An
[æn;ən] or [ən,æn]
Definition
(-) This word is properly an adjective, but is commonly called the indefinite article. It is used before nouns of the singular number only, and signifies one, or any, but somewhat less emphatically. In such expressions as "twice an hour," "once an age," a shilling an ounce (see 2d A, 2), it has a distributive force, and is equivalent to each, every.
(conj.) If; -- a word used by old English authors.
Edited by Leah
Synonyms and Synonymous
art. [1]. One, any, some.[2]. Each, every.
Inputed by Davis
Definition
adj. one: the indefinite article used before words beginning with the sound of a vowel.
conj. if.
Inputed by Jesse
Examples
- I have something beyond this, but I will call it a defect, not an endowment, if it leads me to misery, while ye are happy. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- You ought not to have come today, she said in an altered voice; and suddenly she turned, flung her arms about him and pressed her lips to his. Edith Wharton. The Age of Innocence.
- The first known application of the kind was made by Mr. Murdoch, an engineer in the employment of Messrs. Frederick C. Bakewell. Great Facts.
- Davy was an eloquent, enthusiastic, forceful speaker. Rupert S. Holland. Historic Inventions.
- There was an absence of all lady-like restraint in her language and manner most painful to see. Wilkie Collins. The Moonstone.
- Her lover was no longer to her an exciting man whom many women strove for, and herself could only retain by striving with them. Thomas Hardy. The Return of the Native.
- Bois-Guilbert made an effort to suppress his rising scorn and indignation, the expression of which, he was well aware, would have little availed him. Walter Scott. Ivanhoe.
- So old an art, and so great and continuous a need for its products necessarily must have resulted in much development and progress. Edward W. Byrn. The Progress of Invention in the Nineteenth Century.
- I believe I could make an independent fortune in a few years if I devoted myself exclusively to portraits, so great is the desire for good portraits in the different country towns. Rupert S. Holland. Historic Inventions.
- Well, you know, Standish, every dose you take is an experiment-an experiment, you know, said Mr. Brooke, nodding towards the lawyer. George Eliot. Middlemarch.
- The case has assumed such an extraordinary aspect since Sergeant Cuff's time, that you may revive his interest in the inquiry. Wilkie Collins. The Moonstone.
- In this place is an altar dedicated to St. Dimas, the penitent thief. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- For those days this was an enormous sum. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- Then, collecting himself, he added in his usual tone, And what may it be your pleasure to want at so early an hour with the poor Jew? Walter Scott. Ivanhoe.
- I am an impoverished wretch--the very gaberdine I wear is borrowed from Reuben of Tadcaster. Walter Scott. Ivanhoe.
- Mr. Godfrey had some brandy and soda-water, Mr. Franklin took nothing. Wilkie Collins. The Moonstone.
- It was generally believed that there would be a flurry; that some of the extreme Southern States would go so far as to pass ordinances of secession. Ulysses S. Grant. Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant.
- We have been on the look-out for him, and there was some idea that he had got away to America. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
- You will have my sketches, some time or other, to look ator my tour to reador my poem. Jane Austen. Emma.
- I say, said Legree, stamping and whistling to the dogs, wake up, some of you, and keep me company! Harriet Beecher Stowe. Uncle Tom's Cabin.
- Women are certainly quicker in some things than men. Charlotte Bronte. Villette.
- Is there some one in La Granja capable of this? Hemingway, Ernest. For Whom The Bell Tolls.
- She stood looking at him in gloomy, heavy silence, for some time. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- Some weeks of spare time were at my disposal, before I entered on my functions by establishing myself in the suburbs of London. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- It may be questioned whether some of the present pedagogical interest in the matter of values of studies is not either excessive or else too narrow. John Dewey. Democracy and Education.
- We can here consider only a few cases; of these, some of the most difficult to explain are presented by fish. Charles Darwin. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
- Mr. Bell quite startled me when he said, some idea of the kind--' 'Mr. Bell! Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell. North and South.
- There are some points which are as dark as ever. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
- Mrs. Bulstrode did not wish to go nearer to the facts than in the phrase make some amends; knowing that her husband must understand her. George Eliot. Middlemarch.
- Except bills of exchange, and some other mercantile bills, all other deeds, bonds, and contracts, are subject to a stamp duty. Adam Smith. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.
Typed by Billie