adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Now Sir George Prevost had to face a momentous decision: He could force the passage of the Saranac and march on to Albany, but his communications would be cut, and he must rely on a hostile country for supplies.
AlbanynounUS /ˈɔːlbəni/
state capital of New York; located in eastern New York State on the west bank of the Hudson river
From this reading Now Sir George Prevost had to face a momentous decision: He could force the passage of the Saranac and march on to Albany, but his communications would be cut, and he must rely on a hostile country for supplies.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
armynounUS /ˈɑːrmi/
a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state
From this reading Unless Great Britain could send a new army or a fleet to support him, he must meet the fate of Burgoyne.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
bandsnounUS /bændz/
plural of “band” — an unofficial association of people or groups
From this reading Every day drew fresh bands of riflemen from the hills.
battlenounUS /ˈbætəl/
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Now Sir George Prevost had to face a momentous decision: He could force the passage of the Saranac and march on to Albany, but his communications would be cut, and he must rely on a hostile country for supplies.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
BeforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before he could get to Albany their number might exceed his, and then what?
BritainnounUS /ˈbrɪtən/
a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; “Great Britain” is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom
From this reading Unless Great Britain could send a new army or a fleet to support him, he must meet the fate of Burgoyne.
BritishnounUS /ˈbrɪtɪʃ/
the people of Great Britain
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
BurgoynenounUS /bərˈɡɔɪn/
British general in the American Revolution who captured Fort Ticonderoga but lost the battle of Saratoga in 1777 (1722-1792)
From this reading Unless Great Britain could send a new army or a fleet to support him, he must meet the fate of Burgoyne.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Now Sir George Prevost had to face a momentous decision: He could force the passage of the Saranac and march on to Albany, but his communications would be cut, and he must rely on a hostile country for supplies.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
communicationsnounUS /kəˌmjuːnəˈkeɪʃənz/
the discipline that studies the principles of transmiting information and the methods by which it is delivered (as print or radio or television etc.)
From this reading Now Sir George Prevost had to face a momentous decision: He could force the passage of the Saranac and march on to Albany, but his communications would be cut, and he must rely on a hostile country for supplies.
Confiance
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Now Sir George Prevost had to face a momentous decision: He could force the passage of the Saranac and march on to Albany, but his communications would be cut, and he must rely on a hostile country for supplies.
countrynounUS /ˈkʌntri/
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading Now Sir George Prevost had to face a momentous decision: He could force the passage of the Saranac and march on to Albany, but his communications would be cut, and he must rely on a hostile country for supplies.
cutverbUS /kʌt/
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading Now Sir George Prevost had to face a momentous decision: He could force the passage of the Saranac and march on to Albany, but his communications would be cut, and he must rely on a hostile country for supplies.
daynounUS /deɪ/
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Every day drew fresh bands of riflemen from the hills.
decisionnounUS /dɪˈsɪʒən/
the act of making up your mind about something
From this reading Now Sir George Prevost had to face a momentous decision: He could force the passage of the Saranac and march on to Albany, but his communications would be cut, and he must rely on a hostile country for supplies.
drewnounUS /druː/
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading Every day drew fresh bands of riflemen from the hills.
EverydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Every day drew fresh bands of riflemen from the hills.
exceedverbUS /ɪkˈsiːd/
be greater in scope or size than some standard
From this reading Before he could get to Albany their number might exceed his, and then what?
facenounUS /feɪs/
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Now Sir George Prevost had to face a momentous decision: He could force the passage of the Saranac and march on to Albany, but his communications would be cut, and he must rely on a hostile country for supplies.
fatenounUS /feɪt/
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading Unless Great Britain could send a new army or a fleet to support him, he must meet the fate of Burgoyne.
feltverbUS /felt/
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
fleetnounUS /fliːt/
group of aircraft operating together under the same ownership
From this reading Unless Great Britain could send a new army or a fleet to support him, he must meet the fate of Burgoyne.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
forcenounUS /fɔːrs/
a powerful effect or influence
From this reading Now Sir George Prevost had to face a momentous decision: He could force the passage of the Saranac and march on to Albany, but his communications would be cut, and he must rely on a hostile country for supplies.
foughtverbUS /fɔːt/
inflected form of “fight” — be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
freshadjectiveUS /freʃ/
recently made, produced, or harvested
From this reading Every day drew fresh bands of riflemen from the hills.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
generaladjectiveUS /ˈdʒenərəl/
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
GeorgenounUS /dʒɔːrdʒ/
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading Now Sir George Prevost had to face a momentous decision: He could force the passage of the Saranac and march on to Albany, but his communications would be cut, and he must rely on a hostile country for supplies.
getverbUS /ɡet/
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Before he could get to Albany their number might exceed his, and then what?
GreatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Unless Great Britain could send a new army or a fleet to support him, he must meet the fate of Burgoyne.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
hauledverbUS /hɔːld/
past form of “haul” — draw slowly or heavily
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Now Sir George Prevost had to face a momentous decision: He could force the passage of the Saranac and march on to Albany, but his communications would be cut, and he must rely on a hostile country for supplies.
hillsnounUS /hɪlz/
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading Every day drew fresh bands of riflemen from the hills.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Unless Great Britain could send a new army or a fleet to support him, he must meet the fate of Burgoyne.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Now Sir George Prevost had to face a momentous decision: He could force the passage of the Saranac and march on to Albany, but his communications would be cut, and he must rely on a hostile country for supplies.
hostileadjectiveUS /ˈhɑːstəl/
characterized by enmity or ill will
From this reading Now Sir George Prevost had to face a momentous decision: He could force the passage of the Saranac and march on to Albany, but his communications would be cut, and he must rely on a hostile country for supplies.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
JacknounUS /dʒæk/
a small worthless amount
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
landnounUS /lænd/
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
MacDonough
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
marchverbUS /mɑːrtʃ/
march in a procession
From this reading Now Sir George Prevost had to face a momentous decision: He could force the passage of the Saranac and march on to Albany, but his communications would be cut, and he must rely on a hostile country for supplies.
mastnounUS /mæst/
a vertical spar for supporting sails
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
meetverbUS /miːt/
come together
From this reading Unless Great Britain could send a new army or a fleet to support him, he must meet the fate of Burgoyne.
mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Before he could get to Albany their number might exceed his, and then what?
momentousadjectiveUS /moʊˈmentəs/
of very great significance
From this reading Now Sir George Prevost had to face a momentous decision: He could force the passage of the Saranac and march on to Albany, but his communications would be cut, and he must rely on a hostile country for supplies.
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Now Sir George Prevost had to face a momentous decision: He could force the passage of the Saranac and march on to Albany, but his communications would be cut, and he must rely on a hostile country for supplies.
newadjectiveUS /nuː/
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Unless Great Britain could send a new army or a fleet to support him, he must meet the fate of Burgoyne.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
NowadverbUS /naʊ/
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now Sir George Prevost had to face a momentous decision: He could force the passage of the Saranac and march on to Albany, but his communications would be cut, and he must rely on a hostile country for supplies.
numbernounUS /ˈnʌmbər/
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading Before he could get to Albany their number might exceed his, and then what?
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Unless Great Britain could send a new army or a fleet to support him, he must meet the fate of Burgoyne.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
passagenounUS /ˈpæsədʒ/
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading Now Sir George Prevost had to face a momentous decision: He could force the passage of the Saranac and march on to Albany, but his communications would be cut, and he must rely on a hostile country for supplies.
Plattsburg
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
Prevost
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now Sir George Prevost had to face a momentous decision: He could force the passage of the Saranac and march on to Albany, but his communications would be cut, and he must rely on a hostile country for supplies.
relyverbUS /rɪˈlaɪ/
have faith or confidence in
From this reading Now Sir George Prevost had to face a momentous decision: He could force the passage of the Saranac and march on to Albany, but his communications would be cut, and he must rely on a hostile country for supplies.
riflemen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
Saranac
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now Sir George Prevost had to face a momentous decision: He could force the passage of the Saranac and march on to Albany, but his communications would be cut, and he must rely on a hostile country for supplies.
sendverbUS /send/
cause to go somewhere
From this reading Unless Great Britain could send a new army or a fleet to support him, he must meet the fate of Burgoyne.
SirnounUS /sɜːr/
term of address for a man
From this reading Now Sir George Prevost had to face a momentous decision: He could force the passage of the Saranac and march on to Albany, but his communications would be cut, and he must rely on a hostile country for supplies.
soonadverbUS /suːn/
in the near future
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
spiritnounUS /ˈspɪrət/
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
suppliesnounUS /səˈplaɪz/
plural of “supply” — an amount of something available for use
From this reading Now Sir George Prevost had to face a momentous decision: He could force the passage of the Saranac and march on to Albany, but his communications would be cut, and he must rely on a hostile country for supplies.
supportnounUS /səˈpɔːrt/
the activity of providing for or maintaining by supplying with money or necessities
From this reading Unless Great Britain could send a new army or a fleet to support him, he must meet the fate of Burgoyne.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Before he could get to Albany their number might exceed his, and then what?
thenadverbUS /ðen/
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Before he could get to Albany their number might exceed his, and then what?
thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/
in spite of the fact that
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Now Sir George Prevost had to face a momentous decision: He could force the passage of the Saranac and march on to Albany, but his communications would be cut, and he must rely on a hostile country for supplies.
townnounUS /taʊn/
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
UnionnounUS /ˈjuːnjən/
an organization of employees formed to bargain with the employer
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
UnlessconjunctionUS /ənˈles/
except if; if not
From this reading Unless Great Britain could send a new army or a fleet to support him, he must meet the fate of Burgoyne.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
waternounUS /ˈwɔːtər/
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
welladverbUS /wel/
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
whatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Before he could get to Albany their number might exceed his, and then what?
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Now Sir George Prevost had to face a momentous decision: He could force the passage of the Saranac and march on to Albany, but his communications would be cut, and he must rely on a hostile country for supplies.
YankeenounUS /ˈjæŋki/
an American who lives in the North (especially during the American Civil War)
From this reading The battle was over at Plattsburg town, though it had not been fought; for the spirit of MacDonough was on land and water, and it was felt by the British general, as well as the Yankee riflemen, as soon as the Union Jack had been hauled from the mast of the Confiance.
