used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE STRANDED WHALE Our fourth and last whale gave us quite a bit of trouble.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading It was traveling slowly in the same direction the brig was sailing and about two miles from the vessel.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading All three boats lowered for it.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading We sighted this fellow spouting in a choppy sea among ice islands two or three miles off the edges of the polar pack.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE STRANDED WHALE Our fourth and last whale gave us quite a bit of trouble.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading THE STRANDED WHALE Our fourth and last whale gave us quite a bit of trouble.
plural of “boat” — a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading All three boats lowered for it.
brignounUS /brɪɡ/
two-masted sailing vessel square-rigged on both masts
From this reading It was traveling slowly in the same direction the brig was sailing and about two miles from the vessel.
choppyadjectiveUS /ˈtʃɑːpi/
marked by abrupt transitions
From this reading We sighted this fellow spouting in a choppy sea among ice islands two or three miles off the edges of the polar pack.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading It took the boats some time to work to close quarters.
a line leading to a place or point
From this reading It was traveling slowly in the same direction the brig was sailing and about two miles from the vessel.
edgesnounUS /ˈedʒəz/
plural of “edge” — the boundary of a surface
From this reading We sighted this fellow spouting in a choppy sea among ice islands two or three miles off the edges of the polar pack.
a boy or man
From this reading We sighted this fellow spouting in a choppy sea among ice islands two or three miles off the edges of the polar pack.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading All three boats lowered for it.
following the third position; number four in a countable series
From this reading THE STRANDED WHALE Our fourth and last whale gave us quite a bit of trouble.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It was traveling slowly in the same direction the brig was sailing and about two miles from the vessel.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading THE STRANDED WHALE Our fourth and last whale gave us quite a bit of trouble.
water frozen in the solid state
From this reading We sighted this fellow spouting in a choppy sea among ice islands two or three miles off the edges of the polar pack.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading We sighted this fellow spouting in a choppy sea among ice islands two or three miles off the edges of the polar pack.
plural of “island” — a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading We sighted this fellow spouting in a choppy sea among ice islands two or three miles off the edges of the polar pack.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading All three boats lowered for it.
immediately past
From this reading THE STRANDED WHALE Our fourth and last whale gave us quite a bit of trouble.
loweredadjectiveUS /ˈloʊərd/
below the surround or below the normal position
From this reading All three boats lowered for it.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading We sighted this fellow spouting in a choppy sea among ice islands two or three miles off the edges of the polar pack.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE STRANDED WHALE Our fourth and last whale gave us quite a bit of trouble.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading We sighted this fellow spouting in a choppy sea among ice islands two or three miles off the edges of the polar pack.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading We sighted this fellow spouting in a choppy sea among ice islands two or three miles off the edges of the polar pack.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading THE STRANDED WHALE Our fourth and last whale gave us quite a bit of trouble.
arrange in a container
From this reading We sighted this fellow spouting in a choppy sea among ice islands two or three miles off the edges of the polar pack.
polaradjectiveUS /ˈpoʊlər/
having a pair of equal and opposite charges
From this reading We sighted this fellow spouting in a choppy sea among ice islands two or three miles off the edges of the polar pack.
housing available for people to live in
From this reading It took the boats some time to work to close quarters.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading THE STRANDED WHALE Our fourth and last whale gave us quite a bit of trouble.
sailingnounUS /ˈseɪlɪŋ/
the work of a sailor
From this reading It was traveling slowly in the same direction the brig was sailing and about two miles from the vessel.
Identical; not different.
From this reading It was traveling slowly in the same direction the brig was sailing and about two miles from the vessel.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading We sighted this fellow spouting in a choppy sea among ice islands two or three miles off the edges of the polar pack.
sightedadjectiveUS /ˈsaɪtɪd/
able to see
From this reading We sighted this fellow spouting in a choppy sea among ice islands two or three miles off the edges of the polar pack.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading It was traveling slowly in the same direction the brig was sailing and about two miles from the vessel.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It took the boats some time to work to close quarters.
spoutingadjectiveUS /ˈspaʊtɪŋ/
propelled violently in a usually narrow stream
From this reading We sighted this fellow spouting in a choppy sea among ice islands two or three miles off the edges of the polar pack.
STRANDEDadjectiveUS /ˈstrændɪd/
cut off or left behind
From this reading THE STRANDED WHALE Our fourth and last whale gave us quite a bit of trouble.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE STRANDED WHALE Our fourth and last whale gave us quite a bit of trouble.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading We sighted this fellow spouting in a choppy sea among ice islands two or three miles off the edges of the polar pack.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading We sighted this fellow spouting in a choppy sea among ice islands two or three miles off the edges of the polar pack.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It took the boats some time to work to close quarters.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It took the boats some time to work to close quarters.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading It took the boats some time to work to close quarters.
travelingnounUS /ˈtrævəlɪŋ/
the act of going from one place to another
From this reading It was traveling slowly in the same direction the brig was sailing and about two miles from the vessel.
a source of difficulty
From this reading THE STRANDED WHALE Our fourth and last whale gave us quite a bit of trouble.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading We sighted this fellow spouting in a choppy sea among ice islands two or three miles off the edges of the polar pack.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading THE STRANDED WHALE Our fourth and last whale gave us quite a bit of trouble.
a tube in which a body fluid circulates
From this reading It was traveling slowly in the same direction the brig was sailing and about two miles from the vessel.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was traveling slowly in the same direction the brig was sailing and about two miles from the vessel.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We sighted this fellow spouting in a choppy sea among ice islands two or three miles off the edges of the polar pack.
WHALEnounUS /weɪl/
a very large person; impressive in size or qualities
From this reading THE STRANDED WHALE Our fourth and last whale gave us quite a bit of trouble.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading It took the boats some time to work to close quarters.
