used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It had been blowing now for four hours with hurricane force, and as they went in within a mile of the surf the shifting squalls swung more and more to the westward.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It had been blowing now for four hours with hurricane force, and as they went in within a mile of the surf the shifting squalls swung more and more to the westward.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It had been blowing now for four hours with hurricane force, and as they went in within a mile of the surf the shifting squalls swung more and more to the westward.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading They were going in themselves; but the fate of the ship held their attention in spite of the death that they knew lay in the white line to leeward.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It had been blowing now for four hours with hurricane force, and as they went in within a mile of the surf the shifting squalls swung more and more to the westward.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Then it began to ease suddenly.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Between gusts there was not more than a stiff gale.
blowingnounUS /ˈbloʊɪŋ/
processing that involves blowing a gas
From this reading It had been blowing now for four hours with hurricane force, and as they went in within a mile of the surf the shifting squalls swung more and more to the westward.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading They were going in themselves; but the fate of the ship held their attention in spite of the death that they knew lay in the white line to leeward.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading They were going in themselves; but the fate of the ship held their attention in spite of the death that they knew lay in the white line to leeward.
move gently or carefully
From this reading Then it began to ease suddenly.
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading They were going in themselves; but the fate of the ship held their attention in spite of the death that they knew lay in the white line to leeward.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It had been blowing now for four hours with hurricane force, and as they went in within a mile of the surf the shifting squalls swung more and more to the westward.
a powerful effect or influence
From this reading It had been blowing now for four hours with hurricane force, and as they went in within a mile of the surf the shifting squalls swung more and more to the westward.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading It had been blowing now for four hours with hurricane force, and as they went in within a mile of the surf the shifting squalls swung more and more to the westward.
galenounUS /ɡeɪl/
a strong wind moving 45-90 knots; force 7 to 10 on Beaufort scale
From this reading Between gusts there was not more than a stiff gale.
the act of departing
From this reading They were going in themselves; but the fate of the ship held their attention in spite of the death that they knew lay in the white line to leeward.
gustsnounUS /ɡʌsts/
plural of “gust” — a strong current of air
From this reading Between gusts there was not more than a stiff gale.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It had been blowing now for four hours with hurricane force, and as they went in within a mile of the surf the shifting squalls swung more and more to the westward.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading They were going in themselves; but the fate of the ship held their attention in spite of the death that they knew lay in the white line to leeward.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading It had been blowing now for four hours with hurricane force, and as they went in within a mile of the surf the shifting squalls swung more and more to the westward.
hurricanenounUS /ˈhɜːrəkeɪn/
a severe tropical cyclone usually with heavy rains and winds moving at 63-136 knots (12 on the Beaufort scale)
From this reading It had been blowing now for four hours with hurricane force, and as they went in within a mile of the surf the shifting squalls swung more and more to the westward.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In silence the rest watched the wreck.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It had been blowing now for four hours with hurricane force, and as they went in within a mile of the surf the shifting squalls swung more and more to the westward.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading They were going in themselves; but the fate of the ship held their attention in spite of the death that they knew lay in the white line to leeward.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading They were going in themselves; but the fate of the ship held their attention in spite of the death that they knew lay in the white line to leeward.
leewardnounUS /ˈliːwərd/
the direction in which the wind is blowing
From this reading They were going in themselves; but the fate of the ship held their attention in spite of the death that they knew lay in the white line to leeward.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading They were going in themselves; but the fate of the ship held their attention in spite of the death that they knew lay in the white line to leeward.
a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading It had been blowing now for four hours with hurricane force, and as they went in within a mile of the surf the shifting squalls swung more and more to the westward.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading It had been blowing now for four hours with hurricane force, and as they went in within a mile of the surf the shifting squalls swung more and more to the westward.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Between gusts there was not more than a stiff gale.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading It had been blowing now for four hours with hurricane force, and as they went in within a mile of the surf the shifting squalls swung more and more to the westward.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They were going in themselves; but the fate of the ship held their attention in spite of the death that they knew lay in the white line to leeward.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading In silence the rest watched the wreck.
shiftingadjectiveUS /ˈʃɪftɪŋ/
continuously varying
From this reading It had been blowing now for four hours with hurricane force, and as they went in within a mile of the surf the shifting squalls swung more and more to the westward.
transport commercially
From this reading They were going in themselves; but the fate of the ship held their attention in spite of the death that they knew lay in the white line to leeward.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading In silence the rest watched the wreck.
feeling a need to see others suffer
From this reading They were going in themselves; but the fate of the ship held their attention in spite of the death that they knew lay in the white line to leeward.
squallsnounUS /skwɔːlz/
plural of “squall” — sudden violent winds; often accompanied by precipitation
From this reading It had been blowing now for four hours with hurricane force, and as they went in within a mile of the surf the shifting squalls swung more and more to the westward.
not moving or operating freely
From this reading Between gusts there was not more than a stiff gale.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Then it began to ease suddenly.
surfnounUS /sɜːrf/
waves breaking on the shore
From this reading It had been blowing now for four hours with hurricane force, and as they went in within a mile of the surf the shifting squalls swung more and more to the westward.
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading It had been blowing now for four hours with hurricane force, and as they went in within a mile of the surf the shifting squalls swung more and more to the westward.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Between gusts there was not more than a stiff gale.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They were going in themselves; but the fate of the ship held their attention in spite of the death that they knew lay in the white line to leeward.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In silence the rest watched the wreck.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They were going in themselves; but the fate of the ship held their attention in spite of the death that they knew lay in the white line to leeward.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading They were going in themselves; but the fate of the ship held their attention in spite of the death that they knew lay in the white line to leeward.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then it began to ease suddenly.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Between gusts there was not more than a stiff gale.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were going in themselves; but the fate of the ship held their attention in spite of the death that they knew lay in the white line to leeward.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They were going in themselves; but the fate of the ship held their attention in spite of the death that they knew lay in the white line to leeward.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Between gusts there was not more than a stiff gale.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading In silence the rest watched the wreck.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading It had been blowing now for four hours with hurricane force, and as they went in within a mile of the surf the shifting squalls swung more and more to the westward.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were going in themselves; but the fate of the ship held their attention in spite of the death that they knew lay in the white line to leeward.
westwardadverbUS /ˈwestwərd/
toward the west
From this reading It had been blowing now for four hours with hurricane force, and as they went in within a mile of the surf the shifting squalls swung more and more to the westward.
a Caucasian
From this reading They were going in themselves; but the fate of the ship held their attention in spite of the death that they knew lay in the white line to leeward.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It had been blowing now for four hours with hurricane force, and as they went in within a mile of the surf the shifting squalls swung more and more to the westward.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading It had been blowing now for four hours with hurricane force, and as they went in within a mile of the surf the shifting squalls swung more and more to the westward.
wrecknounUS /rek/
something or someone that has suffered ruin or dilapidation
From this reading In silence the rest watched the wreck.
