used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A SUDDEN VISITOR As a rider reins in his stumbling horse, so did I rein in my stumbling nerves.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A SUDDEN VISITOR As a rider reins in his stumbling horse, so did I rein in my stumbling nerves.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading If those final touches were not given before I stirred from my tracks, they would never be given.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading If those final touches were not given before I stirred from my tracks, they would never be given.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
brushverbUS /brʌʃ/
rub with a brush, or as if with a brush
From this reading The tip of my brush flashed twice, thrice.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
canvasnounUS /ˈkænvəs/
a heavy, closely woven fabric (used for clothing or chairs or sails or tents)
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading A SUDDEN VISITOR As a rider reins in his stumbling horse, so did I rein in my stumbling nerves.
draggingadjectiveUS /ˈdræɡɪŋ/
marked by a painfully slow and effortful manner
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
opinion or judgment
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
finaladjectiveUS /ˈfaɪnəl/
occurring at or forming an end or termination
From this reading If those final touches were not given before I stirred from my tracks, they would never be given.
past form of “flash” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading The tip of my brush flashed twice, thrice.
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading If those final touches were not given before I stirred from my tracks, they would never be given.
givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading If those final touches were not given before I stirred from my tracks, they would never be given.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A SUDDEN VISITOR As a rider reins in his stumbling horse, so did I rein in my stumbling nerves.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading A SUDDEN VISITOR As a rider reins in his stumbling horse, so did I rein in my stumbling nerves.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading A SUDDEN VISITOR As a rider reins in his stumbling horse, so did I rein in my stumbling nerves.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If those final touches were not given before I stirred from my tracks, they would never be given.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A SUDDEN VISITOR As a rider reins in his stumbling horse, so did I rein in my stumbling nerves.
a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was now or never, I told myself.
mergeverbUS /mɜːrdʒ/
become one
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading A SUDDEN VISITOR As a rider reins in his stumbling horse, so did I rein in my stumbling nerves.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading It was now or never, I told myself.
an uneasy psychological state
From this reading A SUDDEN VISITOR As a rider reins in his stumbling horse, so did I rein in my stumbling nerves.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading It was now or never, I told myself.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading If those final touches were not given before I stirred from my tracks, they would never be given.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading It was now or never, I told myself.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading It was now or never, I told myself.
phantomnounUS /ˈfæn.təm/
A ghost or apparition; a figment of the imagination or a hidden dweller.
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
prototypenounUS /ˈproʊtətaɪp/
a standard or typical example
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
reinverbUS /reɪn/
control and direct with or as if by reins
From this reading A SUDDEN VISITOR As a rider reins in his stumbling horse, so did I rein in my stumbling nerves.
reinsnounUS /reɪnz/
plural of “rein” — one of a pair of long straps (usually connected to the bit or the headpiece) used to control a horse
From this reading A SUDDEN VISITOR As a rider reins in his stumbling horse, so did I rein in my stumbling nerves.
ridernounUS /ˈraɪdər/
a traveler who actively rides an animal (as a horse or camel)
From this reading A SUDDEN VISITOR As a rider reins in his stumbling horse, so did I rein in my stumbling nerves.
sheeradjectiveUS /ʃɪr/
complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used informally as intensifiers
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading A SUDDEN VISITOR As a rider reins in his stumbling horse, so did I rein in my stumbling nerves.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading If those final touches were not given before I stirred from my tracks, they would never be given.
stumblingverbUS /ˈstʌmbəlɪŋ/
-ing form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading A SUDDEN VISITOR As a rider reins in his stumbling horse, so did I rein in my stumbling nerves.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading A SUDDEN VISITOR As a rider reins in his stumbling horse, so did I rein in my stumbling nerves.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If those final touches were not given before I stirred from my tracks, they would never be given.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading If those final touches were not given before I stirred from my tracks, they would never be given.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
thriceadverbUS /θraɪs/
three times
From this reading The tip of my brush flashed twice, thrice.
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
tipnounUS /tɪp/
the extreme end of something; especially something pointed
From this reading The tip of my brush flashed twice, thrice.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading It was now or never, I told myself.
touchesnounUS /ˈtʌtʃəz/
plural of “touch” — the event of something coming in contact with the body
From this reading If those final touches were not given before I stirred from my tracks, they would never be given.
tracksnounUS /træks/
plural of “track” — a line or route along which something travels or moves
From this reading If those final touches were not given before I stirred from my tracks, they would never be given.
two times
From this reading The tip of my brush flashed twice, thrice.
someone who visits
From this reading A SUDDEN VISITOR As a rider reins in his stumbling horse, so did I rein in my stumbling nerves.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was now or never, I told myself.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading If those final touches were not given before I stirred from my tracks, they would never be given.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I closed my eyes and my ears--not with my hands but by a sheer effort of will--and then, inch by inch, as though I were dragging it by the throat, brought the phantom prototype back and forced it to merge with the face on the canvas.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading If those final touches were not given before I stirred from my tracks, they would never be given.
