used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The house stood about half-way up the hill that rose gently from the little creek, and in front of it was a large oak-tree that spread its branches out over the porch and almost to the road.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The house stood about half-way up the hill that rose gently from the little creek, and in front of it was a large oak-tree that spread its branches out over the porch and almost to the road.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Just after we had waded through the little stream that ran across the road, we came in full sight of the place.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Just after we had waded through the little stream that ran across the road, we came in full sight of the place.
alder-bushes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were alder-bushes and burdocks along the fence,—or, rather, where the fence was meant to be; for when I first knew the place almost half of it was gone, and the remaining half was never in repair.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading The house stood about half-way up the hill that rose gently from the little creek, and in front of it was a large oak-tree that spread its branches out over the porch and almost to the road.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading There were alder-bushes and burdocks along the fence,—or, rather, where the fence was meant to be; for when I first knew the place almost half of it was gone, and the remaining half was never in repair.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was when I began to go to the district school that I first heard of Ferman Henry and his house.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading There were alder-bushes and burdocks along the fence,—or, rather, where the fence was meant to be; for when I first knew the place almost half of it was gone, and the remaining half was never in repair.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading It was when I began to go to the district school that I first heard of Ferman Henry and his house.
plural of “branch” — a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading The house stood about half-way up the hill that rose gently from the little creek, and in front of it was a large oak-tree that spread its branches out over the porch and almost to the road.
burdocks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were alder-bushes and burdocks along the fence,—or, rather, where the fence was meant to be; for when I first knew the place almost half of it was gone, and the remaining half was never in repair.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Just after we had waded through the little stream that ran across the road, we came in full sight of the place.
a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)
From this reading The house stood about half-way up the hill that rose gently from the little creek, and in front of it was a large oak-tree that spread its branches out over the porch and almost to the road.
a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
From this reading It was when I began to go to the district school that I first heard of Ferman Henry and his house.
enclose with a fence
From this reading There were alder-bushes and burdocks along the fence,—or, rather, where the fence was meant to be; for when I first knew the place almost half of it was gone, and the remaining half was never in repair.
Ferman
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was when I began to go to the district school that I first heard of Ferman Henry and his house.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading It was when I began to go to the district school that I first heard of Ferman Henry and his house.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There were alder-bushes and burdocks along the fence,—or, rather, where the fence was meant to be; for when I first knew the place almost half of it was gone, and the remaining half was never in repair.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The house stood about half-way up the hill that rose gently from the little creek, and in front of it was a large oak-tree that spread its branches out over the porch and almost to the road.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading The house stood about half-way up the hill that rose gently from the little creek, and in front of it was a large oak-tree that spread its branches out over the porch and almost to the road.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading Just after we had waded through the little stream that ran across the road, we came in full sight of the place.
in a gradual manner
From this reading The house stood about half-way up the hill that rose gently from the little creek, and in front of it was a large oak-tree that spread its branches out over the porch and almost to the road.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading It was when I began to go to the district school that I first heard of Ferman Henry and his house.
destroyed or killed
From this reading There were alder-bushes and burdocks along the fence,—or, rather, where the fence was meant to be; for when I first knew the place almost half of it was gone, and the remaining half was never in repair.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Just after we had waded through the little stream that ran across the road, we came in full sight of the place.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading There were alder-bushes and burdocks along the fence,—or, rather, where the fence was meant to be; for when I first knew the place almost half of it was gone, and the remaining half was never in repair.
half-way
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The house stood about half-way up the hill that rose gently from the little creek, and in front of it was a large oak-tree that spread its branches out over the porch and almost to the road.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading It was when I began to go to the district school that I first heard of Ferman Henry and his house.
a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second
From this reading It was when I began to go to the district school that I first heard of Ferman Henry and his house.
a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading The house stood about half-way up the hill that rose gently from the little creek, and in front of it was a large oak-tree that spread its branches out over the porch and almost to the road.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It was when I began to go to the district school that I first heard of Ferman Henry and his house.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading It was when I began to go to the district school that I first heard of Ferman Henry and his house.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading It was when I began to go to the district school that I first heard of Ferman Henry and his house.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Just after we had waded through the little stream that ran across the road, we came in full sight of the place.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was when I began to go to the district school that I first heard of Ferman Henry and his house.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The house stood about half-way up the hill that rose gently from the little creek, and in front of it was a large oak-tree that spread its branches out over the porch and almost to the road.
and nothing more
From this reading Just after we had waded through the little stream that ran across the road, we came in full sight of the place.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading There were alder-bushes and burdocks along the fence,—or, rather, where the fence was meant to be; for when I first knew the place almost half of it was gone, and the remaining half was never in repair.
largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The house stood about half-way up the hill that rose gently from the little creek, and in front of it was a large oak-tree that spread its branches out over the porch and almost to the road.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Just after we had waded through the little stream that ran across the road, we came in full sight of the place.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading There were alder-bushes and burdocks along the fence,—or, rather, where the fence was meant to be; for when I first knew the place almost half of it was gone, and the remaining half was never in repair.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading There were alder-bushes and burdocks along the fence,—or, rather, where the fence was meant to be; for when I first knew the place almost half of it was gone, and the remaining half was never in repair.
oak-tree
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The house stood about half-way up the hill that rose gently from the little creek, and in front of it was a large oak-tree that spread its branches out over the porch and almost to the road.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was when I began to go to the district school that I first heard of Ferman Henry and his house.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On one side of the house was a well, and in this was a wooden pump.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading On one side of the house was a well, and in this was a wooden pump.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading There were alder-bushes and burdocks along the fence,—or, rather, where the fence was meant to be; for when I first knew the place almost half of it was gone, and the remaining half was never in repair.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The house stood about half-way up the hill that rose gently from the little creek, and in front of it was a large oak-tree that spread its branches out over the porch and almost to the road.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The house stood about half-way up the hill that rose gently from the little creek, and in front of it was a large oak-tree that spread its branches out over the porch and almost to the road.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Just after we had waded through the little stream that ran across the road, we came in full sight of the place.
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading The house stood about half-way up the hill that rose gently from the little creek, and in front of it was a large oak-tree that spread its branches out over the porch and almost to the road.
pumpverbUS /pʌmp/
operate like a pump; move up and down, like a handle or a pedal
From this reading On one side of the house was a well, and in this was a wooden pump.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Just after we had waded through the little stream that ran across the road, we came in full sight of the place.
on the contrary
From this reading There were alder-bushes and burdocks along the fence,—or, rather, where the fence was meant to be; for when I first knew the place almost half of it was gone, and the remaining half was never in repair.
not used up
From this reading There were alder-bushes and burdocks along the fence,—or, rather, where the fence was meant to be; for when I first knew the place almost half of it was gone, and the remaining half was never in repair.
repairnounUS /rɪˈper/
the act of putting something in working order again
From this reading There were alder-bushes and burdocks along the fence,—or, rather, where the fence was meant to be; for when I first knew the place almost half of it was gone, and the remaining half was never in repair.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading Just after we had waded through the little stream that ran across the road, we came in full sight of the place.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading The house stood about half-way up the hill that rose gently from the little creek, and in front of it was a large oak-tree that spread its branches out over the porch and almost to the road.
an educational institution
From this reading It was when I began to go to the district school that I first heard of Ferman Henry and his house.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading On one side of the house was a well, and in this was a wooden pump.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading Just after we had waded through the little stream that ran across the road, we came in full sight of the place.
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading The house stood about half-way up the hill that rose gently from the little creek, and in front of it was a large oak-tree that spread its branches out over the porch and almost to the road.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The house stood about half-way up the hill that rose gently from the little creek, and in front of it was a large oak-tree that spread its branches out over the porch and almost to the road.
a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth
From this reading Just after we had waded through the little stream that ran across the road, we came in full sight of the place.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was when I began to go to the district school that I first heard of Ferman Henry and his house.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was when I began to go to the district school that I first heard of Ferman Henry and his house.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were alder-bushes and burdocks along the fence,—or, rather, where the fence was meant to be; for when I first knew the place almost half of it was gone, and the remaining half was never in repair.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading On one side of the house was a well, and in this was a wooden pump.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Just after we had waded through the little stream that ran across the road, we came in full sight of the place.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was when I began to go to the district school that I first heard of Ferman Henry and his house.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The house stood about half-way up the hill that rose gently from the little creek, and in front of it was a large oak-tree that spread its branches out over the porch and almost to the road.
wadedverbUS /ˈweɪdɪd/
past form of “wade” — walk (through relatively shallow water)
From this reading Just after we had waded through the little stream that ran across the road, we came in full sight of the place.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was when I began to go to the district school that I first heard of Ferman Henry and his house.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Just after we had waded through the little stream that ran across the road, we came in full sight of the place.
(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 On one side of the house was a well, and in this was a wooden pump.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were alder-bushes and burdocks along the fence,—or, rather, where the fence was meant to be; for when I first knew the place almost half of it was gone, and the remaining half was never in repair.
at the time that
From this reading It was when I began to go to the district school that I first heard of Ferman Henry and his house.
in or at the place that
From this reading There were alder-bushes and burdocks along the fence,—or, rather, where the fence was meant to be; for when I first knew the place almost half of it was gone, and the remaining half was never in repair.
made or consisting of (entirely or in part) or employing wood
From this reading On one side of the house was a well, and in this was a wooden pump.
