adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
althoughconjunctionUS /ˌɔːlˈðoʊ/
in spite of the fact that
From this reading The villagers for the most part knew little of the world beyond their own valley, although a few had occasionally paid visits to Glasgow, which lay as far to the west as Lanark was distant to the south.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The villagers for the most part knew little of the world beyond their own valley, although a few had occasionally paid visits to Glasgow, which lay as far to the west as Lanark was distant to the south.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Sir William Forbes had been killed on his own hearthstone, and the castle had been sacked in a raid by the Kerrs, whose hold lay to the southwest, and who had long been at feud with the Forbeses.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Sir William Forbes had been killed on his own hearthstone, and the castle had been sacked in a raid by the Kerrs, whose hold lay to the southwest, and who had long been at feud with the Forbeses.
beyondprepositionUS /bɪˈɑːnd/
on the far side of; further than
From this reading The villagers for the most part knew little of the world beyond their own valley, although a few had occasionally paid visits to Glasgow, which lay as far to the west as Lanark was distant to the south.
brokenadjectiveUS /ˈbroʊkən/
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Sir William Forbes had been killed on his own hearthstone, and the castle had been sacked in a raid by the Kerrs, whose hold lay to the southwest, and who had long been at feud with the Forbeses.
CairnnounUS /kern/
a mound of stones piled up as a memorial or to mark a boundary or path
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
CastlenounUS /ˈkæsəl/
a large and stately mansion
From this reading On a spur jutting out from the side of the hill stood Glen Cairn Castle, whose master the villagers had for generations regarded as their lord.
countrynounUS /ˈkʌntri/
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
departedadjectiveUS /dɪˈpɑːrtɪd/
well in the past; former
From this reading The glory of the little fortalice had now departed.
distantadjectiveUS /ˈdɪstənt/
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading The villagers for the most part knew little of the world beyond their own valley, although a few had occasionally paid visits to Glasgow, which lay as far to the west as Lanark was distant to the south.
faradverbUS /fɑːr/
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading The villagers for the most part knew little of the world beyond their own valley, although a few had occasionally paid visits to Glasgow, which lay as far to the west as Lanark was distant to the south.
feudnounUS /fjuːd/
a bitter quarrel between two parties
From this reading Sir William Forbes had been killed on his own hearthstone, and the castle had been sacked in a raid by the Kerrs, whose hold lay to the southwest, and who had long been at feud with the Forbeses.
fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading The villagers for the most part knew little of the world beyond their own valley, although a few had occasionally paid visits to Glasgow, which lay as far to the west as Lanark was distant to the south.
fifteennounUS /fɪfˈtiːn/
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The villagers for the most part knew little of the world beyond their own valley, although a few had occasionally paid visits to Glasgow, which lay as far to the west as Lanark was distant to the south.
Forbes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sir William Forbes had been killed on his own hearthstone, and the castle had been sacked in a raid by the Kerrs, whose hold lay to the southwest, and who had long been at feud with the Forbeses.
Forbeses
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sir William Forbes had been killed on his own hearthstone, and the castle had been sacked in a raid by the Kerrs, whose hold lay to the southwest, and who had long been at feud with the Forbeses.
fortalice
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The glory of the little fortalice had now departed.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading On a spur jutting out from the side of the hill stood Glen Cairn Castle, whose master the villagers had for generations regarded as their lord.
generationsnounUS /ˌdʒenərˈeɪʃənz/
plural of “generation” — all the people living at the same time or of approximately the same age
From this reading On a spur jutting out from the side of the hill stood Glen Cairn Castle, whose master the villagers had for generations regarded as their lord.
GlasgownounUS /ˈɡlæskoʊ/
largest city in Scotland; a port on the Clyde in west central Scotland; one of the great shipbuilding centers of the world
From this reading The villagers for the most part knew little of the world beyond their own valley, although a few had occasionally paid visits to Glasgow, which lay as far to the west as Lanark was distant to the south.
GlennounUS /ɡlen/
a narrow secluded valley (in the mountains)
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
glorynounUS /ˈɡlɔːri/
a state of high honor
From this reading The glory of the little fortalice had now departed.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The villagers for the most part knew little of the world beyond their own valley, although a few had occasionally paid visits to Glasgow, which lay as far to the west as Lanark was distant to the south.
hearthstonenoun
a stone that forms a hearth
From this reading Sir William Forbes had been killed on his own hearthstone, and the castle had been sacked in a raid by the Kerrs, whose hold lay to the southwest, and who had long been at feud with the Forbeses.
hillnounUS /hɪl/
a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading On a spur jutting out from the side of the hill stood Glen Cairn Castle, whose master the villagers had for generations regarded as their lord.
HillsnounUS /hɪlz/
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Sir William Forbes had been killed on his own hearthstone, and the castle had been sacked in a raid by the Kerrs, whose hold lay to the southwest, and who had long been at feud with the Forbeses.
holdverbUS /hoʊld/
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Sir William Forbes had been killed on his own hearthstone, and the castle had been sacked in a raid by the Kerrs, whose hold lay to the southwest, and who had long been at feud with the Forbeses.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
juttingadjectiveUS /ˈdʒʌtɪŋ/
extending out above or beyond a surface or boundary
From this reading On a spur jutting out from the side of the hill stood Glen Cairn Castle, whose master the villagers had for generations regarded as their lord.
Kerrs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sir William Forbes had been killed on his own hearthstone, and the castle had been sacked in a raid by the Kerrs, whose hold lay to the southwest, and who had long been at feud with the Forbeses.
killedverbUS /kɪld/
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading Sir William Forbes had been killed on his own hearthstone, and the castle had been sacked in a raid by the Kerrs, whose hold lay to the southwest, and who had long been at feud with the Forbeses.
knewverbUS /nuː/
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 The villagers for the most part knew little of the world beyond their own valley, although a few had occasionally paid visits to Glasgow, which lay as far to the west as Lanark was distant to the south.
Lanark
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
layverbUS /leɪ/
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The villagers for the most part knew little of the world beyond their own valley, although a few had occasionally paid visits to Glasgow, which lay as far to the west as Lanark was distant to the south.
littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The villagers for the most part knew little of the world beyond their own valley, although a few had occasionally paid visits to Glasgow, which lay as far to the west as Lanark was distant to the south.
longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Sir William Forbes had been killed on his own hearthstone, and the castle had been sacked in a raid by the Kerrs, whose hold lay to the southwest, and who had long been at feud with the Forbeses.
lordnounUS /lɔːrd/
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading On a spur jutting out from the side of the hill stood Glen Cairn Castle, whose master the villagers had for generations regarded as their lord.
lyingnounUS /ˈlaɪɪŋ/
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
masternounUS /ˈmæstər/
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading On a spur jutting out from the side of the hill stood Glen Cairn Castle, whose master the villagers had for generations regarded as their lord.
milesnounUS /maɪlz/
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
mostadverbUS /moʊst/
used to form the superlative
From this reading The villagers for the most part knew little of the world beyond their own valley, although a few had occasionally paid visits to Glasgow, which lay as far to the west as Lanark was distant to the south.
northnounUS /nɔːrθ/
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
nowadverbUS /naʊ/
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The glory of the little fortalice had now departed.
occasionallyadverbUS /əˈkeɪʒənəli/
sporadically and infrequently
From this reading The villagers for the most part knew little of the world beyond their own valley, although a few had occasionally paid visits to Glasgow, which lay as far to the west as Lanark was distant to the south.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
OnprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On a spur jutting out from the side of the hill stood Glen Cairn Castle, whose master the villagers had for generations regarded as their lord.
outadjectiveUS /aʊt/
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading On a spur jutting out from the side of the hill stood Glen Cairn Castle, whose master the villagers had for generations regarded as their lord.
ownverbUS /oʊn/
have ownership or possession of
From this reading The villagers for the most part knew little of the world beyond their own valley, although a few had occasionally paid visits to Glasgow, which lay as far to the west as Lanark was distant to the south.
paidadjectiveUS /peɪd/
marked by the reception of pay
From this reading The villagers for the most part knew little of the world beyond their own valley, although a few had occasionally paid visits to Glasgow, which lay as far to the west as Lanark was distant to the south.
partnounUS /pɑːrt/
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading The villagers for the most part knew little of the world beyond their own valley, although a few had occasionally paid visits to Glasgow, which lay as far to the west as Lanark was distant to the south.
Pentland
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
picturesqueadjectiveUS /ˈpɪktʃərəsk/
suggesting or suitable for a picture; pretty as a picture
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
raidverbUS /reɪd/
search without warning, make a sudden surprise attack on
From this reading Sir William Forbes had been killed on his own hearthstone, and the castle had been sacked in a raid by the Kerrs, whose hold lay to the southwest, and who had long been at feud with the Forbeses.
regardedverbUS /rɪˈɡɑːrdɪd/
past form of “regard” — deem to be
From this reading On a spur jutting out from the side of the hill stood Glen Cairn Castle, whose master the villagers had for generations regarded as their lord.
sackedadjectiveUS /sækt/
having been robbed and destroyed by force and violence
From this reading Sir William Forbes had been killed on his own hearthstone, and the castle had been sacked in a raid by the Kerrs, whose hold lay to the southwest, and who had long been at feud with the Forbeses.
sidenounUS /saɪd/
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading On a spur jutting out from the side of the hill stood Glen Cairn Castle, whose master the villagers had for generations regarded as their lord.
SirnounUS /sɜːr/
term of address for a man
From this reading Sir William Forbes had been killed on his own hearthstone, and the castle had been sacked in a raid by the Kerrs, whose hold lay to the southwest, and who had long been at feud with the Forbeses.
situatedadjectiveUS /ˈsɪtʃuːeɪtɪd/
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
someadjectiveUS /sʌm/
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
southnounUS /saʊθ/
the region of the United States lying to the south of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading The villagers for the most part knew little of the world beyond their own valley, although a few had occasionally paid visits to Glasgow, which lay as far to the west as Lanark was distant to the south.
southwestnounUS /ˌsaʊˈθwest/
the compass point midway between south and west; at 225 degrees
From this reading Sir William Forbes had been killed on his own hearthstone, and the castle had been sacked in a raid by the Kerrs, whose hold lay to the southwest, and who had long been at feud with the Forbeses.
spurnounUS /spɜːr/
a verbalization that encourages you to attempt something
From this reading On a spur jutting out from the side of the hill stood Glen Cairn Castle, whose master the villagers had for generations regarded as their lord.
stoodverbUS /stʊd/
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading On a spur jutting out from the side of the hill stood Glen Cairn Castle, whose master the villagers had for generations regarded as their lord.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The villagers for the most part knew little of the world beyond their own valley, although a few had occasionally paid visits to Glasgow, which lay as far to the west as Lanark was distant to the south.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
townnounUS /taʊn/
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
valleynounUS /ˈvæli/
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
villagenounUS /ˈvɪlədʒ/
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
villagersnounUS /ˈvɪlɪdʒərz/
plural of “villager” — one who has lived in a village most of their life
From this reading The villagers for the most part knew little of the world beyond their own valley, although a few had occasionally paid visits to Glasgow, which lay as far to the west as Lanark was distant to the south.
visitsnounUS /ˈvɪzɪts/
plural of “visit” — the act of going to see some person or place or thing for a short time
From this reading The villagers for the most part knew little of the world beyond their own valley, although a few had occasionally paid visits to Glasgow, which lay as far to the west as Lanark was distant to the south.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
westnounUS /west/
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The villagers for the most part knew little of the world beyond their own valley, although a few had occasionally paid visits to Glasgow, which lay as far to the west as Lanark was distant to the south.
whopronounUS /huː/
which person or people
From this reading Sir William Forbes had been killed on his own hearthstone, and the castle had been sacked in a raid by the Kerrs, whose hold lay to the southwest, and who had long been at feud with the Forbeses.
whosedeterminerUS /huːz/
belonging to which person
From this reading On a spur jutting out from the side of the hill stood Glen Cairn Castle, whose master the villagers had for generations regarded as their lord.
wildadjectiveUS /waɪld/
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading The village of Glen Cairn was situated in a valley in the broken country lying to the west of the Pentland Hills, some fifteen miles north of the town of Lanark, and the country around it was wild and picturesque.
William
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sir William Forbes had been killed on his own hearthstone, and the castle had been sacked in a raid by the Kerrs, whose hold lay to the southwest, and who had long been at feud with the Forbeses.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading Sir William Forbes had been killed on his own hearthstone, and the castle had been sacked in a raid by the Kerrs, whose hold lay to the southwest, and who had long been at feud with the Forbeses.
worldnounUS /wɜːrld/
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading The villagers for the most part knew little of the world beyond their own valley, although a few had occasionally paid visits to Glasgow, which lay as far to the west as Lanark was distant to the south.
