used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading For ten, for twenty, for thirty seconds I stood so; and then the silence was broken by the unmistakable rustle of a woman's skirts.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For ten, for twenty, for thirty seconds I stood so; and then the silence was broken by the unmistakable rustle of a woman's skirts.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading It was my turn to let loose my held breath with a gasp, and in another moment I should have been through the window and running for it; when a woman's whisper halted me.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It was my turn to let loose my held breath with a gasp, and in another moment I should have been through the window and running for it; when a woman's whisper halted me.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading It was my turn to let loose my held breath with a gasp, and in another moment I should have been through the window and running for it; when a woman's whisper halted me.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading For ten, for twenty, for thirty seconds I stood so; and then the silence was broken by the unmistakable rustle of a woman's skirts.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading For ten, for twenty, for thirty seconds I stood so; and then the silence was broken by the unmistakable rustle of a woman's skirts.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The sound came softly towards me through the darkness.
King of France from 1560 to 1574 whose reign was dominated by his mother Catherine de Medicis (1550-1574)
From this reading “Is that you, Charles?
absence of light or illumination
From this reading The sound came softly towards me through the darkness.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading And why did you not rap upon the shutter?”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For ten, for twenty, for thirty seconds I stood so; and then the silence was broken by the unmistakable rustle of a woman's skirts.
gaspnounUS /ɡæsp/
a short labored intake of breath with the mouth open
From this reading It was my turn to let loose my held breath with a gasp, and in another moment I should have been through the window and running for it; when a woman's whisper halted me.
past form of “halt” — cause to stop
From this reading It was my turn to let loose my held breath with a gasp, and in another moment I should have been through the window and running for it; when a woman's whisper halted me.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It was my turn to let loose my held breath with a gasp, and in another moment I should have been through the window and running for it; when a woman's whisper halted me.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading It was my turn to let loose my held breath with a gasp, and in another moment I should have been through the window and running for it; when a woman's whisper halted me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading For ten, for twenty, for thirty seconds I stood so; and then the silence was broken by the unmistakable rustle of a woman's skirts.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was my turn to let loose my held breath with a gasp, and in another moment I should have been through the window and running for it; when a woman's whisper halted me.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Is that you, Charles?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was my turn to let loose my held breath with a gasp, and in another moment I should have been through the window and running for it; when a woman's whisper halted me.
letauxiliary verbUS /let/
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading It was my turn to let loose my held breath with a gasp, and in another moment I should have been through the window and running for it; when a woman's whisper halted me.
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading It was my turn to let loose my held breath with a gasp, and in another moment I should have been through the window and running for it; when a woman's whisper halted me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The sound came softly towards me through the darkness.
a particular point in time
From this reading It was my turn to let loose my held breath with a gasp, and in another moment I should have been through the window and running for it; when a woman's whisper halted me.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading It was my turn to let loose my held breath with a gasp, and in another moment I should have been through the window and running for it; when a woman's whisper halted me.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading And why did you not rap upon the shutter?”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading For ten, for twenty, for thirty seconds I stood so; and then the silence was broken by the unmistakable rustle of a woman's skirts.
rapnounUS /ræp/
a reproach for some lapse or misdeed
From this reading And why did you not rap upon the shutter?”
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading It was my turn to let loose my held breath with a gasp, and in another moment I should have been through the window and running for it; when a woman's whisper halted me.
rustleverbUS /ˈrʌsəl/
make a dry crackling sound
From this reading For ten, for twenty, for thirty seconds I stood so; and then the silence was broken by the unmistakable rustle of a woman's skirts.
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading For ten, for twenty, for thirty seconds I stood so; and then the silence was broken by the unmistakable rustle of a woman's skirts.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading It was my turn to let loose my held breath with a gasp, and in another moment I should have been through the window and running for it; when a woman's whisper halted me.
shutternounUS /ˈʃʌtər/
a mechanical device on a camera that opens and closes to control the time of a photographic exposure
From this reading And why did you not rap upon the shutter?”
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading For ten, for twenty, for thirty seconds I stood so; and then the silence was broken by the unmistakable rustle of a woman's skirts.
skirtsnounUS /skɜːrts/
plural of “skirt” — cloth covering that forms the part of a garment below the waist
From this reading For ten, for twenty, for thirty seconds I stood so; and then the silence was broken by the unmistakable rustle of a woman's skirts.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading For ten, for twenty, for thirty seconds I stood so; and then the silence was broken by the unmistakable rustle of a woman's skirts.
with low volume
From this reading The sound came softly towards me through the darkness.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading The sound came softly towards me through the darkness.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading For ten, for twenty, for thirty seconds I stood so; and then the silence was broken by the unmistakable rustle of a woman's skirts.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading For ten, for twenty, for thirty seconds I stood so; and then the silence was broken by the unmistakable rustle of a woman's skirts.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Is that you, Charles?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For ten, for twenty, for thirty seconds I stood so; and then the silence was broken by the unmistakable rustle of a woman's skirts.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading For ten, for twenty, for thirty seconds I stood so; and then the silence was broken by the unmistakable rustle of a woman's skirts.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three
From this reading For ten, for twenty, for thirty seconds I stood so; and then the silence was broken by the unmistakable rustle of a woman's skirts.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The sound came softly towards me through the darkness.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was my turn to let loose my held breath with a gasp, and in another moment I should have been through the window and running for it; when a woman's whisper halted me.
in the direction of
From this reading The sound came softly towards me through the darkness.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading It was my turn to let loose my held breath with a gasp, and in another moment I should have been through the window and running for it; when a woman's whisper halted me.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading For ten, for twenty, for thirty seconds I stood so; and then the silence was broken by the unmistakable rustle of a woman's skirts.
unmistakableadjectiveUS /ˌʌnmɪˈsteɪkəbəl/
clearly evident to the mind
From this reading For ten, for twenty, for thirty seconds I stood so; and then the silence was broken by the unmistakable rustle of a woman's skirts.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading And why did you not rap upon the shutter?”
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For ten, for twenty, for thirty seconds I stood so; and then the silence was broken by the unmistakable rustle of a woman's skirts.
at the time that
From this reading It was my turn to let loose my held breath with a gasp, and in another moment I should have been through the window and running for it; when a woman's whisper halted me.
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading It was my turn to let loose my held breath with a gasp, and in another moment I should have been through the window and running for it; when a woman's whisper halted me.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading And why did you not rap upon the shutter?”
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 It was my turn to let loose my held breath with a gasp, and in another moment I should have been through the window and running for it; when a woman's whisper halted me.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It was my turn to let loose my held breath with a gasp, and in another moment I should have been through the window and running for it; when a woman's whisper halted me.
woman'snounUS /ˈwʊmənz/
possessive form of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading For ten, for twenty, for thirty seconds I stood so; and then the silence was broken by the unmistakable rustle of a woman's skirts.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Is that you, Charles?
