English Sentence Analyser

Use this page to analyse and learn English text. You can copy text into the box below or get a random sentence from our database. Press the Analyse button to get translations of the text and words.

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
I’m reading the book. (Compare I’m reading a book.)
The street in front of your house. (Compare A street in Paris.)
The men and women watched the man give the birdseed to the bird.
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.
The street that runs through my hometown.
3. art. Used before an object considered to be unique, or of which there is only one at a time.
No one knows how many galaxies there are in the universe.
God save the Queen!
4. art. Used before a superlative or an ordinal number modifying a noun, to indicate that the noun refers to a single item.
That was the best apple pie ever.
5. art. Added to a superlative or an ordinal number to make it into a substantive.
That apple pie was the best.
6. art. Introducing a singular term to be taken generically: preceding a name of something standing for a whole class.
7. art. Used before an adjective, indicating all things (especially persons) described by that adjective.
Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable.
8. art. Used to indicate a certain example of (a noun) which is usually of most concern or most common or familiar.
No one in the whole country had seen it before.
I don't think I'll get to it until the morning.
9. art. Used before a body part (especially of someone previously mentioned), as an alternative to a possessive pronoun.
A stone hit him on the head. (= “A stone hit him on his head.”)
10. art. When stressed, indicates that it describes an object which is considered to be best or exclusively worthy of attention.
That is the hospital to go to for heart surgery.
11. adv. 1=With a comparative ormore and a verb phrase, establishes a parallel with one or more other such comparatives.
The hotter the better.
The more I think about it, the weaker it looks.
The more money donated, the more books purchased, and the more happy children.
It looks weaker and weaker, the more I think about it.
12. adv. 1=With a comparative, and often withfor it, indicates a result more like said comparative. This can be negated withnone.
It was a difficult time, but I’m the wiser for it.
It was a difficult time, and I’m none the wiser for it.
I'm much the wiser for having had a difficult time like that.
slideshow
1. n. A presentation of a series of photographic slides, usually with a spoken or recorded explanation.
2. n. Any sequence of images, shown one after the other (not simultaneously).
we
1. pron. (personal) The speakers/writers, or the speaker/writer and at least one other person (not the person being addressed). (This is the exclusive we.)
2. pron. (personal) The speaker(s)/writer(s) and the person(s) being addressed. (This is the inclusive we.)
3. pron. (personal) The speaker/writer alone. (This use of we is the editorial we, used by writers and others, including royalty—the royal we—as a less personal substitute for I. The reflexive case of this sen
4. pron. (personal) The plural form of you, including everyone being addressed.
How are we all tonight?
5. pron. (personal, generally considered patronising) A second- or third-person pronoun for a person in the speaker's care.
How are we feeling this morning?
6. det. The speakers/writers, or the speaker/writer and at least one other person.
We Canadians like to think of ourselves as different.
sat
1. v. simple past tense and past participle of sit
I sat in the middle of the park.
2. n. (abbreviation of satellite) (artificial orbital body)
sit
1. v. (intransitive, of a person) To be in a position in which the upper body is upright and supported by the buttocks.
After a long day of walking, it was good just to sit and relax.
2. v. (intransitive, of a person) To move oneself into such a position.
I asked him to sit.
3. v. (intransitive, of an object) To occupy a given position permanently.
The temple has sat atop that hill for centuries.
4. v. To remain in a state of repose; to rest; to abide; to rest in any position or condition.
5. v. (government) To be a member of a deliberative body.
I currently sit on a standards committee.
6. v. (legal, government) Of a legislative or, especially, a judicial body such as a court, to be in session.
In what city is the circuit court sitting for this session.
7. v. To lie, rest, or bear; to press or weigh.
8. v. To be adjusted; to fit.
Your new coat sits well.
9. v. (intransitive, of an agreement or arrangement) To be accepted or acceptable; to work.
How will this new contract sit with the workers?
I don’t think it will sit well.
The violence in these video games sits awkwardly with their stated aim of educating children.
10. v. (transitive, causative) To cause to be seated or in a sitting posture; to furnish a seat to.
Sit him in front of the TV and he might watch for hours.
11. v. To accommodate in seats; to seat.
The dining room table sits eight comfortably.
12. v. (intransitive) shortened form of babysit.
I'm going to sit for them on Thursday.
13. v. (transitive, US) To babysit
I need to find someone to sit my kids on Friday evening for four hours.
14. v. (transitive, Australia, New Zealand, UK) To take, to undergo or complete (an examination or test).
15. v. To cover and warm eggs for hatching, as a fowl; to brood; to incubate.
16. v. To take a position for the purpose of having some artistic representation of oneself made, such as a picture or a bust.
I'm sitting for a painter this evening.
17. v. To have position, as at the point blown from; to hold a relative position; to have direction.
18. n. (rare, Buddhism) An event, usually lasting one full day or more, where the primary goal is to sit in meditation.
through
1. prep. From one side of an opening to the other.
I went through the window.
2. prep. Entering, then later leaving.
I drove through the town at top speed without looking left or right.
3. prep. Surrounded by (while moving).
We slogged through the mud for hours before turning back and giving up.
4. prep. By means of.
This team believes in winning through intimidation.
5. prep. (North America) To (or up to) and including, with all intermediate values.
from 1945 through 1991; the numbers 1 through 9; your membership is active through March 15, 2013
6. adj. Passing from one side of something to the other.
Interstate highways form a nationwide system of through roads.
7. adj. Finished; complete.
They were through with laying the subroof by noon.
8. adj. Valueless; without a future.
After being implicated in the scandal, he was through as an executive in financial services.
9. adj. No longer interested.
She was through with him.
10. adj. Proceeding from origin to destination without delay due to change of equipment.
The through flight through Memphis was the fastest.
11. adj. (association football) In possession of the ball beyond the last line of defence but not necessarily the goalkeeper; through on goal.
12. adv. From one side to the other by way of the interior.
The arrow went straight through.
13. adv. From one end to the other.
Others slept; he worked straight through.
She read the letter through.
14. adv. To the end.
He said he would see it through.
15. adv. Completely.
Leave the yarn in the dye overnight so the color soaks through.
16. adv. Out into the open.
The American army broke through at St. Lo.
17. n. A large slab of stone laid in a dry-stone wall from one side to the other; a perpend.
18. n. (obsolete) A coffin, sarcophagus or tomb of stone; a large slab of stone laid on a tomb.
was
1. v. first-person singular past of be.
2. v. third-person singular past of be.
be
1. v. (intransitive, now literary) To exist; to have real existence.
2. v. (with there, or dialectally it, as dummy subject) To exist.
There is just one woman in town who can help us. (or, dialectally:) It is just one woman in town who can help us.
3. v. (intransitive) To occupy a place.
The cup is on the table.
4. v. (intransitive) To occur, to take place.
When will the meeting be?
5. v. (intransitive, in perfect tenses, without predicate) Elliptical form of "be here", "go to and return from" or similar.
The postman has been today, but my tickets have still not yet come.
I have been to Spain many times.
Moscow, huh? I've never been, but it sounds fascinating.
6. v. (transitive, copulative) Used to indicate that the subject and object are the same.
Knowledge is bliss.
Hi, I’m Jim.
7. v. (transitive, copulative, mathematics) Used to indicate that the values on either side of an equation are the same.
3 times 5 is fifteen.
8. v. (transitive, copulative) Used to indicate that the subject plays the role of the predicate nominal.
François Mitterrand was president of France from 1981 to 1995.
9. v. (transitive, copulative) Used to connect a noun to an adjective that describes it.
The sky is blue.
10. v. (transitive, copulative) Used to indicate that the subject has the qualities described by a noun or noun phrase.
The sky is a deep blue today.
11. v. (transitive, auxiliary) Used to form the passive voice.
The dog was drowned by the boy.
12. v. (transitive, auxiliary) Used to form the continuous forms of various tenses.
The woman is walking.
I shall be writing to you soon.
We liked to chat while we were eating.
13. v. (archaic, auxiliary) Used to form the perfect aspect with certain intransitive verbs, most of which indicate motion. Often still used for "to go".
14. v. (transitive, auxiliary) Used to form future tenses, especially the future periphrastic.
I am to leave tomorrow.
I would drive you, were I to obtain a car.
15. v. (transitive, copulative) Used to link a subject to a measurement.
This building is three hundred years old.
I am 75 kilograms.
He’s about 6 feet tall.
16. v. (transitive, copulative, with a cardinal numeral) Used to state the age of a subject in years.
I’m 20. (= I am 20 years old.)
17. v. (with a dummy subject) it Used to indicate the time of day.
It is almost eight. (= It is almost eight o’clock.)
It’s 8:30 read eight-thirty in Tokyo.
What time is it there? It’s night.
18. v. (With since) Used to indicate passage of time since the occurrence of an event.
It has been three years since my grandmother died. (similar to My grandmother died three years ago, but emphasizes the intervening period)
It had been six days since his departure, when I received a letter from him.
19. v. (often, impersonal, with it as a dummy subject) Used to indicate weather, air quality, or the like.
It is hot in Arizona, but it is not usually humid.
Why is it so dark in here?
20. v. (dynamic/lexical "be", especially in progressive tenses, conjugated non-suppletively in the present tense, see usage notes) To exist or behave in a certain way.
"What do we do?" "We be ourselves.".
Why is he being nice to me?
such
1. det. (demonstrative) Like this, that, these, those; used to make a comparison with something implied by context.
I’ve never seen such clouds in the sky before. Such is life.
2. det. (particularly used in formal documents) Any.
the above address or at such other address as may notify
3. det. Used as an intensifier; roughly equivalent to very much of.
The party was such a bore.
4. det. (obsolete) A certain; representing the object as already particularized in terms which are not mentioned.
5. pron. A person, a thing, people or things like the one or ones already mentioned.
6. n. (philosophy) Something being indicated that is similar to something else.
a
1. art. One; any indefinite example of; used to denote a singular item of a group.
There was a man here looking for you yesterday.
2. art. Used in conjunction with the adjectives score, dozen, hundred, thousand, and million, as a function word.
I've seen it happen a hundred times.
3. art. One certain or particular; any single.Brown, Lesley, (2003)
We've received an interesting letter from a Mrs. Miggins of London.
4. art. The same; one.
We are of a mind on matters of morals.
5. art. Any, every; used before a noun which has become modified to limit its scope; also used with a negative to indicate not a single one.Lindberg, Christine A. (2007)
A man who dies intestate leaves his children troubles and difficulties.
He fell all that way, and hasn't a bump on his head?
6. art. Used before plural nouns modified by few, good many, couple, great many, etc.
7. art. Someone or something like; similar to; Used before a proper noun to create an example out of it.
The center of the village was becoming a Times Square.
8. prep. (archaic) To do with position or direction; In, on, at, by, towards, onto.
Stand a tiptoe.
9. prep. To do with separation; In, into.
Torn a pieces.
10. prep. To do with time; Each, per, in, on, by.
I brush my teeth twice a day.
11. prep. (obsolete) To do with method; In, with.
12. prep. (obsolete) To do with role or capacity; In.
A God’s name.
13. prep. To do with status; In.
King James Bible (II Chronicles 2:18)
To set the people a worke.
14. prep. (archaic) To do with process, with a passive verb; In the course of, experiencing.
1964, Bob Dylan, The Times They Are a-Changin’
The times, they are a-changin'.
15. prep. (archaic) To do with an action, an active verb; Engaged in.
1611, King James Bible, Hebrews 11-21
Jacob, when he was a dying
16. prep. (archaic) To do with an action/movement; To, into.
17. v. (archaic, or slang) Have.
I'd a come, if you'd a asked.
18. pron. (obsolete, outside, England, and Scotland dialects) He.
19. interj. A meaningless syllable; ah.
20. prep. (archaic, slang) Of.
The name of John a Gaunt.
21. adv. (chiefly Scotland) All.
22. adj. (chiefly Scotland) All.
yawn
1. v. To open the mouth widely and take a long, rather deep breath, often because one is tired or bored, and sometimes accompanied by pandiculation.
I could see my students yawning, so I knew the lesson was boring them.
2. v. To say while yawning.
3. v. To present a wide opening.
The canyon yawns as it has done for millions of years, and we stand looking, dumbstruck.
Death yawned before us, and I hit the brakes.
4. v. (obsolete) To open the mouth, or to gape, through surprise or bewilderment.
5. v. (obsolete) To be eager; to desire to swallow anything; to express desire by yawning.
to yawn for fat livings
6. n. The action of yawning; opening the mouth widely and taking a long, rather deep breath, often because one is tired or bored.
7. n. (colloquial) A particularly boring event.
The slideshow we sat through was such a yawn. I was glad when it finished.

Dictionary entries from Wiktionary