used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The boys got off of their bicycles, and, a moment after, there was a loud report.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "This granite don’t give you much trouble about splitting evenly," said Johnny to the men.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading The boys got off of their bicycles, and, a moment after, there was a loud report.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The boys got off of their bicycles, and, a moment after, there was a loud report.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "If it did, we shouldn’t be at work here, year after year."
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading The men then went back to the place where the explosion had taken place, and the boys followed them.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "If it did, we shouldn’t be at work here, year after year."
bicyclesnounUS /ˈbaɪsɪkəlz/
plural of “bicycle” — a wheeled vehicle that has two wheels and is moved by foot pedals
From this reading The boys got off of their bicycles, and, a moment after, there was a loud report.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading The boys got off of their bicycles, and, a moment after, there was a loud report.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "If it did, we shouldn’t be at work here, year after year."
don't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "This granite don’t give you much trouble about splitting evenly," said Johnny to the men.
evenlyadverbUS /ˈiːvənli/
in equal amounts or shares; in a balanced or impartial way
From this reading They found the stone very evenly split.
explosionnounUS /ɪkˈsploʊʒən/
a violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction
From this reading The men then went back to the place where the explosion had taken place, and the boys followed them.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading The men then went back to the place where the explosion had taken place, and the boys followed them.
set up or found
From this reading They found the stone very evenly split.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "This granite don’t give you much trouble about splitting evenly," said Johnny to the men.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading The boys got off of their bicycles, and, a moment after, there was a loud report.
granitenounUS /ˈɡrænət/
plutonic igneous rock having visibly crystalline texture; generally composed of feldspar and mica and quartz
From this reading "This granite don’t give you much trouble about splitting evenly," said Johnny to the men.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The men then went back to the place where the explosion had taken place, and the boys followed them.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "If it did, we shouldn’t be at work here, year after year."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If it did, we shouldn’t be at work here, year after year."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "If it did, we shouldn’t be at work here, year after year."
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading "This granite don’t give you much trouble about splitting evenly," said Johnny to the men.
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading The boys got off of their bicycles, and, a moment after, there was a loud report.
the force of workers available
From this reading The men then went back to the place where the explosion had taken place, and the boys followed them.
a particular point in time
From this reading The boys got off of their bicycles, and, a moment after, there was a loud report.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "This granite don’t give you much trouble about splitting evenly," said Johnny to the men.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The boys got off of their bicycles, and, a moment after, there was a loud report.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The boys got off of their bicycles, and, a moment after, there was a loud report.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading The men then went back to the place where the explosion had taken place, and the boys followed them.
to give an account or representation of in words
From this reading The boys got off of their bicycles, and, a moment after, there was a loud report.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "This granite don’t give you much trouble about splitting evenly," said Johnny to the men.
shouldn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If it did, we shouldn’t be at work here, year after year."
splitverbUS /splɪt/
separate into parts or portions
From this reading They found the stone very evenly split.
splittingadjectiveUS /ˈsplɪtɪŋ/
resembling a sound of violent tearing as of something ripped apart or lightning splitting a tree
From this reading "This granite don’t give you much trouble about splitting evenly," said Johnny to the men.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading They found the stone very evenly split.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading The men then went back to the place where the explosion had taken place, and the boys followed them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The boys got off of their bicycles, and, a moment after, there was a loud report.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The boys got off of their bicycles, and, a moment after, there was a loud report.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The men then went back to the place where the explosion had taken place, and the boys followed them.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading The men then went back to the place where the explosion had taken place, and the boys followed them.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The boys got off of their bicycles, and, a moment after, there was a loud report.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They found the stone very evenly split.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "This granite don’t give you much trouble about splitting evenly," said Johnny to the men.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The men then went back to the place where the explosion had taken place, and the boys followed them.
a source of difficulty
From this reading "This granite don’t give you much trouble about splitting evenly," said Johnny to the men.
precisely as stated
From this reading They found the stone very evenly split.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The boys got off of their bicycles, and, a moment after, there was a loud report.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "If it did, we shouldn’t be at work here, year after year."
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The men then went back to the place where the explosion had taken place, and the boys followed them.
in or at the place that
From this reading The men then went back to the place where the explosion had taken place, and the boys followed them.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading "If it did, we shouldn’t be at work here, year after year."
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading "If it did, we shouldn’t be at work here, year after year."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "This granite don’t give you much trouble about splitting evenly," said Johnny to the men.
