used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A storm was gathering and the sheriff thought by hard riding he might reach the nearest railway station before it broke.
aliveadjectiveUS /əˈlaɪv/
possessing life
From this reading The whole country was alive with armed men.
(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 He knew his prisoner’s life depended upon his getting him to a place of safety with all speed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A storm was gathering and the sheriff thought by hard riding he might reach the nearest railway station before it broke.
(used of persons or the military) characterized by having or bearing arms
From this reading The whole country was alive with armed men.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Far off the ordnance of the sky boomed as the battle of the elements began.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading Far off the ordnance of the sky boomed as the battle of the elements began.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading A storm was gathering and the sheriff thought by hard riding he might reach the nearest railway station before it broke.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Far off the ordnance of the sky boomed as the battle of the elements began.
boomedverbUS /buːmd/
past form of “boom” — make a resonant sound, like artillery
From this reading Far off the ordnance of the sky boomed as the battle of the elements began.
lacking funds
From this reading A storm was gathering and the sheriff thought by hard riding he might reach the nearest railway station before it broke.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A storm was gathering and the sheriff thought by hard riding he might reach the nearest railway station before it broke.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The lightning cut the clouds and soon the rain came, a dark falling wall.
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading The lightning cut the clouds and soon the rain came, a dark falling wall.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading The whole country was alive with armed men.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading The lightning cut the clouds and soon the rain came, a dark falling wall.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading The lightning cut the clouds and soon the rain came, a dark falling wall.
dependedverbUS /dɪˈpendəd/
past form of “depend” — be contingent upon (something that is elided)
From this reading He knew his prisoner’s life depended upon his getting him to a place of safety with all speed.
elementsnounUS /ˈeləmənts/
violent or severe weather (viewed as caused by the action of the four elements)
From this reading Far off the ordnance of the sky boomed as the battle of the elements began.
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading The lightning cut the clouds and soon the rain came, a dark falling wall.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Far off the ordnance of the sky boomed as the battle of the elements began.
a group of persons together in one place
From this reading A storm was gathering and the sheriff thought by hard riding he might reach the nearest railway station before it broke.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading He knew his prisoner’s life depended upon his getting him to a place of safety with all speed.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading A storm was gathering and the sheriff thought by hard riding he might reach the nearest railway station before it broke.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A storm was gathering and the sheriff thought by hard riding he might reach the nearest railway station before it broke.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He knew his prisoner’s life depended upon his getting him to a place of safety with all speed.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He knew his prisoner’s life depended upon his getting him to a place of safety with all speed.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A storm was gathering and the sheriff thought by hard riding he might reach the nearest railway station before it broke.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He knew his prisoner’s life depended upon his getting him to a place of safety with all speed.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading He knew his prisoner’s life depended upon his getting him to a place of safety with all speed.
abrupt electric discharge from cloud to cloud or from cloud to earth accompanied by the emission of light
From this reading The lightning cut the clouds and soon the rain came, a dark falling wall.
the force of workers available
From this reading The whole country was alive with armed men.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading A storm was gathering and the sheriff thought by hard riding he might reach the nearest railway station before it broke.
(superlative of “near” or “close”) within the shortest distance
From this reading A storm was gathering and the sheriff thought by hard riding he might reach the nearest railway station before it broke.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He knew his prisoner’s life depended upon his getting him to a place of safety with all speed.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Far off the ordnance of the sky boomed as the battle of the elements began.
ordnancenounUS /ˈɔːrdnəns/
military supplies
From this reading Far off the ordnance of the sky boomed as the battle of the elements began.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading He knew his prisoner’s life depended upon his getting him to a place of safety with all speed.
prisoner'snounUS /ˈprɪzənərz/
possessive form of “prisoner” — a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading He knew his prisoner’s life depended upon his getting him to a place of safety with all speed.
railwaynounUS /ˈreɪlweɪ/
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading A storm was gathering and the sheriff thought by hard riding he might reach the nearest railway station before it broke.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading The lightning cut the clouds and soon the rain came, a dark falling wall.
reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading A storm was gathering and the sheriff thought by hard riding he might reach the nearest railway station before it broke.
the sport of sitting on the back of a horse while controlling its movements
From this reading A storm was gathering and the sheriff thought by hard riding he might reach the nearest railway station before it broke.
the state of being certain that adverse effects will not be caused by some agent under defined conditions
From this reading He knew his prisoner’s life depended upon his getting him to a place of safety with all speed.
sheriffnounUS /ˈʃerəf/
the principal law-enforcement officer in a county
From this reading A storm was gathering and the sheriff thought by hard riding he might reach the nearest railway station before it broke.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading Far off the ordnance of the sky boomed as the battle of the elements began.
in the near future
From this reading The lightning cut the clouds and soon the rain came, a dark falling wall.
move hurridly
From this reading He knew his prisoner’s life depended upon his getting him to a place of safety with all speed.
a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose
From this reading A storm was gathering and the sheriff thought by hard riding he might reach the nearest railway station before it broke.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading A storm was gathering and the sheriff thought by hard riding he might reach the nearest railway station before it broke.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A storm was gathering and the sheriff thought by hard riding he might reach the nearest railway station before it broke.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading A storm was gathering and the sheriff thought by hard riding he might reach the nearest railway station before it broke.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He knew his prisoner’s life depended upon his getting him to a place of safety with all speed.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading He knew his prisoner’s life depended upon his getting him to a place of safety with all speed.
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 The lightning cut the clouds and soon the rain came, a dark falling wall.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A storm was gathering and the sheriff thought by hard riding he might reach the nearest railway station before it broke.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading The whole country was alive with armed men.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He knew his prisoner’s life depended upon his getting him to a place of safety with all speed.
