used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A Wilderness Camp As the little party climbed upward on the gulch trail, they were discussing Dad and what they knew of his life.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Well, old man, what are you so glum about?" inquired Ham.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A Wilderness Camp As the little party climbed upward on the gulch trail, they were discussing Dad and what they knew of his life.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Well, old man, what are you so glum about?" inquired Ham.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A Wilderness Camp As the little party climbed upward on the gulch trail, they were discussing Dad and what they knew of his life.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Willis lagged behind, and did not seem to be particularly interested in the conversation.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "One would think you had been to a funeral instead of chatting with the most humorous of old mountaineers.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Willis lagged behind, and did not seem to be particularly interested in the conversation.
a youthful male person
From this reading Each boy telling little stories and incidents that he had heard concerning the old man.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading A Wilderness Camp As the little party climbed upward on the gulch trail, they were discussing Dad and what they knew of his life.
chattingverbUS /ˈtʃætɪŋ/
inflected form of “chat” — talk socially without exchanging too much information
From this reading "One would think you had been to a funeral instead of chatting with the most humorous of old mountaineers.
past form of “climb” — go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading A Wilderness Camp As the little party climbed upward on the gulch trail, they were discussing Dad and what they knew of his life.
-ing form of “concern” — be relevant to
From this reading Each boy telling little stories and incidents that he had heard concerning the old man.
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading Willis lagged behind, and did not seem to be particularly interested in the conversation.
DadnounUS /dæd/
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading A Wilderness Camp As the little party climbed upward on the gulch trail, they were discussing Dad and what they knew of his life.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Willis lagged behind, and did not seem to be particularly interested in the conversation.
discussingverbUS /dɪˈskʌsɪŋ/
-ing form of “discuss” — to consider or examine in speech or writing
From this reading A Wilderness Camp As the little party climbed upward on the gulch trail, they were discussing Dad and what they knew of his life.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Each boy telling little stories and incidents that he had heard concerning the old man.
funeralnounUS /ˈfjuːnərəl/
a ceremony at which a dead person is buried or cremated
From this reading "One would think you had been to a funeral instead of chatting with the most humorous of old mountaineers.
glumadjectiveUS /ɡlʌm/
moody and melancholic
From this reading "Well, old man, what are you so glum about?" inquired Ham.
gulchnounUS /ɡʌltʃ/
a narrow gorge with a stream running through it
From this reading A Wilderness Camp As the little party climbed upward on the gulch trail, they were discussing Dad and what they knew of his life.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Each boy telling little stories and incidents that he had heard concerning the old man.
HamnounUS /hæm/
meat cut from the thigh of a hog (usually smoked)
From this reading "Well, old man, what are you so glum about?" inquired Ham.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Each boy telling little stories and incidents that he had heard concerning the old man.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Each boy telling little stories and incidents that he had heard concerning the old man.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A Wilderness Camp As the little party climbed upward on the gulch trail, they were discussing Dad and what they knew of his life.
humorousadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmərəs/
full of or characterized by humor
From this reading "One would think you had been to a funeral instead of chatting with the most humorous of old mountaineers.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Willis lagged behind, and did not seem to be particularly interested in the conversation.
incidentsnounUS /ˈɪnsədənts/
plural of “incident” — a single distinct event
From this reading Each boy telling little stories and incidents that he had heard concerning the old man.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading "Well, old man, what are you so glum about?" inquired Ham.
in place of, or as an alternative to
From this reading "One would think you had been to a funeral instead of chatting with the most humorous of old mountaineers.
having or showing interest; especially curiosity or fascination or concern
From this reading Willis lagged behind, and did not seem to be particularly interested in the conversation.
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 A Wilderness Camp As the little party climbed upward on the gulch trail, they were discussing Dad and what they knew of his life.
laggedverbUS /læɡd/
inflected form of “lag” — hang (back) or fall (behind) in movement, progress, development, etc.
From this reading Willis lagged behind, and did not seem to be particularly interested in the conversation.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading A Wilderness Camp As the little party climbed upward on the gulch trail, they were discussing Dad and what they knew of his life.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading A Wilderness Camp As the little party climbed upward on the gulch trail, they were discussing Dad and what they knew of his life.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Each boy telling little stories and incidents that he had heard concerning the old man.
used to form the superlative
From this reading "One would think you had been to a funeral instead of chatting with the most humorous of old mountaineers.
mountaineersnounUS /ˈmaʊntɪnɪrz/
plural of “mountaineer” — someone who climbs mountains
From this reading "One would think you had been to a funeral instead of chatting with the most humorous of old mountaineers.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Willis lagged behind, and did not seem to be particularly interested in the conversation.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A Wilderness Camp As the little party climbed upward on the gulch trail, they were discussing Dad and what they knew of his life.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Each boy telling little stories and incidents that he had heard concerning the old man.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A Wilderness Camp As the little party climbed upward on the gulch trail, they were discussing Dad and what they knew of his life.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "One would think you had been to a funeral instead of chatting with the most humorous of old mountaineers.
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading Willis lagged behind, and did not seem to be particularly interested in the conversation.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading A Wilderness Camp As the little party climbed upward on the gulch trail, they were discussing Dad and what they knew of his life.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Willis lagged behind, and did not seem to be particularly interested in the conversation.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Well, old man, what are you so glum about?" inquired Ham.
plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading Each boy telling little stories and incidents that he had heard concerning the old man.
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading Each boy telling little stories and incidents that he had heard concerning the old man.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Each boy telling little stories and incidents that he had heard concerning the old man.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A Wilderness Camp As the little party climbed upward on the gulch trail, they were discussing Dad and what they knew of his life.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A Wilderness Camp As the little party climbed upward on the gulch trail, they were discussing Dad and what they knew of his life.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "One would think you had been to a funeral instead of chatting with the most humorous of old mountaineers.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Willis lagged behind, and did not seem to be particularly interested in the conversation.
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading A Wilderness Camp As the little party climbed upward on the gulch trail, they were discussing Dad and what they knew of his life.
upwardadjectiveUS /ˈʌpwərd/
directed up
From this reading A Wilderness Camp As the little party climbed upward on the gulch trail, they were discussing Dad and what they knew of his life.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, old man, what are you so glum about?" inquired Ham.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A Wilderness Camp As the little party climbed upward on the gulch trail, they were discussing Dad and what they knew of his life.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading A Wilderness Camp As the little party climbed upward on the gulch trail, they were discussing Dad and what they knew of his life.
WildernessnounUS /ˈwɪldərnəs/
(politics) a state of disfavor
From this reading A Wilderness Camp As the little party climbed upward on the gulch trail, they were discussing Dad and what they knew of his life.
WillisnounUS /ˈwɪlɪs/
English physician who was a pioneer in the study of the brain (1621-1675)
From this reading Willis lagged behind, and did not seem to be particularly interested in the conversation.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "One would think you had been to a funeral instead of chatting with the most humorous of old mountaineers.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "One would think you had been to a funeral instead of chatting with the most humorous of old mountaineers.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, old man, what are you so glum about?" inquired Ham.
