used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The distance was about three quarters of a mile; but it was the nearest house to Mr. Davenport’s.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The distance was about three quarters of a mile; but it was the nearest house to Mr. Davenport’s.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading THE boys, after completing their work, amused themselves in various ways until dinner time.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading AN AFTERNOON EXCURSION.
pleasantly occupied
From this reading THE boys, after completing their work, amused themselves in various ways until dinner time.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN AFTERNOON EXCURSION.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They proposed going over to Mr. Preston’s in the afternoon; and as soon as dinner was dispatched, they were on their way.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading They proposed going over to Mr. Preston’s in the afternoon; and as soon as dinner was dispatched, they were on their way.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading THE boys, after completing their work, amused themselves in various ways until dinner time.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading A walk of less than fifteen minutes brought them to a large, old-fashioned farm-house, shaded by a great elm tree.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The distance was about three quarters of a mile; but it was the nearest house to Mr. Davenport’s.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A walk of less than fifteen minutes brought them to a large, old-fashioned farm-house, shaded by a great elm tree.
completingadjectiveUS /kəmˈpliːtɪŋ/
acting as or providing a complement (something that completes the whole)
From this reading THE boys, after completing their work, amused themselves in various ways until dinner time.
Davenport'snounUS /ˈdævənpɔːrts/
possessive form of “davenport” — a city in eastern Iowa on the Mississippi River across from Moline and Rock Island
From this reading The distance was about three quarters of a mile; but it was the nearest house to Mr. Davenport’s.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading THE boys, after completing their work, amused themselves in various ways until dinner time.
dispatchedverbUS /dɪˈspætʃt/
past form of “dispatch” — send away towards a designated goal
From this reading They proposed going over to Mr. Preston’s in the afternoon; and as soon as dinner was dispatched, they were on their way.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading The distance was about three quarters of a mile; but it was the nearest house to Mr. Davenport’s.
elmnounUS /elm/
any of various trees of the genus Ulmus: important timber or shade trees
From this reading A walk of less than fifteen minutes brought them to a large, old-fashioned farm-house, shaded by a great elm tree.
EXCURSIONnounUS /ɪkˈskɜːrʒən/
a journey taken for pleasure
From this reading AN AFTERNOON EXCURSION.
farm-house
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A walk of less than fifteen minutes brought them to a large, old-fashioned farm-house, shaded by a great elm tree.
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading A walk of less than fifteen minutes brought them to a large, old-fashioned farm-house, shaded by a great elm tree.
the act of departing
From this reading They proposed going over to Mr. Preston’s in the afternoon; and as soon as dinner was dispatched, they were on their way.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading A walk of less than fifteen minutes brought them to a large, old-fashioned farm-house, shaded by a great elm tree.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The distance was about three quarters of a mile; but it was the nearest house to Mr. Davenport’s.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE boys, after completing their work, amused themselves in various ways until dinner time.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The distance was about three quarters of a mile; but it was the nearest house to Mr. Davenport’s.
largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading A walk of less than fifteen minutes brought them to a large, old-fashioned farm-house, shaded by a great elm tree.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading A walk of less than fifteen minutes brought them to a large, old-fashioned farm-house, shaded by a great elm tree.
a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading The distance was about three quarters of a mile; but it was the nearest house to Mr. Davenport’s.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading A walk of less than fifteen minutes brought them to a large, old-fashioned farm-house, shaded by a great elm tree.
a form of address for a man
From this reading They proposed going over to Mr. Preston’s in the afternoon; and as soon as dinner was dispatched, they were on their way.
(superlative of “near” or “close”) within the shortest distance
From this reading The distance was about three quarters of a mile; but it was the nearest house to Mr. Davenport’s.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The distance was about three quarters of a mile; but it was the nearest house to Mr. Davenport’s.
old-fashionedadjectiveUS /ˌoʊldˈfæʃənd/
out of fashion
From this reading A walk of less than fifteen minutes brought them to a large, old-fashioned farm-house, shaded by a great elm tree.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They proposed going over to Mr. Preston’s in the afternoon; and as soon as dinner was dispatched, they were on their way.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading They proposed going over to Mr. Preston’s in the afternoon; and as soon as dinner was dispatched, they were on their way.
Preston's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They proposed going over to Mr. Preston’s in the afternoon; and as soon as dinner was dispatched, they were on their way.
past form of “propose” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading They proposed going over to Mr. Preston’s in the afternoon; and as soon as dinner was dispatched, they were on their way.
housing available for people to live in
From this reading The distance was about three quarters of a mile; but it was the nearest house to Mr. Davenport’s.
shadedadjectiveUS /ˈʃeɪdɪd/
protected from heat and light with shade or shadow
From this reading A walk of less than fifteen minutes brought them to a large, old-fashioned farm-house, shaded by a great elm tree.
in the near future
From this reading They proposed going over to Mr. Preston’s in the afternoon; and as soon as dinner was dispatched, they were on their way.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading A walk of less than fifteen minutes brought them to a large, old-fashioned farm-house, shaded by a great elm tree.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE boys, after completing their work, amused themselves in various ways until dinner time.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading THE boys, after completing their work, amused themselves in various ways until dinner time.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading A walk of less than fifteen minutes brought them to a large, old-fashioned farm-house, shaded by a great elm tree.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading THE boys, after completing their work, amused themselves in various ways until dinner time.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They proposed going over to Mr. Preston’s in the afternoon; and as soon as dinner was dispatched, they were on their way.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The distance was about three quarters of a mile; but it was the nearest house to Mr. Davenport’s.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading THE boys, after completing their work, amused themselves in various ways until dinner time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They proposed going over to Mr. Preston’s in the afternoon; and as soon as dinner was dispatched, they were on their way.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading A walk of less than fifteen minutes brought them to a large, old-fashioned farm-house, shaded by a great elm tree.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading THE boys, after completing their work, amused themselves in various ways until dinner time.
of many different kinds purposefully arranged but lacking any uniformity
From this reading THE boys, after completing their work, amused themselves in various ways until dinner time.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading A walk of less than fifteen minutes brought them to a large, old-fashioned farm-house, shaded by a great elm tree.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading They proposed going over to Mr. Preston’s in the afternoon; and as soon as dinner was dispatched, they were on their way.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading They proposed going over to Mr. Preston’s in the afternoon; and as soon as dinner was dispatched, they were on their way.
structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired
From this reading THE boys, after completing their work, amused themselves in various ways until dinner time.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They proposed going over to Mr. Preston’s in the afternoon; and as soon as dinner was dispatched, they were on their way.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading THE boys, after completing their work, amused themselves in various ways until dinner time.
