used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Only an invalid, one or two old people, some dull ones who had no friends, and a few young children with nurses, were scattered here and there at the deserted tables.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He adjusted his eyeglass and looked about.
adjustedadjectiveUS /əˈdʒʌstɪd/
altered to accommodate to certain requirements or bring into a proper relation
From this reading He adjusted his eyeglass and looked about.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading The house was very quiet when Gilbert Roe met Maida and Mrs Denwiddie at breakfast on the morning after his arrival.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Only an invalid, one or two old people, some dull ones who had no friends, and a few young children with nurses, were scattered here and there at the deserted tables.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The house was very quiet when Gilbert Roe met Maida and Mrs Denwiddie at breakfast on the morning after his arrival.
accomplishment of an objective
From this reading The house was very quiet when Gilbert Roe met Maida and Mrs Denwiddie at breakfast on the morning after his arrival.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He saw as well as other people; but, like them, he found the glass useful as a demonstration on many occasions.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The house was very quiet when Gilbert Roe met Maida and Mrs Denwiddie at breakfast on the morning after his arrival.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading The house was very quiet when Gilbert Roe met Maida and Mrs Denwiddie at breakfast on the morning after his arrival.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He saw as well as other people; but, like them, he found the glass useful as a demonstration on many occasions.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading Only an invalid, one or two old people, some dull ones who had no friends, and a few young children with nurses, were scattered here and there at the deserted tables.
demonstrationnounUS /ˌdemənˈstreɪʃən/
a show or display; the act of presenting something to sight or view
From this reading He saw as well as other people; but, like them, he found the glass useful as a demonstration on many occasions.
Denwiddie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The house was very quiet when Gilbert Roe met Maida and Mrs Denwiddie at breakfast on the morning after his arrival.
forsaken by owner or inhabitants
From this reading Only an invalid, one or two old people, some dull ones who had no friends, and a few young children with nurses, were scattered here and there at the deserted tables.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading Only an invalid, one or two old people, some dull ones who had no friends, and a few young children with nurses, were scattered here and there at the deserted tables.
eyeglassnounUS /ˈaɪɡlæs/
lens for correcting defective vision in one eye; held in place by facial muscles
From this reading He adjusted his eyeglass and looked about.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Only an invalid, one or two old people, some dull ones who had no friends, and a few young children with nurses, were scattered here and there at the deserted tables.
set up or found
From this reading He saw as well as other people; but, like them, he found the glass useful as a demonstration on many occasions.
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Only an invalid, one or two old people, some dull ones who had no friends, and a few young children with nurses, were scattered here and there at the deserted tables.
GilbertnounUS /ˈɡɪlbərt/
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading The house was very quiet when Gilbert Roe met Maida and Mrs Denwiddie at breakfast on the morning after his arrival.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading He saw as well as other people; but, like them, he found the glass useful as a demonstration on many occasions.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Only an invalid, one or two old people, some dull ones who had no friends, and a few young children with nurses, were scattered here and there at the deserted tables.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He adjusted his eyeglass and looked about.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading IS SHE HERE?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The house was very quiet when Gilbert Roe met Maida and Mrs Denwiddie at breakfast on the morning after his arrival.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The house was very quiet when Gilbert Roe met Maida and Mrs Denwiddie at breakfast on the morning after his arrival.
invalidnounUS /ˈɪnvələd/
someone who is incapacitated by a chronic illness or injury
From this reading Only an invalid, one or two old people, some dull ones who had no friends, and a few young children with nurses, were scattered here and there at the deserted tables.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading IS SHE HERE?
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading He saw as well as other people; but, like them, he found the glass useful as a demonstration on many occasions.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He adjusted his eyeglass and looked about.
Maida
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The house was very quiet when Gilbert Roe met Maida and Mrs Denwiddie at breakfast on the morning after his arrival.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading He saw as well as other people; but, like them, he found the glass useful as a demonstration on many occasions.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading The house was very quiet when Gilbert Roe met Maida and Mrs Denwiddie at breakfast on the morning after his arrival.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The house was very quiet when Gilbert Roe met Maida and Mrs Denwiddie at breakfast on the morning after his arrival.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading The house was very quiet when Gilbert Roe met Maida and Mrs Denwiddie at breakfast on the morning after his arrival.
not any; not one
From this reading Only an invalid, one or two old people, some dull ones who had no friends, and a few young children with nurses, were scattered here and there at the deserted tables.
nursesnounUS /ˈnɜːrsəz/
plural of “nurse” — one skilled in caring for young children or the sick (usually under the supervision of a physician)
From this reading Only an invalid, one or two old people, some dull ones who had no friends, and a few young children with nurses, were scattered here and there at the deserted tables.
something you have to do
From this reading He saw as well as other people; but, like them, he found the glass useful as a demonstration on many occasions.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Only an invalid, one or two old people, some dull ones who had no friends, and a few young children with nurses, were scattered here and there at the deserted tables.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The house was very quiet when Gilbert Roe met Maida and Mrs Denwiddie at breakfast on the morning after his arrival.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Only an invalid, one or two old people, some dull ones who had no friends, and a few young children with nurses, were scattered here and there at the deserted tables.
plural of “one” — the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Only an invalid, one or two old people, some dull ones who had no friends, and a few young children with nurses, were scattered here and there at the deserted tables.
and nothing more
From this reading Only an invalid, one or two old people, some dull ones who had no friends, and a few young children with nurses, were scattered here and there at the deserted tables.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Only an invalid, one or two old people, some dull ones who had no friends, and a few young children with nurses, were scattered here and there at the deserted tables.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading He saw as well as other people; but, like them, he found the glass useful as a demonstration on many occasions.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading Only an invalid, one or two old people, some dull ones who had no friends, and a few young children with nurses, were scattered here and there at the deserted tables.
quietadjectiveUS /ˈkwaɪət/
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading The house was very quiet when Gilbert Roe met Maida and Mrs Denwiddie at breakfast on the morning after his arrival.
RoenounUS /roʊ/
fish eggs or egg-filled ovary; having a grainy texture
From this reading The house was very quiet when Gilbert Roe met Maida and Mrs Denwiddie at breakfast on the morning after his arrival.
cut with a saw
From this reading He saw as well as other people; but, like them, he found the glass useful as a demonstration on many occasions.
occurring or distributed over widely spaced and irregular intervals in time or space
From this reading Only an invalid, one or two old people, some dull ones who had no friends, and a few young children with nurses, were scattered here and there at the deserted tables.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading IS SHE HERE?
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Only an invalid, one or two old people, some dull ones who had no friends, and a few young children with nurses, were scattered here and there at the deserted tables.
tablesnounUS /ˈteɪbəlz/
plural of “table” — a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading Only an invalid, one or two old people, some dull ones who had no friends, and a few young children with nurses, were scattered here and there at the deserted tables.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The house was very quiet when Gilbert Roe met Maida and Mrs Denwiddie at breakfast on the morning after his arrival.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He saw as well as other people; but, like them, he found the glass useful as a demonstration on many occasions.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Only an invalid, one or two old people, some dull ones who had no friends, and a few young children with nurses, were scattered here and there at the deserted tables.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Only an invalid, one or two old people, some dull ones who had no friends, and a few young children with nurses, were scattered here and there at the deserted tables.
being of use or service
From this reading He saw as well as other people; but, like them, he found the glass useful as a demonstration on many occasions.
precisely as stated
From this reading The house was very quiet when Gilbert Roe met Maida and Mrs Denwiddie at breakfast on the morning after his arrival.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The house was very quiet when Gilbert Roe met Maida and Mrs Denwiddie at breakfast on the morning after his arrival.
(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 He saw as well as other people; but, like them, he found the glass useful as a demonstration on many occasions.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Only an invalid, one or two old people, some dull ones who had no friends, and a few young children with nurses, were scattered here and there at the deserted tables.
at the time that
From this reading The house was very quiet when Gilbert Roe met Maida and Mrs Denwiddie at breakfast on the morning after his arrival.
which person or people
From this reading Only an invalid, one or two old people, some dull ones who had no friends, and a few young children with nurses, were scattered here and there at the deserted tables.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Only an invalid, one or two old people, some dull ones who had no friends, and a few young children with nurses, were scattered here and there at the deserted tables.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Only an invalid, one or two old people, some dull ones who had no friends, and a few young children with nurses, were scattered here and there at the deserted tables.
