used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Jack had seen the same object that had given George such a start.
acetylenenounUS /əˈsetəliːn/
a colorless flammable gas used chiefly in welding and in organic synthesis
From this reading Across the white path of illumination thrown forward by the powerful little acetylene searchlight, a shadowy, moving thing suddenly appeared.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Across the white path of illumination thrown forward by the powerful little acetylene searchlight, a shadowy, moving thing suddenly appeared.
presently existing in fact and not merely potential or possible
From this reading But it was the nearest to a collision, without an actual calamity, Jack had ever experienced.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading It was a sailboat, beating up against a head wind, and aiming to reach its home port while the possibility of moonlight lasted.
aimingverbUS /ˈeɪmɪŋ/
-ing form of “aim” — point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards
From this reading It was a sailboat, beating up against a head wind, and aiming to reach its home port while the possibility of moonlight lasted.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading But it was the nearest to a collision, without an actual calamity, Jack had ever experienced.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was a sailboat, beating up against a head wind, and aiming to reach its home port while the possibility of moonlight lasted.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Across the white path of illumination thrown forward by the powerful little acetylene searchlight, a shadowy, moving thing suddenly appeared.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Whatever tempted the man at the tiller to try and cross between the swift moving motor boats no one might ever know.
the act of overcoming or outdoing
From this reading It was a sailboat, beating up against a head wind, and aiming to reach its home port while the possibility of moonlight lasted.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Whatever tempted the man at the tiller to try and cross between the swift moving motor boats no one might ever know.
plural of “boat” — a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading Whatever tempted the man at the tiller to try and cross between the swift moving motor boats no one might ever know.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But it was the nearest to a collision, without an actual calamity, Jack had ever experienced.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Across the white path of illumination thrown forward by the powerful little acetylene searchlight, a shadowy, moving thing suddenly appeared.
calamitynounUS /kəˈlæməti/
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading But it was the nearest to a collision, without an actual calamity, Jack had ever experienced.
collisionnounUS /kəˈlɪʒən/
(physics) a brief event in which two or more bodies come together
From this reading But it was the nearest to a collision, without an actual calamity, Jack had ever experienced.
travel across or pass over
From this reading Whatever tempted the man at the tiller to try and cross between the swift moving motor boats no one might ever know.
at any time
From this reading Whatever tempted the man at the tiller to try and cross between the swift moving motor boats no one might ever know.
having experience; having knowledge or skill from observation or participation
From this reading But it was the nearest to a collision, without an actual calamity, Jack had ever experienced.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading Across the white path of illumination thrown forward by the powerful little acetylene searchlight, a shadowy, moving thing suddenly appeared.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading Jack had seen the same object that had given George such a start.
givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading Jack had seen the same object that had given George such a start.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Jack had seen the same object that had given George such a start.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading It was a sailboat, beating up against a head wind, and aiming to reach its home port while the possibility of moonlight lasted.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading It was a sailboat, beating up against a head wind, and aiming to reach its home port while the possibility of moonlight lasted.
illuminationnounUS /ˌɪluːməˈneɪʃən/
a condition of spiritual awareness; divine illumination
From this reading Across the white path of illumination thrown forward by the powerful little acetylene searchlight, a shadowy, moving thing suddenly appeared.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a sailboat, beating up against a head wind, and aiming to reach its home port while the possibility of moonlight lasted.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading It was a sailboat, beating up against a head wind, and aiming to reach its home port while the possibility of moonlight lasted.
a small worthless amount
From this reading Jack had seen the same object that had given George such a start.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Whatever tempted the man at the tiller to try and cross between the swift moving motor boats no one might ever know.
lastedverbUS /ˈlæstəd/
past form of “last” — persist for a specified period of time
From this reading It was a sailboat, beating up against a head wind, and aiming to reach its home port while the possibility of moonlight lasted.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Across the white path of illumination thrown forward by the powerful little acetylene searchlight, a shadowy, moving thing suddenly appeared.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Whatever tempted the man at the tiller to try and cross between the swift moving motor boats no one might ever know.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Whatever tempted the man at the tiller to try and cross between the swift moving motor boats no one might ever know.
the light of the Moon
From this reading It was a sailboat, beating up against a head wind, and aiming to reach its home port while the possibility of moonlight lasted.
motornounUS /ˈmoʊtər/
machine that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy and so imparts motion
From this reading Whatever tempted the man at the tiller to try and cross between the swift moving motor boats no one might ever know.
in motion
From this reading Across the white path of illumination thrown forward by the powerful little acetylene searchlight, a shadowy, moving thing suddenly appeared.
(superlative of “near” or “close”) within the shortest distance
From this reading But it was the nearest to a collision, without an actual calamity, Jack had ever experienced.
not any; not one
From this reading Whatever tempted the man at the tiller to try and cross between the swift moving motor boats no one might ever know.
a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading Jack had seen the same object that had given George such a start.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Across the white path of illumination thrown forward by the powerful little acetylene searchlight, a shadowy, moving thing suddenly appeared.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Whatever tempted the man at the tiller to try and cross between the swift moving motor boats no one might ever know.
a course of conduct
From this reading Across the white path of illumination thrown forward by the powerful little acetylene searchlight, a shadowy, moving thing suddenly appeared.
a place (seaport or airport) where people and merchandise can enter or leave a country
From this reading It was a sailboat, beating up against a head wind, and aiming to reach its home port while the possibility of moonlight lasted.
a future prospect or potential
From this reading It was a sailboat, beating up against a head wind, and aiming to reach its home port while the possibility of moonlight lasted.
having great power or force or potency or effect
From this reading Across the white path of illumination thrown forward by the powerful little acetylene searchlight, a shadowy, moving thing suddenly appeared.
reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading It was a sailboat, beating up against a head wind, and aiming to reach its home port while the possibility of moonlight lasted.
sailboatnounUS /ˈseɪlboʊt/
a small sailing vessel; usually with a single mast
From this reading It was a sailboat, beating up against a head wind, and aiming to reach its home port while the possibility of moonlight lasted.
Identical; not different.
From this reading Jack had seen the same object that had given George such a start.
searchlightnounUS /ˈsɜːrtʃlaɪt/
a light source with reflectors that projects a beam of light in a particular direction
From this reading Across the white path of illumination thrown forward by the powerful little acetylene searchlight, a shadowy, moving thing suddenly appeared.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Jack had seen the same object that had given George such a start.
shadowyadjectiveUS /ˈʃædoʊi/
filled with shade
From this reading Across the white path of illumination thrown forward by the powerful little acetylene searchlight, a shadowy, moving thing suddenly appeared.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Jack had seen the same object that had given George such a start.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Jack had seen the same object that had given George such a start.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Across the white path of illumination thrown forward by the powerful little acetylene searchlight, a shadowy, moving thing suddenly appeared.
moving very fast
From this reading Whatever tempted the man at the tiller to try and cross between the swift moving motor boats no one might ever know.
temptedverbUS /ˈtemptɪd/
past form of “tempt” — dispose or incline or entice to
From this reading Whatever tempted the man at the tiller to try and cross between the swift moving motor boats no one might ever know.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Jack had seen the same object that had given George such a start.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Jack had seen the same object that had given George such a start.
a special situation
From this reading Across the white path of illumination thrown forward by the powerful little acetylene searchlight, a shadowy, moving thing suddenly appeared.
caused to fall to the ground
From this reading Across the white path of illumination thrown forward by the powerful little acetylene searchlight, a shadowy, moving thing suddenly appeared.
tillernounUS /ˈtɪlər/
a shoot that sprouts from the base of a grass
From this reading Whatever tempted the man at the tiller to try and cross between the swift moving motor boats no one might ever know.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was a sailboat, beating up against a head wind, and aiming to reach its home port while the possibility of moonlight lasted.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading Whatever tempted the man at the tiller to try and cross between the swift moving motor boats no one might ever know.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading It was a sailboat, beating up against a head wind, and aiming to reach its home port while the possibility of moonlight lasted.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a sailboat, beating up against a head wind, and aiming to reach its home port while the possibility of moonlight lasted.
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading Whatever tempted the man at the tiller to try and cross between the swift moving motor boats no one might ever know.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading It was a sailboat, beating up against a head wind, and aiming to reach its home port while the possibility of moonlight lasted.
a Caucasian
From this reading Across the white path of illumination thrown forward by the powerful little acetylene searchlight, a shadowy, moving thing suddenly appeared.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading It was a sailboat, beating up against a head wind, and aiming to reach its home port while the possibility of moonlight lasted.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading But it was the nearest to a collision, without an actual calamity, Jack had ever experienced.
