used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Across the sandbar, well up on the bank above, in the deep shadow of the balsam, a bright fire etched in bold relief the faces of Corporal Rand and the three boys.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Across the sandbar, well up on the bank above, in the deep shadow of the balsam, a bright fire etched in bold relief the faces of Corporal Rand and the three boys.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Across the sandbar, well up on the bank above, in the deep shadow of the balsam, a bright fire etched in bold relief the faces of Corporal Rand and the three boys.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Cool air rose from the river, driving before it long, grey streamers of mist.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Across the sandbar, well up on the bank above, in the deep shadow of the balsam, a bright fire etched in bold relief the faces of Corporal Rand and the three boys.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading They made a complete circle around the fire and were conversing eagerly.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Up through the trees it spread, close to the ground, dense as smoke.
balsamnounUS /ˈbɔːlsəm/
any seed plant yielding balsam
From this reading Across the sandbar, well up on the bank above, in the deep shadow of the balsam, a bright fire etched in bold relief the faces of Corporal Rand and the three boys.
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading Across the sandbar, well up on the bank above, in the deep shadow of the balsam, a bright fire etched in bold relief the faces of Corporal Rand and the three boys.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Cool air rose from the river, driving before it long, grey streamers of mist.
fearless and daring
From this reading Across the sandbar, well up on the bank above, in the deep shadow of the balsam, a bright fire etched in bold relief the faces of Corporal Rand and the three boys.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading Across the sandbar, well up on the bank above, in the deep shadow of the balsam, a bright fire etched in bold relief the faces of Corporal Rand and the three boys.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading Across the sandbar, well up on the bank above, in the deep shadow of the balsam, a bright fire etched in bold relief the faces of Corporal Rand and the three boys.
centernounUS /ˈsɛn.tər/
The middle point or core of an area.
From this reading Just now it was Sandy who held the center of interest.
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading They made a complete circle around the fire and were conversing eagerly.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading Up through the trees it spread, close to the ground, dense as smoke.
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading They made a complete circle around the fire and were conversing eagerly.
conversingverbUS /kənˈvɜːrsɪŋ/
-ing form of “converse” — carry on a conversation
From this reading They made a complete circle around the fire and were conversing eagerly.
neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat
From this reading Cool air rose from the river, driving before it long, grey streamers of mist.
CorporalnounUS /ˈkɔːrpərəl/
a noncommissioned officer in the Army or Air Force or Marines
From this reading Across the sandbar, well up on the bank above, in the deep shadow of the balsam, a bright fire etched in bold relief the faces of Corporal Rand and the three boys.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading Across the sandbar, well up on the bank above, in the deep shadow of the balsam, a bright fire etched in bold relief the faces of Corporal Rand and the three boys.
denseadjectiveUS /dens/
permitting little if any light to pass through because of denseness of matter
From this reading Up through the trees it spread, close to the ground, dense as smoke.
having the power of driving or impelling
From this reading Cool air rose from the river, driving before it long, grey streamers of mist.
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading They made a complete circle around the fire and were conversing eagerly.
etchedadjectiveUS /etʃt/
cut or impressed into a surface
From this reading Across the sandbar, well up on the bank above, in the deep shadow of the balsam, a bright fire etched in bold relief the faces of Corporal Rand and the three boys.
plural of “face” — the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Across the sandbar, well up on the bank above, in the deep shadow of the balsam, a bright fire etched in bold relief the faces of Corporal Rand and the three boys.
start firing a weapon
From this reading Across the sandbar, well up on the bank above, in the deep shadow of the balsam, a bright fire etched in bold relief the faces of Corporal Rand and the three boys.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Cool air rose from the river, driving before it long, grey streamers of mist.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading Cool air rose from the river, driving before it long, grey streamers of mist.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading Up through the trees it spread, close to the ground, dense as smoke.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading Just now it was Sandy who held the center of interest.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Across the sandbar, well up on the bank above, in the deep shadow of the balsam, a bright fire etched in bold relief the faces of Corporal Rand and the three boys.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading Just now it was Sandy who held the center of interest.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Cool air rose from the river, driving before it long, grey streamers of mist.
and nothing more
From this reading Just now it was Sandy who held the center of interest.
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 Cool air rose from the river, driving before it long, grey streamers of mist.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading They made a complete circle around the fire and were conversing eagerly.
become covered with mist
From this reading Cool air rose from the river, driving before it long, grey streamers of mist.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Just now it was Sandy who held the center of interest.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Cool air rose from the river, driving before it long, grey streamers of mist.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Across the sandbar, well up on the bank above, in the deep shadow of the balsam, a bright fire etched in bold relief the faces of Corporal Rand and the three boys.
RandnounUS /rænd/
the basic unit of money in South Africa; equal to 100 cents
From this reading Across the sandbar, well up on the bank above, in the deep shadow of the balsam, a bright fire etched in bold relief the faces of Corporal Rand and the three boys.
the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced
From this reading Across the sandbar, well up on the bank above, in the deep shadow of the balsam, a bright fire etched in bold relief the faces of Corporal Rand and the three boys.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading Cool air rose from the river, driving before it long, grey streamers of mist.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading Cool air rose from the river, driving before it long, grey streamers of mist.
sandbarnounUS /ˈsændbɑːr/
a bar of sand
From this reading Across the sandbar, well up on the bank above, in the deep shadow of the balsam, a bright fire etched in bold relief the faces of Corporal Rand and the three boys.
SandyadjectiveUS /ˈsændi/
of hair color; pale yellowish to yellowish brown
From this reading Just now it was Sandy who held the center of interest.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading Across the sandbar, well up on the bank above, in the deep shadow of the balsam, a bright fire etched in bold relief the faces of Corporal Rand and the three boys.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading Up through the trees it spread, close to the ground, dense as smoke.
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading Up through the trees it spread, close to the ground, dense as smoke.
streamersnounUS /ˈstriːmərz/
plural of “streamer” — light that streams
From this reading Cool air rose from the river, driving before it long, grey streamers of mist.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Cool air rose from the river, driving before it long, grey streamers of mist.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They made a complete circle around the fire and were conversing eagerly.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Across the sandbar, well up on the bank above, in the deep shadow of the balsam, a bright fire etched in bold relief the faces of Corporal Rand and the three boys.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Up through the trees it spread, close to the ground, dense as smoke.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Up through the trees it spread, close to the ground, dense as smoke.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading Up through the trees it spread, close to the ground, dense as smoke.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Up through the trees it spread, close to the ground, dense as smoke.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Just now it was Sandy who held the center of interest.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Across the sandbar, well up on the bank above, in the deep shadow of the balsam, a bright fire etched in bold relief the faces of Corporal Rand and the three boys.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They made a complete circle around the fire and were conversing eagerly.
which person or people
From this reading Just now it was Sandy who held the center of interest.
