used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Incident followed upon incident, in a kind of breathless succession.
AboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading About nine o'clock the next morning an alarm was given, that one of the chimneys of the house was on fire.
an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
From this reading No accident could be apparently more trivial; but presently it blazed with such fury, as to make it clear that some beam of the house, which in the first building had been improperly placed, had been reached by the flames.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading About nine o'clock the next morning an alarm was given, that one of the chimneys of the house was on fire.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading About nine o'clock the next morning an alarm was given, that one of the chimneys of the house was on fire.
from appearances alone
From this reading No accident could be apparently more trivial; but presently it blazed with such fury, as to make it clear that some beam of the house, which in the first building had been improperly placed, had been reached by the flames.
apprehendedadjectiveUS /ˌæprɪˈhendɪd/
fully understood or grasped
From this reading Some danger was apprehended for the whole edifice.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading The period at which my story is now arrived seemed as if it were the very crisis of the fortune of Mr. Falkland.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The period at which my story is now arrived seemed as if it were the very crisis of the fortune of Mr. Falkland.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The period at which my story is now arrived seemed as if it were the very crisis of the fortune of Mr. Falkland.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading No accident could be apparently more trivial; but presently it blazed with such fury, as to make it clear that some beam of the house, which in the first building had been improperly placed, had been reached by the flames.
beamnounUS /biːm/
a signal transmitted along a narrow path; guides airplane pilots in darkness or bad weather
From this reading No accident could be apparently more trivial; but presently it blazed with such fury, as to make it clear that some beam of the house, which in the first building had been improperly placed, had been reached by the flames.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading No accident could be apparently more trivial; but presently it blazed with such fury, as to make it clear that some beam of the house, which in the first building had been improperly placed, had been reached by the flames.
blazedverbUS /bleɪzd/
past form of “blaze” — shine brightly and intensively
From this reading No accident could be apparently more trivial; but presently it blazed with such fury, as to make it clear that some beam of the house, which in the first building had been improperly placed, had been reached by the flames.
breathlessadjectiveUS /ˈbreθləs/
not breathing or able to breathe except with difficulty
From this reading Incident followed upon incident, in a kind of breathless succession.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading No accident could be apparently more trivial; but presently it blazed with such fury, as to make it clear that some beam of the house, which in the first building had been improperly placed, had been reached by the flames.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading No accident could be apparently more trivial; but presently it blazed with such fury, as to make it clear that some beam of the house, which in the first building had been improperly placed, had been reached by the flames.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading No accident could be apparently more trivial; but presently it blazed with such fury, as to make it clear that some beam of the house, which in the first building had been improperly placed, had been reached by the flames.
chimneysnounUS /ˈtʃɪmniz/
plural of “chimney” — a vertical flue that provides a path through which smoke from a fire is carried away through the wall or roof of a building
From this reading About nine o'clock the next morning an alarm was given, that one of the chimneys of the house was on fire.
rid of obstructions
From this reading No accident could be apparently more trivial; but presently it blazed with such fury, as to make it clear that some beam of the house, which in the first building had been improperly placed, had been reached by the flames.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading No accident could be apparently more trivial; but presently it blazed with such fury, as to make it clear that some beam of the house, which in the first building had been improperly placed, had been reached by the flames.
crisisnounUS /ˈkraɪsəs/
an unstable situation of extreme danger or difficulty
From this reading The period at which my story is now arrived seemed as if it were the very crisis of the fortune of Mr. Falkland.
the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury
From this reading Some danger was apprehended for the whole edifice.
edificenounUS /ˈedəfəs/
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading Some danger was apprehended for the whole edifice.
Falkland
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The period at which my story is now arrived seemed as if it were the very crisis of the fortune of Mr. Falkland.
start firing a weapon
From this reading About nine o'clock the next morning an alarm was given, that one of the chimneys of the house was on fire.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading No accident could be apparently more trivial; but presently it blazed with such fury, as to make it clear that some beam of the house, which in the first building had been improperly placed, had been reached by the flames.
flamesnounUS /fleɪmz/
plural of “flame” — the process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke
From this reading No accident could be apparently more trivial; but presently it blazed with such fury, as to make it clear that some beam of the house, which in the first building had been improperly placed, had been reached by the flames.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading Incident followed upon incident, in a kind of breathless succession.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Some danger was apprehended for the whole edifice.
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading The period at which my story is now arrived seemed as if it were the very crisis of the fortune of Mr. Falkland.
a feeling of intense anger
From this reading No accident could be apparently more trivial; but presently it blazed with such fury, as to make it clear that some beam of the house, which in the first building had been improperly placed, had been reached by the flames.
givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading About nine o'clock the next morning an alarm was given, that one of the chimneys of the house was on fire.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading No accident could be apparently more trivial; but presently it blazed with such fury, as to make it clear that some beam of the house, which in the first building had been improperly placed, had been reached by the flames.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading About nine o'clock the next morning an alarm was given, that one of the chimneys of the house was on fire.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The period at which my story is now arrived seemed as if it were the very crisis of the fortune of Mr. Falkland.
improperlyadverbUS /ˌɪmˈprɑːpərli/
in an improper way
From this reading No accident could be apparently more trivial; but presently it blazed with such fury, as to make it clear that some beam of the house, which in the first building had been improperly placed, had been reached by the flames.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Incident followed upon incident, in a kind of breathless succession.
a single distinct event
From this reading Incident followed upon incident, in a kind of breathless succession.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The period at which my story is now arrived seemed as if it were the very crisis of the fortune of Mr. Falkland.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The period at which my story is now arrived seemed as if it were the very crisis of the fortune of Mr. Falkland.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading Incident followed upon incident, in a kind of breathless succession.
engage in
From this reading No accident could be apparently more trivial; but presently it blazed with such fury, as to make it clear that some beam of the house, which in the first building had been improperly placed, had been reached by the flames.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading No accident could be apparently more trivial; but presently it blazed with such fury, as to make it clear that some beam of the house, which in the first building had been improperly placed, had been reached by the flames.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading About nine o'clock the next morning an alarm was given, that one of the chimneys of the house was on fire.
a form of address for a man
From this reading The period at which my story is now arrived seemed as if it were the very crisis of the fortune of Mr. Falkland.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The period at which my story is now arrived seemed as if it were the very crisis of the fortune of Mr. Falkland.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading About nine o'clock the next morning an alarm was given, that one of the chimneys of the house was on fire.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading About nine o'clock the next morning an alarm was given, that one of the chimneys of the house was on fire.
not any; not one
From this reading No accident could be apparently more trivial; but presently it blazed with such fury, as to make it clear that some beam of the house, which in the first building had been improperly placed, had been reached by the flames.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The period at which my story is now arrived seemed as if it were the very crisis of the fortune of Mr. Falkland.
o'clockadverbUS /əˈklɑːk/
according to the clock
From this reading About nine o'clock the next morning an alarm was given, that one of the chimneys of the house was on fire.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The period at which my story is now arrived seemed as if it were the very crisis of the fortune of Mr. Falkland.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading About nine o'clock the next morning an alarm was given, that one of the chimneys of the house was on fire.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading About nine o'clock the next morning an alarm was given, that one of the chimneys of the house was on fire.
an amount of time
From this reading The period at which my story is now arrived seemed as if it were the very crisis of the fortune of Mr. Falkland.
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading No accident could be apparently more trivial; but presently it blazed with such fury, as to make it clear that some beam of the house, which in the first building had been improperly placed, had been reached by the flames.
in the near future
From this reading No accident could be apparently more trivial; but presently it blazed with such fury, as to make it clear that some beam of the house, which in the first building had been improperly placed, had been reached by the flames.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading No accident could be apparently more trivial; but presently it blazed with such fury, as to make it clear that some beam of the house, which in the first building had been improperly placed, had been reached by the flames.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The period at which my story is now arrived seemed as if it were the very crisis of the fortune of Mr. Falkland.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading No accident could be apparently more trivial; but presently it blazed with such fury, as to make it clear that some beam of the house, which in the first building had been improperly placed, had been reached by the flames.
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 The period at which my story is now arrived seemed as if it were the very crisis of the fortune of Mr. Falkland.
successionnounUS /səkˈseʃən/
a following of one thing after another in time
From this reading Incident followed upon incident, in a kind of breathless succession.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading No accident could be apparently more trivial; but presently it blazed with such fury, as to make it clear that some beam of the house, which in the first building had been improperly placed, had been reached by the flames.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading About nine o'clock the next morning an alarm was given, that one of the chimneys of the house was on fire.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The period at which my story is now arrived seemed as if it were the very crisis of the fortune of Mr. Falkland.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading No accident could be apparently more trivial; but presently it blazed with such fury, as to make it clear that some beam of the house, which in the first building had been improperly placed, had been reached by the flames.
trivialadjectiveUS /ˈtrɪviəl/
(informal) small and of little importance
From this reading No accident could be apparently more trivial; but presently it blazed with such fury, as to make it clear that some beam of the house, which in the first building had been improperly placed, had been reached by the flames.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Incident followed upon incident, in a kind of breathless succession.
precisely as stated
From this reading The period at which my story is now arrived seemed as if it were the very crisis of the fortune of Mr. Falkland.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading About nine o'clock the next morning an alarm was given, that one of the chimneys of the house was on fire.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The period at which my story is now arrived seemed as if it were the very crisis of the fortune of Mr. Falkland.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The period at which my story is now arrived seemed as if it were the very crisis of the fortune of Mr. Falkland.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading Some danger was apprehended for the whole edifice.
in the company of; together with
From this reading No accident could be apparently more trivial; but presently it blazed with such fury, as to make it clear that some beam of the house, which in the first building had been improperly placed, had been reached by the flames.
