used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading As old readers know, he was a skillful ventriloquist, and he had seized the opportunity to work upon the superstitious fears of the ignorant sailors.
abandonverbUS /əˈbændən/
forsake, leave behind
From this reading It was sport for Frank, and he hoped to frighten the men away so completely that they would abandon their captive.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading With a skill that was absolutely wonderful he had made the singing seem to come nearer and nearer till it was close at hand, and then he had laughed so the sound appeared to issue from the pit the men had dug.
(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 Frank had caused all this terror.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As old readers know, he was a skillful ventriloquist, and he had seized the opportunity to work upon the superstitious fears of the ignorant sailors.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading With a skill that was absolutely wonderful he had made the singing seem to come nearer and nearer till it was close at hand, and then he had laughed so the sound appeared to issue from the pit the men had dug.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As old readers know, he was a skillful ventriloquist, and he had seized the opportunity to work upon the superstitious fears of the ignorant sailors.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading With a skill that was absolutely wonderful he had made the singing seem to come nearer and nearer till it was close at hand, and then he had laughed so the sound appeared to issue from the pit the men had dug.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading It was sport for Frank, and he hoped to frighten the men away so completely that they would abandon their captive.
captivenounUS /ˈkæptɪv/
a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading It was sport for Frank, and he hoped to frighten the men away so completely that they would abandon their captive.
past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally
From this reading Frank had caused all this terror.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading With a skill that was absolutely wonderful he had made the singing seem to come nearer and nearer till it was close at hand, and then he had laughed so the sound appeared to issue from the pit the men had dug.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading With a skill that was absolutely wonderful he had made the singing seem to come nearer and nearer till it was close at hand, and then he had laughed so the sound appeared to issue from the pit the men had dug.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading It was sport for Frank, and he hoped to frighten the men away so completely that they would abandon their captive.
dugnounUS /dʌɡ/
an udder or breast or teat
From this reading With a skill that was absolutely wonderful he had made the singing seem to come nearer and nearer till it was close at hand, and then he had laughed so the sound appeared to issue from the pit the men had dug.
plural of “fear” — an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
From this reading As old readers know, he was a skillful ventriloquist, and he had seized the opportunity to work upon the superstitious fears of the ignorant sailors.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was sport for Frank, and he hoped to frighten the men away so completely that they would abandon their captive.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading Frank had caused all this terror.
frightenverbUS /ˈfraɪtən/
cause fear in
From this reading It was sport for Frank, and he hoped to frighten the men away so completely that they would abandon their captive.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading With a skill that was absolutely wonderful he had made the singing seem to come nearer and nearer till it was close at hand, and then he had laughed so the sound appeared to issue from the pit the men had dug.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Frank had caused all this terror.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading With a skill that was absolutely wonderful he had made the singing seem to come nearer and nearer till it was close at hand, and then he had laughed so the sound appeared to issue from the pit the men had dug.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As old readers know, he was a skillful ventriloquist, and he had seized the opportunity to work upon the superstitious fears of the ignorant sailors.
past form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading It was sport for Frank, and he hoped to frighten the men away so completely that they would abandon their captive.
uneducated in general; lacking knowledge or sophistication
From this reading As old readers know, he was a skillful ventriloquist, and he had seized the opportunity to work upon the superstitious fears of the ignorant sailors.
issueverbUS /ˈɪʃuː/
prepare and issue for public distribution or sale
From this reading With a skill that was absolutely wonderful he had made the singing seem to come nearer and nearer till it was close at hand, and then he had laughed so the sound appeared to issue from the pit the men had dug.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading With a skill that was absolutely wonderful he had made the singing seem to come nearer and nearer till it was close at hand, and then he had laughed so the sound appeared to issue from the pit the men had dug.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading As old readers know, he was a skillful ventriloquist, and he had seized the opportunity to work upon the superstitious fears of the ignorant sailors.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading With a skill that was absolutely wonderful he had made the singing seem to come nearer and nearer till it was close at hand, and then he had laughed so the sound appeared to issue from the pit the men had dug.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading With a skill that was absolutely wonderful he had made the singing seem to come nearer and nearer till it was close at hand, and then he had laughed so the sound appeared to issue from the pit the men had dug.
the force of workers available
From this reading With a skill that was absolutely wonderful he had made the singing seem to come nearer and nearer till it was close at hand, and then he had laughed so the sound appeared to issue from the pit the men had dug.
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading With a skill that was absolutely wonderful he had made the singing seem to come nearer and nearer till it was close at hand, and then he had laughed so the sound appeared to issue from the pit the men had dug.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As old readers know, he was a skillful ventriloquist, and he had seized the opportunity to work upon the superstitious fears of the ignorant sailors.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading As old readers know, he was a skillful ventriloquist, and he had seized the opportunity to work upon the superstitious fears of the ignorant sailors.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading As old readers know, he was a skillful ventriloquist, and he had seized the opportunity to work upon the superstitious fears of the ignorant sailors.
pitnounUS /pɪt/
A large hole in the ground, or an abyss of darkness and peril.
From this reading With a skill that was absolutely wonderful he had made the singing seem to come nearer and nearer till it was close at hand, and then he had laughed so the sound appeared to issue from the pit the men had dug.
the act of pursuing in an effort to overtake or capture
From this reading PURSUIT.
readersnounUS /ˈriːdərz/
plural of “reader” — a person who enjoys reading
From this reading As old readers know, he was a skillful ventriloquist, and he had seized the opportunity to work upon the superstitious fears of the ignorant sailors.
plural of “sailor” — any member of a ship's crew
From this reading As old readers know, he was a skillful ventriloquist, and he had seized the opportunity to work upon the superstitious fears of the ignorant sailors.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading With a skill that was absolutely wonderful he had made the singing seem to come nearer and nearer till it was close at hand, and then he had laughed so the sound appeared to issue from the pit the men had dug.
past form of “seize” — take hold of; grab
From this reading As old readers know, he was a skillful ventriloquist, and he had seized the opportunity to work upon the superstitious fears of the ignorant sailors.
the act of singing vocal music
From this reading With a skill that was absolutely wonderful he had made the singing seem to come nearer and nearer till it was close at hand, and then he had laughed so the sound appeared to issue from the pit the men had dug.
an ability that has been acquired by training
From this reading With a skill that was absolutely wonderful he had made the singing seem to come nearer and nearer till it was close at hand, and then he had laughed so the sound appeared to issue from the pit the men had dug.
skillfuladjectiveUS /ˈskɪlfəl/
having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude
From this reading As old readers know, he was a skillful ventriloquist, and he had seized the opportunity to work upon the superstitious fears of the ignorant sailors.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading With a skill that was absolutely wonderful he had made the singing seem to come nearer and nearer till it was close at hand, and then he had laughed so the sound appeared to issue from the pit the men had dug.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading With a skill that was absolutely wonderful he had made the singing seem to come nearer and nearer till it was close at hand, and then he had laughed so the sound appeared to issue from the pit the men had dug.
an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition
From this reading It was sport for Frank, and he hoped to frighten the men away so completely that they would abandon their captive.
superstitiousadjectiveUS /ˌsuːpərˈstɪʃəs/
showing ignorance of the laws of nature and faith in magic or chance
From this reading As old readers know, he was a skillful ventriloquist, and he had seized the opportunity to work upon the superstitious fears of the ignorant sailors.
an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
From this reading Frank had caused all this terror.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading With a skill that was absolutely wonderful he had made the singing seem to come nearer and nearer till it was close at hand, and then he had laughed so the sound appeared to issue from the pit the men had dug.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As old readers know, he was a skillful ventriloquist, and he had seized the opportunity to work upon the superstitious fears of the ignorant sailors.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading It was sport for Frank, and he hoped to frighten the men away so completely that they would abandon their captive.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading With a skill that was absolutely wonderful he had made the singing seem to come nearer and nearer till it was close at hand, and then he had laughed so the sound appeared to issue from the pit the men had dug.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was sport for Frank, and he hoped to frighten the men away so completely that they would abandon their captive.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Frank had caused all this terror.
up to a particular time
From this reading With a skill that was absolutely wonderful he had made the singing seem to come nearer and nearer till it was close at hand, and then he had laughed so the sound appeared to issue from the pit the men had dug.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As old readers know, he was a skillful ventriloquist, and he had seized the opportunity to work upon the superstitious fears of the ignorant sailors.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading As old readers know, he was a skillful ventriloquist, and he had seized the opportunity to work upon the superstitious fears of the ignorant sailors.
ventriloquistnoun
a performer who projects the voice into a wooden dummy
From this reading As old readers know, he was a skillful ventriloquist, and he had seized the opportunity to work upon the superstitious fears of the ignorant sailors.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As old readers know, he was a skillful ventriloquist, and he had seized the opportunity to work upon the superstitious fears of the ignorant sailors.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With a skill that was absolutely wonderful he had made the singing seem to come nearer and nearer till it was close at hand, and then he had laughed so the sound appeared to issue from the pit the men had dug.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading With a skill that was absolutely wonderful he had made the singing seem to come nearer and nearer till it was close at hand, and then he had laughed so the sound appeared to issue from the pit the men had dug.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading As old readers know, he was a skillful ventriloquist, and he had seized the opportunity to work upon the superstitious fears of the ignorant sailors.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It was sport for Frank, and he hoped to frighten the men away so completely that they would abandon their captive.
