adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was a stealthy step, faint and intermittent, as of a man who paused cautiously after every stride.
advanceverbUS /ədˈvæns/
move forward, also in the metaphorical sense
From this reading Sometimes for half a minute there was no sound, and then came the shuffle and creak which told of a fresh advance.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading It was a stealthy step, faint and intermittent, as of a man who paused cautiously after every stride.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was a stealthy step, faint and intermittent, as of a man who paused cautiously after every stride.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was a stealthy step, faint and intermittent, as of a man who paused cautiously after every stride.
branchnounUS /bræntʃ/
a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading His hand, which still held my sleeve, twitched like a branch in the wind.
cameverbUS /keɪm/
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Sometimes for half a minute there was no sound, and then came the shuffle and creak which told of a fresh advance.
cautiouslyadverbUS /ˈkɔːʃəsli/
as if with kid gloves; with caution or prudence or tact
From this reading It was a stealthy step, faint and intermittent, as of a man who paused cautiously after every stride.
comingnounUS /ˈkʌmɪŋ/
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading In the silence of the night I could distinctly hear that someone was coming down the corridor.
companionnounUS /kəmˈpænjən/
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading My companion was trembling with excitement.
corridornounUS /ˈkɔːrədər/
an enclosed passageway; rooms usually open onto it
From this reading In the silence of the night I could distinctly hear that someone was coming down the corridor.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading In the silence of the night I could distinctly hear that someone was coming down the corridor.
creakverbUS /kriːk/
make a high-pitched, screeching noise
From this reading Sometimes for half a minute there was no sound, and then came the shuffle and creak which told of a fresh advance.
distinctlyadverbUS /dɪˈstɪŋktli/
clear to the mind; with distinct mental discernment
From this reading In the silence of the night I could distinctly hear that someone was coming down the corridor.
downadjectiveUS /daʊn/
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading In the silence of the night I could distinctly hear that someone was coming down the corridor.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading It was a stealthy step, faint and intermittent, as of a man who paused cautiously after every stride.
excitementnounUS /ɪkˈsaɪtmənt/
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading My companion was trembling with excitement.
faintadjectiveUS /feɪnt/
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading It was a stealthy step, faint and intermittent, as of a man who paused cautiously after every stride.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Sometimes for half a minute there was no sound, and then came the shuffle and creak which told of a fresh advance.
freshadjectiveUS /freʃ/
recently made, produced, or harvested
From this reading Sometimes for half a minute there was no sound, and then came the shuffle and creak which told of a fresh advance.
halfadjectiveUS /hæf/
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading Sometimes for half a minute there was no sound, and then came the shuffle and creak which told of a fresh advance.
handnounUS /hænd/
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading His hand, which still held my sleeve, twitched like a branch in the wind.
hearverbUS /hiːr/
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading In the silence of the night I could distinctly hear that someone was coming down the corridor.
heldadjectiveUS /held/
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading His hand, which still held my sleeve, twitched like a branch in the wind.
HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His hand, which still held my sleeve, twitched like a branch in the wind.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading In the silence of the night I could distinctly hear that someone was coming down the corridor.
InprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the silence of the night I could distinctly hear that someone was coming down the corridor.
intermittentadjectiveUS /ˌɪntərˈmɪtənt/
stopping and starting at irregular intervals
From this reading It was a stealthy step, faint and intermittent, as of a man who paused cautiously after every stride.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a stealthy step, faint and intermittent, as of a man who paused cautiously after every stride.
likeverbUS /laɪk/
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading His hand, which still held my sleeve, twitched like a branch in the wind.
mannounUS /mæn/
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading It was a stealthy step, faint and intermittent, as of a man who paused cautiously after every stride.
minutenounUS /ˈmɪnət/
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading Sometimes for half a minute there was no sound, and then came the shuffle and creak which told of a fresh advance.
MydeterminerUS /maɪ/
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My companion was trembling with excitement.
nightnounUS /naɪt/
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading In the silence of the night I could distinctly hear that someone was coming down the corridor.
nodeterminerUS /noʊ/
not any; not one
From this reading Sometimes for half a minute there was no sound, and then came the shuffle and creak which told of a fresh advance.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In the silence of the night I could distinctly hear that someone was coming down the corridor.
pausedverbUS /pɔːzd/
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading It was a stealthy step, faint and intermittent, as of a man who paused cautiously after every stride.
shuffleverbUS /ˈʃʌfəl/
walk by dragging one's feet
From this reading Sometimes for half a minute there was no sound, and then came the shuffle and creak which told of a fresh advance.
silencenounUS /ˈsaɪ.ləns/
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading In the silence of the night I could distinctly hear that someone was coming down the corridor.
sleevenounUS /sliːv/
the part of a garment that is attached at the armhole and that provides a cloth covering for the arm
From this reading His hand, which still held my sleeve, twitched like a branch in the wind.
someonepronounUS /ˈsʌmwʌn/
a person, without saying who
From this reading In the silence of the night I could distinctly hear that someone was coming down the corridor.
SometimesadverbUS /səmˈtaɪmz/
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading Sometimes for half a minute there was no sound, and then came the shuffle and creak which told of a fresh advance.
soundnounUS /saʊnd/
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Sometimes for half a minute there was no sound, and then came the shuffle and creak which told of a fresh advance.
stealthyadjectiveUS /ˈstelθi/
marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed
From this reading It was a stealthy step, faint and intermittent, as of a man who paused cautiously after every stride.
stepnounUS /step/
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading It was a stealthy step, faint and intermittent, as of a man who paused cautiously after every stride.
stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/
not in physical motion
From this reading His hand, which still held my sleeve, twitched like a branch in the wind.
stridenounUS /straɪd/
a step in walking or running
From this reading It was a stealthy step, faint and intermittent, as of a man who paused cautiously after every stride.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading In the silence of the night I could distinctly hear that someone was coming down the corridor.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In the silence of the night I could distinctly hear that someone was coming down the corridor.
thenadverbUS /ðen/
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Sometimes for half a minute there was no sound, and then came the shuffle and creak which told of a fresh advance.
thereadverbUS /ðer/
in or at that place or location
From this reading Sometimes for half a minute there was no sound, and then came the shuffle and creak which told of a fresh advance.
toldverbUS /toʊld/
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Sometimes for half a minute there was no sound, and then came the shuffle and creak which told of a fresh advance.
tremblingnounUS /ˈtrembəlɪŋ/
a shaky motion
From this reading My companion was trembling with excitement.
twitchedverbUS /twɪtʃt/
past form of “twitch” — make an uncontrolled, short, jerky motion
From this reading His hand, which still held my sleeve, twitched like a branch in the wind.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In the silence of the night I could distinctly hear that someone was coming down the corridor.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Sometimes for half a minute there was no sound, and then came the shuffle and creak which told of a fresh advance.
whopronounUS /huː/
which person or people
From this reading It was a stealthy step, faint and intermittent, as of a man who paused cautiously after every stride.
windnounUS /waɪnd/
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading His hand, which still held my sleeve, twitched like a branch in the wind.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading My companion was trembling with excitement.
