Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

past form of “abate” — make less active or intense

From this reading His nervous attacks, which had abated for several days, became acute, more violent and obstinate than ever, unearthing new tortures.

very great; limitless

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

having or experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course

From this reading His nervous attacks, which had abated for several days, became acute, more violent and obstinate than ever, unearthing new tortures.

filled with fear or apprehension

From this reading He was afraid to fall asleep.

troubled emotionally and usually deeply

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

in a state of sleep

From this reading He was afraid to fall asleep.

past form of “attack” — launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with

From this reading These nightmares attacked him repeatedly.

plural of “attack” — (military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)

From this reading His nervous attacks, which had abated for several days, became acute, more violent and obstinate than ever, unearthing new tortures.

inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition

From this reading His nervous attacks, which had abated for several days, became acute, more violent and obstinate than ever, unearthing new tortures.

a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

plural of “cover” — a covering that serves to conceal or shelter something

From this reading The bed covers tormented him.

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading His nervous attacks, which had abated for several days, became acute, more violent and obstinate than ever, unearthing new tortures.

(plural) the deepest and most remote part

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

plural of “dream” — a series of mental images and emotions occurring during sleep

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

at any time

From this reading His nervous attacks, which had abated for several days, became acute, more violent and obstinate than ever, unearthing new tortures.

descend in free fall under the influence of gravity

From this reading He was afraid to fall asleep.

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

marked by intense agitation or emotion

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

plural of “flight” — a formation of aircraft in flight

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

the act of grasping

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading His nervous attacks, which had abated for several days, became acute, more violent and obstinate than ever, unearthing new tortures.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He was afraid to fall asleep.

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading These nightmares attacked him repeatedly.

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

a period of time assigned for work

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

moving to the inside of something

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading His nervous attacks, which had abated for several days, became acute, more violent and obstinate than ever, unearthing new tortures.

easily agitated

From this reading His nervous attacks, which had abated for several days, became acute, more violent and obstinate than ever, unearthing new tortures.

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading His nervous attacks, which had abated for several days, became acute, more violent and obstinate than ever, unearthing new tortures.

plural of “nightmare” — a situation resembling a terrifying dream

From this reading These nightmares attacked him repeatedly.

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

tenaciously unwilling or marked by tenacious unwillingness to yield

From this reading His nervous attacks, which had abated for several days, became acute, more violent and obstinate than ever, unearthing new tortures.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

weighing heavily on the senses or spirit

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

lacking power

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

a person who is the aim of an attack (especially a victim of ridicule or exploitation) by some hostile person or influence

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

several time

From this reading These nightmares attacked him repeatedly.

(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many

From this reading His nervous attacks, which had abated for several days, became acute, more violent and obstinate than ever, unearthing new tortures.

a descent as through liquid (especially through water)

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

a flight of stairs or a flight of steps

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading His nervous attacks, which had abated for several days, became acute, more violent and obstinate than ever, unearthing new tortures.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading These nightmares attacked him repeatedly.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading He was afraid to fall asleep.

experiencing intense pain especially mental pain

From this reading The bed covers tormented him.

plural of “torture” — extreme mental distress

From this reading His nervous attacks, which had abated for several days, became acute, more violent and obstinate than ever, unearthing new tortures.

past form of “tumble” — fall down, as if collapsing

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

-ing form of “unearth” — bring to light

From this reading His nervous attacks, which had abated for several days, became acute, more violent and obstinate than ever, unearthing new tortures.

acting with or marked by or resulting from great force or energy or emotional intensity

From this reading His nervous attacks, which had abated for several days, became acute, more violent and obstinate than ever, unearthing new tortures.

a periodic state during which you are conscious and aware of the world

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading He was afraid to fall asleep.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading For hours he remained stretched on his bed, now a prey to feverish and agitated wakefulness, now in the grip of oppressive dreams in which he tumbled down flights of stairs and felt himself sinking, powerless, into abysmal depths.