used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading First of all, he paid a visit to police head-quarters, and described the man who had been seen with Helen, as the boy had described him.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He had no clew to follow, no starting-point from which to begin his search, but he would not permit himself to think about it in this light, for fear he would become discouraged.
aliveadjectiveUS /əˈlaɪv/
possessing life
From this reading Helen was alive--was somewhere--could be found--and must be found!
(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 First of all, he paid a visit to police head-quarters, and described the man who had been seen with Helen, as the boy had described him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Helen was alive--was somewhere--could be found--and must be found!
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading First of all, he paid a visit to police head-quarters, and described the man who had been seen with Helen, as the boy had described him.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Helen was alive--was somewhere--could be found--and must be found!
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading He had no clew to follow, no starting-point from which to begin his search, but he would not permit himself to think about it in this light, for fear he would become discouraged.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading First of all, he paid a visit to police head-quarters, and described the man who had been seen with Helen, as the boy had described him.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He had no clew to follow, no starting-point from which to begin his search, but he would not permit himself to think about it in this light, for fear he would become discouraged.
a youthful male person
From this reading First of all, he paid a visit to police head-quarters, and described the man who had been seen with Helen, as the boy had described him.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He had no clew to follow, no starting-point from which to begin his search, but he would not permit himself to think about it in this light, for fear he would become discouraged.
clewnoun
a ball of yarn or cord or thread
From this reading He had no clew to follow, no starting-point from which to begin his search, but he would not permit himself to think about it in this light, for fear he would become discouraged.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Helen was alive--was somewhere--could be found--and must be found!
represented in words especially with sharpness and detail
From this reading First of all, he paid a visit to police head-quarters, and described the man who had been seen with Helen, as the boy had described him.
determinationnounUS /dɪˌtɜːrməˈneɪʃən/
the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation
From this reading Mat Morris was grimly in earnest in his determination to find the missing Helen.
discouragedadjectiveUS /dɪˈskɜːrədʒd/
made less hopeful or enthusiastic
From this reading He had no clew to follow, no starting-point from which to begin his search, but he would not permit himself to think about it in this light, for fear he would become discouraged.
characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions
From this reading Mat Morris was grimly in earnest in his determination to find the missing Helen.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading He had no clew to follow, no starting-point from which to begin his search, but he would not permit himself to think about it in this light, for fear he would become discouraged.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading Mat Morris was grimly in earnest in his determination to find the missing Helen.
FirstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading First of all, he paid a visit to police head-quarters, and described the man who had been seen with Helen, as the boy had described him.
to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading He had no clew to follow, no starting-point from which to begin his search, but he would not permit himself to think about it in this light, for fear he would become discouraged.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He had no clew to follow, no starting-point from which to begin his search, but he would not permit himself to think about it in this light, for fear he would become discouraged.
set up or found
From this reading Helen was alive--was somewhere--could be found--and must be found!
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He had no clew to follow, no starting-point from which to begin his search, but he would not permit himself to think about it in this light, for fear he would become discouraged.
grimlyadverbUS /ˈɡrɪmli/
in a grim implacable manner
From this reading Mat Morris was grimly in earnest in his determination to find the missing Helen.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had no clew to follow, no starting-point from which to begin his search, but he would not permit himself to think about it in this light, for fear he would become discouraged.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading SHADOW--WHO WAS HE?
head-quarters
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading First of all, he paid a visit to police head-quarters, and described the man who had been seen with Helen, as the boy had described him.
(Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War
From this reading Mat Morris was grimly in earnest in his determination to find the missing Helen.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading First of all, he paid a visit to police head-quarters, and described the man who had been seen with Helen, as the boy had described him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He had no clew to follow, no starting-point from which to begin his search, but he would not permit himself to think about it in this light, for fear he would become discouraged.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mat Morris was grimly in earnest in his determination to find the missing Helen.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mat Morris was grimly in earnest in his determination to find the missing Helen.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He had no clew to follow, no starting-point from which to begin his search, but he would not permit himself to think about it in this light, for fear he would become discouraged.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading He had no clew to follow, no starting-point from which to begin his search, but he would not permit himself to think about it in this light, for fear he would become discouraged.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading First of all, he paid a visit to police head-quarters, and described the man who had been seen with Helen, as the boy had described him.
MatnounUS /mæt/
a thick flat pad used as a floor covering
From this reading Mat Morris was grimly in earnest in his determination to find the missing Helen.
not able to be found
From this reading Mat Morris was grimly in earnest in his determination to find the missing Helen.
MorrisnounUS /ˈmɔːrəs/
United States suffragist in Wyoming (1814-1902)
From this reading Mat Morris was grimly in earnest in his determination to find the missing Helen.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Helen was alive--was somewhere--could be found--and must be found!
not any; not one
From this reading He had no clew to follow, no starting-point from which to begin his search, but he would not permit himself to think about it in this light, for fear he would become discouraged.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He had no clew to follow, no starting-point from which to begin his search, but he would not permit himself to think about it in this light, for fear he would become discouraged.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading First of all, he paid a visit to police head-quarters, and described the man who had been seen with Helen, as the boy had described him.
marked by the reception of pay
From this reading First of all, he paid a visit to police head-quarters, and described the man who had been seen with Helen, as the boy had described him.
a legal document giving official permission to do something
From this reading He had no clew to follow, no starting-point from which to begin his search, but he would not permit himself to think about it in this light, for fear he would become discouraged.
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading First of all, he paid a visit to police head-quarters, and described the man who had been seen with Helen, as the boy had described him.
try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading He had no clew to follow, no starting-point from which to begin his search, but he would not permit himself to think about it in this light, for fear he would become discouraged.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading First of all, he paid a visit to police head-quarters, and described the man who had been seen with Helen, as the boy had described him.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading SHADOW--WHO WAS HE?
in or at or to some place
From this reading Helen was alive--was somewhere--could be found--and must be found!
starting-point
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had no clew to follow, no starting-point from which to begin his search, but he would not permit himself to think about it in this light, for fear he would become discouraged.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mat Morris was grimly in earnest in his determination to find the missing Helen.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading He had no clew to follow, no starting-point from which to begin his search, but he would not permit himself to think about it in this light, for fear he would become discouraged.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading He had no clew to follow, no starting-point from which to begin his search, but he would not permit himself to think about it in this light, for fear he would become discouraged.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mat Morris was grimly in earnest in his determination to find the missing Helen.
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading First of all, he paid a visit to police head-quarters, and described the man who had been seen with Helen, as the boy had described him.
WASauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading SHADOW--WHO WAS HE?
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He had no clew to follow, no starting-point from which to begin his search, but he would not permit himself to think about it in this light, for fear he would become discouraged.
which person or people
From this reading SHADOW--WHO WAS HE?
in the company of; together with
From this reading First of all, he paid a visit to police head-quarters, and described the man who had been seen with Helen, as the boy had described him.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He had no clew to follow, no starting-point from which to begin his search, but he would not permit himself to think about it in this light, for fear he would become discouraged.
