used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
arguedverbUS /ˈɑːrɡjuːd/
past form of “argue” — present reasons and arguments
From this reading “But this is a whale,” argued Tom.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Jes happened to be ’long o’ them there grampuses.
blackfishnoun
large dark-colored food fish of the Atlantic coast of North America
From this reading “They wasn’t,” declared Cap’n Pem, “jes or’nary blackfish.”
plural of “boat” — a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
busiedverbUS /ˈbɪzid/
inflected form of “busy” — keep busy with
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But this is a whale,” argued Tom.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
Cap'n
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “They wasn’t,” declared Cap’n Pem, “jes or’nary blackfish.”
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
made known or openly avowed
From this reading “They wasn’t,” declared Cap’n Pem, “jes or’nary blackfish.”
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
dumbadjectiveUS /dʌm/
slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity
From this reading “Jes dumb luck o’ Mr. Kemp,” replied the old whaleman.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
grampuses
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Jes happened to be ’long o’ them there grampuses.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading “Jes happened to be ’long o’ them there grampuses.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “But this is a whale,” argued Tom.
jes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “They wasn’t,” declared Cap’n Pem, “jes or’nary blackfish.”
Kemp
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Jes dumb luck o’ Mr. Kemp,” replied the old whaleman.
plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading “Jes happened to be ’long o’ them there grampuses.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading “Jes dumb luck o’ Mr. Kemp,” replied the old whaleman.
the force of workers available
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
a form of address for a man
From this reading “Jes dumb luck o’ Mr. Kemp,” replied the old whaleman.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading “Jes dumb luck o’ Mr. Kemp,” replied the old whaleman.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “Jes dumb luck o’ Mr. Kemp,” replied the old whaleman.
or'nary
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “They wasn’t,” declared Cap’n Pem, “jes or’nary blackfish.”
Pem
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “They wasn’t,” declared Cap’n Pem, “jes or’nary blackfish.”
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “Jes dumb luck o’ Mr. Kemp,” replied the old whaleman.
SHAVEverbUS /ʃeɪv/
remove body hair with a razor
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading “Jes happened to be ’long o’ them there grampuses.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “Jes happened to be ’long o’ them there grampuses.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “But this is a whale,” argued Tom.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
male cat
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
townounUS /toʊ/
the act of hauling something (as a vehicle) by means of a hitch or rope
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
triumphantlyadverbUS /traɪˈʌmfəntli/
in a triumphant manner
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
wasn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “They wasn’t,” declared Cap’n Pem, “jes or’nary blackfish.”
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
whalenounUS /weɪl/
a very large person; impressive in size or qualities
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
whaleman
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Jes dumb luck o’ Mr. Kemp,” replied the old whaleman.
whalesnounUS /weɪlz/
plural of “whale” — a very large person; impressive in size or qualities
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading A CLOSE SHAVE “I told you they were whales!” exclaimed Tom triumphantly, as the two boats drew side by side, and the men busied themselves getting tow lines fast to the dead whale.
