Chapter IX · Caught at Last

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading When this had been done, they seated themselves on the ground about the fire, and passed the time in discussing the exciting events that had happened during the last two weeks.

later than; following

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

(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 The question “Who is it?” which our fellows all asked at once, did not remain long unanswered.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

the event of one object coming closer to another

From this reading The bushes were so thick that they could not see who it was, but they could tell by the sound of his horse’s hoofs that he was approaching the camp, and that he was in something of a hurry.

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading The question “Who is it?” which our fellows all asked at once, did not remain long unanswered.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The question “Who is it?” which our fellows all asked at once, did not remain long unanswered.

sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)

From this reading While they were thus engaged they heard some one coming down the bank of the bayou.

a swampy arm or slow-moving outlet of a lake (term used mainly in Mississippi and Louisiana)

From this reading While they were thus engaged they heard some one coming down the bank of the bayou.

the past participle of “be”

From this reading When this had been done, they seated themselves on the ground about the fire, and passed the time in discussing the exciting events that had happened during the last two weeks.

plural of “bush” — a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems

From this reading The bushes were so thick that they could not see who it was, but they could tell by the sound of his horse’s hoofs that he was approaching the camp, and that he was in something of a hurry.

inflected form of “busy” — keep busy with

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The bushes were so thick that they could not see who it was, but they could tell by the sound of his horse’s hoofs that he was approaching the camp, and that he was in something of a hurry.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The bushes were so thick that they could not see who it was, but they could tell by the sound of his horse’s hoofs that he was approaching the camp, and that he was in something of a hurry.

temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

the act of drawing spatially closer to something

From this reading While they were thus engaged they heard some one coming down the bank of the bayou.

prepare a hot meal

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading The bushes were so thick that they could not see who it was, but they could tell by the sound of his horse’s hoofs that he was approaching the camp, and that he was in something of a hurry.

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading The question “Who is it?” which our fellows all asked at once, did not remain long unanswered.

-ing form of “discuss” — to consider or examine in speech or writing

From this reading When this had been done, they seated themselves on the ground about the fire, and passed the time in discussing the exciting events that had happened during the last two weeks.

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading When this had been done, they seated themselves on the ground about the fire, and passed the time in discussing the exciting events that had happened during the last two weeks.

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading While they were thus engaged they heard some one coming down the bank of the bayou.

a British peer of the highest rank

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading When this had been done, they seated themselves on the ground about the fire, and passed the time in discussing the exciting events that had happened during the last two weeks.

having ones attention or mind or energy engaged

From this reading While they were thus engaged they heard some one coming down the bank of the bayou.

plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time

From this reading When this had been done, they seated themselves on the ground about the fire, and passed the time in discussing the exciting events that had happened during the last two weeks.

creating or arousing excitement

From this reading When this had been done, they seated themselves on the ground about the fire, and passed the time in discussing the exciting events that had happened during the last two weeks.

plural of “fellow” — a boy or man

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

start firing a weapon

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

a group of persons together in one place

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

the solid part of the earth's surface

From this reading When this had been done, they seated themselves on the ground about the fire, and passed the time in discussing the exciting events that had happened during the last two weeks.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading When this had been done, they seated themselves on the ground about the fire, and passed the time in discussing the exciting events that had happened during the last two weeks.

past form of “happen” — come to pass

From this reading When this had been done, they seated themselves on the ground about the fire, and passed the time in discussing the exciting events that had happened during the last two weeks.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The bushes were so thick that they could not see who it was, but they could tell by the sound of his horse’s hoofs that he was approaching the camp, and that he was in something of a hurry.

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading While they were thus engaged they heard some one coming down the bank of the bayou.

United States musician and composer and conductor noted for his comic operas (1859-1924)

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading The bushes were so thick that they could not see who it was, but they could tell by the sound of his horse’s hoofs that he was approaching the camp, and that he was in something of a hurry.

plural of “hoof” — the foot of an ungulate mammal

From this reading The bushes were so thick that they could not see who it was, but they could tell by the sound of his horse’s hoofs that he was approaching the camp, and that he was in something of a hurry.

possessive form of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times

From this reading The bushes were so thick that they could not see who it was, but they could tell by the sound of his horse’s hoofs that he was approaching the camp, and that he was in something of a hurry.

a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry

From this reading The bushes were so thick that they could not see who it was, but they could tell by the sound of his horse’s hoofs that he was approaching the camp, and that he was in something of a hurry.

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The question “Who is it?” which our fellows all asked at once, did not remain long unanswered.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The bushes were so thick that they could not see who it was, but they could tell by the sound of his horse’s hoofs that he was approaching the camp, and that he was in something of a hurry.

material for starting a fire

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

immediately past

From this reading When this had been done, they seated themselves on the ground about the fire, and passed the time in discussing the exciting events that had happened during the last two weeks.

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading The question “Who is it?” which our fellows all asked at once, did not remain long unanswered.

attach a tag or label to

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The bushes were so thick that they could not see who it was, but they could tell by the sound of his horse’s hoofs that he was approaching the camp, and that he was in something of a hurry.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

on one occasion

From this reading The question “Who is it?” which our fellows all asked at once, did not remain long unanswered.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading While they were thus engaged they heard some one coming down the bank of the bayou.

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading When this had been done, they seated themselves on the ground about the fire, and passed the time in discussing the exciting events that had happened during the last two weeks.

challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of

From this reading The question “Who is it?” which our fellows all asked at once, did not remain long unanswered.

stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading The question “Who is it?” which our fellows all asked at once, did not remain long unanswered.

of hair color; pale yellowish to yellowish brown

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks

From this reading When this had been done, they seated themselves on the ground about the fire, and passed the time in discussing the exciting events that had happened during the last two weeks.

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading The bushes were so thick that they could not see who it was, but they could tell by the sound of his horse’s hoofs that he was approaching the camp, and that he was in something of a hurry.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading The bushes were so thick that they could not see who it was, but they could tell by the sound of his horse’s hoofs that he was approaching the camp, and that he was in something of a hurry.

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

a thing, without saying which

From this reading The bushes were so thick that they could not see who it was, but they could tell by the sound of his horse’s hoofs that he was approaching the camp, and that he was in something of a hurry.

the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause

From this reading The bushes were so thick that they could not see who it was, but they could tell by the sound of his horse’s hoofs that he was approaching the camp, and that he was in something of a hurry.

plural of “spit” — a narrow strip of land that juts out into the sea

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

plural of “squirrel” — a kind of arboreal rodent having a long bushy tail

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

give something useful or necessary to

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

express in words

From this reading The bushes were so thick that they could not see who it was, but they could tell by the sound of his horse’s hoofs that he was approaching the camp, and that he was in something of a hurry.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading When this had been done, they seated themselves on the ground about the fire, and passed the time in discussing the exciting events that had happened during the last two weeks.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading When this had been done, they seated themselves on the ground about the fire, and passed the time in discussing the exciting events that had happened during the last two weeks.

not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions

From this reading The bushes were so thick that they could not see who it was, but they could tell by the sound of his horse’s hoofs that he was approaching the camp, and that he was in something of a hurry.

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading When this had been done, they seated themselves on the ground about the fire, and passed the time in discussing the exciting events that had happened during the last two weeks.

(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result

From this reading While they were thus engaged they heard some one coming down the bank of the bayou.

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading When this had been done, they seated themselves on the ground about the fire, and passed the time in discussing the exciting events that had happened during the last two weeks.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading When this had been done, they seated themselves on the ground about the fire, and passed the time in discussing the exciting events that had happened during the last two weeks.

not returned in kind

From this reading The question “Who is it?” which our fellows all asked at once, did not remain long unanswered.

of many different kinds purposefully arranged but lacking any uniformity

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The bushes were so thick that they could not see who it was, but they could tell by the sound of his horse’s hoofs that he was approaching the camp, and that he was in something of a hurry.

structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days

From this reading When this had been done, they seated themselves on the ground about the fire, and passed the time in discussing the exciting events that had happened during the last two weeks.

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading While they were thus engaged they heard some one coming down the bank of the bayou.

at the time that

From this reading When this had been done, they seated themselves on the ground about the fire, and passed the time in discussing the exciting events that had happened during the last two weeks.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

during the time that

From this reading While they were thus engaged they heard some one coming down the bank of the bayou.

-ing form of “whittle” — cut small bits or pare shavings from

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.

which person or people

From this reading The bushes were so thick that they could not see who it was, but they could tell by the sound of his horse’s hoofs that he was approaching the camp, and that he was in something of a hurry.

the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees

From this reading After Sandy and I left the camp, our fellows busied themselves in various ways—Duke kindling a fire, Herbert gathering a supply of wood, and Mark whittling out some spits on which to cook the squirrels.