Chapter XVI · Chapter 16

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

From this reading The next four days made a great alteration in the position of the defenders in the fortified house.

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

(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 The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another

From this reading The next four days made a great alteration in the position of the defenders in the fortified house.

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

From this reading But in the wall, against which one of the new batteries had steadily directed its fire, there was a yawning gap, which was hourly increasing in size, and would ere long be practicable for assault.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

close fighting during the culmination of a military attack

From this reading But in the wall, against which one of the new batteries had steadily directed its fire, there was a yawning gap, which was hourly increasing in size, and would ere long be practicable for assault.

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

plural of “ball” — round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

plural of “battery” — group of guns or missile launchers operated together at one place

From this reading But in the wall, against which one of the new batteries had steadily directed its fire, there was a yawning gap, which was hourly increasing in size, and would ere long be practicable for assault.

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading But in the wall, against which one of the new batteries had steadily directed its fire, there was a yawning gap, which was hourly increasing in size, and would ere long be practicable for assault.

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

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

From this reading Some of these had penetrated, and the room in the line of fire could no longer be used.

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading The next four days made a great alteration in the position of the defenders in the fortified house.

plural of “defender” — a person who cares for persons or property

From this reading The next four days made a great alteration in the position of the defenders in the fortified house.

(military) military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

(often used in combination) having a specified direction

From this reading But in the wall, against which one of the new batteries had steadily directed its fire, there was a yawning gap, which was hourly increasing in size, and would ere long be practicable for assault.

the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

inflected form of “empty” — make void or empty of contents

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

an old word for “before”

From this reading But in the wall, against which one of the new batteries had steadily directed its fire, there was a yawning gap, which was hourly increasing in size, and would ere long be practicable for assault.

start firing a weapon

From this reading But in the wall, against which one of the new batteries had steadily directed its fire, there was a yawning gap, which was hourly increasing in size, and would ere long be practicable for assault.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading But in the wall, against which one of the new batteries had steadily directed its fire, there was a yawning gap, which was hourly increasing in size, and would ere long be practicable for assault.

secured with bastions or fortifications

From this reading The next four days made a great alteration in the position of the defenders in the fortified house.

the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one

From this reading The next four days made a great alteration in the position of the defenders in the fortified house.

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

a conspicuous disparity or difference as between two figures

From this reading But in the wall, against which one of the new batteries had steadily directed its fire, there was a yawning gap, which was hourly increasing in size, and would ere long be practicable for assault.

a movable barrier in a fence or wall

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading The next four days made a great alteration in the position of the defenders in the fortified house.

(of animals) fully developed

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

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

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

occurring every hour or payable by the hour

From this reading But in the wall, against which one of the new batteries had steadily directed its fire, there was a yawning gap, which was hourly increasing in size, and would ere long be practicable for assault.

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading The next four days made a great alteration in the position of the defenders in the fortified house.

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

From this reading The next four days made a great alteration in the position of the defenders in the fortified house.

becoming greater or larger

From this reading But in the wall, against which one of the new batteries had steadily directed its fire, there was a yawning gap, which was hourly increasing in size, and would ere long be practicable for assault.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading But in the wall, against which one of the new batteries had steadily directed its fire, there was a yawning gap, which was hourly increasing in size, and would ere long be practicable for assault.

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading Many of the shots passing through this had struck the house itself.

past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

a formation of people or things one beside another

From this reading Some of these had penetrated, and the room in the line of fire could no longer be used.

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 But in the wall, against which one of the new batteries had steadily directed its fire, there was a yawning gap, which was hourly increasing in size, and would ere long be practicable for assault.

for more time

From this reading Some of these had penetrated, and the room in the line of fire could no longer be used.

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading The next four days made a great alteration in the position of the defenders in the fortified house.

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 Many of the shots passing through this had struck the house itself.

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading But in the wall, against which one of the new batteries had steadily directed its fire, there was a yawning gap, which was hourly increasing in size, and would ere long be practicable for assault.

immediately following in time or order

From this reading The next four days made a great alteration in the position of the defenders in the fortified house.

not any; not one

From this reading Some of these had penetrated, and the room in the line of fire could no longer be used.

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

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The next four days made a great alteration in the position of the defenders in the fortified house.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading But in the wall, against which one of the new batteries had steadily directed its fire, there was a yawning gap, which was hourly increasing in size, and would ere long be practicable for assault.

a low wall along the edge of a roof or balcony

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate

From this reading Many of the shots passing through this had struck the house itself.

past form of “penetrate” — pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance

From this reading Some of these had penetrated, and the room in the line of fire could no longer be used.

plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

the particular portion of space occupied by something

From this reading The next four days made a great alteration in the position of the defenders in the fortified house.

usable for a specific purpose

From this reading But in the wall, against which one of the new batteries had steadily directed its fire, there was a yawning gap, which was hourly increasing in size, and would ere long be practicable for assault.

(often followed by “with”) damaged throughout by numerous perforations or holes

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading Some of these had penetrated, and the room in the line of fire could no longer be used.

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

plural of “sandbag” — a bag filled with sand; used as a weapon or to build walls or as ballast

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

plural of “shot” — the act of firing a projectile

From this reading Many of the shots passing through this had struck the house itself.

the physical magnitude of something (how big it is)

From this reading But in the wall, against which one of the new batteries had steadily directed its fire, there was a yawning gap, which was hourly increasing in size, and would ere long be practicable for assault.

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

From this reading Some of these had penetrated, and the room in the line of fire could no longer be used.

wood in small pieces or splinters

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

at a steady rate or pace

From this reading But in the wall, against which one of the new batteries had steadily directed its fire, there was a yawning gap, which was hourly increasing in size, and would ere long be practicable for assault.

not in physical motion

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming

From this reading Many of the shots passing through this had struck the house itself.

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

usually paved outdoor area adjoining a residence

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

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

From this reading The next four days made a great alteration in the position of the defenders in the fortified house.

in or at that place or location

From this reading But in the wall, against which one of the new batteries had steadily directed its fire, there was a yawning gap, which was hourly increasing in size, and would ere long be practicable for assault.

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

From this reading Some of these had penetrated, and the room in the line of fire could no longer be used.

the dimension through an object as opposed to its length or width

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

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

From this reading Many of the shots passing through this had struck the house itself.

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading Many of the shots passing through this had struck the house itself.

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

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

move through by or as by digging

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

the topmost one of two

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

employed in accomplishing something

From this reading Some of these had penetrated, and the room in the line of fire could no longer be used.

an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure

From this reading But in the wall, against which one of the new batteries had steadily directed its fire, there was a yawning gap, which was hourly increasing in size, and would ere long be practicable for assault.

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

From this reading The upper story was now riddled by balls, the parapet round the terrace had been knocked away in several places, the gate was in splinters; but as the earth from the tunnel had been all emptied against the sandbags, it had grown to such a thickness that the defense was still good here.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading But in the wall, against which one of the new batteries had steadily directed its fire, there was a yawning gap, which was hourly increasing in size, and would ere long be practicable for assault.

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading But in the wall, against which one of the new batteries had steadily directed its fire, there was a yawning gap, which was hourly increasing in size, and would ere long be practicable for assault.

gaping open as if threatening to engulf someone or something

From this reading But in the wall, against which one of the new batteries had steadily directed its fire, there was a yawning gap, which was hourly increasing in size, and would ere long be practicable for assault.