used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading For the first second I felt as if I were stricken by paralysis, and the next I had sprung to my feet and rounded the corner to where the hand was.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
plural of “bush” — a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading For the first second I felt as if I were stricken by paralysis, and the next I had sprung to my feet and rounded the corner to where the hand was.
an authoritative direction or instruction to do something
From this reading And my command was obeyed.
containingverbUS /kənˈteɪnɪŋ/
-ing form of “contain” — include or contain; have as a component
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading For the first second I felt as if I were stricken by paralysis, and the next I had sprung to my feet and rounded the corner to where the hand was.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading I shouted instinctively, though it is a fact that I hardly knew what was to be stopped.
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading For the first second I felt as if I were stricken by paralysis, and the next I had sprung to my feet and rounded the corner to where the hand was.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading For the first second I felt as if I were stricken by paralysis, and the next I had sprung to my feet and rounded the corner to where the hand was.
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For the first second I felt as if I were stricken by paralysis, and the next I had sprung to my feet and rounded the corner to where the hand was.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
only a very short time before
From this reading I shouted instinctively, though it is a fact that I hardly knew what was to be stopped.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading For the first second I felt as if I were stricken by paralysis, and the next I had sprung to my feet and rounded the corner to where the hand was.
indexnounUS /ˈɪndeks/
a numerical scale used to compare variables with one another or with some reference number
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
instinctivelyadverbUS /ˌɪnˈstɪŋktɪvliː/
as a matter of instinct
From this reading I shouted instinctively, though it is a fact that I hardly knew what was to be stopped.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I shouted instinctively, though it is a fact that I hardly knew what was to be stopped.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Stop it at once!"
and nothing more
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
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 I shouted instinctively, though it is a fact that I hardly knew what was to be stopped.
held up in the air
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading For the first second I felt as if I were stricken by paralysis, and the next I had sprung to my feet and rounded the corner to where the hand was.
past form of “obey” — be obedient to
From this reading And my command was obeyed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
on one occasion
From this reading "Stop it at once!"
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
paralysisnounUS /pərˈæləsəs/
loss of the ability to move a body part
From this reading For the first second I felt as if I were stricken by paralysis, and the next I had sprung to my feet and rounded the corner to where the hand was.
revolvernounUS /rɪˈvɑːlvər/
a pistol with a revolving cylinder (usually having six chambers for bullets)
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
roundedadjectiveUS /ˈraʊndəd/
curving and somewhat round in shape rather than jagged
From this reading For the first second I felt as if I were stricken by paralysis, and the next I had sprung to my feet and rounded the corner to where the hand was.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading For the first second I felt as if I were stricken by paralysis, and the next I had sprung to my feet and rounded the corner to where the hand was.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading I shouted instinctively, though it is a fact that I hardly knew what was to be stopped.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
sprungverbUS /sprʌŋ/
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading For the first second I felt as if I were stricken by paralysis, and the next I had sprung to my feet and rounded the corner to where the hand was.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading "Stop it at once!"
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading I shouted instinctively, though it is a fact that I hardly knew what was to be stopped.
strickenadjectiveUS /ˈstrɪkən/
grievously affected especially by disease
From this reading For the first second I felt as if I were stricken by paralysis, and the next I had sprung to my feet and rounded the corner to where the hand was.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I shouted instinctively, though it is a fact that I hardly knew what was to be stopped.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading I shouted instinctively, though it is a fact that I hardly knew what was to be stopped.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For the first second I felt as if I were stricken by paralysis, and the next I had sprung to my feet and rounded the corner to where the hand was.
triggerverbUS /ˈtrɪɡər/
put in motion or move to act
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
a vivid mental image
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading At first I thought my vision must be at fault, for something stirred just the other side of the bushes, and a hand containing a revolver was slowly lifted, the index finger upon the trigger.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading For the first second I felt as if I were stricken by paralysis, and the next I had sprung to my feet and rounded the corner to where the hand was.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I shouted instinctively, though it is a fact that I hardly knew what was to be stopped.
in or at the place that
From this reading For the first second I felt as if I were stricken by paralysis, and the next I had sprung to my feet and rounded the corner to where the hand was.
