used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Instantly the soldiers threw their rifles to their shoulders and poured a volley after the plane.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Instantly the soldiers threw their rifles to their shoulders and poured a volley after the plane.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Instantly the soldiers threw their rifles to their shoulders and poured a volley after the plane.
a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance
From this reading The first volley did no damage beyond arousing Hal’s anger.
arousingverbUS /ərˈaʊzɪŋ/
-ing form of “arouse” — call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)
From this reading The first volley did no damage beyond arousing Hal’s anger.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Chester and Stubbs ducked instinctively at the sound of the first volley.
beratedverbUS /bɪˈreɪtɪd/
past form of “berate” — censure severely or angrily
From this reading He berated Stubbs’ carelessness roundly to himself, but not for a moment did he take his mind off the work in hand.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading The first volley did no damage beyond arousing Hal’s anger.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He berated Stubbs’ carelessness roundly to himself, but not for a moment did he take his mind off the work in hand.
carelessnessnounUS /ˈkerləsnəs/
the quality of not being careful or taking pains
From this reading He berated Stubbs’ carelessness roundly to himself, but not for a moment did he take his mind off the work in hand.
ChesternounUS /ˈtʃestər/
a city of southeastern Pennsylvania on the Delaware river (an industrial suburb of Philadelphia)
From this reading Chester and Stubbs ducked instinctively at the sound of the first volley.
the skilled practice of a practical occupation
From this reading Then they started after the craft on a dead run.
damagenounUS /ˈdæmədʒ/
the occurrence of a change for the worse
From this reading The first volley did no damage beyond arousing Hal’s anger.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading Then they started after the craft on a dead run.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The first volley did no damage beyond arousing Hal’s anger.
duckedverbUS /dʌkt/
past form of “duck” — to move (the head or body) quickly downwards or away
From this reading Chester and Stubbs ducked instinctively at the sound of the first volley.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The first volley did no damage beyond arousing Hal’s anger.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He berated Stubbs’ carelessness roundly to himself, but not for a moment did he take his mind off the work in hand.
Hal'snounUS /hælz/
possessive form of “hals” — Dutch portrait and genre painter who endowed his portraits with vitality and humor (1580?-1666)
From this reading The first volley did no damage beyond arousing Hal’s anger.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He berated Stubbs’ carelessness roundly to himself, but not for a moment did he take his mind off the work in hand.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He berated Stubbs’ carelessness roundly to himself, but not for a moment did he take his mind off the work in hand.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He berated Stubbs’ carelessness roundly to himself, but not for a moment did he take his mind off the work in hand.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He berated Stubbs’ carelessness roundly to himself, but not for a moment did he take his mind off the work in hand.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He berated Stubbs’ carelessness roundly to himself, but not for a moment did he take his mind off the work in hand.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading Instantly the soldiers threw their rifles to their shoulders and poured a volley after the plane.
instinctivelyadverbUS /ˌɪnˈstɪŋktɪvliː/
as a matter of instinct
From this reading Chester and Stubbs ducked instinctively at the sound of the first volley.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading He berated Stubbs’ carelessness roundly to himself, but not for a moment did he take his mind off the work in hand.
a particular point in time
From this reading He berated Stubbs’ carelessness roundly to himself, but not for a moment did he take his mind off the work in hand.
not any; not one
From this reading The first volley did no damage beyond arousing Hal’s anger.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He berated Stubbs’ carelessness roundly to himself, but not for a moment did he take his mind off the work in hand.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Chester and Stubbs ducked instinctively at the sound of the first volley.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He berated Stubbs’ carelessness roundly to himself, but not for a moment did he take his mind off the work in hand.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Then they started after the craft on a dead run.
planenounUS /pleɪn/
an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets
From this reading Instantly the soldiers threw their rifles to their shoulders and poured a volley after the plane.
past form of “pour” — cause to run
From this reading Instantly the soldiers threw their rifles to their shoulders and poured a volley after the plane.
riflesnounUS /ˈraɪfəlz/
plural of “rifle” — a shoulder firearm with a long barrel and a rifled bore
From this reading Instantly the soldiers threw their rifles to their shoulders and poured a volley after the plane.
roundlyadverbUS /ˈraʊndli/
in a round manner
From this reading He berated Stubbs’ carelessness roundly to himself, but not for a moment did he take his mind off the work in hand.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Then they started after the craft on a dead run.
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading Instantly the soldiers threw their rifles to their shoulders and poured a volley after the plane.
plural of “soldier” — an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
From this reading Instantly the soldiers threw their rifles to their shoulders and poured a volley after the plane.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Chester and Stubbs ducked instinctively at the sound of the first volley.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Then they started after the craft on a dead run.
StubbsnounUS /stʌbz/
English historian noted for his constitutional history of medieval England (1825-1901)
From this reading He berated Stubbs’ carelessness roundly to himself, but not for a moment did he take his mind off the work in hand.
carry out
From this reading He berated Stubbs’ carelessness roundly to himself, but not for a moment did he take his mind off the work in hand.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Instantly the soldiers threw their rifles to their shoulders and poured a volley after the plane.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Instantly the soldiers threw their rifles to their shoulders and poured a volley after the plane.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then they started after the craft on a dead run.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then they started after the craft on a dead run.
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading Instantly the soldiers threw their rifles to their shoulders and poured a volley after the plane.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Instantly the soldiers threw their rifles to their shoulders and poured a volley after the plane.
volleynounUS /ˈvɑːli/
rapid simultaneous discharge of firearms
From this reading Instantly the soldiers threw their rifles to their shoulders and poured a volley after the plane.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading He berated Stubbs’ carelessness roundly to himself, but not for a moment did he take his mind off the work in hand.
