used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A RACE WITH A GALE “Ken, where are you?”
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Surely Kenneth must hear them, they thought, if he was still alive and above water.
anew
From this reading Again they shouted, in unison this time.
aliveadjectiveUS /əˈlaɪv/
possessing life
From this reading Surely Kenneth must hear them, they thought, if he was still alive and above water.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Frank’s voice was almost drowned by the roaring of the breakers.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A RACE WITH A GALE “Ken, where are you?”
exhale hard
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
boomverbUS /buːm/
make a resonant sound, like artillery
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
the two together, not just one
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
breakersnounUS /ˈbreɪkərz/
waves breaking on the shore
From this reading Frank’s voice was almost drowned by the roaring of the breakers.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Frank’s voice was almost drowned by the roaring of the breakers.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
drownedverbUS /draʊnd/
past form of “drown” — cover completely or make imperceptible
From this reading Frank’s voice was almost drowned by the roaring of the breakers.
the state or fact of existing
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
the organ of sight
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
opinion or judgment
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
Frank'snounUS /fræŋks/
possessive form of “frank” — a member of the ancient Germanic peoples who spread from the Rhine into the Roman Empire in the 4th century
From this reading Frank’s voice was almost drowned by the roaring of the breakers.
GALEnounUS /ɡeɪl/
a strong wind moving 45-90 knots; force 7 to 10 on Beaufort scale
From this reading A RACE WITH A GALE “Ken, where are you?”
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Surely Kenneth must hear them, they thought, if he was still alive and above water.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading Surely Kenneth must hear them, they thought, if he was still alive and above water.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Surely Kenneth must hear them, they thought, if he was still alive and above water.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
KennounUS /ken/
range of what one can know or understand
From this reading A RACE WITH A GALE “Ken, where are you?”
Kenneth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Surely Kenneth must hear them, they thought, if he was still alive and above water.
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Surely Kenneth must hear them, they thought, if he was still alive and above water.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Frank’s voice was almost drowned by the roaring of the breakers.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
any competition
From this reading A RACE WITH A GALE “Ken, where are you?”
roaringnounUS /ˈrɔːrɪŋ/
a deep prolonged loud noise
From this reading Frank’s voice was almost drowned by the roaring of the breakers.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
seeminglyadverbUS /ˈsiːmɪŋli/
from appearances alone
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading Again they shouted, in unison this time.
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
skippernounUS /ˈskɪpər/
a student who fails to attend classes
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
not in physical motion
From this reading Surely Kenneth must hear them, they thought, if he was still alive and above water.
strainedadjectiveUS /streɪnd/
lacking natural ease
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading Surely Kenneth must hear them, they thought, if he was still alive and above water.
swingingnounUS /ˈswɪŋɪŋ/
changing location by moving back and forth
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Frank’s voice was almost drowned by the roaring of the breakers.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Surely Kenneth must hear them, they thought, if he was still alive and above water.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Again they shouted, in unison this time.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Surely Kenneth must hear them, they thought, if he was still alive and above water.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Again they shouted, in unison this time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
totallyadverbUS /ˈtoʊtəli/
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
twinklingnounUS /ˈtwɪŋkəlɪŋ/
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
unisonnounUS /ˈjuːnəsən/
corresponding exactly
From this reading Again they shouted, in unison this time.
of the greatest possible degree or extent or intensity
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
having passed out of existence
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Frank’s voice was almost drowned by the roaring of the breakers.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Frank’s voice was almost drowned by the roaring of the breakers.
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 Surely Kenneth must hear them, they thought, if he was still alive and above water.
in or at the place that
From this reading A RACE WITH A GALE “Ken, where are you?”
which person or people
From this reading It was totally dark, and though both boys strained their eyes to the utmost, not a sign could they see of the skipper, who had vanished in the twinkling of an eye—knocked out of existence, seemingly, by the swinging blow of the boom.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A RACE WITH A GALE “Ken, where are you?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading A RACE WITH A GALE “Ken, where are you?”
