Chapter IX · Chapter 9

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

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

(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 They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

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

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

from appearances alone

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

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

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

the act of working out the form of something (as by making a sketch or outline or plan)

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

a state in which all hope is lost or absent

From this reading This was plainly their intention: and, knowing it, the white men were fast yielding to despair.

unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)

From this reading This was plainly their intention: and, knowing it, the white men were fast yielding to despair.

an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

borne up by or suspended in a liquid

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

at or to or toward the front

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

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

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I was, myself, in a state of half-stupor.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

cause to move by striking

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

a specific instance of feeling hopeful

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

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

From this reading I was, myself, in a state of half-stupor.

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

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

incapable of being avoided or prevented

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions

From this reading This was plainly their intention: and, knowing it, the white men were fast yielding to despair.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading This was plainly their intention: and, knowing it, the white men were fast yielding to despair.

evidencing the possession of inside information

From this reading This was plainly their intention: and, knowing it, the white men were fast yielding to despair.

the act of departing

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

most important element

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

the force of workers available

From this reading This was plainly their intention: and, knowing it, the white men were fast yielding to despair.

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading I was, myself, in a state of half-stupor.

not any; not one

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Not all of them.

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

fraught with danger

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)

From this reading This was plainly their intention: and, knowing it, the white men were fast yielding to despair.

have the will and intention to carry out some action

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

the act of having and controlling property

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

the state of being present; current existence

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

prevented from decaying or spoiling and prepared for future use

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

a flat float (usually made of logs or planks) that can be used for transport or as a platform for swimmers

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

having or caused by an irregular surface

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

move hurridly

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

except for; apart from

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

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

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation

From this reading I was, myself, in a state of half-stupor.

not in physical motion

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

happening unexpectedly

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

inflected form of “swim” — travel through water

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

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

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Not all of them.

in or at that place or location

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

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

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

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

From this reading This was plainly their intention: and, knowing it, the white men were fast yielding to despair.

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

(of flora or fauna) likely in the near future to become endangered

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

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

From this reading This was plainly their intention: and, knowing it, the white men were fast yielding to despair.

in contact with each other or in proximity

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

up to a particular time

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

a formal word for “on”

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

having passed out of existence

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)

From this reading They had no design of leaving us, but now swam round and round the floating spars, evidently waiting until their main body could come up, so that all might rush forward together and get possession of the raft.

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

From this reading This was plainly their intention: and, knowing it, the white men were fast yielding to despair.

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

From this reading This was plainly their intention: and, knowing it, the white men were fast yielding to despair.

at the time that

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

a Caucasian

From this reading This was plainly their intention: and, knowing it, the white men were fast yielding to despair.

which person or people

From this reading There were some of those rough men who still preserved their presence of mind; and in that perilous hour, when all hope appeared to have vanished, these men suddenly hit upon a plan to save the raft, and the lives of those upon it, from the apparently inevitable fate that threatened them.

inclined to yield to argument or influence or control

From this reading This was plainly their intention: and, knowing it, the white men were fast yielding to despair.