used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Prison Experiences I was soon surrounded by a group of about a dozen panting, angry men.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Prison Experiences I was soon surrounded by a group of about a dozen panting, angry men.
affordedverbUS /əˈfɔːrdəd/
past form of “afford” — be able to spare or give up
From this reading I was seized by several of them at once, violently shaken, and was asked so many questions all at once that, for a time, I was afforded a pretext for not answering any of 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 I was seized by several of them at once, violently shaken, and was asked so many questions all at once that, for a time, I was afforded a pretext for not answering any of them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I was seized by several of them at once, violently shaken, and was asked so many questions all at once that, for a time, I was afforded a pretext for not answering any of them.
angryadjectiveUS /ˈæŋɡri/
feeling or showing anger
From this reading Prison Experiences I was soon surrounded by a group of about a dozen panting, angry men.
answeringadjectiveUS /ˈænsərɪŋ/
replying
From this reading I was seized by several of them at once, violently shaken, and was asked so many questions all at once that, for a time, I was afforded a pretext for not answering any of them.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading I was seized by several of them at once, violently shaken, and was asked so many questions all at once that, for a time, I was afforded a pretext for not answering any of them.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I was seized by several of them at once, violently shaken, and was asked so many questions all at once that, for a time, I was afforded a pretext for not answering any of them.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I was seized by several of them at once, violently shaken, and was asked so many questions all at once that, for a time, I was afforded a pretext for not answering any of them.
attemptsnounUS /əˈtempts/
plural of “attempt” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading They made no attempts to conceal their rage.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Prison Experiences I was soon surrounded by a group of about a dozen panting, angry men.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading When the last man of the party had come up, they formed a ring about me on the road.
prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading They made no attempts to conceal their rage.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading Prison Experiences I was soon surrounded by a group of about a dozen panting, angry men.
ExperiencesnounUS /ɪkˈspɪriənsɪz/
plural of “experience” — the accumulation of knowledge or skill that results from direct participation in events or activities
From this reading Prison Experiences I was soon surrounded by a group of about a dozen panting, angry men.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading Finally quiet was restored.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I was seized by several of them at once, violently shaken, and was asked so many questions all at once that, for a time, I was afforded a pretext for not answering any of them.
having or given a form or shape
From this reading When the last man of the party had come up, they formed a ring about me on the road.
any number of entities (members) considered as a unit
From this reading Prison Experiences I was soon surrounded by a group of about a dozen panting, angry men.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When the last man of the party had come up, they formed a ring about me on the road.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Prison Experiences I was soon surrounded by a group of about a dozen panting, angry men.
immediately past
From this reading When the last man of the party had come up, they formed a ring about me on the road.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading They made no attempts to conceal their rage.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading When the last man of the party had come up, they formed a ring about me on the road.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading I was seized by several of them at once, violently shaken, and was asked so many questions all at once that, for a time, I was afforded a pretext for not answering any of them.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading When the last man of the party had come up, they formed a ring about me on the road.
the force of workers available
From this reading Prison Experiences I was soon surrounded by a group of about a dozen panting, angry men.
not any; not one
From this reading They made no attempts to conceal their rage.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I was seized by several of them at once, violently shaken, and was asked so many questions all at once that, for a time, I was afforded a pretext for not answering any of them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Prison Experiences I was soon surrounded by a group of about a dozen panting, angry men.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading When the last man of the party had come up, they formed a ring about me on the road.
on one occasion
From this reading I was seized by several of them at once, violently shaken, and was asked so many questions all at once that, for a time, I was afforded a pretext for not answering any of them.
pantingnounUS /ˈpæntɪŋ/
breathing heavily (as after exertion)
From this reading Prison Experiences I was soon surrounded by a group of about a dozen panting, angry men.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading When the last man of the party had come up, they formed a ring about me on the road.
pretextnounUS /ˈpriːtekst/
something serving to conceal plans; a fictitious reason that is concocted in order to conceal the real reason
From this reading I was seized by several of them at once, violently shaken, and was asked so many questions all at once that, for a time, I was afforded a pretext for not answering any of them.
a correctional institution where persons are confined while on trial or for punishment
From this reading Prison Experiences I was soon surrounded by a group of about a dozen panting, angry men.
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading I was seized by several of them at once, violently shaken, and was asked so many questions all at once that, for a time, I was afforded a pretext for not answering any of them.
quietadjectiveUS /ˈkwaɪət/
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading Finally quiet was restored.
a feeling of intense anger
From this reading They made no attempts to conceal their rage.
restoredverbUS /rɪˈstɔːrd/
past form of “restore” — return to its original or usable and functioning condition
From this reading Finally quiet was restored.
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading When the last man of the party had come up, they formed a ring about me on the road.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading When the last man of the party had come up, they formed a ring about me on the road.
past form of “seize” — take hold of; grab
From this reading I was seized by several of them at once, violently shaken, and was asked so many questions all at once that, for a time, I was afforded a pretext for not answering any of them.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading I was seized by several of them at once, violently shaken, and was asked so many questions all at once that, for a time, I was afforded a pretext for not answering any of them.
shakenadjectiveUS /ˈʃeɪkən/
disturbed psychologically as if by a physical jolt or shock
From this reading I was seized by several of them at once, violently shaken, and was asked so many questions all at once that, for a time, I was afforded a pretext for not answering any of them.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I was seized by several of them at once, violently shaken, and was asked so many questions all at once that, for a time, I was afforded a pretext for not answering any of them.
in the near future
From this reading Prison Experiences I was soon surrounded by a group of about a dozen panting, angry men.
confined on all sides
From this reading Prison Experiences I was soon surrounded by a group of about a dozen panting, angry men.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I was seized by several of them at once, violently shaken, and was asked so many questions all at once that, for a time, I was afforded a pretext for not answering any of them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When the last man of the party had come up, they formed a ring about me on the road.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They made no attempts to conceal their rage.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading I was seized by several of them at once, violently shaken, and was asked so many questions all at once that, for a time, I was afforded a pretext for not answering any of them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They made no attempts to conceal their rage.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading I was seized by several of them at once, violently shaken, and was asked so many questions all at once that, for a time, I was afforded a pretext for not answering any of them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They made no attempts to conceal their rage.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading When the last man of the party had come up, they formed a ring about me on the road.
violentlyadverbUS /ˈvaɪələntli/
in a violent manner
From this reading I was seized by several of them at once, violently shaken, and was asked so many questions all at once that, for a time, I was afforded a pretext for not answering any of them.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Prison Experiences I was soon surrounded by a group of about a dozen panting, angry men.
at the time that
From this reading When the last man of the party had come up, they formed a ring about me on the road.
