used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The rain came down in such a torrent that he could not see five yards ahead, and what had become of his mule he did not know.
at or in the front
From this reading The rain came down in such a torrent that he could not see five yards ahead, and what had become of his mule he did not know.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Oliver now found himself in an exceedingly perilous position.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The rain came down in such a torrent that he could not see five yards ahead, and what had become of his mule he did not know.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As he did so, a blinding flash of lightning swept by, and on the instant a tall tree that stood not over two hundred feet away was split from the top to the bottom, and was wrapped in a blaze of fire!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE AURORA MINE AT LAST.
AURORAnounUS /ərˈɔːrə/
the first light of day
From this reading THE AURORA MINE AT LAST.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading As he did so, a blinding flash of lightning swept by, and on the instant a tall tree that stood not over two hundred feet away was split from the top to the bottom, and was wrapped in a blaze of fire!
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading The rain came down in such a torrent that he could not see five yards ahead, and what had become of his mule he did not know.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He picked himself up from the spot where he had been thrown, and crouched for a moment under an overhanging rock.
blazenounUS /bleɪz/
a strong flame that burns brightly
From this reading As he did so, a blinding flash of lightning swept by, and on the instant a tall tree that stood not over two hundred feet away was split from the top to the bottom, and was wrapped in a blaze of fire!
blindingadjectiveUS /ˈblaɪndɪŋ/
shining intensely
From this reading As he did so, a blinding flash of lightning swept by, and on the instant a tall tree that stood not over two hundred feet away was split from the top to the bottom, and was wrapped in a blaze of fire!
the lower side of anything
From this reading As he did so, a blinding flash of lightning swept by, and on the instant a tall tree that stood not over two hundred feet away was split from the top to the bottom, and was wrapped in a blaze of fire!
showing who or what does the action
From this reading As he did so, a blinding flash of lightning swept by, and on the instant a tall tree that stood not over two hundred feet away was split from the top to the bottom, and was wrapped in a blaze of fire!
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The rain came down in such a torrent that he could not see five yards ahead, and what had become of his mule he did not know.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The rain came down in such a torrent that he could not see five yards ahead, and what had become of his mule he did not know.
crouchedverbUS /kraʊtʃt/
past form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading He picked himself up from the spot where he had been thrown, and crouched for a moment under an overhanging rock.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The rain came down in such a torrent that he could not see five yards ahead, and what had become of his mule he did not know.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The rain came down in such a torrent that he could not see five yards ahead, and what had become of his mule he did not know.
to an extreme degree
From this reading Oliver now found himself in an exceedingly perilous position.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading As he did so, a blinding flash of lightning swept by, and on the instant a tall tree that stood not over two hundred feet away was split from the top to the bottom, and was wrapped in a blaze of fire!
start firing a weapon
From this reading As he did so, a blinding flash of lightning swept by, and on the instant a tall tree that stood not over two hundred feet away was split from the top to the bottom, and was wrapped in a blaze of fire!
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading The rain came down in such a torrent that he could not see five yards ahead, and what had become of his mule he did not know.
gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading As he did so, a blinding flash of lightning swept by, and on the instant a tall tree that stood not over two hundred feet away was split from the top to the bottom, and was wrapped in a blaze of fire!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He picked himself up from the spot where he had been thrown, and crouched for a moment under an overhanging rock.
set up or found
From this reading Oliver now found himself in an exceedingly perilous position.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He picked himself up from the spot where he had been thrown, and crouched for a moment under an overhanging rock.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The rain came down in such a torrent that he could not see five yards ahead, and what had become of his mule he did not know.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The rain came down in such a torrent that he could not see five yards ahead, and what had become of his mule he did not know.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Oliver now found himself in an exceedingly perilous position.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The rain came down in such a torrent that he could not see five yards ahead, and what had become of his mule he did not know.
ten 10s
From this reading As he did so, a blinding flash of lightning swept by, and on the instant a tall tree that stood not over two hundred feet away was split from the top to the bottom, and was wrapped in a blaze of fire!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Oliver now found himself in an exceedingly perilous position.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading As he did so, a blinding flash of lightning swept by, and on the instant a tall tree that stood not over two hundred feet away was split from the top to the bottom, and was wrapped in a blaze of fire!
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading The rain came down in such a torrent that he could not see five yards ahead, and what had become of his mule he did not know.
immediately past
From this reading THE AURORA MINE AT LAST.
abrupt electric discharge from cloud to cloud or from cloud to earth accompanied by the emission of light
From this reading As he did so, a blinding flash of lightning swept by, and on the instant a tall tree that stood not over two hundred feet away was split from the top to the bottom, and was wrapped in a blaze of fire!
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading THE AURORA MINE AT LAST.
a particular point in time
From this reading He picked himself up from the spot where he had been thrown, and crouched for a moment under an overhanging rock.
mulenounUS /mjuːl/
hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse; usually sterile
From this reading The rain came down in such a torrent that he could not see five yards ahead, and what had become of his mule he did not know.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The rain came down in such a torrent that he could not see five yards ahead, and what had become of his mule he did not know.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Oliver now found himself in an exceedingly perilous position.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The rain came down in such a torrent that he could not see five yards ahead, and what had become of his mule he did not know.
OlivernounUS /ˈɑːləvər/
United States jazz musician who influenced the style of Louis Armstrong (1885-1938)
From this reading Oliver now found himself in an exceedingly perilous position.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading As he did so, a blinding flash of lightning swept by, and on the instant a tall tree that stood not over two hundred feet away was split from the top to the bottom, and was wrapped in a blaze of fire!
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading As he did so, a blinding flash of lightning swept by, and on the instant a tall tree that stood not over two hundred feet away was split from the top to the bottom, and was wrapped in a blaze of fire!
overhangingverbUS /ˈoʊvərhæŋɪŋ/
-ing form of “overhang” — project over
From this reading He picked himself up from the spot where he had been thrown, and crouched for a moment under an overhanging rock.
perilousadjectiveUS /ˈperələs/
fraught with danger
From this reading Oliver now found himself in an exceedingly perilous position.
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading He picked himself up from the spot where he had been thrown, and crouched for a moment under an overhanging rock.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading Oliver now found himself in an exceedingly perilous position.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading The rain came down in such a torrent that he could not see five yards ahead, and what had become of his mule he did not know.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading He picked himself up from the spot where he had been thrown, and crouched for a moment under an overhanging rock.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading The rain came down in such a torrent that he could not see five yards ahead, and what had become of his mule he did not know.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading As he did so, a blinding flash of lightning swept by, and on the instant a tall tree that stood not over two hundred feet away was split from the top to the bottom, and was wrapped in a blaze of fire!
splitverbUS /splɪt/
separate into parts or portions
From this reading As he did so, a blinding flash of lightning swept by, and on the instant a tall tree that stood not over two hundred feet away was split from the top to the bottom, and was wrapped in a blaze of fire!
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading He picked himself up from the spot where he had been thrown, and crouched for a moment under an overhanging rock.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading As he did so, a blinding flash of lightning swept by, and on the instant a tall tree that stood not over two hundred feet away was split from the top to the bottom, and was wrapped in a blaze of fire!
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading The rain came down in such a torrent that he could not see five yards ahead, and what had become of his mule he did not know.
possessing sweep
From this reading As he did so, a blinding flash of lightning swept by, and on the instant a tall tree that stood not over two hundred feet away was split from the top to the bottom, and was wrapped in a blaze of fire!
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading As he did so, a blinding flash of lightning swept by, and on the instant a tall tree that stood not over two hundred feet away was split from the top to the bottom, and was wrapped in a blaze of fire!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The rain came down in such a torrent that he could not see five yards ahead, and what had become of his mule he did not know.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE AURORA MINE AT LAST.
caused to fall to the ground
From this reading He picked himself up from the spot where he had been thrown, and crouched for a moment under an overhanging rock.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As he did so, a blinding flash of lightning swept by, and on the instant a tall tree that stood not over two hundred feet away was split from the top to the bottom, and was wrapped in a blaze of fire!
the upper part of anything
From this reading As he did so, a blinding flash of lightning swept by, and on the instant a tall tree that stood not over two hundred feet away was split from the top to the bottom, and was wrapped in a blaze of fire!
torrentnounUS /ˈtɔːrənt/
a heavy rain
From this reading The rain came down in such a torrent that he could not see five yards ahead, and what had become of his mule he did not know.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading As he did so, a blinding flash of lightning swept by, and on the instant a tall tree that stood not over two hundred feet away was split from the top to the bottom, and was wrapped in a blaze of fire!
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading As he did so, a blinding flash of lightning swept by, and on the instant a tall tree that stood not over two hundred feet away was split from the top to the bottom, and was wrapped in a blaze of fire!
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading He picked himself up from the spot where he had been thrown, and crouched for a moment under an overhanging rock.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He picked himself up from the spot where he had been thrown, and crouched for a moment under an overhanging rock.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As he did so, a blinding flash of lightning swept by, and on the instant a tall tree that stood not over two hundred feet away was split from the top to the bottom, and was wrapped in a blaze of fire!
used to ask for information about something
From this reading The rain came down in such a torrent that he could not see five yards ahead, and what had become of his mule he did not know.
in or at the place that
From this reading He picked himself up from the spot where he had been thrown, and crouched for a moment under an overhanging rock.
covered with or as if with clothes or a wrap or cloak
From this reading As he did so, a blinding flash of lightning swept by, and on the instant a tall tree that stood not over two hundred feet away was split from the top to the bottom, and was wrapped in a blaze of fire!
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading The rain came down in such a torrent that he could not see five yards ahead, and what had become of his mule he did not know.
