used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “They’ve got their shooters out, an’ there’ll be fireworks in a brace o’ shakes.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “Keep away!” breathed the man.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
braceverbUS /breɪs/
prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult
From this reading “They’ve got their shooters out, an’ there’ll be fireworks in a brace o’ shakes.
uttered without voice
From this reading “Keep away!” breathed the man.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
celebrationnounUS /ˌseləˈbreɪʃən/
a joyful occasion for special festivities to mark some happy event
From this reading If you go in there you’ll be right in the middle of the celebration.”
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
fireworksnounUS /ˈfaɪrwɜːrks/
plural of “firework” — (usually plural) a device with an explosive that burns at a low rate and with colored flames; can be used to illuminate areas or send signals etc.
From this reading “They’ve got their shooters out, an’ there’ll be fireworks in a brace o’ shakes.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading If you go in there you’ll be right in the middle of the celebration.”
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “They’ve got their shooters out, an’ there’ll be fireworks in a brace o’ shakes.
grabbedverbUS /ɡræbd/
inflected form of “grab” — take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If you go in there you’ll be right in the middle of the celebration.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading “Keep away!” breathed the man.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Keep away!” breathed the man.
the force of workers available
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading If you go in there you’ll be right in the middle of the celebration.”
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading “They’ve got their shooters out, an’ there’ll be fireworks in a brace o’ shakes.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
and nothing more
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
others
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “They’ve got their shooters out, an’ there’ll be fireworks in a brace o’ shakes.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
an angry dispute
From this reading THE QUARREL.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
no longer active in your work or profession
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
precisely, exactly
From this reading If you go in there you’ll be right in the middle of the celebration.”
saferadjectiveUS /ˈseɪfər/
comparative of “safe” — free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
scoutnounUS /skaʊt/
a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
shakesnounUS /ʃeɪks/
plural of “shake” — building material used as siding or roofing
From this reading “They’ve got their shooters out, an’ there’ll be fireworks in a brace o’ shakes.
shootersnounUS /ˈʃuːtərz/
plural of “shooter” — a large marble used for shooting in the game of marbles
From this reading “They’ve got their shooters out, an’ there’ll be fireworks in a brace o’ shakes.
having a supporting base
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE QUARREL.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading “They’ve got their shooters out, an’ there’ll be fireworks in a brace o’ shakes.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
there'll
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “They’ve got their shooters out, an’ there’ll be fireworks in a brace o’ shakes.
They've
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “They’ve got their shooters out, an’ there’ll be fireworks in a brace o’ shakes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
which person or people
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The scout reached the door of the office, only to be grabbed by one of the men who had been standing there and looking in, but who had now retired with others to a safer position.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading If you go in there you’ll be right in the middle of the celebration.”
you'll
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If you go in there you’ll be right in the middle of the celebration.”
