used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The sight of a man looming dimly in the path startled her and she stopped.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She had written her confession that day, spent hours and much paper over the short letter, and as soon as her father and Sue were safely away she had taken it to the woods.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She had written her confession that day, spent hours and much paper over the short letter, and as soon as her father and Sue were safely away she had taken it to the woods.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading She had written her confession that day, spent hours and much paper over the short letter, and as soon as her father and Sue were safely away she had taken it to the woods.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading She was back now; the thing was done; she was panting as much from nervousness as from haste.
Baird's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's only I--don't be frightened," Baird's voice said.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading She felt ill enough to be frightened by everything; a moment before a bird had fluttered in the grapevines and her heart had stood still.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading She felt ill enough to be frightened by everything; a moment before a bird had fluttered in the grapevines and her heart had stood still.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading She felt ill enough to be frightened by everything; a moment before a bird had fluttered in the grapevines and her heart had stood still.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading She felt ill enough to be frightened by everything; a moment before a bird had fluttered in the grapevines and her heart had stood still.
confessionnounUS /kənˈfeʃən/
an admission of misdeeds or faults
From this reading She had written her confession that day, spent hours and much paper over the short letter, and as soon as her father and Sue were safely away she had taken it to the woods.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading She had written her confession that day, spent hours and much paper over the short letter, and as soon as her father and Sue were safely away she had taken it to the woods.
dimlyadverbUS /ˈdɪmli/
in a dim indistinct manner
From this reading The sight of a man looming dimly in the path startled her and she stopped.
don't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's only I--don't be frightened," Baird's voice said.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading She was back now; the thing was done; she was panting as much from nervousness as from haste.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading She felt ill enough to be frightened by everything; a moment before a bird had fluttered in the grapevines and her heart had stood still.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading She felt ill enough to be frightened by everything; a moment before a bird had fluttered in the grapevines and her heart had stood still.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading She had written her confession that day, spent hours and much paper over the short letter, and as soon as her father and Sue were safely away she had taken it to the woods.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading She felt ill enough to be frightened by everything; a moment before a bird had fluttered in the grapevines and her heart had stood still.
flutteredverbUS /ˈflʌtərd/
past form of “flutter” — move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading She felt ill enough to be frightened by everything; a moment before a bird had fluttered in the grapevines and her heart had stood still.
made afraid
From this reading She felt ill enough to be frightened by everything; a moment before a bird had fluttered in the grapevines and her heart had stood still.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading She was back now; the thing was done; she was panting as much from nervousness as from haste.
grapevinesnounUS /ˈɡreɪpvaɪnz/
plural of “grapevine” — gossip spread by spoken communication
From this reading She felt ill enough to be frightened by everything; a moment before a bird had fluttered in the grapevines and her heart had stood still.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had written her confession that day, spent hours and much paper over the short letter, and as soon as her father and Sue were safely away she had taken it to the woods.
overly eager speed (and possible carelessness)
From this reading She was back now; the thing was done; she was panting as much from nervousness as from haste.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading She felt ill enough to be frightened by everything; a moment before a bird had fluttered in the grapevines and her heart had stood still.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She had written her confession that day, spent hours and much paper over the short letter, and as soon as her father and Sue were safely away she had taken it to the woods.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading She had written her confession that day, spent hours and much paper over the short letter, and as soon as her father and Sue were safely away she had taken it to the woods.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "It's only I--don't be frightened," Baird's voice said.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading She felt ill enough to be frightened by everything; a moment before a bird had fluttered in the grapevines and her heart had stood still.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The sight of a man looming dimly in the path startled her and she stopped.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She had written her confession that day, spent hours and much paper over the short letter, and as soon as her father and Sue were safely away she had taken it to the woods.
It's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's only I--don't be frightened," Baird's voice said.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading She had written her confession that day, spent hours and much paper over the short letter, and as soon as her father and Sue were safely away she had taken it to the woods.
loomingverbUS /ˈluːmɪŋ/
-ing form of “loom” — come into view indistinctly, often threateningly
From this reading The sight of a man looming dimly in the path startled her and she stopped.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The sight of a man looming dimly in the path startled her and she stopped.
a particular point in time
From this reading She felt ill enough to be frightened by everything; a moment before a bird had fluttered in the grapevines and her heart had stood still.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading She had written her confession that day, spent hours and much paper over the short letter, and as soon as her father and Sue were safely away she had taken it to the woods.
nervousnessnounUS /ˈnɜːrvəsnəs/
the anxious feeling you have when you have the jitters
From this reading She was back now; the thing was done; she was panting as much from nervousness as from haste.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading She was back now; the thing was done; she was panting as much from nervousness as from haste.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The sight of a man looming dimly in the path startled her and she stopped.
and nothing more
From this reading "It's only I--don't be frightened," Baird's voice said.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading She had written her confession that day, spent hours and much paper over the short letter, and as soon as her father and Sue were safely away she had taken it to the woods.
pantingnounUS /ˈpæntɪŋ/
breathing heavily (as after exertion)
From this reading She was back now; the thing was done; she was panting as much from nervousness as from haste.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading She had written her confession that day, spent hours and much paper over the short letter, and as soon as her father and Sue were safely away she had taken it to the woods.
a course of conduct
From this reading The sight of a man looming dimly in the path startled her and she stopped.
with safety; in a safe manner
From this reading She had written her confession that day, spent hours and much paper over the short letter, and as soon as her father and Sue were safely away she had taken it to the woods.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It's only I--don't be frightened," Baird's voice said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had written her confession that day, spent hours and much paper over the short letter, and as soon as her father and Sue were safely away she had taken it to the woods.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading She had written her confession that day, spent hours and much paper over the short letter, and as soon as her father and Sue were safely away she had taken it to the woods.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading The sight of a man looming dimly in the path startled her and she stopped.
in the near future
From this reading She had written her confession that day, spent hours and much paper over the short letter, and as soon as her father and Sue were safely away she had taken it to the woods.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading She had written her confession that day, spent hours and much paper over the short letter, and as soon as her father and Sue were safely away she had taken it to the woods.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading The sight of a man looming dimly in the path startled her and she stopped.
not in physical motion
From this reading She felt ill enough to be frightened by everything; a moment before a bird had fluttered in the grapevines and her heart had stood still.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading She felt ill enough to be frightened by everything; a moment before a bird had fluttered in the grapevines and her heart had stood still.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading The sight of a man looming dimly in the path startled her and she stopped.
SueverbUS /suː/
institute legal proceedings against; file a suit against
From this reading She had written her confession that day, spent hours and much paper over the short letter, and as soon as her father and Sue were safely away she had taken it to the woods.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading She had written her confession that day, spent hours and much paper over the short letter, and as soon as her father and Sue were safely away she had taken it to the woods.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She had written her confession that day, spent hours and much paper over the short letter, and as soon as her father and Sue were safely away she had taken it to the woods.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She had written her confession that day, spent hours and much paper over the short letter, and as soon as her father and Sue were safely away she had taken it to the woods.
a special situation
From this reading She was back now; the thing was done; she was panting as much from nervousness as from haste.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She had written her confession that day, spent hours and much paper over the short letter, and as soon as her father and Sue were safely away she had taken it to the woods.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "It's only I--don't be frightened," Baird's voice said.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was back now; the thing was done; she was panting as much from nervousness as from haste.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading She had written her confession that day, spent hours and much paper over the short letter, and as soon as her father and Sue were safely away she had taken it to the woods.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading She had written her confession that day, spent hours and much paper over the short letter, and as soon as her father and Sue were safely away she had taken it to the woods.
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading She had written her confession that day, spent hours and much paper over the short letter, and as soon as her father and Sue were safely away she had taken it to the woods.
