used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Never had London seemed to him so like a reef whereon he was cast away.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading The others had gone, and Sherman was alone in the drawing-room by himself, looking through the window.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The others had gone, and Sherman was alone in the drawing-room by himself, looking through the window.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Never had London seemed to him so like a reef whereon he was cast away.
BALLAH
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _JOHN SHERMAN REVISITS BALLAH._ I.
plural of “bush” — a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems
From this reading In the Square the bushes were covered with dust; some sparrows were ruffling their feathers on the side-walk; people passed, continually disturbing them.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The others had gone, and Sherman was alone in the drawing-room by himself, looking through the window.
put or send forth
From this reading Never had London seemed to him so like a reef whereon he was cast away.
continuallyadverbUS /kənˈtɪnjuːəli/
seemingly without interruption
From this reading In the Square the bushes were covered with dust; some sparrows were ruffling their feathers on the side-walk; people passed, continually disturbing them.
overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form
From this reading In the Square the bushes were covered with dust; some sparrows were ruffling their feathers on the side-walk; people passed, continually disturbing them.
disturbingadjectiveUS /dɪˈstɜːrbɪŋ/
causing distress or worry or anxiety
From this reading In the Square the bushes were covered with dust; some sparrows were ruffling their feathers on the side-walk; people passed, continually disturbing them.
drawing-room
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The others had gone, and Sherman was alone in the drawing-room by himself, looking through the window.
remove the dust from
From this reading In the Square the bushes were covered with dust; some sparrows were ruffling their feathers on the side-walk; people passed, continually disturbing them.
feathersnounUS /ˈfeðərz/
plural of “feather” — the light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds
From this reading In the Square the bushes were covered with dust; some sparrows were ruffling their feathers on the side-walk; people passed, continually disturbing them.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading The sky was full of smoke.
destroyed or killed
From this reading The others had gone, and Sherman was alone in the drawing-room by himself, looking through the window.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The others had gone, and Sherman was alone in the drawing-room by himself, looking through the window.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Never had London seemed to him so like a reef whereon he was cast away.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Never had London seemed to him so like a reef whereon he was cast away.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The others had gone, and Sherman was alone in the drawing-room by himself, looking through the window.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _JOHN SHERMAN REVISITS BALLAH._ I.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The others had gone, and Sherman was alone in the drawing-room by himself, looking through the window.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading _JOHN SHERMAN REVISITS BALLAH._ I.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Never had London seemed to him so like a reef whereon he was cast away.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading Never had London seemed to him so like a reef whereon he was cast away.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading The others had gone, and Sherman was alone in the drawing-room by himself, looking through the window.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Never had London seemed to him so like a reef whereon he was cast away.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The sky was full of smoke.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading In the Square the bushes were covered with dust; some sparrows were ruffling their feathers on the side-walk; people passed, continually disturbing them.
others
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The others had gone, and Sherman was alone in the drawing-room by himself, looking through the window.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading In the Square the bushes were covered with dust; some sparrows were ruffling their feathers on the side-walk; people passed, continually disturbing them.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading In the Square the bushes were covered with dust; some sparrows were ruffling their feathers on the side-walk; people passed, continually disturbing them.
reefnounUS /riːf/
a submerged ridge of rock or coral near the surface of the water
From this reading Never had London seemed to him so like a reef whereon he was cast away.
REVISITSverbUS /riˈvɪzɪts/
third-person singular of “revisit” — visit again
From this reading _JOHN SHERMAN REVISITS BALLAH._ I.
rufflingverbUS /ˈrʌfəlɪŋ/
-ing form of “ruffle” — stir up (water) so as to form ripples
From this reading In the Square the bushes were covered with dust; some sparrows were ruffling their feathers on the side-walk; people passed, continually disturbing them.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Never had London seemed to him so like a reef whereon he was cast away.
SHERMANnounUS /ˈʃɜːrmən/
United States general who was commander of all Union troops in the West; he captured Atlanta and led a destructive march to the sea that cut the Confederacy in two (1820-1891)
From this reading _JOHN SHERMAN REVISITS BALLAH._ I.
side-walk
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the Square the bushes were covered with dust; some sparrows were ruffling their feathers on the side-walk; people passed, continually disturbing them.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading The sky was full of smoke.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading The sky was full of smoke.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Never had London seemed to him so like a reef whereon he was cast away.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading In the Square the bushes were covered with dust; some sparrows were ruffling their feathers on the side-walk; people passed, continually disturbing them.
sparrowsnounUS /ˈsperoʊz/
plural of “sparrow” — any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects
From this reading In the Square the bushes were covered with dust; some sparrows were ruffling their feathers on the side-walk; people passed, continually disturbing them.
make square
From this reading In the Square the bushes were covered with dust; some sparrows were ruffling their feathers on the side-walk; people passed, continually disturbing them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The others had gone, and Sherman was alone in the drawing-room by himself, looking through the window.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading In the Square the bushes were covered with dust; some sparrows were ruffling their feathers on the side-walk; people passed, continually disturbing them.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading In the Square the bushes were covered with dust; some sparrows were ruffling their feathers on the side-walk; people passed, continually disturbing them.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The others had gone, and Sherman was alone in the drawing-room by himself, looking through the window.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Never had London seemed to him so like a reef whereon he was cast away.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The others had gone, and Sherman was alone in the drawing-room by himself, looking through the window.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading In the Square the bushes were covered with dust; some sparrows were ruffling their feathers on the side-walk; people passed, continually disturbing them.
whereon
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Never had London seemed to him so like a reef whereon he was cast away.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading The others had gone, and Sherman was alone in the drawing-room by himself, looking through the window.
in the company of; together with
From this reading In the Square the bushes were covered with dust; some sparrows were ruffling their feathers on the side-walk; people passed, continually disturbing them.
