used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A CALL FOR DINAH How long Bert Bobbsey lay unconscious in the basement of the church he did not know.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It seemed a very long time to him, but it was probably not more than an hour--perhaps not that long.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And he saw them even though it was very dark in the basement.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The last thing he remembered was seeing a lot of what appeared to be brightly dancing stars in front of his eyes.
basementnounUS /ˈbeɪsmənt/
the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage
From this reading A CALL FOR DINAH How long Bert Bobbsey lay unconscious in the basement of the church he did not know.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The last thing he remembered was seeing a lot of what appeared to be brightly dancing stars in front of his eyes.
Bert
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A CALL FOR DINAH How long Bert Bobbsey lay unconscious in the basement of the church he did not know.
Bobbsey
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A CALL FOR DINAH How long Bert Bobbsey lay unconscious in the basement of the church he did not know.
brightlyadverbUS /ˈbraɪtli/
with brightness
From this reading The last thing he remembered was seeing a lot of what appeared to be brightly dancing stars in front of his eyes.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It seemed a very long time to him, but it was probably not more than an hour--perhaps not that long.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading A CALL FOR DINAH How long Bert Bobbsey lay unconscious in the basement of the church he did not know.
past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally
From this reading This was caused when his head struck something.
one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading A CALL FOR DINAH How long Bert Bobbsey lay unconscious in the basement of the church he did not know.
taking a series of rhythmical steps (and movements) in time to music
From this reading The last thing he remembered was seeing a lot of what appeared to be brightly dancing stars in front of his eyes.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading And he saw them even though it was very dark in the basement.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading A CALL FOR DINAH How long Bert Bobbsey lay unconscious in the basement of the church he did not know.
DINAH
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A CALL FOR DINAH How long Bert Bobbsey lay unconscious in the basement of the church he did not know.
divisible by two
From this reading And he saw them even though it was very dark in the basement.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The last thing he remembered was seeing a lot of what appeared to be brightly dancing stars in front of his eyes.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A CALL FOR DINAH How long Bert Bobbsey lay unconscious in the basement of the church he did not know.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading The last thing he remembered was seeing a lot of what appeared to be brightly dancing stars in front of his eyes.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A CALL FOR DINAH How long Bert Bobbsey lay unconscious in the basement of the church he did not know.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading This was caused when his head struck something.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It seemed a very long time to him, but it was probably not more than an hour--perhaps not that long.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The last thing he remembered was seeing a lot of what appeared to be brightly dancing stars in front of his eyes.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading It seemed a very long time to him, but it was probably not more than an hour--perhaps not that long.
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A CALL FOR DINAH How long Bert Bobbsey lay unconscious in the basement of the church he did not know.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A CALL FOR DINAH How long Bert Bobbsey lay unconscious in the basement of the church he did not know.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed a very long time to him, but it was probably not more than an hour--perhaps not that long.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading A CALL FOR DINAH How long Bert Bobbsey lay unconscious in the basement of the church he did not know.
immediately past
From this reading The last thing he remembered was seeing a lot of what appeared to be brightly dancing stars in front of his eyes.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading A CALL FOR DINAH How long Bert Bobbsey lay unconscious in the basement of the church he did not know.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading A CALL FOR DINAH How long Bert Bobbsey lay unconscious in the basement of the church he did not know.
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading The last thing he remembered was seeing a lot of what appeared to be brightly dancing stars in front of his eyes.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading It seemed a very long time to him, but it was probably not more than an hour--perhaps not that long.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading A CALL FOR DINAH How long Bert Bobbsey lay unconscious in the basement of the church he did not know.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A CALL FOR DINAH How long Bert Bobbsey lay unconscious in the basement of the church he did not know.
by chance
From this reading It seemed a very long time to him, but it was probably not more than an hour--perhaps not that long.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading It seemed a very long time to him, but it was probably not more than an hour--perhaps not that long.
past form of “remember” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading The last thing he remembered was seeing a lot of what appeared to be brightly dancing stars in front of his eyes.
cut with a saw
From this reading And he saw them even though it was very dark in the basement.
perception by means of the eyes
From this reading The last thing he remembered was seeing a lot of what appeared to be brightly dancing stars in front of his eyes.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed a very long time to him, but it was probably not more than an hour--perhaps not that long.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading This was caused when his head struck something.
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading The last thing he remembered was seeing a lot of what appeared to be brightly dancing stars in front of his eyes.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading This was caused when his head struck something.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading It seemed a very long time to him, but it was probably not more than an hour--perhaps not that long.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It seemed a very long time to him, but it was probably not more than an hour--perhaps not that long.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A CALL FOR DINAH How long Bert Bobbsey lay unconscious in the basement of the church he did not know.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading And he saw them even though it was very dark in the basement.
a special situation
From this reading The last thing he remembered was seeing a lot of what appeared to be brightly dancing stars in front of his eyes.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This was caused when his head struck something.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading And he saw them even though it was very dark in the basement.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It seemed a very long time to him, but it was probably not more than an hour--perhaps not that long.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It seemed a very long time to him, but it was probably not more than an hour--perhaps not that long.
not conscious; lacking awareness and the capacity for sensory perception as if asleep or dead
From this reading A CALL FOR DINAH How long Bert Bobbsey lay unconscious in the basement of the church he did not know.
precisely as stated
From this reading It seemed a very long time to him, but it was probably not more than an hour--perhaps not that long.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It seemed a very long time to him, but it was probably not more than an hour--perhaps not that long.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading The last thing he remembered was seeing a lot of what appeared to be brightly dancing stars in front of his eyes.
at the time that
From this reading This was caused when his head struck something.
