used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
farther along in physical or mental development
From this reading They advanced rapidly in his direction.
(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 As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Within the circle of a shallow swale stood a huddled group of black figures of buffalo still on their feet.
buffalonounUS /ˈbʌfəloʊ/
large shaggy-haired brown bison of North American plains
From this reading Within the circle of a shallow swale stood a huddled group of black figures of buffalo still on their feet.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading THE TRAIL MAKER THE reports came steadily—ten, fifteen, twenty.
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading Within the circle of a shallow swale stood a huddled group of black figures of buffalo still on their feet.
countlessadjectiveUS /ˈkaʊntləs/
too numerous to be counted
From this reading As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
a line leading to a place or point
From this reading They advanced rapidly in his direction.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading It was easy for the trail men to locate the rifleman.
the point or degree to which something extends
From this reading As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Within the circle of a shallow swale stood a huddled group of black figures of buffalo still on their feet.
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading THE TRAIL MAKER THE reports came steadily—ten, fifteen, twenty.
plural of “figure” — a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading Within the circle of a shallow swale stood a huddled group of black figures of buffalo still on their feet.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was easy for the trail men to locate the rifleman.
the act of departing
From this reading As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
any number of entities (members) considered as a unit
From this reading Within the circle of a shallow swale stood a huddled group of black figures of buffalo still on their feet.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading They advanced rapidly in his direction.
huddledadjectiveUS /ˈhʌdəld/
crowded or massed together
From this reading Within the circle of a shallow swale stood a huddled group of black figures of buffalo still on their feet.
ten 10s
From this reading As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They advanced rapidly in his direction.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was easy for the trail men to locate the rifleman.
immediately past
From this reading As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
locateverbUS /ˈloʊkeɪt/
discover the location of; determine the place of; find by searching or examining
From this reading It was easy for the trail men to locate the rifleman.
MAKERnounUS /ˈmeɪkər/
a person who makes things
From this reading THE TRAIL MAKER THE reports came steadily—ten, fifteen, twenty.
the force of workers available
From this reading It was easy for the trail men to locate the rifleman.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
PlainsnounUS /pleɪnz/
plural of “plain” — extensive tract of level open land
From this reading As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
with speed
From this reading They advanced rapidly in his direction.
reportsnounUS /rɪˈpɔːrts/
plural of “report” — a written document describing the findings of some individual or group
From this reading THE TRAIL MAKER THE reports came steadily—ten, fifteen, twenty.
ridgenounUS /rɪdʒ/
a long narrow natural elevation or striation
From this reading As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
riflemannounUS /ˈraɪfəlmən/
someone skilled in the use of a rifle
From this reading It was easy for the trail men to locate the rifleman.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
shallowadjectiveUS /ˈʃæloʊ/
lacking physical depth; having little spatial extension downward or inward from an outer surface or backward or outward from a center
From this reading Within the circle of a shallow swale stood a huddled group of black figures of buffalo still on their feet.
marked by correspondence or resemblance
From this reading As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
at a steady rate or pace
From this reading THE TRAIL MAKER THE reports came steadily—ten, fifteen, twenty.
not in physical motion
From this reading Within the circle of a shallow swale stood a huddled group of black figures of buffalo still on their feet.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Within the circle of a shallow swale stood a huddled group of black figures of buffalo still on their feet.
swalenoun
a low area (especially a marshy area between ridges)
From this reading Within the circle of a shallow swale stood a huddled group of black figures of buffalo still on their feet.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading THE TRAIL MAKER THE reports came steadily—ten, fifteen, twenty.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE TRAIL MAKER THE reports came steadily—ten, fifteen, twenty.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Within the circle of a shallow swale stood a huddled group of black figures of buffalo still on their feet.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
in or at that place or location
From this reading As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They advanced rapidly in his direction.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was easy for the trail men to locate the rifleman.
toppedadjectiveUS /tɑːpt/
having a top of a specified character
From this reading As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
tragediesnounUS /ˈtrædʒədiz/
plural of “tragedy” — an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading As they topped a little ridge there lay before them the last scene of one of countless similar tragedies of the Plains then going on all over the country a thousand by fifteen hundred miles in extent.
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading THE TRAIL MAKER THE reports came steadily—ten, fifteen, twenty.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading THE TRAIL MAKER THE reports came steadily—ten, fifteen, twenty.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was easy for the trail men to locate the rifleman.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading Within the circle of a shallow swale stood a huddled group of black figures of buffalo still on their feet.
