used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The Decoy Letter Sam knew that Ben was anxious to obtain a situation.
anew
From this reading Again, the letter must be posted in Boston.
eagerly desirous
From this reading The Decoy Letter Sam knew that Ben was anxious to obtain a situation.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It occurred to him that it would be a splendid joke to write to Ben, in the name of some Boston firm, offering him a situation.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Ben would go up to the city, of course, only to find that he had been "sold."
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading The Decoy Letter Sam knew that Ben was anxious to obtain a situation.
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading It occurred to him that it would be a splendid joke to write to Ben, in the name of some Boston firm, offering him a situation.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading Ben would go up to the city, of course, only to find that he had been "sold."
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Ben would go up to the city, of course, only to find that he had been "sold."
DecoynounUS /dəˈkɔɪ/
a beguiler who leads someone into danger (usually as part of a plot)
From this reading The Decoy Letter Sam knew that Ben was anxious to obtain a situation.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Of course, it would not do for Sam to write the letter himself, since his writing was well known to Ben.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading Ben would go up to the city, of course, only to find that he had been "sold."
marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
From this reading It occurred to him that it would be a splendid joke to write to Ben, in the name of some Boston firm, offering him a situation.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Of course, it would not do for Sam to write the letter himself, since his writing was well known to Ben.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Ben would go up to the city, of course, only to find that he had been "sold."
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Ben would go up to the city, of course, only to find that he had been "sold."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Ben would go up to the city, of course, only to find that he had been "sold."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It occurred to him that it would be a splendid joke to write to Ben, in the name of some Boston firm, offering him a situation.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Of course, it would not do for Sam to write the letter himself, since his writing was well known to Ben.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Of course, it would not do for Sam to write the letter himself, since his writing was well known to Ben.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It occurred to him that it would be a splendid joke to write to Ben, in the name of some Boston firm, offering him a situation.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It occurred to him that it would be a splendid joke to write to Ben, in the name of some Boston firm, offering him a situation.
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading It occurred to him that it would be a splendid joke to write to Ben, in the name of some Boston firm, offering him a situation.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading The Decoy Letter Sam knew that Ben was anxious to obtain a situation.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading Of course, it would not do for Sam to write the letter himself, since his writing was well known to Ben.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading The Decoy Letter Sam knew that Ben was anxious to obtain a situation.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Again, the letter must be posted in Boston.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading It occurred to him that it would be a splendid joke to write to Ben, in the name of some Boston firm, offering him a situation.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Of course, it would not do for Sam to write the letter himself, since his writing was well known to Ben.
come into possession of
From this reading The Decoy Letter Sam knew that Ben was anxious to obtain a situation.
inflected form of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading It occurred to him that it would be a splendid joke to write to Ben, in the name of some Boston firm, offering him a situation.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It occurred to him that it would be a splendid joke to write to Ben, in the name of some Boston firm, offering him a situation.
offeringnounUS /ˈɔːfərɪŋ/
something offered (as a proposal or bid)
From this reading It occurred to him that it would be a splendid joke to write to Ben, in the name of some Boston firm, offering him a situation.
and nothing more
From this reading Ben would go up to the city, of course, only to find that he had been "sold."
postedadjectiveUS /ˈpoʊstɪd/
publicly displayed
From this reading Again, the letter must be posted in Boston.
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading The Decoy Letter Sam knew that Ben was anxious to obtain a situation.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Of course, it would not do for Sam to write the letter himself, since his writing was well known to Ben.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading The Decoy Letter Sam knew that Ben was anxious to obtain a situation.
disposed of to a purchaser
From this reading Ben would go up to the city, of course, only to find that he had been "sold."
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It occurred to him that it would be a splendid joke to write to Ben, in the name of some Boston firm, offering him a situation.
having great beauty and splendor
From this reading It occurred to him that it would be a splendid joke to write to Ben, in the name of some Boston firm, offering him a situation.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The Decoy Letter Sam knew that Ben was anxious to obtain a situation.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Decoy Letter Sam knew that Ben was anxious to obtain a situation.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Decoy Letter Sam knew that Ben was anxious to obtain a situation.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Ben would go up to the city, of course, only to find that he had been "sold."
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Decoy Letter Sam knew that Ben was anxious to obtain a situation.
(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 Of course, it would not do for Sam to write the letter himself, since his writing was well known to Ben.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It occurred to him that it would be a splendid joke to write to Ben, in the name of some Boston firm, offering him a situation.
produce a literary work
From this reading It occurred to him that it would be a splendid joke to write to Ben, in the name of some Boston firm, offering him a situation.
the act of creating written works
From this reading Of course, it would not do for Sam to write the letter himself, since his writing was well known to Ben.
