Chapter I · Chapter 1

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME One hot summer's day the sun was trying to shine into a poor, miserable alley in London.

(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something

From this reading But even supposing the sun could have shone into the court, it would not have been able to pierce into the rooms, for the windows were too dirty.

a narrow street with walls on both sides

From this reading RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME One hot summer's day the sun was trying to shine into a poor, miserable alley in London.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading There are some places in that great city where even the sun cannot find its way, and Primrose Place was one of them.

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading There are some places in that great city where even the sun cannot find its way, and Primrose Place was one of them.

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME One hot summer's day the sun was trying to shine into a poor, miserable alley in London.

the past participle of “be”

From this reading But even supposing the sun could have shone into the court, it would not have been able to pierce into the rooms, for the windows were too dirty.

the two together, not just one

From this reading It was a very narrow court, and the houses on both sides were so high that the people who lived there had never seen the sunbeams shining on the pavement or glinting on the windows.

physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split

From this reading Most of them were broken and patched with brown paper.

an orange of low brightness and saturation

From this reading Most of them were broken and patched with brown paper.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But even supposing the sun could have shone into the court, it would not have been able to pierce into the rooms, for the windows were too dirty.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There are some places in that great city where even the sun cannot find its way, and Primrose Place was one of them.

a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts

From this reading There are some places in that great city where even the sun cannot find its way, and Primrose Place was one of them.

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading But even supposing the sun could have shone into the court, it would not have been able to pierce into the rooms, for the windows were too dirty.

an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business

From this reading It was a very narrow court, and the houses on both sides were so high that the people who lived there had never seen the sunbeams shining on the pavement or glinting on the windows.

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME One hot summer's day the sun was trying to shine into a poor, miserable alley in London.

soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime

From this reading But even supposing the sun could have shone into the court, it would not have been able to pierce into the rooms, for the windows were too dirty.

divisible by two

From this reading There are some places in that great city where even the sun cannot find its way, and Primrose Place was one of them.

come upon, as if by accident; meet with

From this reading There are some places in that great city where even the sun cannot find its way, and Primrose Place was one of them.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading But even supposing the sun could have shone into the court, it would not have been able to pierce into the rooms, for the windows were too dirty.

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME One hot summer's day the sun was trying to shine into a poor, miserable alley in London.

having brief brilliant points or flashes of light

From this reading It was a very narrow court, and the houses on both sides were so high that the people who lived there had never seen the sunbeams shining on the pavement or glinting on the windows.

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading There are some places in that great city where even the sun cannot find its way, and Primrose Place was one of them.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading It was a very narrow court, and the houses on both sides were so high that the people who lived there had never seen the sunbeams shining on the pavement or glinting on the windows.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading But even supposing the sun could have shone into the court, it would not have been able to pierce into the rooms, for the windows were too dirty.

greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount

From this reading It was a very narrow court, and the houses on both sides were so high that the people who lived there had never seen the sunbeams shining on the pavement or glinting on the windows.

where you live at a particular time

From this reading RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME One hot summer's day the sun was trying to shine into a poor, miserable alley in London.

used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning

From this reading RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME One hot summer's day the sun was trying to shine into a poor, miserable alley in London.

plural of “house” — a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading It was a very narrow court, and the houses on both sides were so high that the people who lived there had never seen the sunbeams shining on the pavement or glinting on the windows.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME One hot summer's day the sun was trying to shine into a poor, miserable alley in London.

moving to the inside of something

From this reading RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME One hot summer's day the sun was trying to shine into a poor, miserable alley in London.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was a very narrow court, and the houses on both sides were so high that the people who lived there had never seen the sunbeams shining on the pavement or glinting on the windows.

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading There are some places in that great city where even the sun cannot find its way, and Primrose Place was one of them.

past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in

From this reading It was a very narrow court, and the houses on both sides were so high that the people who lived there had never seen the sunbeams shining on the pavement or glinting on the windows.

the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center

From this reading RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME One hot summer's day the sun was trying to shine into a poor, miserable alley in London.

very unhappy; full of misery

From this reading RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME One hot summer's day the sun was trying to shine into a poor, miserable alley in London.

used to form the superlative

From this reading Most of them were broken and patched with brown paper.

make or become more narrow or restricted

From this reading It was a very narrow court, and the houses on both sides were so high that the people who lived there had never seen the sunbeams shining on the pavement or glinting on the windows.

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading It was a very narrow court, and the houses on both sides were so high that the people who lived there had never seen the sunbeams shining on the pavement or glinting on the windows.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading But even supposing the sun could have shone into the court, it would not have been able to pierce into the rooms, for the windows were too dirty.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading There are some places in that great city where even the sun cannot find its way, and Primrose Place was one of them.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading It was a very narrow court, and the houses on both sides were so high that the people who lived there had never seen the sunbeams shining on the pavement or glinting on the windows.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME One hot summer's day the sun was trying to shine into a poor, miserable alley in London.

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading It was a very narrow court, and the houses on both sides were so high that the people who lived there had never seen the sunbeams shining on the pavement or glinting on the windows.

a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses

From this reading Most of them were broken and patched with brown paper.

mended usually clumsily by covering a hole with a patch

From this reading Most of them were broken and patched with brown paper.

the paved surface of a thoroughfare

From this reading It was a very narrow court, and the houses on both sides were so high that the people who lived there had never seen the sunbeams shining on the pavement or glinting on the windows.

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading It was a very narrow court, and the houses on both sides were so high that the people who lived there had never seen the sunbeams shining on the pavement or glinting on the windows.

cut or make a way through

From this reading But even supposing the sun could have shone into the court, it would not have been able to pierce into the rooms, for the windows were too dirty.

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading There are some places in that great city where even the sun cannot find its way, and Primrose Place was one of them.

plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading There are some places in that great city where even the sun cannot find its way, and Primrose Place was one of them.

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME One hot summer's day the sun was trying to shine into a poor, miserable alley in London.

any of numerous short-stemmed plants of the genus Primula having tufted basal leaves and showy flowers clustered in umbels or heads

From this reading There are some places in that great city where even the sun cannot find its way, and Primrose Place was one of them.

apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)

From this reading But even supposing the sun could have shone into the court, it would not have been able to pierce into the rooms, for the windows were too dirty.

(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream

From this reading RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME One hot summer's day the sun was trying to shine into a poor, miserable alley in London.

inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading It was a very narrow court, and the houses on both sides were so high that the people who lived there had never seen the sunbeams shining on the pavement or glinting on the windows.

be bright by reflecting or casting light

From this reading RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME One hot summer's day the sun was trying to shine into a poor, miserable alley in London.

marked by exceptional merit

From this reading It was a very narrow court, and the houses on both sides were so high that the people who lived there had never seen the sunbeams shining on the pavement or glinting on the windows.

inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light

From this reading But even supposing the sun could have shone into the court, it would not have been able to pierce into the rooms, for the windows were too dirty.

plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading It was a very narrow court, and the houses on both sides were so high that the people who lived there had never seen the sunbeams shining on the pavement or glinting on the windows.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading It was a very narrow court, and the houses on both sides were so high that the people who lived there had never seen the sunbeams shining on the pavement or glinting on the windows.

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading There are some places in that great city where even the sun cannot find its way, and Primrose Place was one of them.

possessive form of “summer” — the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox

From this reading RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME One hot summer's day the sun was trying to shine into a poor, miserable alley in London.

the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system

From this reading RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME One hot summer's day the sun was trying to shine into a poor, miserable alley in London.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was a very narrow court, and the houses on both sides were so high that the people who lived there had never seen the sunbeams shining on the pavement or glinting on the windows.

-ing form of “suppose” — express a supposition

From this reading But even supposing the sun could have shone into the court, it would not have been able to pierce into the rooms, for the windows were too dirty.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading There are some places in that great city where even the sun cannot find its way, and Primrose Place was one of them.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME One hot summer's day the sun was trying to shine into a poor, miserable alley in London.

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading There are some places in that great city where even the sun cannot find its way, and Primrose Place was one of them.

in or at that place or location

From this reading There are some places in that great city where even the sun cannot find its way, and Primrose Place was one of them.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME One hot summer's day the sun was trying to shine into a poor, miserable alley in London.

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading But even supposing the sun could have shone into the court, it would not have been able to pierce into the rooms, for the windows were too dirty.

hard to endure

From this reading RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME One hot summer's day the sun was trying to shine into a poor, miserable alley in London.

precisely as stated

From this reading It was a very narrow court, and the houses on both sides were so high that the people who lived there had never seen the sunbeams shining on the pavement or glinting on the windows.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME One hot summer's day the sun was trying to shine into a poor, miserable alley in London.

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading There are some places in that great city where even the sun cannot find its way, and Primrose Place was one of them.

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading It was a very narrow court, and the houses on both sides were so high that the people who lived there had never seen the sunbeams shining on the pavement or glinting on the windows.

in or at the place that

From this reading There are some places in that great city where even the sun cannot find its way, and Primrose Place was one of them.

which person or people

From this reading It was a very narrow court, and the houses on both sides were so high that the people who lived there had never seen the sunbeams shining on the pavement or glinting on the windows.

(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface

From this reading It was a very narrow court, and the houses on both sides were so high that the people who lived there had never seen the sunbeams shining on the pavement or glinting on the windows.

in the company of; together with

From this reading Most of them were broken and patched with brown paper.

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading But even supposing the sun could have shone into the court, it would not have been able to pierce into the rooms, for the windows were too dirty.