used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading For a short space Esther believed herself lost.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading It was not as though there were many people about.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading If Holliday found her, which seemed almost inevitable, she knew she would be powerless to put up a defence.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It would be a simple matter for him to gag her and drag her back over the few yards of intervening side-walk before anyone could know what was happening.
any person at all
From this reading It would be a simple matter for him to gag her and drag her back over the few yards of intervening side-walk before anyone could know what was happening.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was not as though there were many people about.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading It would be a simple matter for him to gag her and drag her back over the few yards of intervening side-walk before anyone could know what was happening.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading If Holliday found her, which seemed almost inevitable, she knew she would be powerless to put up a defence.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It would be a simple matter for him to gag her and drag her back over the few yards of intervening side-walk before anyone could know what was happening.
past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading For a short space Esther believed herself lost.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It would be a simple matter for him to gag her and drag her back over the few yards of intervening side-walk before anyone could know what was happening.
defencenounUS /dɪˈfens/
(psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires
From this reading If Holliday found her, which seemed almost inevitable, she knew she would be powerless to put up a defence.
forsaken by owner or inhabitants
From this reading She had never seen the street so deserted.
dragverbUS /dræɡ/
pull, as against a resistance
From this reading It would be a simple matter for him to gag her and drag her back over the few yards of intervening side-walk before anyone could know what was happening.
EsthernounUS /ˈestər/
(Old Testament) a beautiful Jewess chosen by the king of Persia to be his queen; she stopped a plot to massacre all the Jews in Persia (an event celebrated by Jews as the feast of Purim)
From this reading For a short space Esther believed herself lost.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading It would be a simple matter for him to gag her and drag her back over the few yards of intervening side-walk before anyone could know what was happening.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a short space Esther believed herself lost.
set up or found
From this reading If Holliday found her, which seemed almost inevitable, she knew she would be powerless to put up a defence.
gagverbUS /ɡæɡ/
prevent from speaking out
From this reading It would be a simple matter for him to gag her and drag her back over the few yards of intervening side-walk before anyone could know what was happening.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had never seen the street so deserted.
happeningnounUS /ˈhæpənɪŋ/
an event that happens
From this reading It would be a simple matter for him to gag her and drag her back over the few yards of intervening side-walk before anyone could know what was happening.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading If Holliday found her, which seemed almost inevitable, she knew she would be powerless to put up a defence.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading For a short space Esther believed herself lost.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It would be a simple matter for him to gag her and drag her back over the few yards of intervening side-walk before anyone could know what was happening.
Holliday
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If Holliday found her, which seemed almost inevitable, she knew she would be powerless to put up a defence.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If Holliday found her, which seemed almost inevitable, she knew she would be powerless to put up a defence.
inevitableadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈnevətəbəl/
incapable of being avoided or prevented
From this reading If Holliday found her, which seemed almost inevitable, she knew she would be powerless to put up a defence.
interveningadjectiveUS /ˌɪntərˈviːnɪŋ/
occurring or falling between events or points in time
From this reading It would be a simple matter for him to gag her and drag her back over the few yards of intervening side-walk before anyone could know what was happening.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It would be a simple matter for him to gag her and drag her back over the few yards of intervening side-walk before anyone could know what was happening.
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 If Holliday found her, which seemed almost inevitable, she knew she would be powerless to put up a defence.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading It would be a simple matter for him to gag her and drag her back over the few yards of intervening side-walk before anyone could know what was happening.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading For a short space Esther believed herself lost.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading It was not as though there were many people about.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading It would be a simple matter for him to gag her and drag her back over the few yards of intervening side-walk before anyone could know what was happening.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading She had never seen the street so deserted.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was not as though there were many people about.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It would be a simple matter for him to gag her and drag her back over the few yards of intervening side-walk before anyone could know what was happening.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading It would be a simple matter for him to gag her and drag her back over the few yards of intervening side-walk before anyone could know what was happening.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading It was not as though there were many people about.
powerlessadjectiveUS /ˈpaʊərləs/
lacking power
From this reading If Holliday found her, which seemed almost inevitable, she knew she would be powerless to put up a defence.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading If Holliday found her, which seemed almost inevitable, she knew she would be powerless to put up a defence.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading If Holliday found her, which seemed almost inevitable, she knew she would be powerless to put up a defence.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading She had never seen the street so deserted.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If Holliday found her, which seemed almost inevitable, she knew she would be powerless to put up a defence.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading For a short space Esther believed herself lost.
side-walk
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It would be a simple matter for him to gag her and drag her back over the few yards of intervening side-walk before anyone could know what was happening.
having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
From this reading It would be a simple matter for him to gag her and drag her back over the few yards of intervening side-walk before anyone could know what was happening.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading She had never seen the street so deserted.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading For a short space Esther believed herself lost.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading She had never seen the street so deserted.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It would be a simple matter for him to gag her and drag her back over the few yards of intervening side-walk before anyone could know what was happening.
in or at that place or location
From this reading It was not as though there were many people about.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading It was not as though there were many people about.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If Holliday found her, which seemed almost inevitable, she knew she would be powerless to put up a defence.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading If Holliday found her, which seemed almost inevitable, she knew she would be powerless to put up a defence.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It would be a simple matter for him to gag her and drag her back over the few yards of intervening side-walk before anyone could know what was happening.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It was not as though there were many people about.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading It would be a simple matter for him to gag her and drag her back over the few yards of intervening side-walk before anyone could know what was happening.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading If Holliday found her, which seemed almost inevitable, she knew she would be powerless to put up a defence.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading If Holliday found her, which seemed almost inevitable, she knew she would be powerless to put up a defence.
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading It would be a simple matter for him to gag her and drag her back over the few yards of intervening side-walk before anyone could know what was happening.
