used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Who told you?" asked the boatswain in a somewhat anxious tone.
(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 "All hands shorten sail," shouted the boatswain, and the crew came tumbling up from below.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Scarcely had he spoken than the wind, which had dropped almost to a calm, shifted suddenly to the westward, and began to blow with considerable force.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Scarcely had he spoken than the wind, which had dropped almost to a calm, shifted suddenly to the westward, and began to blow with considerable force.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "My own sense," answered Stephen.
eagerly desirous
From this reading "Who told you?" asked the boatswain in a somewhat anxious tone.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "If the wind shifts to the westward, it will not be long before we are on the shore," said Stephen boldly to the boatswain.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Who told you?" asked the boatswain in a somewhat anxious tone.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "If the wind shifts to the westward, it will not be long before we are on the shore," said Stephen boldly to the boatswain.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "If the wind shifts to the westward, it will not be long before we are on the shore," said Stephen boldly to the boatswain.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Scarcely had he spoken than the wind, which had dropped almost to a calm, shifted suddenly to the westward, and began to blow with considerable force.
belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading "All hands shorten sail," shouted the boatswain, and the crew came tumbling up from below.
exhale hard
From this reading Scarcely had he spoken than the wind, which had dropped almost to a calm, shifted suddenly to the westward, and began to blow with considerable force.
boatswainnounUS /ˈboʊtsweɪn/
a petty officer on a merchant ship who controls the work of other seamen
From this reading "If the wind shifts to the westward, it will not be long before we are on the shore," said Stephen boldly to the boatswain.
boldlyadverbUS /ˈboʊldli/
with boldness, in a bold manner
From this reading "If the wind shifts to the westward, it will not be long before we are on the shore," said Stephen boldly to the boatswain.
make calm or still
From this reading Scarcely had he spoken than the wind, which had dropped almost to a calm, shifted suddenly to the westward, and began to blow with considerable force.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "All hands shorten sail," shouted the boatswain, and the crew came tumbling up from below.
large or relatively large in number or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Scarcely had he spoken than the wind, which had dropped almost to a calm, shifted suddenly to the westward, and began to blow with considerable force.
the men and women who man a vehicle (ship, aircraft, etc.)
From this reading "All hands shorten sail," shouted the boatswain, and the crew came tumbling up from below.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading Scarcely had he spoken than the wind, which had dropped almost to a calm, shifted suddenly to the westward, and began to blow with considerable force.
a powerful effect or influence
From this reading Scarcely had he spoken than the wind, which had dropped almost to a calm, shifted suddenly to the westward, and began to blow with considerable force.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "All hands shorten sail," shouted the boatswain, and the crew came tumbling up from below.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Scarcely had he spoken than the wind, which had dropped almost to a calm, shifted suddenly to the westward, and began to blow with considerable force.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading "All hands shorten sail," shouted the boatswain, and the crew came tumbling up from below.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Scarcely had he spoken than the wind, which had dropped almost to a calm, shifted suddenly to the westward, and began to blow with considerable force.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If the wind shifts to the westward, it will not be long before we are on the shore," said Stephen boldly to the boatswain.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Who told you?" asked the boatswain in a somewhat anxious tone.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "If the wind shifts to the westward, it will not be long before we are on the shore," said Stephen boldly to the boatswain.
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 "If the wind shifts to the westward, it will not be long before we are on the shore," said Stephen boldly to the boatswain.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My own sense," answered Stephen.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "If the wind shifts to the westward, it will not be long before we are on the shore," said Stephen boldly to the boatswain.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "If the wind shifts to the westward, it will not be long before we are on the shore," said Stephen boldly to the boatswain.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading "My own sense," answered Stephen.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "If the wind shifts to the westward, it will not be long before we are on the shore," said Stephen boldly to the boatswain.
traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading "All hands shorten sail," shouted the boatswain, and the crew came tumbling up from below.
only a very short time before
From this reading Scarcely had he spoken than the wind, which had dropped almost to a calm, shifted suddenly to the westward, and began to blow with considerable force.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading "My own sense," answered Stephen.
shiftedverbUS /ˈʃɪftɪd/
past form of “shift” — make a shift in or exchange of
From this reading Scarcely had he spoken than the wind, which had dropped almost to a calm, shifted suddenly to the westward, and began to blow with considerable force.
shiftsnounUS /ʃɪfts/
plural of “shift” — an event in which something is displaced without rotation
From this reading "If the wind shifts to the westward, it will not be long before we are on the shore," said Stephen boldly to the boatswain.
the land along the edge of a body of water
From this reading "If the wind shifts to the westward, it will not be long before we are on the shore," said Stephen boldly to the boatswain.
shortenverbUS /ˈʃɔːrtən/
make shorter than originally intended; reduce or retrench in length or duration
From this reading "All hands shorten sail," shouted the boatswain, and the crew came tumbling up from below.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading "All hands shorten sail," shouted the boatswain, and the crew came tumbling up from below.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading "Who told you?" asked the boatswain in a somewhat anxious tone.
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading Scarcely had he spoken than the wind, which had dropped almost to a calm, shifted suddenly to the westward, and began to blow with considerable force.
StephennounUS /ˈstiːvən/
English writer (1832-1904)
From this reading "If the wind shifts to the westward, it will not be long before we are on the shore," said Stephen boldly to the boatswain.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Scarcely had he spoken than the wind, which had dropped almost to a calm, shifted suddenly to the westward, and began to blow with considerable force.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Scarcely had he spoken than the wind, which had dropped almost to a calm, shifted suddenly to the westward, and began to blow with considerable force.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "If the wind shifts to the westward, it will not be long before we are on the shore," said Stephen boldly to the boatswain.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "If the wind shifts to the westward, it will not be long before we are on the shore," said Stephen boldly to the boatswain.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "Who told you?" asked the boatswain in a somewhat anxious tone.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading "Who told you?" asked the boatswain in a somewhat anxious tone.
tumblingnounUS /ˈtʌmbəlɪŋ/
the gymnastic moves of an acrobat
From this reading "All hands shorten sail," shouted the boatswain, and the crew came tumbling up from below.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "All hands shorten sail," shouted the boatswain, and the crew came tumbling up from below.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "If the wind shifts to the westward, it will not be long before we are on the shore," said Stephen boldly to the boatswain.
westwardadverbUS /ˈwestwərd/
toward the west
From this reading "If the wind shifts to the westward, it will not be long before we are on the shore," said Stephen boldly to the boatswain.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Scarcely had he spoken than the wind, which had dropped almost to a calm, shifted suddenly to the westward, and began to blow with considerable force.
which person or people
From this reading "Who told you?" asked the boatswain in a somewhat anxious tone.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "If the wind shifts to the westward, it will not be long before we are on the shore," said Stephen boldly to the boatswain.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading "If the wind shifts to the westward, it will not be long before we are on the shore," said Stephen boldly to the boatswain.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Scarcely had he spoken than the wind, which had dropped almost to a calm, shifted suddenly to the westward, and began to blow with considerable force.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Who told you?" asked the boatswain in a somewhat anxious tone.
