Chapter XX · Chapter 20

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

From this reading He thought its bare, scaly tail was not a pleasant thing to see; yet he looked at it, with his elbows on his knees, and his chin in his hands.

from one side of something to the other

From this reading “THE CHILDREN OF PAUL’S” An old gray rat came out of its hole, ran swiftly across the floor, and, sitting up, crouched there, peering at Nick.

(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 They had put in plenty of food, and he had eaten it all; for if he starved to death he would certainly never get home.

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading “THE CHILDREN OF PAUL’S” An old gray rat came out of its hole, ran swiftly across the floor, and, sitting up, crouched there, peering at Nick.

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

From this reading “THE CHILDREN OF PAUL’S” An old gray rat came out of its hole, ran swiftly across the floor, and, sitting up, crouched there, peering at Nick.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading “THE CHILDREN OF PAUL’S” An old gray rat came out of its hole, ran swiftly across the floor, and, sitting up, crouched there, peering at Nick.

completely unclothed

From this reading He thought its bare, scaly tail was not a pleasant thing to see; yet he looked at it, with his elbows on his knees, and his chin in his hands.

the past participle of “be”

From this reading He had been locked in for two days now.

(used in the plural) the stage of a theater

From this reading It was quite warm, and the boards had been taken from the window, so that there was plenty of light.

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

From this reading “THE CHILDREN OF PAUL’S” An old gray rat came out of its hole, ran swiftly across the floor, and, sitting up, crouched there, peering at Nick.

definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)

From this reading They had put in plenty of food, and he had eaten it all; for if he starved to death he would certainly never get home.

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

From this reading “THE CHILDREN OF PAUL’S” An old gray rat came out of its hole, ran swiftly across the floor, and, sitting up, crouched there, peering at Nick.

the protruding part of the lower jaw

From this reading He thought its bare, scaly tail was not a pleasant thing to see; yet he looked at it, with his elbows on his knees, and his chin in his hands.

past form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down

From this reading “THE CHILDREN OF PAUL’S” An old gray rat came out of its hole, ran swiftly across the floor, and, sitting up, crouched there, peering at Nick.

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading He had been locked in for two days now.

the event of dying or departure from life

From this reading They had put in plenty of food, and he had eaten it all; for if he starved to death he would certainly never get home.

inflected form of “eat” — take in solid food

From this reading They had put in plenty of food, and he had eaten it all; for if he starved to death he would certainly never get home.

plural of “elbow” — hinge joint between the forearm and upper arm and the corresponding joint in the forelimb of a quadruped

From this reading He thought its bare, scaly tail was not a pleasant thing to see; yet he looked at it, with his elbows on his knees, and his chin in his hands.

the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)

From this reading “THE CHILDREN OF PAUL’S” An old gray rat came out of its hole, ran swiftly across the floor, and, sitting up, crouched there, peering at Nick.

any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue

From this reading They had put in plenty of food, and he had eaten it all; for if he starved to death he would certainly never get home.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading He had been locked in for two days now.

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading It was quite warm, and the boards had been taken from the window, so that there was plenty of light.

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading They had put in plenty of food, and he had eaten it all; for if he starved to death he would certainly never get home.

a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black

From this reading “THE CHILDREN OF PAUL’S” An old gray rat came out of its hole, ran swiftly across the floor, and, sitting up, crouched there, peering at Nick.

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

From this reading He had been locked in for two days now.

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading He thought its bare, scaly tail was not a pleasant thing to see; yet he looked at it, with his elbows on his knees, and his chin in his hands.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He thought its bare, scaly tail was not a pleasant thing to see; yet he looked at it, with his elbows on his knees, and his chin in his hands.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading He thought its bare, scaly tail was not a pleasant thing to see; yet he looked at it, with his elbows on his knees, and his chin in his hands.

an opening into or through something

From this reading “THE CHILDREN OF PAUL’S” An old gray rat came out of its hole, ran swiftly across the floor, and, sitting up, crouched there, peering at Nick.

where you live at a particular time

From this reading They had put in plenty of food, and he had eaten it all; for if he starved to death he would certainly never get home.

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading They had put in plenty of food, and he had eaten it all; for if he starved to death he would certainly never get home.

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

From this reading He thought its bare, scaly tail was not a pleasant thing to see; yet he looked at it, with his elbows on his knees, and his chin in his hands.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading He thought its bare, scaly tail was not a pleasant thing to see; yet he looked at it, with his elbows on his knees, and his chin in his hands.

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading “THE CHILDREN OF PAUL’S” An old gray rat came out of its hole, ran swiftly across the floor, and, sitting up, crouched there, peering at Nick.

plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella

From this reading He thought its bare, scaly tail was not a pleasant thing to see; yet he looked at it, with his elbows on his knees, and his chin in his hands.

of comparatively little physical weight or density

From this reading It was quite warm, and the boards had been taken from the window, so that there was plenty of light.

past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock

From this reading He had been locked in for two days now.

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading He thought its bare, scaly tail was not a pleasant thing to see; yet he looked at it, with his elbows on his knees, and his chin in his hands.

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading They had put in plenty of food, and he had eaten it all; for if he starved to death he would certainly never get home.

cut slightly, with a razor

From this reading “THE CHILDREN OF PAUL’S” An old gray rat came out of its hole, ran swiftly across the floor, and, sitting up, crouched there, peering at Nick.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading He thought its bare, scaly tail was not a pleasant thing to see; yet he looked at it, with his elbows on his knees, and his chin in his hands.

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading He had been locked in for two days now.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading “THE CHILDREN OF PAUL’S” An old gray rat came out of its hole, ran swiftly across the floor, and, sitting up, crouched there, peering at Nick.

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading “THE CHILDREN OF PAUL’S” An old gray rat came out of its hole, ran swiftly across the floor, and, sitting up, crouched there, peering at Nick.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading He thought its bare, scaly tail was not a pleasant thing to see; yet he looked at it, with his elbows on his knees, and his chin in his hands.

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading “THE CHILDREN OF PAUL’S” An old gray rat came out of its hole, ran swiftly across the floor, and, sitting up, crouched there, peering at Nick.

possessive form of “paul” — United States feminist (1885-1977)

From this reading “THE CHILDREN OF PAUL’S” An old gray rat came out of its hole, ran swiftly across the floor, and, sitting up, crouched there, peering at Nick.

-ing form of “peer” — look searchingly

From this reading “THE CHILDREN OF PAUL’S” An old gray rat came out of its hole, ran swiftly across the floor, and, sitting up, crouched there, peering at Nick.

affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings

From this reading He thought its bare, scaly tail was not a pleasant thing to see; yet he looked at it, with his elbows on his knees, and his chin in his hands.

a full supply

From this reading They had put in plenty of food, and he had eaten it all; for if he starved to death he would certainly never get home.

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading They had put in plenty of food, and he had eaten it all; for if he starved to death he would certainly never get home.

to a degree (not used with a negative)

From this reading It was quite warm, and the boards had been taken from the window, so that there was plenty of light.

inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time

From this reading “THE CHILDREN OF PAUL’S” An old gray rat came out of its hole, ran swiftly across the floor, and, sitting up, crouched there, peering at Nick.

any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse

From this reading “THE CHILDREN OF PAUL’S” An old gray rat came out of its hole, ran swiftly across the floor, and, sitting up, crouched there, peering at Nick.

rough to the touch; covered with scales or scurf

From this reading He thought its bare, scaly tail was not a pleasant thing to see; yet he looked at it, with his elbows on his knees, and his chin in his hands.

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading He thought its bare, scaly tail was not a pleasant thing to see; yet he looked at it, with his elbows on his knees, and his chin in his hands.

(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)

From this reading “THE CHILDREN OF PAUL’S” An old gray rat came out of its hole, ran swiftly across the floor, and, sitting up, crouched there, peering at Nick.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading It was quite warm, and the boards had been taken from the window, so that there was plenty of light.

suffering from lack of food

From this reading They had put in plenty of food, and he had eaten it all; for if he starved to death he would certainly never get home.

in a swift manner

From this reading “THE CHILDREN OF PAUL’S” An old gray rat came out of its hole, ran swiftly across the floor, and, sitting up, crouched there, peering at Nick.

the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body

From this reading He thought its bare, scaly tail was not a pleasant thing to see; yet he looked at it, with his elbows on his knees, and his chin in his hands.

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading It was quite warm, and the boards had been taken from the window, so that there was plenty of light.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It was quite warm, and the boards had been taken from the window, so that there was plenty of light.

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

From this reading “THE CHILDREN OF PAUL’S” An old gray rat came out of its hole, ran swiftly across the floor, and, sitting up, crouched there, peering at Nick.

in or at that place or location

From this reading “THE CHILDREN OF PAUL’S” An old gray rat came out of its hole, ran swiftly across the floor, and, sitting up, crouched there, peering at Nick.

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

From this reading They had put in plenty of food, and he had eaten it all; for if he starved to death he would certainly never get home.

a special situation

From this reading He thought its bare, scaly tail was not a pleasant thing to see; yet he looked at it, with his elbows on his knees, and his chin in his hands.

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading He thought its bare, scaly tail was not a pleasant thing to see; yet he looked at it, with his elbows on his knees, and his chin in his hands.

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

From this reading He thought its bare, scaly tail was not a pleasant thing to see; yet he looked at it, with his elbows on his knees, and his chin in his hands.

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

From this reading He had been locked in for two days now.

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

From this reading “THE CHILDREN OF PAUL’S” An old gray rat came out of its hole, ran swiftly across the floor, and, sitting up, crouched there, peering at Nick.

having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat

From this reading It was quite warm, and the boards had been taken from the window, so that there was plenty of light.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading He thought its bare, scaly tail was not a pleasant thing to see; yet he looked at it, with his elbows on his knees, and his chin in his hands.

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 It was quite warm, and the boards had been taken from the window, so that there was plenty of light.

in the company of; together with

From this reading He thought its bare, scaly tail was not a pleasant thing to see; yet he looked at it, with his elbows on his knees, and his chin in his hands.

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

From this reading They had put in plenty of food, and he had eaten it all; for if he starved to death he would certainly never get home.

but in spite of that

From this reading He thought its bare, scaly tail was not a pleasant thing to see; yet he looked at it, with his elbows on his knees, and his chin in his hands.