used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading For quite as long Val had possessed a mental picture of the place--a picture of a gurgly little brook with rocks and watercress and distracting little pools the size of a bathtub, and with a great, frowning boulder--a cliff, almost--at the head.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading For almost three years the letters from Manley had been headed “Cold Spring Ranch.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For quite as long Val had possessed a mental picture of the place--a picture of a gurgly little brook with rocks and watercress and distracting little pools the size of a bathtub, and with a great, frowning boulder--a cliff, almost--at the head.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading Around it grew trees, unnamed in the picture, it is true, but trees, nevertheless.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading For quite as long Val had possessed a mental picture of the place--a picture of a gurgly little brook with rocks and watercress and distracting little pools the size of a bathtub, and with a great, frowning boulder--a cliff, almost--at the head.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading For quite as long Val had possessed a mental picture of the place--a picture of a gurgly little brook with rocks and watercress and distracting little pools the size of a bathtub, and with a great, frowning boulder--a cliff, almost--at the head.
basinnounUS /ˈbeɪsən/
a bowl-shaped vessel; usually used for holding food or liquids
From this reading The brook bubbled out and formed a basin in the shadow of the rock.
bathtubnounUS /ˈbæθtəb/
a relatively large open container that you fill with water and use to wash the body
From this reading For quite as long Val had possessed a mental picture of the place--a picture of a gurgly little brook with rocks and watercress and distracting little pools the size of a bathtub, and with a great, frowning boulder--a cliff, almost--at the head.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading For almost three years the letters from Manley had been headed “Cold Spring Ranch.”
BelowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading Below the spring stood a picturesque little cottage.
bouldernounUS /ˈboʊldər/
a large smooth mass of rock detached from its place of origin
From this reading For quite as long Val had possessed a mental picture of the place--a picture of a gurgly little brook with rocks and watercress and distracting little pools the size of a bathtub, and with a great, frowning boulder--a cliff, almost--at the head.
brooknounUS /brʊk/
a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)
From this reading For quite as long Val had possessed a mental picture of the place--a picture of a gurgly little brook with rocks and watercress and distracting little pools the size of a bathtub, and with a great, frowning boulder--a cliff, almost--at the head.
bubbledverbUS /ˈbʌbəld/
past form of “bubble” — form, produce, or emit bubbles
From this reading The brook bubbled out and formed a basin in the shadow of the rock.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Around it grew trees, unnamed in the picture, it is true, but trees, nevertheless.
cliffnounUS /klɪf/
a steep high face of rock
From this reading For quite as long Val had possessed a mental picture of the place--a picture of a gurgly little brook with rocks and watercress and distracting little pools the size of a bathtub, and with a great, frowning boulder--a cliff, almost--at the head.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading For almost three years the letters from Manley had been headed “Cold Spring Ranch.”
a small house with a single story
From this reading Below the spring stood a picturesque little cottage.
distractingverbUS /dɪˈstræktɪŋ/
-ing form of “distract” — draw someone's attention away from something
From this reading For quite as long Val had possessed a mental picture of the place--a picture of a gurgly little brook with rocks and watercress and distracting little pools the size of a bathtub, and with a great, frowning boulder--a cliff, almost--at the head.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For almost three years the letters from Manley had been headed “Cold Spring Ranch.”
having or given a form or shape
From this reading The brook bubbled out and formed a basin in the shadow of the rock.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading For almost three years the letters from Manley had been headed “Cold Spring Ranch.”
frowningadjectiveUS /ˈfraʊnɪŋ/
showing displeasure or anger
From this reading For quite as long Val had possessed a mental picture of the place--a picture of a gurgly little brook with rocks and watercress and distracting little pools the size of a bathtub, and with a great, frowning boulder--a cliff, almost--at the head.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading For quite as long Val had possessed a mental picture of the place--a picture of a gurgly little brook with rocks and watercress and distracting little pools the size of a bathtub, and with a great, frowning boulder--a cliff, almost--at the head.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading Around it grew trees, unnamed in the picture, it is true, but trees, nevertheless.
gurgly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For quite as long Val had possessed a mental picture of the place--a picture of a gurgly little brook with rocks and watercress and distracting little pools the size of a bathtub, and with a great, frowning boulder--a cliff, almost--at the head.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For almost three years the letters from Manley had been headed “Cold Spring Ranch.”
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading For quite as long Val had possessed a mental picture of the place--a picture of a gurgly little brook with rocks and watercress and distracting little pools the size of a bathtub, and with a great, frowning boulder--a cliff, almost--at the head.
headedadjectiveUS /ˈhedəd/
having a heading or course in a certain direction
From this reading For almost three years the letters from Manley had been headed “Cold Spring Ranch.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The brook bubbled out and formed a basin in the shadow of the rock.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Around it grew trees, unnamed in the picture, it is true, but trees, nevertheless.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Around it grew trees, unnamed in the picture, it is true, but trees, nevertheless.
the literary culture
From this reading For almost three years the letters from Manley had been headed “Cold Spring Ranch.”
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading For quite as long Val had possessed a mental picture of the place--a picture of a gurgly little brook with rocks and watercress and distracting little pools the size of a bathtub, and with a great, frowning boulder--a cliff, almost--at the head.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading For quite as long Val had possessed a mental picture of the place--a picture of a gurgly little brook with rocks and watercress and distracting little pools the size of a bathtub, and with a great, frowning boulder--a cliff, almost--at the head.
Manley
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For almost three years the letters from Manley had been headed “Cold Spring Ranch.”
involving the mind or an intellectual process
From this reading For quite as long Val had possessed a mental picture of the place--a picture of a gurgly little brook with rocks and watercress and distracting little pools the size of a bathtub, and with a great, frowning boulder--a cliff, almost--at the head.
in spite of what has just been said
From this reading Around it grew trees, unnamed in the picture, it is true, but trees, nevertheless.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading For quite as long Val had possessed a mental picture of the place--a picture of a gurgly little brook with rocks and watercress and distracting little pools the size of a bathtub, and with a great, frowning boulder--a cliff, almost--at the head.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The brook bubbled out and formed a basin in the shadow of the rock.
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading For quite as long Val had possessed a mental picture of the place--a picture of a gurgly little brook with rocks and watercress and distracting little pools the size of a bathtub, and with a great, frowning boulder--a cliff, almost--at the head.
picturesqueadjectiveUS /ˈpɪktʃərəsk/
suggesting or suitable for a picture; pretty as a picture
From this reading Below the spring stood a picturesque little cottage.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading For quite as long Val had possessed a mental picture of the place--a picture of a gurgly little brook with rocks and watercress and distracting little pools the size of a bathtub, and with a great, frowning boulder--a cliff, almost--at the head.
poolsnounUS /puːlz/
plural of “pool” — an excavation that is (usually) filled with water
From this reading For quite as long Val had possessed a mental picture of the place--a picture of a gurgly little brook with rocks and watercress and distracting little pools the size of a bathtub, and with a great, frowning boulder--a cliff, almost--at the head.
influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion
From this reading For quite as long Val had possessed a mental picture of the place--a picture of a gurgly little brook with rocks and watercress and distracting little pools the size of a bathtub, and with a great, frowning boulder--a cliff, almost--at the head.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading For quite as long Val had possessed a mental picture of the place--a picture of a gurgly little brook with rocks and watercress and distracting little pools the size of a bathtub, and with a great, frowning boulder--a cliff, almost--at the head.
RanchnounUS /ræntʃ/
farm consisting of a large tract of land along with facilities needed to raise livestock (especially cattle)
From this reading For almost three years the letters from Manley had been headed “Cold Spring Ranch.”
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading The brook bubbled out and formed a basin in the shadow of the rock.
plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading For quite as long Val had possessed a mental picture of the place--a picture of a gurgly little brook with rocks and watercress and distracting little pools the size of a bathtub, and with a great, frowning boulder--a cliff, almost--at the head.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading The brook bubbled out and formed a basin in the shadow of the rock.
the physical magnitude of something (how big it is)
From this reading For quite as long Val had possessed a mental picture of the place--a picture of a gurgly little brook with rocks and watercress and distracting little pools the size of a bathtub, and with a great, frowning boulder--a cliff, almost--at the head.
the season of growth
From this reading For almost three years the letters from Manley had been headed “Cold Spring Ranch.”
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Below the spring stood a picturesque little cottage.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For almost three years the letters from Manley had been headed “Cold Spring Ranch.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading For almost three years the letters from Manley had been headed “Cold Spring Ranch.”
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading Around it grew trees, unnamed in the picture, it is true, but trees, nevertheless.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading Around it grew trees, unnamed in the picture, it is true, but trees, nevertheless.
unnamedadjectiveUS /ənˈneɪmd/
being or having an unknown or unnamed source
From this reading Around it grew trees, unnamed in the picture, it is true, but trees, nevertheless.
Val
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For quite as long Val had possessed a mental picture of the place--a picture of a gurgly little brook with rocks and watercress and distracting little pools the size of a bathtub, and with a great, frowning boulder--a cliff, almost--at the head.
watercressnounUS /ˈwɔːtərkres/
any of several water-loving cresses
From this reading For quite as long Val had possessed a mental picture of the place--a picture of a gurgly little brook with rocks and watercress and distracting little pools the size of a bathtub, and with a great, frowning boulder--a cliff, almost--at the head.
in the company of; together with
From this reading For quite as long Val had possessed a mental picture of the place--a picture of a gurgly little brook with rocks and watercress and distracting little pools the size of a bathtub, and with a great, frowning boulder--a cliff, almost--at the head.
a late time of life
From this reading For almost three years the letters from Manley had been headed “Cold Spring Ranch.”
