Chapter IV · Chapter 4

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

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading "Come," said Howe, "we must make our way some three miles farther, where we can find not only daylight, but plenty of wood and water, and as I am getting ravenous, we must hurry on."

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading "Then you have found an outlet!" cried the children.

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

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

the event of one object coming closer to another

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

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

From this reading "Come," said Howe, "we must make our way some three miles farther, where we can find not only daylight, but plenty of wood and water, and as I am getting ravenous, we must hurry on."

inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping

From this reading His uncle and the chief had returned, bearing new torches, the light of which awoke the sleepers, who were much refreshed by their repose.

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

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

relevant relation or interconnection

From this reading His uncle and the chief had returned, bearing new torches, the light of which awoke the sleepers, who were much refreshed by their repose.

enter or assume a certain state or condition

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing

From this reading No sound was heard, not even the faintest breath, save the soft respiration of the sleepers.

emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading "Come," said Howe, "we must make our way some three miles farther, where we can find not only daylight, but plenty of wood and water, and as I am getting ravenous, we must hurry on."

showing who or what does the action

From this reading His uncle and the chief had returned, bearing new torches, the light of which awoke the sleepers, who were much refreshed by their repose.

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

a person who is in charge

From this reading His uncle and the chief had returned, bearing new torches, the light of which awoke the sleepers, who were much refreshed by their repose.

plural of “child” — a young person of either sex

From this reading "Then you have found an outlet!" cried the children.

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading "Come," said Howe, "we must make our way some three miles farther, where we can find not only daylight, but plenty of wood and water, and as I am getting ravenous, we must hurry on."

inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading "Then you have found an outlet!" cried the children.

the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside

From this reading "Come," said Howe, "we must make our way some three miles farther, where we can find not only daylight, but plenty of wood and water, and as I am getting ravenous, we must hurry on."

the property created by the space between two objects or points

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

separated in space or coming from or going to a distance

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

tiresomely long; seemingly without end

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

divisible by two

From this reading No sound was heard, not even the faintest breath, save the soft respiration of the sleepers.

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

communicated in words

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

superlative of “faint” — deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc

From this reading No sound was heard, not even the faintest breath, save the soft respiration of the sleepers.

more distant in especially space or time

From this reading "Come," said Howe, "we must make our way some three miles farther, where we can find not only daylight, but plenty of wood and water, and as I am getting ravenous, we must hurry on."

come upon, as if by accident; meet with

From this reading "Come," said Howe, "we must make our way some three miles farther, where we can find not only daylight, but plenty of wood and water, and as I am getting ravenous, we must hurry on."

set up or found

From this reading "Then you have found an outlet!" cried the children.

the act of acquiring something

From this reading "Come," said Howe, "we must make our way some three miles farther, where we can find not only daylight, but plenty of wood and water, and as I am getting ravenous, we must hurry on."

having brief brilliant points or flashes of light

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

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

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "Then you have found an outlet!" cried the children.

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading No sound was heard, not even the faintest breath, save the soft respiration of the sleepers.

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading His uncle and the chief had returned, bearing new torches, the light of which awoke the sleepers, who were much refreshed by their repose.

United States editor (1920-1993)

From this reading "Come," said Howe, "we must make our way some three miles farther, where we can find not only daylight, but plenty of wood and water, and as I am getting ravenous, we must hurry on."

characteristic of humanity

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry

From this reading "Come," said Howe, "we must make our way some three miles farther, where we can find not only daylight, but plenty of wood and water, and as I am getting ravenous, we must hurry on."

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "Come," said Howe, "we must make our way some three miles farther, where we can find not only daylight, but plenty of wood and water, and as I am getting ravenous, we must hurry on."

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

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

the emotion of great happiness

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

of comparatively little physical weight or density

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

comparative of “loud” — characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

engage in

From this reading "Come," said Howe, "we must make our way some three miles farther, where we can find not only daylight, but plenty of wood and water, and as I am getting ravenous, we must hurry on."

plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters

From this reading "Come," said Howe, "we must make our way some three miles farther, where we can find not only daylight, but plenty of wood and water, and as I am getting ravenous, we must hurry on."

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

to a great degree or extent

From this reading His uncle and the chief had returned, bearing new torches, the light of which awoke the sleepers, who were much refreshed by their repose.

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading "Come," said Howe, "we must make our way some three miles farther, where we can find not only daylight, but plenty of wood and water, and as I am getting ravenous, we must hurry on."

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

From this reading His uncle and the chief had returned, bearing new torches, the light of which awoke the sleepers, who were much refreshed by their repose.

not any; not one

From this reading No sound was heard, not even the faintest breath, save the soft respiration of the sleepers.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading No sound was heard, not even the faintest breath, save the soft respiration of the sleepers.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading No sound was heard, not even the faintest breath, save the soft respiration of the sleepers.

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading "Come," said Howe, "we must make our way some three miles farther, where we can find not only daylight, but plenty of wood and water, and as I am getting ravenous, we must hurry on."

and nothing more

From this reading "Come," said Howe, "we must make our way some three miles farther, where we can find not only daylight, but plenty of wood and water, and as I am getting ravenous, we must hurry on."

weighing heavily on the senses or spirit

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading "Come," said Howe, "we must make our way some three miles farther, where we can find not only daylight, but plenty of wood and water, and as I am getting ravenous, we must hurry on."

a place of business for retailing goods

From this reading "Then you have found an outlet!" cried the children.

causing physical or psychological pain

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

a full supply

From this reading "Come," said Howe, "we must make our way some three miles farther, where we can find not only daylight, but plenty of wood and water, and as I am getting ravenous, we must hurry on."

extremely hungry

From this reading "Come," said Howe, "we must make our way some three miles farther, where we can find not only daylight, but plenty of wood and water, and as I am getting ravenous, we must hurry on."

with restored energy

From this reading His uncle and the chief had returned, bearing new torches, the light of which awoke the sleepers, who were much refreshed by their repose.

put or confide something in a person or thing

From this reading His uncle and the chief had returned, bearing new torches, the light of which awoke the sleepers, who were much refreshed by their repose.

the metabolic processes whereby certain organisms obtain energy from organic molecules

From this reading No sound was heard, not even the faintest breath, save the soft respiration of the sleepers.

past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading His uncle and the chief had returned, bearing new torches, the light of which awoke the sleepers, who were much refreshed by their repose.

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "Come," said Howe, "we must make our way some three miles farther, where we can find not only daylight, but plenty of wood and water, and as I am getting ravenous, we must hurry on."

except for; apart from

From this reading No sound was heard, not even the faintest breath, save the soft respiration of the sleepers.

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

plural of “sleeper” — a rester who is sleeping

From this reading No sound was heard, not even the faintest breath, save the soft respiration of the sleepers.

yielding readily to pressure or weight

From this reading No sound was heard, not even the faintest breath, save the soft respiration of the sleepers.

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

From this reading "Come," said Howe, "we must make our way some three miles farther, where we can find not only daylight, but plenty of wood and water, and as I am getting ravenous, we must hurry on."

the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause

From this reading No sound was heard, not even the faintest breath, save the soft respiration of the sleepers.

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

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

From this reading No sound was heard, not even the faintest breath, save the soft respiration of the sleepers.

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading His uncle and the chief had returned, bearing new torches, the light of which awoke the sleepers, who were much refreshed by their repose.

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading "Come," said Howe, "we must make our way some three miles farther, where we can find not only daylight, but plenty of wood and water, and as I am getting ravenous, we must hurry on."

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

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

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

plural of “torch” — a light usually carried in the hand; consists of some flammable substance

From this reading His uncle and the chief had returned, bearing new torches, the light of which awoke the sleepers, who were much refreshed by their repose.

the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt

From this reading His uncle and the chief had returned, bearing new torches, the light of which awoke the sleepers, who were much refreshed by their repose.

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

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

From this reading No sound was heard, not even the faintest breath, save the soft respiration of the sleepers.

binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent

From this reading "Come," said Howe, "we must make our way some three miles farther, where we can find not only daylight, but plenty of wood and water, and as I am getting ravenous, we must hurry on."

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading "Come," said Howe, "we must make our way some three miles farther, where we can find not only daylight, but plenty of wood and water, and as I am getting ravenous, we must hurry on."

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading "Come," said Howe, "we must make our way some three miles farther, where we can find not only daylight, but plenty of wood and water, and as I am getting ravenous, we must hurry on."

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading His uncle and the chief had returned, bearing new torches, the light of which awoke the sleepers, who were much refreshed by their repose.

at the time that

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

in or at the place that

From this reading "Come," said Howe, "we must make our way some three miles farther, where we can find not only daylight, but plenty of wood and water, and as I am getting ravenous, we must hurry on."

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

From this reading The time seemed to him endless; and the oppressive silence had become more painful than can be expressed, when, oh! joy, the distant sound of a human voice was heard, which every second grew louder and louder, and then a bright glittering light was seen in the distance approaching.

which person or people

From this reading His uncle and the chief had returned, bearing new torches, the light of which awoke the sleepers, who were much refreshed by their repose.

the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees

From this reading "Come," said Howe, "we must make our way some three miles farther, where we can find not only daylight, but plenty of wood and water, and as I am getting ravenous, we must hurry on."

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Then you have found an outlet!" cried the children.