used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The words were scarcely out of his mouth when there was a groan, and a crack, and a splitting sound.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading It fell across the road just before us.
surrounded by; in the company of
From this reading And crashing down amongst the older trees came an oak, torn up by the roots.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading And crashing down amongst the older trees came an oak, torn up by the roots.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The words were scarcely out of his mouth when there was a groan, and a crack, and a splitting sound.
awkwardadjectiveUS /ˈɑːkwərd/
causing inconvenience
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said John, “it would be rather awkward if one of these branches came down on us.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said John, “it would be rather awkward if one of these branches came down on us.”
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It fell across the road just before us.
plural of “branch” — a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said John, “it would be rather awkward if one of these branches came down on us.”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading And crashing down amongst the older trees came an oak, torn up by the roots.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said John, “it would be rather awkward if one of these branches came down on us.”
crackverbUS /kræk/
become fractured; break or crack on the surface only
From this reading The words were scarcely out of his mouth when there was a groan, and a crack, and a splitting sound.
crashingadjectiveUS /ˈkræʃɪŋ/
informal intensifiers
From this reading And crashing down amongst the older trees came an oak, torn up by the roots.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said John, “it would be rather awkward if one of these branches came down on us.”
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading It fell across the road just before us.
groannounUS /ɡroʊn/
an utterance expressing pain or disapproval
From this reading The words were scarcely out of his mouth when there was a groan, and a crack, and a splitting sound.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The words were scarcely out of his mouth when there was a groan, and a crack, and a splitting sound.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I wish we were well out of this wood,” said my master.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said John, “it would be rather awkward if one of these branches came down on us.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said John, “it would be rather awkward if one of these branches came down on us.”
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said John, “it would be rather awkward if one of these branches came down on us.”
and nothing more
From this reading It fell across the road just before us.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading “I wish we were well out of this wood,” said my master.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading The words were scarcely out of his mouth when there was a groan, and a crack, and a splitting sound.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “I wish we were well out of this wood,” said my master.
the hard durable wood of any oak; used especially for furniture and flooring
From this reading And crashing down amongst the older trees came an oak, torn up by the roots.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I wish we were well out of this wood,” said my master.
olderadjectiveUS /ˈoʊldər/
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading And crashing down amongst the older trees came an oak, torn up by the roots.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said John, “it would be rather awkward if one of these branches came down on us.”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said John, “it would be rather awkward if one of these branches came down on us.”
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “I wish we were well out of this wood,” said my master.
on the contrary
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said John, “it would be rather awkward if one of these branches came down on us.”
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading It fell across the road just before us.
rootsnounUS /ruːts/
the condition of belonging to a particular place or group by virtue of social or ethnic or cultural lineage
From this reading And crashing down amongst the older trees came an oak, torn up by the roots.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I wish we were well out of this wood,” said my master.
only a very short time before
From this reading The words were scarcely out of his mouth when there was a groan, and a crack, and a splitting sound.
term of address for a man
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said John, “it would be rather awkward if one of these branches came down on us.”
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading The words were scarcely out of his mouth when there was a groan, and a crack, and a splitting sound.
splittingadjectiveUS /ˈsplɪtɪŋ/
resembling a sound of violent tearing as of something ripped apart or lightning splitting a tree
From this reading The words were scarcely out of his mouth when there was a groan, and a crack, and a splitting sound.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The words were scarcely out of his mouth when there was a groan, and a crack, and a splitting sound.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The words were scarcely out of his mouth when there was a groan, and a crack, and a splitting sound.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said John, “it would be rather awkward if one of these branches came down on us.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “I wish we were well out of this wood,” said my master.
having edges that are jagged from injury
From this reading And crashing down amongst the older trees came an oak, torn up by the roots.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading And crashing down amongst the older trees came an oak, torn up by the roots.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading And crashing down amongst the older trees came an oak, torn up by the roots.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said John, “it would be rather awkward if one of these branches came down on us.”
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The words were scarcely out of his mouth when there was a groan, and a crack, and a splitting sound.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “I wish we were well out of this wood,” said my master.
(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 “I wish we were well out of this wood,” said my master.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “I wish we were well out of this wood,” said my master.
at the time that
From this reading The words were scarcely out of his mouth when there was a groan, and a crack, and a splitting sound.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading “I wish we were well out of this wood,” said my master.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading “I wish we were well out of this wood,” said my master.
the words that are spoken
From this reading The words were scarcely out of his mouth when there was a groan, and a crack, and a splitting sound.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said John, “it would be rather awkward if one of these branches came down on us.”
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, sir,” said John, “it would be rather awkward if one of these branches came down on us.”
