used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Ling walked in an easterly direction, keeping at a distance of about a hundred yards from the river bank.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Ling walked in an easterly direction, keeping at a distance of about a hundred yards from the river bank.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading The Sang River, which at this place was about a hundred and fifty yards across, is one of the main tributaries of the Pe-kiang, which flows into Canton from the north.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Ling walked in an easterly direction, keeping at a distance of about a hundred yards from the river bank.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Sang River, which at this place was about a hundred and fifty yards across, is one of the main tributaries of the Pe-kiang, which flows into Canton from the north.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As Frank knew well, it was navigable for a considerable distance, even for sea-going junks.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Ling walked in an easterly direction, keeping at a distance of about a hundred yards from the river bank.
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading Ling walked in an easterly direction, keeping at a distance of about a hundred yards from the river bank.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Presently Ling began to talk to himself in a low voice, but loud enough for the boy to hear.
a youthful male person
From this reading Presently Ling began to talk to himself in a low voice, but loud enough for the boy to hear.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The morning was exceedingly still; nothing disturbed the silence but the ceaseless sound of the current of the river, stirring the tall reeds that grew in the shallow water.
CantonnounUS /ˈkæntən/
a city on the Zhu Jiang delta in southern China; the capital of Guangdong province and a major deep-water port
From this reading The Sang River, which at this place was about a hundred and fifty yards across, is one of the main tributaries of the Pe-kiang, which flows into Canton from the north.
ceaselessadjectiveUS /ˈsiːslɪs/
uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing
From this reading The morning was exceedingly still; nothing disturbed the silence but the ceaseless sound of the current of the river, stirring the tall reeds that grew in the shallow water.
large or relatively large in number or amount or extent or degree
From this reading As Frank knew well, it was navigable for a considerable distance, even for sea-going junks.
a flow of electricity through a conductor
From this reading The morning was exceedingly still; nothing disturbed the silence but the ceaseless sound of the current of the river, stirring the tall reeds that grew in the shallow water.
a line leading to a place or point
From this reading Ling walked in an easterly direction, keeping at a distance of about a hundred yards from the river bank.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading Ling walked in an easterly direction, keeping at a distance of about a hundred yards from the river bank.
having the place or position changed
From this reading The morning was exceedingly still; nothing disturbed the silence but the ceaseless sound of the current of the river, stirring the tall reeds that grew in the shallow water.
easterlyadjectiveUS /ˈiːstərli/
lying in or toward the east
From this reading Ling walked in an easterly direction, keeping at a distance of about a hundred yards from the river bank.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading Presently Ling began to talk to himself in a low voice, but loud enough for the boy to hear.
divisible by two
From this reading As Frank knew well, it was navigable for a considerable distance, even for sea-going junks.
to an extreme degree
From this reading The morning was exceedingly still; nothing disturbed the silence but the ceaseless sound of the current of the river, stirring the tall reeds that grew in the shallow water.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading The Sang River, which at this place was about a hundred and fifty yards across, is one of the main tributaries of the Pe-kiang, which flows into Canton from the north.
flowsnounUS /floʊz/
plural of “flow” — the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases)
From this reading The Sang River, which at this place was about a hundred and fifty yards across, is one of the main tributaries of the Pe-kiang, which flows into Canton from the north.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading As Frank knew well, it was navigable for a considerable distance, even for sea-going junks.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading As Frank knew well, it was navigable for a considerable distance, even for sea-going junks.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Ling walked in an easterly direction, keeping at a distance of about a hundred yards from the river bank.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading The morning was exceedingly still; nothing disturbed the silence but the ceaseless sound of the current of the river, stirring the tall reeds that grew in the shallow water.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading Presently Ling began to talk to himself in a low voice, but loud enough for the boy to hear.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Presently Ling began to talk to himself in a low voice, but loud enough for the boy to hear.
ten 10s
From this reading Ling walked in an easterly direction, keeping at a distance of about a hundred yards from the river bank.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Ling walked in an easterly direction, keeping at a distance of about a hundred yards from the river bank.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The Sang River, which at this place was about a hundred and fifty yards across, is one of the main tributaries of the Pe-kiang, which flows into Canton from the north.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Sang River, which at this place was about a hundred and fifty yards across, is one of the main tributaries of the Pe-kiang, which flows into Canton from the north.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading As Frank knew well, it was navigable for a considerable distance, even for sea-going junks.
junks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Frank knew well, it was navigable for a considerable distance, even for sea-going junks.
conformity or harmony
From this reading Ling walked in an easterly direction, keeping at a distance of about a hundred yards from the river bank.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading As Frank knew well, it was navigable for a considerable distance, even for sea-going junks.
LingnounUS /lɪŋ/
water chestnut whose spiny fruit has two rather than 4 prongs
From this reading Ling walked in an easterly direction, keeping at a distance of about a hundred yards from the river bank.
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading Presently Ling began to talk to himself in a low voice, but loud enough for the boy to hear.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Presently Ling began to talk to himself in a low voice, but loud enough for the boy to hear.
most important element
From this reading The Sang River, which at this place was about a hundred and fifty yards across, is one of the main tributaries of the Pe-kiang, which flows into Canton from the north.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The morning was exceedingly still; nothing disturbed the silence but the ceaseless sound of the current of the river, stirring the tall reeds that grew in the shallow water.
navigableadjectiveUS /ˈnævəɡəbəl/
able to be sailed on or through safely
From this reading As Frank knew well, it was navigable for a considerable distance, even for sea-going junks.
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading The Sang River, which at this place was about a hundred and fifty yards across, is one of the main tributaries of the Pe-kiang, which flows into Canton from the north.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading The morning was exceedingly still; nothing disturbed the silence but the ceaseless sound of the current of the river, stirring the tall reeds that grew in the shallow water.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Ling walked in an easterly direction, keeping at a distance of about a hundred yards from the river bank.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The Sang River, which at this place was about a hundred and fifty yards across, is one of the main tributaries of the Pe-kiang, which flows into Canton from the north.
Pe-kiang
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Sang River, which at this place was about a hundred and fifty yards across, is one of the main tributaries of the Pe-kiang, which flows into Canton from the north.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading The Sang River, which at this place was about a hundred and fifty yards across, is one of the main tributaries of the Pe-kiang, which flows into Canton from the north.
in the near future
From this reading Presently Ling began to talk to himself in a low voice, but loud enough for the boy to hear.
reedsnounUS /riːdz/
plural of “reed” — tall woody perennial grasses with hollow slender stems especially of the genera Arundo and Phragmites
From this reading The morning was exceedingly still; nothing disturbed the silence but the ceaseless sound of the current of the river, stirring the tall reeds that grew in the shallow water.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading Ling walked in an easterly direction, keeping at a distance of about a hundred yards from the river bank.
North American woodland herb similar to and used as substitute for the Chinese ginseng
From this reading The Sang River, which at this place was about a hundred and fifty yards across, is one of the main tributaries of the Pe-kiang, which flows into Canton from the north.
sea-going
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Frank knew well, it was navigable for a considerable distance, even for sea-going junks.
shallowadjectiveUS /ˈʃæloʊ/
lacking physical depth; having little spatial extension downward or inward from an outer surface or backward or outward from a center
From this reading The morning was exceedingly still; nothing disturbed the silence but the ceaseless sound of the current of the river, stirring the tall reeds that grew in the shallow water.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading The morning was exceedingly still; nothing disturbed the silence but the ceaseless sound of the current of the river, stirring the tall reeds that grew in the shallow water.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading The morning was exceedingly still; nothing disturbed the silence but the ceaseless sound of the current of the river, stirring the tall reeds that grew in the shallow water.
not in physical motion
From this reading The morning was exceedingly still; nothing disturbed the silence but the ceaseless sound of the current of the river, stirring the tall reeds that grew in the shallow water.
stirringnounUS /ˈstɜːrɪŋ/
agitating a liquid with an implement
From this reading The morning was exceedingly still; nothing disturbed the silence but the ceaseless sound of the current of the river, stirring the tall reeds that grew in the shallow water.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading Presently Ling began to talk to himself in a low voice, but loud enough for the boy to hear.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading The morning was exceedingly still; nothing disturbed the silence but the ceaseless sound of the current of the river, stirring the tall reeds that grew in the shallow water.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The morning was exceedingly still; nothing disturbed the silence but the ceaseless sound of the current of the river, stirring the tall reeds that grew in the shallow water.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Ling walked in an easterly direction, keeping at a distance of about a hundred yards from the river bank.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The Sang River, which at this place was about a hundred and fifty yards across, is one of the main tributaries of the Pe-kiang, which flows into Canton from the north.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Presently Ling began to talk to himself in a low voice, but loud enough for the boy to hear.
tributariesnounUS /ˈtrɪbjəteriz/
plural of “tributary” — a branch that flows into the main stream
From this reading The Sang River, which at this place was about a hundred and fifty yards across, is one of the main tributaries of the Pe-kiang, which flows into Canton from the north.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Presently Ling began to talk to himself in a low voice, but loud enough for the boy to hear.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading Ling walked in an easterly direction, keeping at a distance of about a hundred yards from the river bank.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The morning was exceedingly still; nothing disturbed the silence but the ceaseless sound of the current of the river, stirring the tall reeds that grew in the shallow water.
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 The morning was exceedingly still; nothing disturbed the silence but the ceaseless sound of the current of the river, stirring the tall reeds that grew in the shallow water.
(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 As Frank knew well, it was navigable for a considerable distance, even for sea-going junks.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The Sang River, which at this place was about a hundred and fifty yards across, is one of the main tributaries of the Pe-kiang, which flows into Canton from the north.
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading Ling walked in an easterly direction, keeping at a distance of about a hundred yards from the river bank.
