English > English |
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out of the question |
1. adj. Not remotely possible. |
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Analysis |
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out |
See also individual phrasal verbs such as come out, go out, put out, take out, pull out, and so on. |
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1. adv. Away from the inside or the centre. |
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The magician pulled the rabbit out of the hat. |
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2. adv. Away from home or one's usual place. |
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Let's eat out tonight |
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of |
1. prep. Expressing distance or motion. |
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2. prep. (now obsolete, or dialectal) From (of distance, direction), "off". |
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3. prep. (obsolete except in phrases) Since, from (a given time, earlier state etc.). |
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4. prep. From, away from (a position, number, distance etc.). |
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There are no shops within twenty miles of the cottage. |
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the |
1. art. Definite grammatical article that implies necessarily that an entity it articulates is presupposed; something already mentioned, or completely specified later in that same sentence, or assumed already |
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I’m reading the book. (Compare I’m reading a book.) |
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The street in front of your house. (Compare A street in Paris.) |
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The men and women watched the man give the birdseed to the bird. |
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2. art. Used before a noun modified by a restrictive relative clause, indicating that the noun refers to a single referent defined by the relative clause. |
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question |
1. n. A sentence, phrase or word which asks for information, reply or response; an interrogative. |
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What is your question? |
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2. n. A subject or topic for consideration or investigation. |
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The question of seniority will be discussed at the meeting. |
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There was a question of which material to use. |
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