used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading In despair we sought our berths, but to get into them in such a sea was a matter of difficulty, which practice in smooth waters had not taught us.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading On leaving the choppy 'Pentland Firth,' we now entered on still rougher waters, encountering an Atlantic swell, caused by the previous storm.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Walking on deck became impossible, while sitting in our deck chairs was nearly as bad, for they threatened to slide from under us.
AtlanticnounUS /ətˈlæntɪk/
the 2nd largest ocean; separates North and South America on the west from Europe and Africa on the east
From this reading On leaving the choppy 'Pentland Firth,' we now entered on still rougher waters, encountering an Atlantic swell, caused by the previous storm.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading Walking on deck became impossible, while sitting in our deck chairs was nearly as bad, for they threatened to slide from under us.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading Walking on deck became impossible, while sitting in our deck chairs was nearly as bad, for they threatened to slide from under us.
berthsnounUS /bɜːrθs/
plural of “berth” — a job in an organization
From this reading In despair we sought our berths, but to get into them in such a sea was a matter of difficulty, which practice in smooth waters had not taught us.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading In despair we sought our berths, but to get into them in such a sea was a matter of difficulty, which practice in smooth waters had not taught us.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading On leaving the choppy 'Pentland Firth,' we now entered on still rougher waters, encountering an Atlantic swell, caused by the previous storm.
past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally
From this reading On leaving the choppy 'Pentland Firth,' we now entered on still rougher waters, encountering an Atlantic swell, caused by the previous storm.
plural of “chair” — a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading Walking on deck became impossible, while sitting in our deck chairs was nearly as bad, for they threatened to slide from under us.
choppyadjectiveUS /ˈtʃɑːpi/
marked by abrupt transitions
From this reading On leaving the choppy 'Pentland Firth,' we now entered on still rougher waters, encountering an Atlantic swell, caused by the previous storm.
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading Walking on deck became impossible, while sitting in our deck chairs was nearly as bad, for they threatened to slide from under us.
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading In despair we sought our berths, but to get into them in such a sea was a matter of difficulty, which practice in smooth waters had not taught us.
an effort that is inconvenient
From this reading In despair we sought our berths, but to get into them in such a sea was a matter of difficulty, which practice in smooth waters had not taught us.
encounteringverbUS /enˈkaʊntərɪŋ/
-ing form of “encounter” — come together
From this reading On leaving the choppy 'Pentland Firth,' we now entered on still rougher waters, encountering an Atlantic swell, caused by the previous storm.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading On leaving the choppy 'Pentland Firth,' we now entered on still rougher waters, encountering an Atlantic swell, caused by the previous storm.
FirthnounUS /fɜːrθ/
English linguist who contributed to linguistic semantics and to prosodic phonology and who was noted for his insistence on studying both sound and meaning in context (1890-1960)
From this reading On leaving the choppy 'Pentland Firth,' we now entered on still rougher waters, encountering an Atlantic swell, caused by the previous storm.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Walking on deck became impossible, while sitting in our deck chairs was nearly as bad, for they threatened to slide from under us.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Walking on deck became impossible, while sitting in our deck chairs was nearly as bad, for they threatened to slide from under us.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading In despair we sought our berths, but to get into them in such a sea was a matter of difficulty, which practice in smooth waters had not taught us.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading In despair we sought our berths, but to get into them in such a sea was a matter of difficulty, which practice in smooth waters had not taught us.
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How the ship rolled!
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading Walking on deck became impossible, while sitting in our deck chairs was nearly as bad, for they threatened to slide from under us.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Walking on deck became impossible, while sitting in our deck chairs was nearly as bad, for they threatened to slide from under us.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading In despair we sought our berths, but to get into them in such a sea was a matter of difficulty, which practice in smooth waters had not taught us.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading LAND SIGHTED.
the act of departing
From this reading On leaving the choppy 'Pentland Firth,' we now entered on still rougher waters, encountering an Atlantic swell, caused by the previous storm.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading In despair we sought our berths, but to get into them in such a sea was a matter of difficulty, which practice in smooth waters had not taught us.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Walking on deck became impossible, while sitting in our deck chairs was nearly as bad, for they threatened to slide from under us.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading In despair we sought our berths, but to get into them in such a sea was a matter of difficulty, which practice in smooth waters had not taught us.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading On leaving the choppy 'Pentland Firth,' we now entered on still rougher waters, encountering an Atlantic swell, caused by the previous storm.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In despair we sought our berths, but to get into them in such a sea was a matter of difficulty, which practice in smooth waters had not taught us.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On leaving the choppy 'Pentland Firth,' we now entered on still rougher waters, encountering an Atlantic swell, caused by the previous storm.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Walking on deck became impossible, while sitting in our deck chairs was nearly as bad, for they threatened to slide from under us.
Pentland
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On leaving the choppy 'Pentland Firth,' we now entered on still rougher waters, encountering an Atlantic swell, caused by the previous storm.
a customary way of operation or behavior
From this reading In despair we sought our berths, but to get into them in such a sea was a matter of difficulty, which practice in smooth waters had not taught us.
just preceding something else in time or order
From this reading On leaving the choppy 'Pentland Firth,' we now entered on still rougher waters, encountering an Atlantic swell, caused by the previous storm.
especially of petals or leaves in bud; having margins rolled inward
From this reading How the ship rolled!
rougheradjectiveUS /ˈrʌfər/
comparative of “rough” — having or caused by an irregular surface
From this reading On leaving the choppy 'Pentland Firth,' we now entered on still rougher waters, encountering an Atlantic swell, caused by the previous storm.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading In despair we sought our berths, but to get into them in such a sea was a matter of difficulty, which practice in smooth waters had not taught us.
transport commercially
From this reading How the ship rolled!
SIGHTEDadjectiveUS /ˈsaɪtɪd/
able to see
From this reading LAND SIGHTED.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading Walking on deck became impossible, while sitting in our deck chairs was nearly as bad, for they threatened to slide from under us.
slidenounUS /slaɪd/
a small flat rectangular piece of glass on which specimens can be mounted for microscopic study
From this reading Walking on deck became impossible, while sitting in our deck chairs was nearly as bad, for they threatened to slide from under us.
having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities
From this reading In despair we sought our berths, but to get into them in such a sea was a matter of difficulty, which practice in smooth waters had not taught us.
that is looked for
From this reading In despair we sought our berths, but to get into them in such a sea was a matter of difficulty, which practice in smooth waters had not taught us.
not in physical motion
From this reading On leaving the choppy 'Pentland Firth,' we now entered on still rougher waters, encountering an Atlantic swell, caused by the previous storm.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading On leaving the choppy 'Pentland Firth,' we now entered on still rougher waters, encountering an Atlantic swell, caused by the previous storm.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading In despair we sought our berths, but to get into them in such a sea was a matter of difficulty, which practice in smooth waters had not taught us.
swellverbUS /swel/
increase in size, magnitude, number, or intensity
From this reading On leaving the choppy 'Pentland Firth,' we now entered on still rougher waters, encountering an Atlantic swell, caused by the previous storm.
inflected form of “teach” — impart skills or knowledge to
From this reading In despair we sought our berths, but to get into them in such a sea was a matter of difficulty, which practice in smooth waters had not taught us.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading On leaving the choppy 'Pentland Firth,' we now entered on still rougher waters, encountering an Atlantic swell, caused by the previous storm.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading In despair we sought our berths, but to get into them in such a sea was a matter of difficulty, which practice in smooth waters had not taught us.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Walking on deck became impossible, while sitting in our deck chairs was nearly as bad, for they threatened to slide from under us.
(of flora or fauna) likely in the near future to become endangered
From this reading Walking on deck became impossible, while sitting in our deck chairs was nearly as bad, for they threatened to slide from under us.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Walking on deck became impossible, while sitting in our deck chairs was nearly as bad, for they threatened to slide from under us.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Walking on deck became impossible, while sitting in our deck chairs was nearly as bad, for they threatened to slide from under us.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Walking on deck became impossible, while sitting in our deck chairs was nearly as bad, for they threatened to slide from under us.
close enough to be walked to
From this reading Walking on deck became impossible, while sitting in our deck chairs was nearly as bad, for they threatened to slide from under us.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Walking on deck became impossible, while sitting in our deck chairs was nearly as bad, for they threatened to slide from under us.
United States actress and singer (1896-1977)
From this reading On leaving the choppy 'Pentland Firth,' we now entered on still rougher waters, encountering an Atlantic swell, caused by the previous storm.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading On leaving the choppy 'Pentland Firth,' we now entered on still rougher waters, encountering an Atlantic swell, caused by the previous storm.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading In despair we sought our berths, but to get into them in such a sea was a matter of difficulty, which practice in smooth waters had not taught us.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading Walking on deck became impossible, while sitting in our deck chairs was nearly as bad, for they threatened to slide from under us.
