used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading After writing the little note to Nedda, he hurried to the station and found a train about to start.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading After writing the little note to Nedda, he hurried to the station and found a train about to start.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading After writing the little note to Nedda, he hurried to the station and found a train about to start.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And then, suddenly, up started that thing, and stood there, haunting him!
next to; at the side of
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Why did it come?
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
Derek
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Why did it come?
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
set up or found
From this reading After writing the little note to Nedda, he hurried to the station and found a train about to start.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
hauntingadjectiveUS /ˈhɔːntɪŋ/
continually recurring to the mind
From this reading And then, suddenly, up started that thing, and stood there, haunting him!
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading After writing the little note to Nedda, he hurried to the station and found a train about to start.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
hoveringverbUS /ˈhʌvərɪŋ/
-ing form of “hover” — be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste
From this reading After writing the little note to Nedda, he hurried to the station and found a train about to start.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Why did it come?
set down according to a plan
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading After writing the little note to Nedda, he hurried to the station and found a train about to start.
Nedda
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
Periods of darkness between sunset and sunrise.
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
not one, and not any
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
a brief written record
From this reading After writing the little note to Nedda, he hurried to the station and found a train about to start.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
pillownounUS /ˈpɪloʊ/
a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
inflected form of “sleep” — be asleep
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading After writing the little note to Nedda, he hurried to the station and found a train about to start.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading And then, suddenly, up started that thing, and stood there, haunting him!
a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose
From this reading After writing the little note to Nedda, he hurried to the station and found a train about to start.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading And then, suddenly, up started that thing, and stood there, haunting him!
happening unexpectedly
From this reading And then, suddenly, up started that thing, and stood there, haunting him!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And then, suddenly, up started that thing, and stood there, haunting him!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then, suddenly, up started that thing, and stood there, haunting him!
in or at that place or location
From this reading And then, suddenly, up started that thing, and stood there, haunting him!
a special situation
From this reading And then, suddenly, up started that thing, and stood there, haunting him!
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading After writing the little note to Nedda, he hurried to the station and found a train about to start.
create by training and teaching
From this reading After writing the little note to Nedda, he hurried to the station and found a train about to start.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading And then, suddenly, up started that thing, and stood there, haunting him!
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading What did it want of him?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What did it want of him?
which person or people
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why did it come?
wokeverbUS /woʊk/
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading Derek, who had slept the sleep of the dead, having had none for two nights, woke thinking of Nedda hovering above him in the dark; of her face laid down beside him on the pillow.
the act of creating written works
From this reading After writing the little note to Nedda, he hurried to the station and found a train about to start.
