used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Naomi had been sitting in the same position ever since her door had shut on a girl stumbling into the dark hallway.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading All her life she had drifted with the least resistant current and without thinking much.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She sat there without moving and with a queer little twist of wonder at the problems we bring upon ourselves.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She sat there without moving and with a queer little twist of wonder at the problems we bring upon ourselves.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Through the window Naomi had lifted that morning, the shaft of sunlight receded slowly until it slipped away.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Naomi had been sitting in the same position ever since her door had shut on a girl stumbling into the dark hallway.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading She sat there without moving and with a queer little twist of wonder at the problems we bring upon ourselves.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Now, of a sudden, thought had come smashing upon her with the devastating violence of a hurricane.
a flow of electricity through a conductor
From this reading All her life she had drifted with the least resistant current and without thinking much.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Naomi had been sitting in the same position ever since her door had shut on a girl stumbling into the dark hallway.
devastatingadjectiveUS /ˈdevəsteɪtɪŋ/
making light of
From this reading Now, of a sudden, thought had come smashing upon her with the devastating violence of a hurricane.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Naomi had been sitting in the same position ever since her door had shut on a girl stumbling into the dark hallway.
driftedverbUS /ˈdrɪftəd/
past form of “drift” — be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading All her life she had drifted with the least resistant current and without thinking much.
at any time
From this reading Naomi had been sitting in the same position ever since her door had shut on a girl stumbling into the dark hallway.
a young female
From this reading Naomi had been sitting in the same position ever since her door had shut on a girl stumbling into the dark hallway.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Through the window Naomi had lifted that morning, the shaft of sunlight receded slowly until it slipped away.
hallwaynounUS /ˈhɔːlweɪ/
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading Naomi had been sitting in the same position ever since her door had shut on a girl stumbling into the dark hallway.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Naomi had been sitting in the same position ever since her door had shut on a girl stumbling into the dark hallway.
hurricanenounUS /ˈhɜːrəkeɪn/
a severe tropical cyclone usually with heavy rains and winds moving at 63-136 knots (12 on the Beaufort scale)
From this reading Now, of a sudden, thought had come smashing upon her with the devastating violence of a hurricane.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Naomi had been sitting in the same position ever since her door had shut on a girl stumbling into the dark hallway.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Naomi had been sitting in the same position ever since her door had shut on a girl stumbling into the dark hallway.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Through the window Naomi had lifted that morning, the shaft of sunlight receded slowly until it slipped away.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading All her life she had drifted with the least resistant current and without thinking much.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading All her life she had drifted with the least resistant current and without thinking much.
held up in the air
From this reading Through the window Naomi had lifted that morning, the shaft of sunlight receded slowly until it slipped away.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She sat there without moving and with a queer little twist of wonder at the problems we bring upon ourselves.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Through the window Naomi had lifted that morning, the shaft of sunlight receded slowly until it slipped away.
in motion
From this reading She sat there without moving and with a queer little twist of wonder at the problems we bring upon ourselves.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading All her life she had drifted with the least resistant current and without thinking much.
NaominounUS /neɪˈoʊmi/
the mother-in-law of Ruth whose story is told in the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament
From this reading Through the window Naomi had lifted that morning, the shaft of sunlight receded slowly until it slipped away.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now, of a sudden, thought had come smashing upon her with the devastating violence of a hurricane.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Through the window Naomi had lifted that morning, the shaft of sunlight receded slowly until it slipped away.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Naomi had been sitting in the same position ever since her door had shut on a girl stumbling into the dark hallway.
used when we are both doing the action and receiving it
From this reading She sat there without moving and with a queer little twist of wonder at the problems we bring upon ourselves.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading Naomi had been sitting in the same position ever since her door had shut on a girl stumbling into the dark hallway.
problemsnounUS /ˈprɑːbləmz/
plural of “problem” — a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved
From this reading She sat there without moving and with a queer little twist of wonder at the problems we bring upon ourselves.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading She sat there without moving and with a queer little twist of wonder at the problems we bring upon ourselves.
recededverbUS /rəˈsiːdɪd/
past form of “recede” — pull back or move away or backward
From this reading Through the window Naomi had lifted that morning, the shaft of sunlight receded slowly until it slipped away.
resistantadjectiveUS /rɪˈzɪstənt/
relating to or conferring immunity (to disease or infection)
From this reading All her life she had drifted with the least resistant current and without thinking much.
Identical; not different.
From this reading Naomi had been sitting in the same position ever since her door had shut on a girl stumbling into the dark hallway.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading She sat there without moving and with a queer little twist of wonder at the problems we bring upon ourselves.
shaftnounUS /ʃæft/
a line that forms the length of an arrow pointer
From this reading Through the window Naomi had lifted that morning, the shaft of sunlight receded slowly until it slipped away.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She sat there without moving and with a queer little twist of wonder at the problems we bring upon ourselves.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading Naomi had been sitting in the same position ever since her door had shut on a girl stumbling into the dark hallway.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Naomi had been sitting in the same position ever since her door had shut on a girl stumbling into the dark hallway.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading Naomi had been sitting in the same position ever since her door had shut on a girl stumbling into the dark hallway.
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading Through the window Naomi had lifted that morning, the shaft of sunlight receded slowly until it slipped away.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading Through the window Naomi had lifted that morning, the shaft of sunlight receded slowly until it slipped away.
smashingnounUS /ˈsmæʃɪŋ/
the act of breaking something into small pieces
From this reading Now, of a sudden, thought had come smashing upon her with the devastating violence of a hurricane.
stumblingverbUS /ˈstʌmbəlɪŋ/
-ing form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading Naomi had been sitting in the same position ever since her door had shut on a girl stumbling into the dark hallway.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading Now, of a sudden, thought had come smashing upon her with the devastating violence of a hurricane.
the rays of the sun
From this reading Through the window Naomi had lifted that morning, the shaft of sunlight receded slowly until it slipped away.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Through the window Naomi had lifted that morning, the shaft of sunlight receded slowly until it slipped away.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Through the window Naomi had lifted that morning, the shaft of sunlight receded slowly until it slipped away.
in or at that place or location
From this reading She sat there without moving and with a queer little twist of wonder at the problems we bring upon ourselves.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading All her life she had drifted with the least resistant current and without thinking much.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Now, of a sudden, thought had come smashing upon her with the devastating violence of a hurricane.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Through the window Naomi had lifted that morning, the shaft of sunlight receded slowly until it slipped away.
twistverbUS /twɪst/
to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling)
From this reading She sat there without moving and with a queer little twist of wonder at the problems we bring upon ourselves.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading Through the window Naomi had lifted that morning, the shaft of sunlight receded slowly until it slipped away.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading She sat there without moving and with a queer little twist of wonder at the problems we bring upon ourselves.
an act of aggression (as one against a person who resists)
From this reading Now, of a sudden, thought had come smashing upon her with the devastating violence of a hurricane.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading She sat there without moving and with a queer little twist of wonder at the problems we bring upon ourselves.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Through the window Naomi had lifted that morning, the shaft of sunlight receded slowly until it slipped away.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She sat there without moving and with a queer little twist of wonder at the problems we bring upon ourselves.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading She sat there without moving and with a queer little twist of wonder at the problems we bring upon ourselves.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading She sat there without moving and with a queer little twist of wonder at the problems we bring upon ourselves.
