Chapter XV · Chapter 15

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

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

(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 FRANK'S STORY They all gazed in the direction in which Nan pointed.

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

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

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

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

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading "Why--why!" began Bert.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Why--why!" began Bert.

a youthful male person

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

a travelling company of entertainers; including trained animals

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

cause to herd, drive, or crowd together

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

a line leading to a place or point

From this reading FRANK'S STORY They all gazed in the direction in which Nan pointed.

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

the boundary of a surface

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

indicating exactness or preciseness

From this reading Bert was not exactly sure of what he was going to say.

a boy or man

From this reading "That fellow--that boy--he--" and then he stopped.

possessive form of “frank” — a member of the ancient Germanic peoples who spread from the Rhine into the Roman Empire in the 4th century

From this reading FRANK'S STORY They all gazed in the direction in which Nan pointed.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes

From this reading FRANK'S STORY They all gazed in the direction in which Nan pointed.

the act of departing

From this reading Bert was not exactly sure of what he was going to say.

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "That fellow--that boy--he--" and then he stopped.

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

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

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

From this reading FRANK'S STORY They all gazed in the direction in which Nan pointed.

moving to the inside of something

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

not able to be found

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

your grandmother

From this reading FRANK'S STORY They all gazed in the direction in which Nan pointed.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Bert was not exactly sure of what he was going to say.

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

having a point

From this reading FRANK'S STORY They all gazed in the direction in which Nan pointed.

express in words

From this reading Bert was not exactly sure of what he was going to say.

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

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

(of a nose) blocked

From this reading "That fellow--that boy--he--" and then he stopped.

a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading FRANK'S STORY They all gazed in the direction in which Nan pointed.

being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured

From this reading Bert was not exactly sure of what he was going to say.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

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

From this reading FRANK'S STORY They all gazed in the direction in which Nan pointed.

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading "That fellow--that boy--he--" and then he stopped.

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading FRANK'S STORY They all gazed in the direction in which Nan pointed.

the act of diluting something

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

push forcefully

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

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

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

in the direction of

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

with trust; in a trusting manner

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

plural of “visitor” — someone who visits

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

close enough to be walked to

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

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

From this reading The crowd of visitors to the circus was thinning out now, and down toward the edge of a little creek could be seen the missing Freddie walking along, his hand thrust trustingly into that of the strange boy.

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Bert was not exactly sure of what he was going to say.

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

From this reading FRANK'S STORY They all gazed in the direction in which Nan pointed.

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading "Why--why!" began Bert.