used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The instant the signal was given, he bounded forward like an arrow from a bow, and was well under way before the Indian had made a step.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
arrownounUS /ˈæroʊ/
a mark to indicate a direction or relation
From this reading The instant the signal was given, he bounded forward like an arrow from a bow, and was well under way before the Indian had made a step.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The yells did not express delight, but surprise and indignation; for their youthful champion was being left behind at the very commencement of the race.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading The yells did not express delight, but surprise and indignation; for their youthful champion was being left behind at the very commencement of the race.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading The yells did not express delight, but surprise and indignation; for their youthful champion was being left behind at the very commencement of the race.
boundedadjectiveUS /ˈbaʊndəd/
having the limits or boundaries established
From this reading The instant the signal was given, he bounded forward like an arrow from a bow, and was well under way before the Indian had made a step.
a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading The instant the signal was given, he bounded forward like an arrow from a bow, and was well under way before the Indian had made a step.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The yells did not express delight, but surprise and indignation; for their youthful champion was being left behind at the very commencement of the race.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading WHAT CAME OF IT.
championnounUS /ˈtʃæmpiən/
someone who has won first place in a competition
From this reading The yells did not express delight, but surprise and indignation; for their youthful champion was being left behind at the very commencement of the race.
chief'snounUS /tʃiːfs/
possessive form of “chief” — a person who is in charge
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
commencementnounUS /kəˈmensmənt/
the time at which something is supposed to begin
From this reading The yells did not express delight, but surprise and indignation; for their youthful champion was being left behind at the very commencement of the race.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading The yells did not express delight, but surprise and indignation; for their youthful champion was being left behind at the very commencement of the race.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The yells did not express delight, but surprise and indignation; for their youthful champion was being left behind at the very commencement of the race.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
dinnounUS /dɪn/
a loud harsh or strident noise
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
give expression to
From this reading The yells did not express delight, but surprise and indignation; for their youthful champion was being left behind at the very commencement of the race.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The yells did not express delight, but surprise and indignation; for their youthful champion was being left behind at the very commencement of the race.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading The instant the signal was given, he bounded forward like an arrow from a bow, and was well under way before the Indian had made a step.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading Frank took the lead at the start.
Frank'snounUS /fræŋks/
possessive form of “frank” — a member of the ancient Germanic peoples who spread from the Rhine into the Roman Empire in the 4th century
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The instant the signal was given, he bounded forward like an arrow from a bow, and was well under way before the Indian had made a step.
givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading The instant the signal was given, he bounded forward like an arrow from a bow, and was well under way before the Indian had made a step.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
of or relating to or characteristic of India or the East Indies or their peoples or languages or cultures
From this reading The instant the signal was given, he bounded forward like an arrow from a bow, and was well under way before the Indian had made a step.
a feeling of righteous anger
From this reading The yells did not express delight, but surprise and indignation; for their youthful champion was being left behind at the very commencement of the race.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading The instant the signal was given, he bounded forward like an arrow from a bow, and was well under way before the Indian had made a step.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading WHAT CAME OF IT.
take somebody somewhere
From this reading Frank took the lead at the start.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading The yells did not express delight, but surprise and indignation; for their youthful champion was being left behind at the very commencement of the race.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The instant the signal was given, he bounded forward like an arrow from a bow, and was well under way before the Indian had made a step.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading The instant the signal was given, he bounded forward like an arrow from a bow, and was well under way before the Indian had made a step.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
not any; not one
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The yells did not express delight, but surprise and indignation; for their youthful champion was being left behind at the very commencement of the race.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading WHAT CAME OF IT.
any competition
From this reading The yells did not express delight, but surprise and indignation; for their youthful champion was being left behind at the very commencement of the race.
rungnounUS /rʌŋ/
a crosspiece between the legs of a chair
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message
From this reading The instant the signal was given, he bounded forward like an arrow from a bow, and was well under way before the Indian had made a step.
comparatives of “soon” or “early”
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Frank took the lead at the start.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading The instant the signal was given, he bounded forward like an arrow from a bow, and was well under way before the Indian had made a step.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading The yells did not express delight, but surprise and indignation; for their youthful champion was being left behind at the very commencement of the race.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The yells did not express delight, but surprise and indignation; for their youthful champion was being left behind at the very commencement of the race.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
tribenounUS /traɪb/
a social division of (usually preliterate) people
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The instant the signal was given, he bounded forward like an arrow from a bow, and was well under way before the Indian had made a step.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
precisely as stated
From this reading The yells did not express delight, but surprise and indignation; for their youthful champion was being left behind at the very commencement of the race.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The yells did not express delight, but surprise and indignation; for their youthful champion was being left behind at the very commencement of the race.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The instant the signal was given, he bounded forward like an arrow from a bow, and was well under way before the Indian had made a step.
(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 The instant the signal was given, he bounded forward like an arrow from a bow, and was well under way before the Indian had made a step.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading WHAT CAME OF IT.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
yellnounUS /jel/
a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
From this reading No sooner had the chief's yell died away than the whole tribe took it up; and such a din as that which rung in Frank's ears during the next few seconds, he had never heard before.
yellsnounUS /jelz/
plural of “yell” — a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
From this reading The yells did not express delight, but surprise and indignation; for their youthful champion was being left behind at the very commencement of the race.
youthfuladjectiveUS /ˈjuːθfəl/
suggestive of youth; vigorous and fresh
From this reading The yells did not express delight, but surprise and indignation; for their youthful champion was being left behind at the very commencement of the race.
