used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Once he thought he passed a shark.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading And then the sphere began to get hot by friction against the water.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
beamnounUS /biːm/
a signal transmitted along a narrow path; guides airplane pilots in darkness or bad weather
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading And then the sphere began to get hot by friction against the water.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading They flashed by too fast for him to see what they were.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
apart from; not including
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading They flashed by too fast for him to see what they were.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
past form of “flash” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading They flashed by too fast for him to see what they were.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading They flashed by too fast for him to see what they were.
frictionnounUS /ˈfrɪkʃən/
a state of conflict between persons
From this reading And then the sphere began to get hot by friction against the water.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading And then the sphere began to get hot by friction against the water.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They had underestimated this, it seems.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Once he thought he passed a shark.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading They flashed by too fast for him to see what they were.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
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 And then the sphere began to get hot by friction against the water.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading They had underestimated this, it seems.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
on one occasion
From this reading Once he thought he passed a shark.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Once he thought he passed a shark.
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
scrapnounUS /skræp/
a small fragment of something broken off from the whole
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading They flashed by too fast for him to see what they were.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading They had underestimated this, it seems.
sharknounUS /ʃɑːrk/
any of numerous elongate mostly marine carnivorous fishes with heterocercal caudal fins and tough skin covered with small toothlike scales
From this reading Once he thought he passed a shark.
sinkingnounUS /ˈsɪŋkɪŋ/
a descent as through liquid (especially through water)
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
spherenounUS /sfɪr/
a particular environment or walk of life
From this reading And then the sphere began to get hot by friction against the water.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They flashed by too fast for him to see what they were.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading They had underestimated this, it seems.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Once he thought he passed a shark.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They flashed by too fast for him to see what they were.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading They flashed by too fast for him to see what they were.
underestimatedverbUS /ˈʌndərˈestəmeɪtɪd/
past form of “underestimate” — assign too low a value to
From this reading They had underestimated this, it seems.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading And then the sphere began to get hot by friction against the water.
United States actress and singer (1896-1977)
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They flashed by too fast for him to see what they were.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading They flashed by too fast for him to see what they were.
in or at the place that
From this reading In fifty seconds everything was as black as night outside, except where the beam from his light struck through the waters, and picked out every now and then some fish or scrap of sinking matter.
