used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There had been to her a sort of pleasure in feeling that she had undertaken a duty which might possibly lead to circumstances which would be altogether heart-breaking.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading The duty of mothering Bessy was so much more a duty because, even when the little girl was blear-eyed and thin, there was present to her mind all the horror of a love affair between her son and the little girl.
(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 The duty of mothering Bessy was so much more a duty because, even when the little girl was blear-eyed and thin, there was present to her mind all the horror of a love affair between her son and the little girl.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading There had been to her a sort of pleasure in feeling that she had undertaken a duty which might possibly lead to circumstances which would be altogether heart-breaking.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The duty of mothering Bessy was so much more a duty because, even when the little girl was blear-eyed and thin, there was present to her mind all the horror of a love affair between her son and the little girl.
(sometimes followed by “of”) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
From this reading Mrs. Miles had been aware of that from the commencement of things.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Of course there would be danger.
for the reason that
From this reading The duty of mothering Bessy was so much more a duty because, even when the little girl was blear-eyed and thin, there was present to her mind all the horror of a love affair between her son and the little girl.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Mrs. Miles had been aware of that from the commencement of things.
BESSY
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HOW BESSY PRYOR WOULDN’T MARRY THE PARSON.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading The duty of mothering Bessy was so much more a duty because, even when the little girl was blear-eyed and thin, there was present to her mind all the horror of a love affair between her son and the little girl.
blear-eyedadjective
tired to the point of exhaustion
From this reading The duty of mothering Bessy was so much more a duty because, even when the little girl was blear-eyed and thin, there was present to her mind all the horror of a love affair between her son and the little girl.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading There had been to her a sort of pleasure in feeling that she had undertaken a duty which might possibly lead to circumstances which would be altogether heart-breaking.
commencementnounUS /kəˈmensmənt/
the time at which something is supposed to begin
From this reading Mrs. Miles had been aware of that from the commencement of things.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Of course there would be danger.
the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury
From this reading Of course there would be danger.
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading There had been to her a sort of pleasure in feeling that she had undertaken a duty which might possibly lead to circumstances which would be altogether heart-breaking.
divisible by two
From this reading The duty of mothering Bessy was so much more a duty because, even when the little girl was blear-eyed and thin, there was present to her mind all the horror of a love affair between her son and the little girl.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading There had been to her a sort of pleasure in feeling that she had undertaken a duty which might possibly lead to circumstances which would be altogether heart-breaking.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Mrs. Miles had been aware of that from the commencement of things.
a young female
From this reading The duty of mothering Bessy was so much more a duty because, even when the little girl was blear-eyed and thin, there was present to her mind all the horror of a love affair between her son and the little girl.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Mrs. Miles had been aware of that from the commencement of things.
heart-breaking
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There had been to her a sort of pleasure in feeling that she had undertaken a duty which might possibly lead to circumstances which would be altogether heart-breaking.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading There had been to her a sort of pleasure in feeling that she had undertaken a duty which might possibly lead to circumstances which would be altogether heart-breaking.
intense and profound fear
From this reading The duty of mothering Bessy was so much more a duty because, even when the little girl was blear-eyed and thin, there was present to her mind all the horror of a love affair between her son and the little girl.
HOW
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HOW BESSY PRYOR WOULDN’T MARRY THE PARSON.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There had been to her a sort of pleasure in feeling that she had undertaken a duty which might possibly lead to circumstances which would be altogether heart-breaking.
take somebody somewhere
From this reading There had been to her a sort of pleasure in feeling that she had undertaken a duty which might possibly lead to circumstances which would be altogether heart-breaking.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The duty of mothering Bessy was so much more a duty because, even when the little girl was blear-eyed and thin, there was present to her mind all the horror of a love affair between her son and the little girl.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading The duty of mothering Bessy was so much more a duty because, even when the little girl was blear-eyed and thin, there was present to her mind all the horror of a love affair between her son and the little girl.
take in marriage
From this reading HOW BESSY PRYOR WOULDN’T MARRY THE PARSON.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading There had been to her a sort of pleasure in feeling that she had undertaken a duty which might possibly lead to circumstances which would be altogether heart-breaking.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading Mrs. Miles had been aware of that from the commencement of things.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading The duty of mothering Bessy was so much more a duty because, even when the little girl was blear-eyed and thin, there was present to her mind all the horror of a love affair between her son and the little girl.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The duty of mothering Bessy was so much more a duty because, even when the little girl was blear-eyed and thin, there was present to her mind all the horror of a love affair between her son and the little girl.
motheringverbUS /ˈmʌðərɪŋ/
-ing form of “mother” — care for like a mother
From this reading The duty of mothering Bessy was so much more a duty because, even when the little girl was blear-eyed and thin, there was present to her mind all the horror of a love affair between her son and the little girl.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Miles had been aware of that from the commencement of things.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading The duty of mothering Bessy was so much more a duty because, even when the little girl was blear-eyed and thin, there was present to her mind all the horror of a love affair between her son and the little girl.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Of course there would be danger.
PARSONnounUS /ˈpɑːrsən/
a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading HOW BESSY PRYOR WOULDN’T MARRY THE PARSON.
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading There had been to her a sort of pleasure in feeling that she had undertaken a duty which might possibly lead to circumstances which would be altogether heart-breaking.
by chance
From this reading There had been to her a sort of pleasure in feeling that she had undertaken a duty which might possibly lead to circumstances which would be altogether heart-breaking.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading The duty of mothering Bessy was so much more a duty because, even when the little girl was blear-eyed and thin, there was present to her mind all the horror of a love affair between her son and the little girl.
PRYOR
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HOW BESSY PRYOR WOULDN’T MARRY THE PARSON.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There had been to her a sort of pleasure in feeling that she had undertaken a duty which might possibly lead to circumstances which would be altogether heart-breaking.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The duty of mothering Bessy was so much more a duty because, even when the little girl was blear-eyed and thin, there was present to her mind all the horror of a love affair between her son and the little girl.
a male human offspring
From this reading The duty of mothering Bessy was so much more a duty because, even when the little girl was blear-eyed and thin, there was present to her mind all the horror of a love affair between her son and the little girl.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading There had been to her a sort of pleasure in feeling that she had undertaken a duty which might possibly lead to circumstances which would be altogether heart-breaking.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Mrs. Miles had been aware of that from the commencement of things.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading HOW BESSY PRYOR WOULDN’T MARRY THE PARSON.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Of course there would be danger.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading The duty of mothering Bessy was so much more a duty because, even when the little girl was blear-eyed and thin, there was present to her mind all the horror of a love affair between her son and the little girl.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Mrs. Miles had been aware of that from the commencement of things.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There had been to her a sort of pleasure in feeling that she had undertaken a duty which might possibly lead to circumstances which would be altogether heart-breaking.
undertakenverbUS /ˈʌndərteɪkən/
inflected form of “undertake” — enter upon an activity or enterprise
From this reading There had been to her a sort of pleasure in feeling that she had undertaken a duty which might possibly lead to circumstances which would be altogether heart-breaking.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The duty of mothering Bessy was so much more a duty because, even when the little girl was blear-eyed and thin, there was present to her mind all the horror of a love affair between her son and the little girl.
at the time that
From this reading The duty of mothering Bessy was so much more a duty because, even when the little girl was blear-eyed and thin, there was present to her mind all the horror of a love affair between her son and the little girl.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading There had been to her a sort of pleasure in feeling that she had undertaken a duty which might possibly lead to circumstances which would be altogether heart-breaking.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Of course there would be danger.
WOULDN'T
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HOW BESSY PRYOR WOULDN’T MARRY THE PARSON.
