used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Twilight was just creeping along, and I could hear nothing but faint creakings of sculls from the river and sometimes the drip of a punt-pole.
abnormallyadverbUS /æbˈnɔːrməli/
in an abnormal manner
From this reading I thought the river seemed to become suddenly deserted; it grew quite abnormally quiet--and abnormally dark.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Twilight was just creeping along, and I could hear nothing but faint creakings of sculls from the river and sometimes the drip of a punt-pole.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Twilight was just creeping along, and I could hear nothing but faint creakings of sculls from the river and sometimes the drip of a punt-pole.
ApollonounUS /əˈpɑːloʊ/
(Greek mythology) Greek god of light; god of prophecy and poetry and music and healing; son of Zeus and Leto; twin brother of Artemis
From this reading "Then the flotilla of swans came round the bend, with Apollo--you know Apollo, the king-swan?--at their head.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading By this time it had grown tremendously dark, but it never occurred to me to ask myself why.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Then the flotilla of swans came round the bend, with Apollo--you know Apollo, the king-swan?--at their head.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading I thought the river seemed to become suddenly deserted; it grew quite abnormally quiet--and abnormally dark.
bendverbUS /bend/
form a curve
From this reading "Then the flotilla of swans came round the bend, with Apollo--you know Apollo, the king-swan?--at their head.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Twilight was just creeping along, and I could hear nothing but faint creakings of sculls from the river and sometimes the drip of a punt-pole.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By this time it had grown tremendously dark, but it never occurred to me to ask myself why.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Then the flotilla of swans came round the bend, with Apollo--you know Apollo, the king-swan?--at their head.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Twilight was just creeping along, and I could hear nothing but faint creakings of sculls from the river and sometimes the drip of a punt-pole.
creakings
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Twilight was just creeping along, and I could hear nothing but faint creakings of sculls from the river and sometimes the drip of a punt-pole.
creepingnounUS /ˈkriːpɪŋ/
a slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body
From this reading Twilight was just creeping along, and I could hear nothing but faint creakings of sculls from the river and sometimes the drip of a punt-pole.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading I thought the river seemed to become suddenly deserted; it grew quite abnormally quiet--and abnormally dark.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading But I was so deep in reflection that it never occurred to me to move.
forsaken by owner or inhabitants
From this reading I thought the river seemed to become suddenly deserted; it grew quite abnormally quiet--and abnormally dark.
dripverbUS /drɪp/
fall in drops
From this reading Twilight was just creeping along, and I could hear nothing but faint creakings of sculls from the river and sometimes the drip of a punt-pole.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading Twilight was just creeping along, and I could hear nothing but faint creakings of sculls from the river and sometimes the drip of a punt-pole.
flotillanounUS /floʊˈtɪlə/
a United States Navy fleet consisting of two or more squadrons of small warships
From this reading "Then the flotilla of swans came round the bend, with Apollo--you know Apollo, the king-swan?--at their head.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Twilight was just creeping along, and I could hear nothing but faint creakings of sculls from the river and sometimes the drip of a punt-pole.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading I thought the river seemed to become suddenly deserted; it grew quite abnormally quiet--and abnormally dark.
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading By this time it had grown tremendously dark, but it never occurred to me to ask myself why.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading By this time it had grown tremendously dark, but it never occurred to me to ask myself why.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading "Then the flotilla of swans came round the bend, with Apollo--you know Apollo, the king-swan?--at their head.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading Twilight was just creeping along, and I could hear nothing but faint creakings of sculls from the river and sometimes the drip of a punt-pole.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Twilight was just creeping along, and I could hear nothing but faint creakings of sculls from the river and sometimes the drip of a punt-pole.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But I was so deep in reflection that it never occurred to me to move.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I thought the river seemed to become suddenly deserted; it grew quite abnormally quiet--and abnormally dark.
and nothing more
From this reading Twilight was just creeping along, and I could hear nothing but faint creakings of sculls from the river and sometimes the drip of a punt-pole.
king-swan
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Then the flotilla of swans came round the bend, with Apollo--you know Apollo, the king-swan?--at their head.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Then the flotilla of swans came round the bend, with Apollo--you know Apollo, the king-swan?--at their head.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But I was so deep in reflection that it never occurred to me to move.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading But I was so deep in reflection that it never occurred to me to move.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading By this time it had grown tremendously dark, but it never occurred to me to ask myself why.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading But I was so deep in reflection that it never occurred to me to move.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Twilight was just creeping along, and I could hear nothing but faint creakings of sculls from the river and sometimes the drip of a punt-pole.
inflected form of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading But I was so deep in reflection that it never occurred to me to move.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Twilight was just creeping along, and I could hear nothing but faint creakings of sculls from the river and sometimes the drip of a punt-pole.
punt-pole
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Twilight was just creeping along, and I could hear nothing but faint creakings of sculls from the river and sometimes the drip of a punt-pole.
quietadjectiveUS /ˈkwaɪət/
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading I thought the river seemed to become suddenly deserted; it grew quite abnormally quiet--and abnormally dark.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading I thought the river seemed to become suddenly deserted; it grew quite abnormally quiet--and abnormally dark.
a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading But I was so deep in reflection that it never occurred to me to move.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading Twilight was just creeping along, and I could hear nothing but faint creakings of sculls from the river and sometimes the drip of a punt-pole.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading "Then the flotilla of swans came round the bend, with Apollo--you know Apollo, the king-swan?--at their head.
sculls
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Twilight was just creeping along, and I could hear nothing but faint creakings of sculls from the river and sometimes the drip of a punt-pole.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading I thought the river seemed to become suddenly deserted; it grew quite abnormally quiet--and abnormally dark.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading But I was so deep in reflection that it never occurred to me to move.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading Twilight was just creeping along, and I could hear nothing but faint creakings of sculls from the river and sometimes the drip of a punt-pole.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading I thought the river seemed to become suddenly deserted; it grew quite abnormally quiet--and abnormally dark.
swansnounUS /swɑːnz/
plural of “swan” — stately heavy-bodied aquatic bird with very long neck and usually white plumage as adult
From this reading "Then the flotilla of swans came round the bend, with Apollo--you know Apollo, the king-swan?--at their head.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But I was so deep in reflection that it never occurred to me to move.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Twilight was just creeping along, and I could hear nothing but faint creakings of sculls from the river and sometimes the drip of a punt-pole.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading "Then the flotilla of swans came round the bend, with Apollo--you know Apollo, the king-swan?--at their head.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Then the flotilla of swans came round the bend, with Apollo--you know Apollo, the king-swan?--at their head.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading By this time it had grown tremendously dark, but it never occurred to me to ask myself why.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading I thought the river seemed to become suddenly deserted; it grew quite abnormally quiet--and abnormally dark.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading By this time it had grown tremendously dark, but it never occurred to me to ask myself why.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I thought the river seemed to become suddenly deserted; it grew quite abnormally quiet--and abnormally dark.
tremendouslyadverbUS /trəˈmendəsli/
extremely
From this reading By this time it had grown tremendously dark, but it never occurred to me to ask myself why.
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading Twilight was just creeping along, and I could hear nothing but faint creakings of sculls from the river and sometimes the drip of a punt-pole.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Twilight was just creeping along, and I could hear nothing but faint creakings of sculls from the river and sometimes the drip of a punt-pole.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading By this time it had grown tremendously dark, but it never occurred to me to ask myself why.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Then the flotilla of swans came round the bend, with Apollo--you know Apollo, the king-swan?--at their head.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Then the flotilla of swans came round the bend, with Apollo--you know Apollo, the king-swan?--at their head.
