used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The envelope was a square, thinnish one, addressed in very small, black handwriting.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading The envelope was a square, thinnish one, addressed in very small, black handwriting.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading There were sheets of thin paper all covered with writing, and when Jerry and Greg saw that, they both fell upon it so that none of us could read it at all.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "It _must_ be from The Bottle," Jerry said; "otherwise they wouldn't have thought you were a boy and put Christopher."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It was one of the very tightly stuck kind that scrumples up when you try to rip it with your finger, and we had to slit it with a fruit-knife before we could get at the letter.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "It _must_ be from The Bottle," Jerry said; "otherwise they wouldn't have thought you were a boy and put Christopher."
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I had been thinking just the same thing while I was trying to open the envelope.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It was one of the very tightly stuck kind that scrumples up when you try to rip it with your finger, and we had to slit it with a fruit-knife before we could get at the letter.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading The envelope was a square, thinnish one, addressed in very small, black handwriting.
the two together, not just one
From this reading There were sheets of thin paper all covered with writing, and when Jerry and Greg saw that, they both fell upon it so that none of us could read it at all.
a glass or plastic vessel used for storing drinks or other liquids; typically cylindrical without handles and with a narrow neck that can be plugged or capped
From this reading "It _must_ be from The Bottle," Jerry said; "otherwise they wouldn't have thought you were a boy and put Christopher."
a youthful male person
From this reading "It _must_ be from The Bottle," Jerry said; "otherwise they wouldn't have thought you were a boy and put Christopher."
ChristophernounUS /ˈkrɪstəfər/
Christian martyr and patron saint of travellers (3rd century)
From this reading "It _must_ be from The Bottle," Jerry said; "otherwise they wouldn't have thought you were a boy and put Christopher."
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It was one of the very tightly stuck kind that scrumples up when you try to rip it with your finger, and we had to slit it with a fruit-knife before we could get at the letter.
overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form
From this reading There were sheets of thin paper all covered with writing, and when Jerry and Greg saw that, they both fell upon it so that none of us could read it at all.
envelopenounUS /ˈenvəloʊp/
a flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.
From this reading The envelope was a square, thinnish one, addressed in very small, black handwriting.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading There were sheets of thin paper all covered with writing, and when Jerry and Greg saw that, they both fell upon it so that none of us could read it at all.
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading It was one of the very tightly stuck kind that scrumples up when you try to rip it with your finger, and we had to slit it with a fruit-knife before we could get at the letter.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "It _must_ be from The Bottle," Jerry said; "otherwise they wouldn't have thought you were a boy and put Christopher."
fruit-knife
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was one of the very tightly stuck kind that scrumples up when you try to rip it with your finger, and we had to slit it with a fruit-knife before we could get at the letter.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading It was one of the very tightly stuck kind that scrumples up when you try to rip it with your finger, and we had to slit it with a fruit-knife before we could get at the letter.
Greg
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were sheets of thin paper all covered with writing, and when Jerry and Greg saw that, they both fell upon it so that none of us could read it at all.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had been thinking just the same thing while I was trying to open the envelope.
handwritingnounUS /ˈhændraɪtɪŋ/
something written by hand
From this reading The envelope was a square, thinnish one, addressed in very small, black handwriting.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "It _must_ be from The Bottle," Jerry said; "otherwise they wouldn't have thought you were a boy and put Christopher."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I had been thinking just the same thing while I was trying to open the envelope.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The envelope was a square, thinnish one, addressed in very small, black handwriting.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It _must_ be from The Bottle," Jerry said; "otherwise they wouldn't have thought you were a boy and put Christopher."
JerrynounUS /ˈdʒeri/
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading "It _must_ be from The Bottle," Jerry said; "otherwise they wouldn't have thought you were a boy and put Christopher."
and nothing more
From this reading I had been thinking just the same thing while I was trying to open the envelope.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading It was one of the very tightly stuck kind that scrumples up when you try to rip it with your finger, and we had to slit it with a fruit-knife before we could get at the letter.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading It was one of the very tightly stuck kind that scrumples up when you try to rip it with your finger, and we had to slit it with a fruit-knife before we could get at the letter.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "It _must_ be from The Bottle," Jerry said; "otherwise they wouldn't have thought you were a boy and put Christopher."
not one, and not any
From this reading There were sheets of thin paper all covered with writing, and when Jerry and Greg saw that, they both fell upon it so that none of us could read it at all.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was one of the very tightly stuck kind that scrumples up when you try to rip it with your finger, and we had to slit it with a fruit-knife before we could get at the letter.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The envelope was a square, thinnish one, addressed in very small, black handwriting.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading I had been thinking just the same thing while I was trying to open the envelope.
in other respects or ways
From this reading "It _must_ be from The Bottle," Jerry said; "otherwise they wouldn't have thought you were a boy and put Christopher."
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading There were sheets of thin paper all covered with writing, and when Jerry and Greg saw that, they both fell upon it so that none of us could read it at all.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading "It _must_ be from The Bottle," Jerry said; "otherwise they wouldn't have thought you were a boy and put Christopher."
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading There were sheets of thin paper all covered with writing, and when Jerry and Greg saw that, they both fell upon it so that none of us could read it at all.
ripverbUS /rɪp/
tear or be torn violently
From this reading It was one of the very tightly stuck kind that scrumples up when you try to rip it with your finger, and we had to slit it with a fruit-knife before we could get at the letter.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It _must_ be from The Bottle," Jerry said; "otherwise they wouldn't have thought you were a boy and put Christopher."
Identical; not different.
From this reading I had been thinking just the same thing while I was trying to open the envelope.
cut with a saw
From this reading There were sheets of thin paper all covered with writing, and when Jerry and Greg saw that, they both fell upon it so that none of us could read it at all.
scrumples
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was one of the very tightly stuck kind that scrumples up when you try to rip it with your finger, and we had to slit it with a fruit-knife before we could get at the letter.
sheetsnounUS /ʃiːts/
plural of “sheet” — any broad thin expanse or surface
From this reading There were sheets of thin paper all covered with writing, and when Jerry and Greg saw that, they both fell upon it so that none of us could read it at all.
slitnounUS /slɪt/
a long narrow opening
From this reading It was one of the very tightly stuck kind that scrumples up when you try to rip it with your finger, and we had to slit it with a fruit-knife before we could get at the letter.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The envelope was a square, thinnish one, addressed in very small, black handwriting.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading There were sheets of thin paper all covered with writing, and when Jerry and Greg saw that, they both fell upon it so that none of us could read it at all.
make square
From this reading The envelope was a square, thinnish one, addressed in very small, black handwriting.
caught or fixed
From this reading It was one of the very tightly stuck kind that scrumples up when you try to rip it with your finger, and we had to slit it with a fruit-knife before we could get at the letter.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was one of the very tightly stuck kind that scrumples up when you try to rip it with your finger, and we had to slit it with a fruit-knife before we could get at the letter.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The envelope was a square, thinnish one, addressed in very small, black handwriting.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were sheets of thin paper all covered with writing, and when Jerry and Greg saw that, they both fell upon it so that none of us could read it at all.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "It _must_ be from The Bottle," Jerry said; "otherwise they wouldn't have thought you were a boy and put Christopher."
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading There were sheets of thin paper all covered with writing, and when Jerry and Greg saw that, they both fell upon it so that none of us could read it at all.
a special situation
From this reading I had been thinking just the same thing while I was trying to open the envelope.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading I had been thinking just the same thing while I was trying to open the envelope.
thinnish
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The envelope was a square, thinnish one, addressed in very small, black handwriting.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "It _must_ be from The Bottle," Jerry said; "otherwise they wouldn't have thought you were a boy and put Christopher."
tightlyadverbUS /ˈtaɪtli/
in a tight or constricted manner
From this reading It was one of the very tightly stuck kind that scrumples up when you try to rip it with your finger, and we had to slit it with a fruit-knife before we could get at the letter.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I had been thinking just the same thing while I was trying to open the envelope.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading It was one of the very tightly stuck kind that scrumples up when you try to rip it with your finger, and we had to slit it with a fruit-knife before we could get at the letter.
hard to endure
From this reading I had been thinking just the same thing while I was trying to open the envelope.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading It was one of the very tightly stuck kind that scrumples up when you try to rip it with your finger, and we had to slit it with a fruit-knife before we could get at the letter.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading There were sheets of thin paper all covered with writing, and when Jerry and Greg saw that, they both fell upon it so that none of us could read it at all.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading There were sheets of thin paper all covered with writing, and when Jerry and Greg saw that, they both fell upon it so that none of us could read it at all.
precisely as stated
From this reading The envelope was a square, thinnish one, addressed in very small, black handwriting.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The envelope was a square, thinnish one, addressed in very small, black handwriting.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading It was one of the very tightly stuck kind that scrumples up when you try to rip it with your finger, and we had to slit it with a fruit-knife before we could get at the letter.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "It _must_ be from The Bottle," Jerry said; "otherwise they wouldn't have thought you were a boy and put Christopher."
at the time that
From this reading It was one of the very tightly stuck kind that scrumples up when you try to rip it with your finger, and we had to slit it with a fruit-knife before we could get at the letter.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading I had been thinking just the same thing while I was trying to open the envelope.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It was one of the very tightly stuck kind that scrumples up when you try to rip it with your finger, and we had to slit it with a fruit-knife before we could get at the letter.
wouldn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It _must_ be from The Bottle," Jerry said; "otherwise they wouldn't have thought you were a boy and put Christopher."
the act of creating written works
From this reading There were sheets of thin paper all covered with writing, and when Jerry and Greg saw that, they both fell upon it so that none of us could read it at all.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "It _must_ be from The Bottle," Jerry said; "otherwise they wouldn't have thought you were a boy and put Christopher."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading It was one of the very tightly stuck kind that scrumples up when you try to rip it with your finger, and we had to slit it with a fruit-knife before we could get at the letter.
