had made his surprising story choppy and unsatisfactory.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading He did not understand Tom's wanting to talk about their mother's death any more than Tom understood how Bill could be a spy and a traitor.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading He did not understand Tom's wanting to talk about their mother's death any more than Tom understood how Bill could be a spy and a traitor.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading HE IS ARRESTED AND PUT IN THE GUARDHOUSE But of course his brother _had_ received that letter.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading HE IS ARRESTED AND PUT IN THE GUARDHOUSE But of course his brother _had_ received that letter.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading He did not understand Tom's wanting to talk about their mother's death any more than Tom understood how Bill could be a spy and a traitor.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading The circumstances of his mother's death were the least of his troubles now and he must have thought his young brother very innocent and sentimental.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He did not understand Tom's wanting to talk about their mother's death any more than Tom understood how Bill could be a spy and a traitor.
male cat
From this reading He did not understand Tom's wanting to talk about their mother's death any more than Tom understood how Bill could be a spy and a traitor.
Tom'snounUS /tɑːmz/
possessive form of “tom” — male cat
From this reading He did not understand Tom's wanting to talk about their mother's death any more than Tom understood how Bill could be a spy and a traitor.
traitornounUS /ˈtreɪtər/
someone who betrays his country by committing treason
From this reading He did not understand Tom's wanting to talk about their mother's death any more than Tom understood how Bill could be a spy and a traitor.
plural of “trouble” — a source of difficulty
From this reading The circumstances of his mother's death were the least of his troubles now and he must have thought his young brother very innocent and sentimental.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading He did not understand Tom's wanting to talk about their mother's death any more than Tom understood how Bill could be a spy and a traitor.
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading He did not understand Tom's wanting to talk about their mother's death any more than Tom understood how Bill could be a spy and a traitor.
unsatisfactoryadjectiveUS /ˌʌnsətɪˈsfæktəri/
not giving satisfaction
From this reading Tom was never very lucid in explanation, and his emotion had made his surprising story choppy and unsatisfactory.
precisely as stated
From this reading The circumstances of his mother's death were the least of his troubles now and he must have thought his young brother very innocent and sentimental.
nonexistent
From this reading He did not understand Tom's wanting to talk about their mother's death any more than Tom understood how Bill could be a spy and a traitor.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Tom was never very lucid in explanation, and his emotion had made his surprising story choppy and unsatisfactory.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The circumstances of his mother's death were the least of his troubles now and he must have thought his young brother very innocent and sentimental.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading In short, the wily, self-seeking Bill, who would stop at nothing, probably thought his brother had a screw loose, as the saying is, and perhaps that is what the others thought also.
which person or people
From this reading In short, the wily, self-seeking Bill, who would stop at nothing, probably thought his brother had a screw loose, as the saying is, and perhaps that is what the others thought also.
wilyadjectiveUS /ˈwaɪli/
marked by skill in deception
From this reading In short, the wily, self-seeking Bill, who would stop at nothing, probably thought his brother had a screw loose, as the saying is, and perhaps that is what the others thought also.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading In short, the wily, self-seeking Bill, who would stop at nothing, probably thought his brother had a screw loose, as the saying is, and perhaps that is what the others thought also.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The circumstances of his mother's death were the least of his troubles now and he must have thought his young brother very innocent and sentimental.
