used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Well," he continued, "there is no use denying it--I am not a sailor.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading I told him I would do all I could for him, but that, as this was my first voyage in a whaler, I could not help him much about whaling matters.
(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 Will you help me to do so, by teaching me all I want to know?"
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "Well," he continued, "there is no use denying it--I am not a sailor.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The captain knows this; but I have promised soon to become one, and I want to keep my promise.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "Oh, that will soon come," he answered.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I told him I would do all I could for him, but that, as this was my first voyage in a whaler, I could not help him much about whaling matters.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading The captain knows this; but I have promised soon to become one, and I want to keep my promise.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The captain knows this; but I have promised soon to become one, and I want to keep my promise.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Will you help me to do so, by teaching me all I want to know?"
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading The captain knows this; but I have promised soon to become one, and I want to keep my promise.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Oh, that will soon come," he answered.
without stop or interruption
From this reading "Well," he continued, "there is no use denying it--I am not a sailor.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I told him I would do all I could for him, but that, as this was my first voyage in a whaler, I could not help him much about whaling matters.
denyingverbUS /dɪˈnaɪɪŋ/
-ing form of “deny” — declare untrue; contradict
From this reading "Well," he continued, "there is no use denying it--I am not a sailor.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Will you help me to do so, by teaching me all I want to know?"
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading I told him I would do all I could for him, but that, as this was my first voyage in a whaler, I could not help him much about whaling matters.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I told him I would do all I could for him, but that, as this was my first voyage in a whaler, I could not help him much about whaling matters.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The captain knows this; but I have promised soon to become one, and I want to keep my promise.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Well," he continued, "there is no use denying it--I am not a sailor.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading Will you help me to do so, by teaching me all I want to know?"
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I told him I would do all I could for him, but that, as this was my first voyage in a whaler, I could not help him much about whaling matters.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well," he continued, "there is no use denying it--I am not a sailor.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I told him I would do all I could for him, but that, as this was my first voyage in a whaler, I could not help him much about whaling matters.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Well," he continued, "there is no use denying it--I am not a sailor.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Well," he continued, "there is no use denying it--I am not a sailor.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading The captain knows this; but I have promised soon to become one, and I want to keep my promise.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Will you help me to do so, by teaching me all I want to know?"
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading The captain knows this; but I have promised soon to become one, and I want to keep my promise.
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading I told him I would do all I could for him, but that, as this was my first voyage in a whaler, I could not help him much about whaling matters.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Will you help me to do so, by teaching me all I want to know?"
to a great degree or extent
From this reading I told him I would do all I could for him, but that, as this was my first voyage in a whaler, I could not help him much about whaling matters.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The captain knows this; but I have promised soon to become one, and I want to keep my promise.
not any; not one
From this reading "Well," he continued, "there is no use denying it--I am not a sailor.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Well," he continued, "there is no use denying it--I am not a sailor.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, that will soon come," he answered.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The captain knows this; but I have promised soon to become one, and I want to keep my promise.
make a promise or commitment
From this reading The captain knows this; but I have promised soon to become one, and I want to keep my promise.
past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment
From this reading The captain knows this; but I have promised soon to become one, and I want to keep my promise.
any member of a ship's crew
From this reading "Well," he continued, "there is no use denying it--I am not a sailor.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Will you help me to do so, by teaching me all I want to know?"
in the near future
From this reading The captain knows this; but I have promised soon to become one, and I want to keep my promise.
teachingnounUS /ˈtiːtʃɪŋ/
the profession of a teacher
From this reading Will you help me to do so, by teaching me all I want to know?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I told him I would do all I could for him, but that, as this was my first voyage in a whaler, I could not help him much about whaling matters.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The captain knows this; but I have promised soon to become one, and I want to keep my promise.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Well," he continued, "there is no use denying it--I am not a sailor.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The captain knows this; but I have promised soon to become one, and I want to keep my promise.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The captain knows this; but I have promised soon to become one, and I want to keep my promise.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading I told him I would do all I could for him, but that, as this was my first voyage in a whaler, I could not help him much about whaling matters.
the act of using
From this reading "Well," he continued, "there is no use denying it--I am not a sailor.
an act of traveling by water
From this reading I told him I would do all I could for him, but that, as this was my first voyage in a whaler, I could not help him much about whaling matters.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading The captain knows this; but I have promised soon to become one, and I want to keep my promise.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I told him I would do all I could for him, but that, as this was my first voyage in a whaler, I could not help him much about whaling matters.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well," he continued, "there is no use denying it--I am not a sailor.
whalernounUS /ˈweɪlər/
a seaman who works on a ship that hunts whales
From this reading I told him I would do all I could for him, but that, as this was my first voyage in a whaler, I could not help him much about whaling matters.
whalingverbUS /ˈweɪlɪŋ/
-ing form of “whale” — hunt for whales
From this reading I told him I would do all I could for him, but that, as this was my first voyage in a whaler, I could not help him much about whaling matters.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Will you help me to do so, by teaching me all I want to know?"
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I told him I would do all I could for him, but that, as this was my first voyage in a whaler, I could not help him much about whaling matters.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Will you help me to do so, by teaching me all I want to know?"
