used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading By and by the pounding waves grew less and the boat ceased to strain and creak and the great hand on the tiller relaxed its hold a little.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading By and by the pounding waves grew less and the boat ceased to strain and creak and the great hand on the tiller relaxed its hold a little.
separated or at a distance in place or position or time
From this reading She got up and gathered the little loose curls in her hands, wringing the water from them and shaking them apart.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading “You ’d better get up now,” he said—his voice sounded rough and indifferent and she lifted indignant eyes, but he did not see her.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading By and by the pounding waves grew less and the boat ceased to strain and creak and the great hand on the tiller relaxed its hold a little.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “You ’d better get up now,” he said—his voice sounded rough and indifferent and she lifted indignant eyes, but he did not see her.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By and by the pounding waves grew less and the boat ceased to strain and creak and the great hand on the tiller relaxed its hold a little.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading By and by the pounding waves grew less and the boat ceased to strain and creak and the great hand on the tiller relaxed its hold a little.
crawledverbUS /krɔːld/
past form of “crawl” — move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground
From this reading Then she got to her knees and crawled to the seat, shivering a little.
creakverbUS /kriːk/
make a high-pitched, screeching noise
From this reading By and by the pounding waves grew less and the boat ceased to strain and creak and the great hand on the tiller relaxed its hold a little.
curlsnounUS /kɜːrlz/
plural of “curl” — a round shape formed by a series of concentric circles (as formed by leaves or flower petals)
From this reading She got up and gathered the little loose curls in her hands, wringing the water from them and shaking them apart.
a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets
From this reading “You ’d better get up now,” he said—his voice sounded rough and indifferent and she lifted indignant eyes, but he did not see her.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “You ’d better get up now,” he said—his voice sounded rough and indifferent and she lifted indignant eyes, but he did not see her.
opinion or judgment
From this reading “You ’d better get up now,” he said—his voice sounded rough and indifferent and she lifted indignant eyes, but he did not see her.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading She got up and gathered the little loose curls in her hands, wringing the water from them and shaking them apart.
brought together in one place
From this reading She got up and gathered the little loose curls in her hands, wringing the water from them and shaking them apart.
a long fixed look
From this reading His gaze was still on the horizon, holding it with intent look.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “You ’d better get up now,” he said—his voice sounded rough and indifferent and she lifted indignant eyes, but he did not see her.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading She got up and gathered the little loose curls in her hands, wringing the water from them and shaking them apart.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading By and by the pounding waves grew less and the boat ceased to strain and creak and the great hand on the tiller relaxed its hold a little.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading By and by the pounding waves grew less and the boat ceased to strain and creak and the great hand on the tiller relaxed its hold a little.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading By and by the pounding waves grew less and the boat ceased to strain and creak and the great hand on the tiller relaxed its hold a little.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading She got up and gathered the little loose curls in her hands, wringing the water from them and shaking them apart.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “You ’d better get up now,” he said—his voice sounded rough and indifferent and she lifted indignant eyes, but he did not see her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “You ’d better get up now,” he said—his voice sounded rough and indifferent and she lifted indignant eyes, but he did not see her.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “You ’d better get up now,” he said—his voice sounded rough and indifferent and she lifted indignant eyes, but he did not see her.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading By and by the pounding waves grew less and the boat ceased to strain and creak and the great hand on the tiller relaxed its hold a little.
the act of retaining something
From this reading His gaze was still on the horizon, holding it with intent look.
the line at which the sky and Earth appear to meet
From this reading His gaze was still on the horizon, holding it with intent look.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She got up and gathered the little loose curls in her hands, wringing the water from them and shaking them apart.
indifferentadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈdɪfrənt/
marked by a lack of interest
From this reading “You ’d better get up now,” he said—his voice sounded rough and indifferent and she lifted indignant eyes, but he did not see her.
indignantadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈdɪɡnənt/
angered at something unjust or wrong
From this reading “You ’d better get up now,” he said—his voice sounded rough and indifferent and she lifted indignant eyes, but he did not see her.
intentnounUS /ˌɪnˈtent/
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading His gaze was still on the horizon, holding it with intent look.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading His gaze was still on the horizon, holding it with intent look.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading By and by the pounding waves grew less and the boat ceased to strain and creak and the great hand on the tiller relaxed its hold a little.
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading Then she got to her knees and crawled to the seat, shivering a little.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading By and by the pounding waves grew less and the boat ceased to strain and creak and the great hand on the tiller relaxed its hold a little.
held up in the air
From this reading “You ’d better get up now,” he said—his voice sounded rough and indifferent and she lifted indignant eyes, but he did not see her.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading By and by the pounding waves grew less and the boat ceased to strain and creak and the great hand on the tiller relaxed its hold a little.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading His gaze was still on the horizon, holding it with intent look.
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading She got up and gathered the little loose curls in her hands, wringing the water from them and shaking them apart.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “You ’d better get up now,” he said—his voice sounded rough and indifferent and she lifted indignant eyes, but he did not see her.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “You ’d better get up now,” he said—his voice sounded rough and indifferent and she lifted indignant eyes, but he did not see her.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading By and by the pounding waves grew less and the boat ceased to strain and creak and the great hand on the tiller relaxed its hold a little.
poundingnounUS /ˈpaʊndɪŋ/
repeated heavy blows
From this reading By and by the pounding waves grew less and the boat ceased to strain and creak and the great hand on the tiller relaxed its hold a little.
relaxedadjectiveUS /rɪˈlækst/
without strain or anxiety
From this reading By and by the pounding waves grew less and the boat ceased to strain and creak and the great hand on the tiller relaxed its hold a little.
having or caused by an irregular surface
From this reading “You ’d better get up now,” he said—his voice sounded rough and indifferent and she lifted indignant eyes, but he did not see her.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “You ’d better get up now,” he said—his voice sounded rough and indifferent and she lifted indignant eyes, but he did not see her.
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading Then she got to her knees and crawled to the seat, shivering a little.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “You ’d better get up now,” he said—his voice sounded rough and indifferent and she lifted indignant eyes, but he did not see her.
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading She got up and gathered the little loose curls in her hands, wringing the water from them and shaking them apart.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “You ’d better get up now,” he said—his voice sounded rough and indifferent and she lifted indignant eyes, but he did not see her.
shiveringnounUS /ˈʃɪvərɪŋ/
a sensation of cold that often marks the start of an infection and the development of a fever
From this reading Then she got to her knees and crawled to the seat, shivering a little.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading “You ’d better get up now,” he said—his voice sounded rough and indifferent and she lifted indignant eyes, but he did not see her.
not in physical motion
From this reading His gaze was still on the horizon, holding it with intent look.
(physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces
From this reading By and by the pounding waves grew less and the boat ceased to strain and creak and the great hand on the tiller relaxed its hold a little.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading By and by the pounding waves grew less and the boat ceased to strain and creak and the great hand on the tiller relaxed its hold a little.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading She got up and gathered the little loose curls in her hands, wringing the water from them and shaking them apart.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then she got to her knees and crawled to the seat, shivering a little.
tillernounUS /ˈtɪlər/
a shoot that sprouts from the base of a grass
From this reading By and by the pounding waves grew less and the boat ceased to strain and creak and the great hand on the tiller relaxed its hold a little.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading By and by the pounding waves grew less and the boat ceased to strain and creak and the great hand on the tiller relaxed its hold a little.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “You ’d better get up now,” he said—his voice sounded rough and indifferent and she lifted indignant eyes, but he did not see her.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “You ’d better get up now,” he said—his voice sounded rough and indifferent and she lifted indignant eyes, but he did not see her.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His gaze was still on the horizon, holding it with intent look.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading She got up and gathered the little loose curls in her hands, wringing the water from them and shaking them apart.
plural of “wave” — one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
From this reading By and by the pounding waves grew less and the boat ceased to strain and creak and the great hand on the tiller relaxed its hold a little.
in the company of; together with
From this reading His gaze was still on the horizon, holding it with intent look.
wringingverbUS /ˈrɪŋɪŋ/
-ing form of “wring” — twist and press out of shape
From this reading She got up and gathered the little loose curls in her hands, wringing the water from them and shaking them apart.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You ’d better get up now,” he said—his voice sounded rough and indifferent and she lifted indignant eyes, but he did not see her.
