used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A MOVING ISLAND “They’re coming!”
abreastadjectiveUS /əˈbrest/
being up to particular standard or level especially in being up to date in knowledge
From this reading A faint crackling sound was all that told them that a moving island of brown, a great herd of caribou, was moving up the narrow valley and would, within the space of a quarter of an hour, be abreast of them and within easy bow shot.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading They lay close together on the snow against a little rise of land.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading A faint crackling sound was all that told them that a moving island of brown, a great herd of caribou, was moving up the narrow valley and would, within the space of a quarter of an hour, be abreast of them and within easy bow shot.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading A faint crackling sound was all that told them that a moving island of brown, a great herd of caribou, was moving up the narrow valley and would, within the space of a quarter of an hour, be abreast of them and within easy bow shot.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A faint crackling sound was all that told them that a moving island of brown, a great herd of caribou, was moving up the narrow valley and would, within the space of a quarter of an hour, be abreast of them and within easy bow shot.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Johnny Thompson thought he heard the beating of Faye Duncan’s heart as she whispered these words in his ears.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading A faint crackling sound was all that told them that a moving island of brown, a great herd of caribou, was moving up the narrow valley and would, within the space of a quarter of an hour, be abreast of them and within easy bow shot.
the act of overcoming or outdoing
From this reading Johnny Thompson thought he heard the beating of Faye Duncan’s heart as she whispered these words in his ears.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading From this place they could see nothing before them.
a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading A faint crackling sound was all that told them that a moving island of brown, a great herd of caribou, was moving up the narrow valley and would, within the space of a quarter of an hour, be abreast of them and within easy bow shot.
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading A faint crackling sound was all that told them that a moving island of brown, a great herd of caribou, was moving up the narrow valley and would, within the space of a quarter of an hour, be abreast of them and within easy bow shot.
caribounounUS /ˈkerɪbuː/
Arctic deer with large antlers in both sexes; called “reindeer” in Eurasia and “caribou” in North America
From this reading A faint crackling sound was all that told them that a moving island of brown, a great herd of caribou, was moving up the narrow valley and would, within the space of a quarter of an hour, be abreast of them and within easy bow shot.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading They lay close together on the snow against a little rise of land.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading A MOVING ISLAND “They’re coming!”
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading From this place they could see nothing before them.
cracklingnounUS /ˈkræklɪŋ/
the residue that remains after animal fat has been rendered
From this reading A faint crackling sound was all that told them that a moving island of brown, a great herd of caribou, was moving up the narrow valley and would, within the space of a quarter of an hour, be abreast of them and within easy bow shot.
Duncan's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Johnny Thompson thought he heard the beating of Faye Duncan’s heart as she whispered these words in his ears.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading Johnny Thompson thought he heard the beating of Faye Duncan’s heart as she whispered these words in his ears.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading A faint crackling sound was all that told them that a moving island of brown, a great herd of caribou, was moving up the narrow valley and would, within the space of a quarter of an hour, be abreast of them and within easy bow shot.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading A faint crackling sound was all that told them that a moving island of brown, a great herd of caribou, was moving up the narrow valley and would, within the space of a quarter of an hour, be abreast of them and within easy bow shot.
Faye
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Johnny Thompson thought he heard the beating of Faye Duncan’s heart as she whispered these words in his ears.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From this place they could see nothing before them.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading A faint crackling sound was all that told them that a moving island of brown, a great herd of caribou, was moving up the narrow valley and would, within the space of a quarter of an hour, be abreast of them and within easy bow shot.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Johnny Thompson thought he heard the beating of Faye Duncan’s heart as she whispered these words in his ears.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Johnny Thompson thought he heard the beating of Faye Duncan’s heart as she whispered these words in his ears.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Johnny Thompson thought he heard the beating of Faye Duncan’s heart as she whispered these words in his ears.
herdnounUS /hɜːrd/
a group of cattle or sheep or other domestic mammals all of the same kind that are herded by humans
From this reading A faint crackling sound was all that told them that a moving island of brown, a great herd of caribou, was moving up the narrow valley and would, within the space of a quarter of an hour, be abreast of them and within easy bow shot.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Johnny Thompson thought he heard the beating of Faye Duncan’s heart as she whispered these words in his ears.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading A faint crackling sound was all that told them that a moving island of brown, a great herd of caribou, was moving up the narrow valley and would, within the space of a quarter of an hour, be abreast of them and within easy bow shot.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Johnny Thompson thought he heard the beating of Faye Duncan’s heart as she whispered these words in his ears.
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading A MOVING ISLAND “They’re coming!”
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading Johnny Thompson thought he heard the beating of Faye Duncan’s heart as she whispered these words in his ears.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading They lay close together on the snow against a little rise of land.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading They lay close together on the snow against a little rise of land.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading They lay close together on the snow against a little rise of land.
in motion
From this reading A MOVING ISLAND “They’re coming!”
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading A faint crackling sound was all that told them that a moving island of brown, a great herd of caribou, was moving up the narrow valley and would, within the space of a quarter of an hour, be abreast of them and within easy bow shot.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading From this place they could see nothing before them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Johnny Thompson thought he heard the beating of Faye Duncan’s heart as she whispered these words in his ears.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They lay close together on the snow against a little rise of land.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading From this place they could see nothing before them.
one of four equal parts
From this reading A faint crackling sound was all that told them that a moving island of brown, a great herd of caribou, was moving up the narrow valley and would, within the space of a quarter of an hour, be abreast of them and within easy bow shot.
move upward
From this reading They lay close together on the snow against a little rise of land.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading From this place they could see nothing before them.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Johnny Thompson thought he heard the beating of Faye Duncan’s heart as she whispered these words in his ears.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading A faint crackling sound was all that told them that a moving island of brown, a great herd of caribou, was moving up the narrow valley and would, within the space of a quarter of an hour, be abreast of them and within easy bow shot.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading They lay close together on the snow against a little rise of land.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading A faint crackling sound was all that told them that a moving island of brown, a great herd of caribou, was moving up the narrow valley and would, within the space of a quarter of an hour, be abreast of them and within easy bow shot.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading A faint crackling sound was all that told them that a moving island of brown, a great herd of caribou, was moving up the narrow valley and would, within the space of a quarter of an hour, be abreast of them and within easy bow shot.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A faint crackling sound was all that told them that a moving island of brown, a great herd of caribou, was moving up the narrow valley and would, within the space of a quarter of an hour, be abreast of them and within easy bow shot.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Johnny Thompson thought he heard the beating of Faye Duncan’s heart as she whispered these words in his ears.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading From this place they could see nothing before them.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Johnny Thompson thought he heard the beating of Faye Duncan’s heart as she whispered these words in his ears.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They lay close together on the snow against a little rise of land.
They're
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A MOVING ISLAND “They’re coming!”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading From this place they could see nothing before them.
ThompsonnounUS /ˈtɑːmpsən/
United States classical archaeologist (born in Canada) noted for leading the excavation of the Athenian agora (1906-2000)
From this reading Johnny Thompson thought he heard the beating of Faye Duncan’s heart as she whispered these words in his ears.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Johnny Thompson thought he heard the beating of Faye Duncan’s heart as she whispered these words in his ears.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading They lay close together on the snow against a little rise of land.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading A faint crackling sound was all that told them that a moving island of brown, a great herd of caribou, was moving up the narrow valley and would, within the space of a quarter of an hour, be abreast of them and within easy bow shot.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading A faint crackling sound was all that told them that a moving island of brown, a great herd of caribou, was moving up the narrow valley and would, within the space of a quarter of an hour, be abreast of them and within easy bow shot.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading A faint crackling sound was all that told them that a moving island of brown, a great herd of caribou, was moving up the narrow valley and would, within the space of a quarter of an hour, be abreast of them and within easy bow shot.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A faint crackling sound was all that told them that a moving island of brown, a great herd of caribou, was moving up the narrow valley and would, within the space of a quarter of an hour, be abreast of them and within easy bow shot.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading Johnny Thompson thought he heard the beating of Faye Duncan’s heart as she whispered these words in his ears.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading A faint crackling sound was all that told them that a moving island of brown, a great herd of caribou, was moving up the narrow valley and would, within the space of a quarter of an hour, be abreast of them and within easy bow shot.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Johnny Thompson thought he heard the beating of Faye Duncan’s heart as she whispered these words in his ears.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading A faint crackling sound was all that told them that a moving island of brown, a great herd of caribou, was moving up the narrow valley and would, within the space of a quarter of an hour, be abreast of them and within easy bow shot.
