used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He paused not to think, however, but went over almost with the speed of a bird upon the wing, and more slowly the others followed.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading They brought with them the end of the coils of rope, and these were speedily hauled across.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading They arrived at the plateau in the afternoon, and cautiously, yet quickly was the plank placed over.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading He paused not to think, however, but went over almost with the speed of a bird upon the wing, and more slowly the others followed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They arrived at the plateau in the afternoon, and cautiously, yet quickly was the plank placed over.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading They arrived at the plateau in the afternoon, and cautiously, yet quickly was the plank placed over.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They arrived at the plateau in the afternoon, and cautiously, yet quickly was the plank placed over.
attachverbUS /əˈtætʃ/
cause to be attached
From this reading Frank did not wait to attach the rope to his waist, so eager was he.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading The yawning green gulf beneath him might have tried the nerve of Blondin.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading He paused not to think, however, but went over almost with the speed of a bird upon the wing, and more slowly the others followed.
Blondin
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The yawning green gulf beneath him might have tried the nerve of Blondin.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading They brought with them the end of the coils of rope, and these were speedily hauled across.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He paused not to think, however, but went over almost with the speed of a bird upon the wing, and more slowly the others followed.
cautiouslyadverbUS /ˈkɔːʃəsli/
as if with kid gloves; with caution or prudence or tact
From this reading They arrived at the plateau in the afternoon, and cautiously, yet quickly was the plank placed over.
coilsnounUS /kɔɪlz/
plural of “coil” — a structure consisting of something wound in a continuous series of loops
From this reading They brought with them the end of the coils of rope, and these were speedily hauled across.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Frank did not wait to attach the rope to his waist, so eager was he.
eageradjectiveUS /ˈiːɡər/
having or showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy
From this reading Frank did not wait to attach the rope to his waist, so eager was he.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading They brought with them the end of the coils of rope, and these were speedily hauled across.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading He paused not to think, however, but went over almost with the speed of a bird upon the wing, and more slowly the others followed.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading Frank did not wait to attach the rope to his waist, so eager was he.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading The yawning green gulf beneath him might have tried the nerve of Blondin.
gulfnounUS /ɡʌlf/
an arm of a sea or ocean partly enclosed by land; larger than a bay
From this reading The yawning green gulf beneath him might have tried the nerve of Blondin.
hauledverbUS /hɔːld/
past form of “haul” — draw slowly or heavily
From this reading They brought with them the end of the coils of rope, and these were speedily hauled across.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The yawning green gulf beneath him might have tried the nerve of Blondin.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Frank did not wait to attach the rope to his waist, so eager was he.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The yawning green gulf beneath him might have tried the nerve of Blondin.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Frank did not wait to attach the rope to his waist, so eager was he.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading He paused not to think, however, but went over almost with the speed of a bird upon the wing, and more slowly the others followed.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They arrived at the plateau in the afternoon, and cautiously, yet quickly was the plank placed over.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading The yawning green gulf beneath him might have tried the nerve of Blondin.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading He paused not to think, however, but went over almost with the speed of a bird upon the wing, and more slowly the others followed.
nervenounUS /nɜːrv/
any bundle of nerve fibers running to various organs and tissues of the body
From this reading The yawning green gulf beneath him might have tried the nerve of Blondin.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Frank did not wait to attach the rope to his waist, so eager was he.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The yawning green gulf beneath him might have tried the nerve of Blondin.
others
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He paused not to think, however, but went over almost with the speed of a bird upon the wing, and more slowly the others followed.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading They arrived at the plateau in the afternoon, and cautiously, yet quickly was the plank placed over.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading He paused not to think, however, but went over almost with the speed of a bird upon the wing, and more slowly the others followed.
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading They arrived at the plateau in the afternoon, and cautiously, yet quickly was the plank placed over.
plankverbUS /plæŋk/
cover with planks
From this reading They arrived at the plateau in the afternoon, and cautiously, yet quickly was the plank placed over.
plateaunounUS /plæˈtoʊ/
a relatively flat highland
From this reading They arrived at the plateau in the afternoon, and cautiously, yet quickly was the plank placed over.
with speed
From this reading They arrived at the plateau in the afternoon, and cautiously, yet quickly was the plank placed over.
a strong line
From this reading Frank did not wait to attach the rope to his waist, so eager was he.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading He paused not to think, however, but went over almost with the speed of a bird upon the wing, and more slowly the others followed.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Frank did not wait to attach the rope to his waist, so eager was he.
move hurridly
From this reading He paused not to think, however, but went over almost with the speed of a bird upon the wing, and more slowly the others followed.
speedilyadverbUS /ˈspiːdəli/
with speed
From this reading They brought with them the end of the coils of rope, and these were speedily hauled across.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They arrived at the plateau in the afternoon, and cautiously, yet quickly was the plank placed over.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading They brought with them the end of the coils of rope, and these were speedily hauled across.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading They brought with them the end of the coils of rope, and these were speedily hauled across.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They arrived at the plateau in the afternoon, and cautiously, yet quickly was the plank placed over.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading He paused not to think, however, but went over almost with the speed of a bird upon the wing, and more slowly the others followed.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Frank did not wait to attach the rope to his waist, so eager was he.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading The yawning green gulf beneath him might have tried the nerve of Blondin.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading He paused not to think, however, but went over almost with the speed of a bird upon the wing, and more slowly the others followed.
the narrowing of the body between the ribs and hips
From this reading Frank did not wait to attach the rope to his waist, so eager was he.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading Frank did not wait to attach the rope to his waist, so eager was he.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading They arrived at the plateau in the afternoon, and cautiously, yet quickly was the plank placed over.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He paused not to think, however, but went over almost with the speed of a bird upon the wing, and more slowly the others followed.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They brought with them the end of the coils of rope, and these were speedily hauled across.
a movable organ for flying (one of a pair)
From this reading He paused not to think, however, but went over almost with the speed of a bird upon the wing, and more slowly the others followed.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He paused not to think, however, but went over almost with the speed of a bird upon the wing, and more slowly the others followed.
yawningadjectiveUS /ˈjɔːnɪŋ/
gaping open as if threatening to engulf someone or something
From this reading The yawning green gulf beneath him might have tried the nerve of Blondin.
but in spite of that
From this reading They arrived at the plateau in the afternoon, and cautiously, yet quickly was the plank placed over.
