used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Whatever the words he had whispered in Alice's ear,--and this history will not record them,--they were a failure.
Alice's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Whatever the words he had whispered in Alice's ear,--and this history will not record them,--they were a failure.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading They were even worse than a failure, for they produced an effect directly the opposite to that intended.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Whatever the words he had whispered in Alice's ear,--and this history will not record them,--they were a failure.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading Mattland was not in the best of tempers when he retired to his room.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading She certainly understood me well in what I said yesterday.
deceivedverbUS /dɪˈsiːvd/
past form of “deceive” — be false to; be dishonest with
From this reading “Have I gone too fast?” muttered he; “have I deceived myself?
without deviation
From this reading They were even worse than a failure, for they produced an effect directly the opposite to that intended.
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading Whatever the words he had whispered in Alice's ear,--and this history will not record them,--they were a failure.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading They were even worse than a failure, for they produced an effect directly the opposite to that intended.
divisible by two
From this reading They were even worse than a failure, for they produced an effect directly the opposite to that intended.
an act that fails
From this reading Whatever the words he had whispered in Alice's ear,--and this history will not record them,--they were a failure.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading “Have I gone too fast?” muttered he; “have I deceived myself?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading They were even worse than a failure, for they produced an effect directly the opposite to that intended.
destroyed or killed
From this reading “Have I gone too fast?” muttered he; “have I deceived myself?
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Whatever the words he had whispered in Alice's ear,--and this history will not record them,--they were a failure.
Haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Have I gone too fast?” muttered he; “have I deceived myself?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mattland was not in the best of tempers when he retired to his room.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mattland was not in the best of tempers when he retired to his room.
the aggregate of past events
From this reading Whatever the words he had whispered in Alice's ear,--and this history will not record them,--they were a failure.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Have I gone too fast?” muttered he; “have I deceived myself?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mattland was not in the best of tempers when he retired to his room.
resulting from one's intentions
From this reading They were even worse than a failure, for they produced an effect directly the opposite to that intended.
Mattland
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mattland was not in the best of tempers when he retired to his room.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She certainly understood me well in what I said yesterday.
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “Have I gone too fast?” muttered he; “have I deceived myself?
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading “Have I gone too fast?” muttered he; “have I deceived myself?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Mattland was not in the best of tempers when he retired to his room.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mattland was not in the best of tempers when he retired to his room.
being directly across from each other; facing
From this reading They were even worse than a failure, for they produced an effect directly the opposite to that intended.
past form of “produce” — bring forth or yield
From this reading They were even worse than a failure, for they produced an effect directly the opposite to that intended.
anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events
From this reading Whatever the words he had whispered in Alice's ear,--and this history will not record them,--they were a failure.
no longer active in your work or profession
From this reading Mattland was not in the best of tempers when he retired to his room.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Mattland was not in the best of tempers when he retired to his room.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading She certainly understood me well in what I said yesterday.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She certainly understood me well in what I said yesterday.
tempersnounUS /ˈtempərz/
plural of “temper” — a sudden outburst of anger
From this reading Mattland was not in the best of tempers when he retired to his room.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading They were even worse than a failure, for they produced an effect directly the opposite to that intended.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They were even worse than a failure, for they produced an effect directly the opposite to that intended.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mattland was not in the best of tempers when he retired to his room.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Whatever the words he had whispered in Alice's ear,--and this history will not record them,--they were a failure.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Whatever the words he had whispered in Alice's ear,--and this history will not record them,--they were a failure.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Whatever the words he had whispered in Alice's ear,--and this history will not record them,--they were a failure.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mattland was not in the best of tempers when he retired to his room.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading “Have I gone too fast?” muttered he; “have I deceived myself?
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading She certainly understood me well in what I said yesterday.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mattland was not in the best of tempers when he retired to his room.
(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 She certainly understood me well in what I said yesterday.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Whatever the words he had whispered in Alice's ear,--and this history will not record them,--they were a failure.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading She certainly understood me well in what I said yesterday.
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading Whatever the words he had whispered in Alice's ear,--and this history will not record them,--they were a failure.
at the time that
From this reading Mattland was not in the best of tempers when he retired to his room.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading Whatever the words he had whispered in Alice's ear,--and this history will not record them,--they were a failure.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Whatever the words he had whispered in Alice's ear,--and this history will not record them,--they were a failure.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Whatever the words he had whispered in Alice's ear,--and this history will not record them,--they were a failure.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading They were even worse than a failure, for they produced an effect directly the opposite to that intended.
the day immediately before today
From this reading She certainly understood me well in what I said yesterday.
