used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading MISSING MASTERPIECES A half a dozen policemen were on guard outside the museum.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Ten minutes after the Black Star's man had flashed his torch from the window, these six officers were startled by sounds of an altercation in the street.
altercationnounUS /ˌɑːltərˈkeɪʃən/
noisy quarrel
From this reading Ten minutes after the Black Star's man had flashed his torch from the window, these six officers were startled by sounds of an altercation in the street.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Ten minutes after the Black Star's man had flashed his torch from the window, these six officers were startled by sounds of an altercation in the street.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They walked around the building continually, and communicated at the end of each hour with one of the guards inside.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading They walked around the building continually, and communicated at the end of each hour with one of the guards inside.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They walked around the building continually, and communicated at the end of each hour with one of the guards inside.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Ten minutes after the Black Star's man had flashed his torch from the window, these six officers were startled by sounds of an altercation in the street.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading They walked around the building continually, and communicated at the end of each hour with one of the guards inside.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Ten minutes after the Black Star's man had flashed his torch from the window, these six officers were startled by sounds of an altercation in the street.
communicatedverbUS /kəˈmjuːnəkeɪtɪd/
past form of “communicate” — transmit information
From this reading They walked around the building continually, and communicated at the end of each hour with one of the guards inside.
continuallyadverbUS /kənˈtɪnjuːəli/
seemingly without interruption
From this reading They walked around the building continually, and communicated at the end of each hour with one of the guards inside.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading MISSING MASTERPIECES A half a dozen policemen were on guard outside the museum.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading They walked around the building continually, and communicated at the end of each hour with one of the guards inside.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading They walked around the building continually, and communicated at the end of each hour with one of the guards inside.
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading Now and then they gathered near the entrance to talk and wish their vigil was over.
past form of “flash” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading Ten minutes after the Black Star's man had flashed his torch from the window, these six officers were startled by sounds of an altercation in the street.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Ten minutes after the Black Star's man had flashed his torch from the window, these six officers were startled by sounds of an altercation in the street.
brought together in one place
From this reading Now and then they gathered near the entrance to talk and wish their vigil was over.
a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading MISSING MASTERPIECES A half a dozen policemen were on guard outside the museum.
guardsnounUS /ɡɑːrdz/
plural of “guard” — a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading They walked around the building continually, and communicated at the end of each hour with one of the guards inside.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Ten minutes after the Black Star's man had flashed his torch from the window, these six officers were startled by sounds of an altercation in the street.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading MISSING MASTERPIECES A half a dozen policemen were on guard outside the museum.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Ten minutes after the Black Star's man had flashed his torch from the window, these six officers were startled by sounds of an altercation in the street.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading They walked around the building continually, and communicated at the end of each hour with one of the guards inside.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Ten minutes after the Black Star's man had flashed his torch from the window, these six officers were startled by sounds of an altercation in the street.
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading They walked around the building continually, and communicated at the end of each hour with one of the guards inside.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Ten minutes after the Black Star's man had flashed his torch from the window, these six officers were startled by sounds of an altercation in the street.
MASTERPIECESnounUS /ˈmæstərpiːsəz/
plural of “masterpiece” — the most outstanding work of a creative artist or craftsman
From this reading MISSING MASTERPIECES A half a dozen policemen were on guard outside the museum.
the force of workers available
From this reading Two men, their voices raised, were quarreling.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading Ten minutes after the Black Star's man had flashed his torch from the window, these six officers were startled by sounds of an altercation in the street.
MISSINGadjectiveUS /ˈmɪsɪŋ/
not able to be found
From this reading MISSING MASTERPIECES A half a dozen policemen were on guard outside the museum.
museumnounUS /mjuːˈziːəm/
a depository for collecting and displaying objects having scientific or historical or artistic value
From this reading MISSING MASTERPIECES A half a dozen policemen were on guard outside the museum.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading Now and then they gathered near the entrance to talk and wish their vigil was over.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now and then they gathered near the entrance to talk and wish their vigil was over.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They walked around the building continually, and communicated at the end of each hour with one of the guards inside.
plural of “officer” — any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading Ten minutes after the Black Star's man had flashed his torch from the window, these six officers were startled by sounds of an altercation in the street.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading MISSING MASTERPIECES A half a dozen policemen were on guard outside the museum.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading They walked around the building continually, and communicated at the end of each hour with one of the guards inside.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading MISSING MASTERPIECES A half a dozen policemen were on guard outside the museum.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Now and then they gathered near the entrance to talk and wish their vigil was over.
policemennounUS /pəˈliːsmɪn/
plural of “policeman” — a member of a police force
From this reading MISSING MASTERPIECES A half a dozen policemen were on guard outside the museum.
quarrelingverbUS /ˈkwɑːrəlɪŋ/
-ing form of “quarrel” — have a disagreement over something
From this reading Two men, their voices raised, were quarreling.
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading Two men, their voices raised, were quarreling.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading Ten minutes after the Black Star's man had flashed his torch from the window, these six officers were startled by sounds of an altercation in the street.
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Ten minutes after the Black Star's man had flashed his torch from the window, these six officers were startled by sounds of an altercation in the street.
Star'snounUS /stɑːrz/
possessive form of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading Ten minutes after the Black Star's man had flashed his torch from the window, these six officers were startled by sounds of an altercation in the street.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading Ten minutes after the Black Star's man had flashed his torch from the window, these six officers were startled by sounds of an altercation in the street.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading Ten minutes after the Black Star's man had flashed his torch from the window, these six officers were startled by sounds of an altercation in the street.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading Now and then they gathered near the entrance to talk and wish their vigil was over.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading Ten minutes after the Black Star's man had flashed his torch from the window, these six officers were startled by sounds of an altercation in the street.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading MISSING MASTERPIECES A half a dozen policemen were on guard outside the museum.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Now and then they gathered near the entrance to talk and wish their vigil was over.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Now and then they gathered near the entrance to talk and wish their vigil was over.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Ten minutes after the Black Star's man had flashed his torch from the window, these six officers were startled by sounds of an altercation in the street.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They walked around the building continually, and communicated at the end of each hour with one of the guards inside.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Now and then they gathered near the entrance to talk and wish their vigil was over.
torchnounUS /tɔːrtʃ/
a light usually carried in the hand; consists of some flammable substance
From this reading Ten minutes after the Black Star's man had flashed his torch from the window, these six officers were startled by sounds of an altercation in the street.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Two men, their voices raised, were quarreling.
vigilnounUS /ˈvɪdʒəl/
a period of sleeplessness
From this reading Now and then they gathered near the entrance to talk and wish their vigil was over.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Two men, their voices raised, were quarreling.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading They walked around the building continually, and communicated at the end of each hour with one of the guards inside.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Now and then they gathered near the entrance to talk and wish their vigil was over.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading MISSING MASTERPIECES A half a dozen policemen were on guard outside the museum.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Ten minutes after the Black Star's man had flashed his torch from the window, these six officers were startled by sounds of an altercation in the street.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading Now and then they gathered near the entrance to talk and wish their vigil was over.
in the company of; together with
From this reading They walked around the building continually, and communicated at the end of each hour with one of the guards inside.
