used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading His face was shadowed by a faint tinge of melancholy; his eyes were thoughtful and almost sad.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading His face was shadowed by a faint tinge of melancholy; his eyes were thoughtful and almost sad.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His face was shadowed by a faint tinge of melancholy; his eyes were thoughtful and almost sad.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading His face was shadowed by a faint tinge of melancholy; his eyes were thoughtful and almost sad.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading The sheltering darkness of the spectacles I wore prevented him from noticing the searching scrutiny of my fixed gaze.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His face was shadowed by a faint tinge of melancholy; his eyes were thoughtful and almost sad.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading His face was shadowed by a faint tinge of melancholy; his eyes were thoughtful and almost sad.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading His face was shadowed by a faint tinge of melancholy; his eyes were thoughtful and almost sad.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading He roused himself from the pensive mood into which he had fallen, and smiled.
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading The sheltering darkness of the spectacles I wore prevented him from noticing the searching scrutiny of my fixed gaze.
foolishnessnounUS /ˈfuːlɪʃnəs/
the trait of acting stupidly or rashly
From this reading “You loved him well then in spite of his foolishness?”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The sheltering darkness of the spectacles I wore prevented him from noticing the searching scrutiny of my fixed gaze.
a long fixed look
From this reading The sheltering darkness of the spectacles I wore prevented him from noticing the searching scrutiny of my fixed gaze.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He roused himself from the pensive mood into which he had fallen, and smiled.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He roused himself from the pensive mood into which he had fallen, and smiled.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The sheltering darkness of the spectacles I wore prevented him from noticing the searching scrutiny of my fixed gaze.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He roused himself from the pensive mood into which he had fallen, and smiled.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His face was shadowed by a faint tinge of melancholy; his eyes were thoughtful and almost sad.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The sheltering darkness of the spectacles I wore prevented him from noticing the searching scrutiny of my fixed gaze.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “You loved him well then in spite of his foolishness?”
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He roused himself from the pensive mood into which he had fallen, and smiled.
held dear
From this reading “You loved him well then in spite of his foolishness?”
a feeling of thoughtful sadness
From this reading His face was shadowed by a faint tinge of melancholy; his eyes were thoughtful and almost sad.
a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling
From this reading He roused himself from the pensive mood into which he had fallen, and smiled.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The sheltering darkness of the spectacles I wore prevented him from noticing the searching scrutiny of my fixed gaze.
noticingverbUS /ˈnoʊtɪsɪŋ/
-ing form of “notice” — discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading The sheltering darkness of the spectacles I wore prevented him from noticing the searching scrutiny of my fixed gaze.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The sheltering darkness of the spectacles I wore prevented him from noticing the searching scrutiny of my fixed gaze.
pensiveadjectiveUS /ˈpensɪv/
deeply or seriously thoughtful
From this reading He roused himself from the pensive mood into which he had fallen, and smiled.
preventedverbUS /prɪˈventɪd/
past form of “prevent” — keep from happening or arising; make impossible
From this reading The sheltering darkness of the spectacles I wore prevented him from noticing the searching scrutiny of my fixed gaze.
past form of “rouse” — become active
From this reading He roused himself from the pensive mood into which he had fallen, and smiled.
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading His face was shadowed by a faint tinge of melancholy; his eyes were thoughtful and almost sad.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I said.
scrutinynounUS /ˈskruːtəni/
the act of examining something closely (as for mistakes)
From this reading The sheltering darkness of the spectacles I wore prevented him from noticing the searching scrutiny of my fixed gaze.
searchingadjectiveUS /ˈsɜːrtʃɪŋ/
diligent and thorough in inquiry or investigation
From this reading The sheltering darkness of the spectacles I wore prevented him from noticing the searching scrutiny of my fixed gaze.
shadowedadjectiveUS /ˈʃædoʊd/
filled with shade
From this reading His face was shadowed by a faint tinge of melancholy; his eyes were thoughtful and almost sad.
shelteringverbUS /ˈʃeltərɪŋ/
-ing form of “shelter” — provide shelter for
From this reading The sheltering darkness of the spectacles I wore prevented him from noticing the searching scrutiny of my fixed gaze.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading He roused himself from the pensive mood into which he had fallen, and smiled.
spectaclesnounUS /ˈspektəkəlz/
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading The sheltering darkness of the spectacles I wore prevented him from noticing the searching scrutiny of my fixed gaze.
feeling a need to see others suffer
From this reading “You loved him well then in spite of his foolishness?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The sheltering darkness of the spectacles I wore prevented him from noticing the searching scrutiny of my fixed gaze.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “You loved him well then in spite of his foolishness?”
thoughtfuladjectiveUS /ˈθɔːtfəl/
having intellectual depth
From this reading His face was shadowed by a faint tinge of melancholy; his eyes were thoughtful and almost sad.
tingenounUS /tɪndʒ/
a slight but appreciable amount
From this reading His face was shadowed by a faint tinge of melancholy; his eyes were thoughtful and almost sad.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His face was shadowed by a faint tinge of melancholy; his eyes were thoughtful and almost sad.
(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 “You loved him well then in spite of his foolishness?”
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His face was shadowed by a faint tinge of melancholy; his eyes were thoughtful and almost sad.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He roused himself from the pensive mood into which he had fallen, and smiled.
inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in
From this reading The sheltering darkness of the spectacles I wore prevented him from noticing the searching scrutiny of my fixed gaze.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You loved him well then in spite of his foolishness?”
