Chapter XI · Chapter 11

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

later than; following

From this reading The little mill went on night after night--almost everynight in the summer, and those nights in the winter when the frost wasn't so hard that it would have frozen up the machinery.

a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

(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 Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading The little mill went on night after night--almost everynight in the summer, and those nights in the winter when the frost wasn't so hard that it would have frozen up the machinery.

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading But to attempt to describe the variety of the pictures Willie saw would be an endless labour.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The little mill went on night after night--almost everynight in the summer, and those nights in the winter when the frost wasn't so hard that it would have frozen up the machinery.

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something

From this reading But to attempt to describe the variety of the pictures Willie saw would be an endless labour.

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading But to attempt to describe the variety of the pictures Willie saw would be an endless labour.

at or to a lower level than something

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But to attempt to describe the variety of the pictures Willie saw would be an endless labour.

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

give a description of

From this reading But to attempt to describe the variety of the pictures Willie saw would be an endless labour.

water that has condensed on a cool surface overnight from water vapor in the air

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

tiresomely long; seemingly without end

From this reading But to attempt to describe the variety of the pictures Willie saw would be an endless labour.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The little mill went on night after night--almost everynight in the summer, and those nights in the winter when the frost wasn't so hard that it would have frozen up the machinery.

something many people believe that is false

From this reading I fancy some of my readers would like to hear what were some of the scenes Willie saw on such occasions.

a short vivid experience

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside)

From this reading The little mill went on night after night--almost everynight in the summer, and those nights in the winter when the frost wasn't so hard that it would have frozen up the machinery.

turned into ice; affected by freezing or by long and severe cold

From this reading The little mill went on night after night--almost everynight in the summer, and those nights in the winter when the frost wasn't so hard that it would have frozen up the machinery.

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

a long fixed look

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure

From this reading The little mill went on night after night--almost everynight in the summer, and those nights in the winter when the frost wasn't so hard that it would have frozen up the machinery.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading The little mill went on night after night--almost everynight in the summer, and those nights in the winter when the frost wasn't so hard that it would have frozen up the machinery.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

perceive (sound) via the auditory sense

From this reading I fancy some of my readers would like to hear what were some of the scenes Willie saw on such occasions.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I fancy some of my readers would like to hear what were some of the scenes Willie saw on such occasions.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading The little mill went on night after night--almost everynight in the summer, and those nights in the winter when the frost wasn't so hard that it would have frozen up the machinery.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The little mill went on night after night--almost everynight in the summer, and those nights in the winter when the frost wasn't so hard that it would have frozen up the machinery.

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages

From this reading But to attempt to describe the variety of the pictures Willie saw would be an endless labour.

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading I fancy some of my readers would like to hear what were some of the scenes Willie saw on such occasions.

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading The little mill went on night after night--almost everynight in the summer, and those nights in the winter when the frost wasn't so hard that it would have frozen up the machinery.

the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

machines or machine systems collectively

From this reading The little mill went on night after night--almost everynight in the summer, and those nights in the winter when the frost wasn't so hard that it would have frozen up the machinery.

inflected form of “meet” — come together

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

move about in a confused manner

From this reading The little mill went on night after night--almost everynight in the summer, and those nights in the winter when the frost wasn't so hard that it would have frozen up the machinery.

the natural satellite of the Earth

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading I fancy some of my readers would like to hear what were some of the scenes Willie saw on such occasions.

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading The little mill went on night after night--almost everynight in the summer, and those nights in the winter when the frost wasn't so hard that it would have frozen up the machinery.

Periods of darkness between sunset and sunrise.

From this reading The little mill went on night after night--almost everynight in the summer, and those nights in the winter when the frost wasn't so hard that it would have frozen up the machinery.

something you have to do

From this reading I fancy some of my readers would like to hear what were some of the scenes Willie saw on such occasions.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading SOME OF THE SIGHTS WILLIE SAW.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading I fancy some of my readers would like to hear what were some of the scenes Willie saw on such occasions.

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

plural of “picture” — a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface

From this reading But to attempt to describe the variety of the pictures Willie saw would be an endless labour.

characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

plural of “reader” — a person who enjoys reading

From this reading I fancy some of my readers would like to hear what were some of the scenes Willie saw on such occasions.

cut with a saw

From this reading SOME OF THE SIGHTS WILLIE SAW.

plural of “scene” — the place where some action occurs

From this reading I fancy some of my readers would like to hear what were some of the scenes Willie saw on such occasions.

settle into a position, usually on a surface or ground

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

an optical instrument for aiding the eye in aiming, as on a firearm or surveying instrument

From this reading SOME OF THE SIGHTS WILLIE SAW.

having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

a descent as through liquid (especially through water)

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading The little mill went on night after night--almost everynight in the summer, and those nights in the winter when the frost wasn't so hard that it would have frozen up the machinery.

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading SOME OF THE SIGHTS WILLIE SAW.

on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading I fancy some of my readers would like to hear what were some of the scenes Willie saw on such occasions.

the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox

From this reading The little mill went on night after night--almost everynight in the summer, and those nights in the winter when the frost wasn't so hard that it would have frozen up the machinery.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The little mill went on night after night--almost everynight in the summer, and those nights in the winter when the frost wasn't so hard that it would have frozen up the machinery.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading SOME OF THE SIGHTS WILLIE SAW.

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading The little mill went on night after night--almost everynight in the summer, and those nights in the winter when the frost wasn't so hard that it would have frozen up the machinery.

having intellectual depth

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading I fancy some of my readers would like to hear what were some of the scenes Willie saw on such occasions.

a shaky motion

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading The little mill went on night after night--almost everynight in the summer, and those nights in the winter when the frost wasn't so hard that it would have frozen up the machinery.

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

a collection containing a variety of sorts of things

From this reading But to attempt to describe the variety of the pictures Willie saw would be an endless labour.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The little mill went on night after night--almost everynight in the summer, and those nights in the winter when the frost wasn't so hard that it would have frozen up the machinery.

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading The little mill went on night after night--almost everynight in the summer, and those nights in the winter when the frost wasn't so hard that it would have frozen up the machinery.

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading I fancy some of my readers would like to hear what were some of the scenes Willie saw on such occasions.

used to ask for information about something

From this reading I fancy some of my readers would like to hear what were some of the scenes Willie saw on such occasions.

at the time that

From this reading The little mill went on night after night--almost everynight in the summer, and those nights in the winter when the frost wasn't so hard that it would have frozen up the machinery.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading SOME OF THE SIGHTS WILLIE SAW.

the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox

From this reading The little mill went on night after night--almost everynight in the summer, and those nights in the winter when the frost wasn't so hard that it would have frozen up the machinery.

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading Sometimes, when he looked out, it was a simple, quiet, thoughtful night that met his gaze, without any moon, but as full of stars as it could hold, all flashing and trembling through the dew that was slowly sinking down the air to settle upon the earth and its thousand living things below.

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading I fancy some of my readers would like to hear what were some of the scenes Willie saw on such occasions.