used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Could anybody have imagined a more horrible situation?
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An Awkward Predicament The girls sprang to their feet.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was unfortunately only too true; the vessel had steamed past the quay, and was heading out into the bay, away from the land.
any person at all
From this reading Could anybody have imagined a more horrible situation?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The four looked at each other in consternation too great for words.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading It was unfortunately only too true; the vessel had steamed past the quay, and was heading out into the bay, away from the land.
AwkwardadjectiveUS /ˈɑːkwərd/
causing inconvenience
From this reading An Awkward Predicament The girls sprang to their feet.
an indentation of a shoreline larger than a cove but smaller than a gulf
From this reading It was unfortunately only too true; the vessel had steamed past the quay, and was heading out into the bay, away from the land.
consternationnounUS /ˌkɑːnstərˈneɪʃən/
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading The four looked at each other in consternation too great for words.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Could anybody have imagined a more horrible situation?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading What were they to do?
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading The four looked at each other in consternation too great for words.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading An Awkward Predicament The girls sprang to their feet.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The four looked at each other in consternation too great for words.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading The four looked at each other in consternation too great for words.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It was unfortunately only too true; the vessel had steamed past the quay, and was heading out into the bay, away from the land.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading An Awkward Predicament The girls sprang to their feet.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The four looked at each other in consternation too great for words.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was unfortunately only too true; the vessel had steamed past the quay, and was heading out into the bay, away from the land.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Could anybody have imagined a more horrible situation?
headingnounUS /ˈhedɪŋ/
a line of text serving to indicate what the passage below it is about
From this reading It was unfortunately only too true; the vessel had steamed past the quay, and was heading out into the bay, away from the land.
provoking horror
From this reading Could anybody have imagined a more horrible situation?
past form of “imagine” — form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading Could anybody have imagined a more horrible situation?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The four looked at each other in consternation too great for words.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading It was unfortunately only too true; the vessel had steamed past the quay, and was heading out into the bay, away from the land.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was unfortunately only too true; the vessel had steamed past the quay, and was heading out into the bay, away from the land.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading It was unfortunately only too true; the vessel had steamed past the quay, and was heading out into the bay, away from the land.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The four looked at each other in consternation too great for words.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Could anybody have imagined a more horrible situation?
and nothing more
From this reading It was unfortunately only too true; the vessel had steamed past the quay, and was heading out into the bay, away from the land.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The four looked at each other in consternation too great for words.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading It was unfortunately only too true; the vessel had steamed past the quay, and was heading out into the bay, away from the land.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading It was unfortunately only too true; the vessel had steamed past the quay, and was heading out into the bay, away from the land.
PredicamentnounUS /prɪˈdɪkəmənt/
a situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one
From this reading An Awkward Predicament The girls sprang to their feet.
quaynounUS /kiː/
wharf usually built parallel to the shoreline
From this reading It was unfortunately only too true; the vessel had steamed past the quay, and was heading out into the bay, away from the land.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading Could anybody have imagined a more horrible situation?
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading An Awkward Predicament The girls sprang to their feet.
steamedadjectiveUS /stiːmd/
cooked in steam
From this reading It was unfortunately only too true; the vessel had steamed past the quay, and was heading out into the bay, away from the land.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading An Awkward Predicament The girls sprang to their feet.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading An Awkward Predicament The girls sprang to their feet.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading What were they to do?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading An Awkward Predicament The girls sprang to their feet.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading It was unfortunately only too true; the vessel had steamed past the quay, and was heading out into the bay, away from the land.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading It was unfortunately only too true; the vessel had steamed past the quay, and was heading out into the bay, away from the land.
unfortunatelyadverbUS /ənˈfɔːrtʃənətli/
by bad luck
From this reading It was unfortunately only too true; the vessel had steamed past the quay, and was heading out into the bay, away from the land.
a tube in which a body fluid circulates
From this reading It was unfortunately only too true; the vessel had steamed past the quay, and was heading out into the bay, away from the land.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was unfortunately only too true; the vessel had steamed past the quay, and was heading out into the bay, away from the land.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading What were they to do?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What were they to do?
the words that are spoken
From this reading The four looked at each other in consternation too great for words.
