Chapter III

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Some dozen of persons, men, women, and children, were assembled about a well, at what we in Scotland would call the town-end.

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading Some dozen of persons, men, women, and children, were assembled about a well, at what we in Scotland would call the town-end.

fear resulting from the awareness of danger

From this reading They pricked them up in alarm, and turned every eye along the road.

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading They pricked them up in alarm, and turned every eye along the road.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Some dozen of persons, men, women, and children, were assembled about a well, at what we in Scotland would call the town-end.

past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading The shrieking increased, and the two girls and the boy appeared, with the formidable figure of John Smith in pursuit of them.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

past form of “assemble” — create by putting components or members together

From this reading Some dozen of persons, men, women, and children, were assembled about a well, at what we in Scotland would call the town-end.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Some dozen of persons, men, women, and children, were assembled about a well, at what we in Scotland would call the town-end.

a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

the past participle of “be”

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

a youthful male person

From this reading The shrieking increased, and the two girls and the boy appeared, with the formidable figure of John Smith in pursuit of them.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading Some dozen of persons, men, women, and children, were assembled about a well, at what we in Scotland would call the town-end.

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Suddenly the shrieking of the three young persons came upon their ears.

intense and continuous artillery fire

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

plural of “child” — a young person of either sex

From this reading Some dozen of persons, men, women, and children, were assembled about a well, at what we in Scotland would call the town-end.

of words or propositions so related that both cannot be true and both cannot be false

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

past form of “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

possessive form of “day” — time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

separated in space or coming from or going to a distance

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one

From this reading Some dozen of persons, men, women, and children, were assembled about a well, at what we in Scotland would call the town-end.

in a serious manner

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium

From this reading Suddenly the shrieking of the three young persons came upon their ears.

plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading They pricked them up in alarm, and turned every eye along the road.

the organ of sight

From this reading They pricked them up in alarm, and turned every eye along the road.

a diagram or picture illustrating textual material

From this reading The shrieking increased, and the two girls and the boy appeared, with the formidable figure of John Smith in pursuit of them.

extremely impressive in strength or excellence

From this reading The shrieking increased, and the two girls and the boy appeared, with the formidable figure of John Smith in pursuit of them.

plural of “girl” — a young female

From this reading The shrieking increased, and the two girls and the boy appeared, with the formidable figure of John Smith in pursuit of them.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

only a very short time before

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

of comparatively great physical weight or density

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Some dozen of persons, men, women, and children, were assembled about a well, at what we in Scotland would call the town-end.

made greater in size or amount or degree

From this reading The shrieking increased, and the two girls and the boy appeared, with the formidable figure of John Smith in pursuit of them.

a room or building equipped with one or more toilets

From this reading The shrieking increased, and the two girls and the boy appeared, with the formidable figure of John Smith in pursuit of them.

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 They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

the force of workers available

From this reading Some dozen of persons, men, women, and children, were assembled about a well, at what we in Scotland would call the town-end.

used to form the superlative

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

past form of “occasion” — give occasion to

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Some dozen of persons, men, women, and children, were assembled about a well, at what we in Scotland would call the town-end.

above and across; more than

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

plural of “person” — a human being

From this reading Some dozen of persons, men, women, and children, were assembled about a well, at what we in Scotland would call the town-end.

past form of “prick” — make a small hole into, as with a needle or a thorn

From this reading They pricked them up in alarm, and turned every eye along the road.

the act of pursuing in an effort to overtake or capture

From this reading The shrieking increased, and the two girls and the boy appeared, with the formidable figure of John Smith in pursuit of them.

past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation

From this reading They pricked them up in alarm, and turned every eye along the road.

plural of “rumour” — gossip (usually a mixture of truth and untruth) passed around by word of mouth

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

characteristic of rural life

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; located on the northern part of the island of Great Britain; famous for bagpipes and plaids and kilts

From this reading Some dozen of persons, men, women, and children, were assembled about a well, at what we in Scotland would call the town-end.

sharp piercing cry

From this reading Suddenly the shrieking of the three young persons came upon their ears.

Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)

From this reading The shrieking increased, and the two girls and the boy appeared, with the formidable figure of John Smith in pursuit of them.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading Some dozen of persons, men, women, and children, were assembled about a well, at what we in Scotland would call the town-end.

plural of “soul” — the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

express in speech

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

happening unexpectedly

From this reading Suddenly the shrieking of the three young persons came upon their ears.

doomed to extinction

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

an exchange of ideas via conversation

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Some dozen of persons, men, women, and children, were assembled about a well, at what we in Scotland would call the town-end.

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading Suddenly the shrieking of the three young persons came upon their ears.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Some dozen of persons, men, women, and children, were assembled about a well, at what we in Scotland would call the town-end.

a feeling of alarm or dread

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

moved around an axis or center

From this reading They pricked them up in alarm, and turned every eye along the road.

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading The shrieking increased, and the two girls and the boy appeared, with the formidable figure of John Smith in pursuit of them.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading They pricked them up in alarm, and turned every eye along the road.

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Suddenly the shrieking of the three young persons came upon their ears.

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading Some dozen of persons, men, women, and children, were assembled about a well, at what we in Scotland would call the town-end.

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading Some dozen of persons, men, women, and children, were assembled about a well, at what we in Scotland would call the town-end.

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Some dozen of persons, men, women, and children, were assembled about a well, at what we in Scotland would call the town-end.

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Some dozen of persons, men, women, and children, were assembled about a well, at what we in Scotland would call the town-end.

plural of “whisper” — speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

in the company of; together with

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading Some dozen of persons, men, women, and children, were assembled about a well, at what we in Scotland would call the town-end.

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Some dozen of persons, men, women, and children, were assembled about a well, at what we in Scotland would call the town-end.

but in spite of that

From this reading They were talking earnestly over the many, and most contradictory rumours, that had reached them of the events of that day's battle, their rustic and unwarlike souls having been so sunk, with the trepidation occasioned by the distant sound of the heavy cannonade, that they as yet hardly dared to speak but in whispers.

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading Suddenly the shrieking of the three young persons came upon their ears.