touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading The stream was much swollen, and the few boats tied up were bumping freely against the shore as the current swung them in.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Presently he found himself down by the docks along the muddy river.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading For over half an hour longer Dick tramped the streets of the city looking for some trace of his father.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The stream was much swollen, and the few boats tied up were bumping freely against the shore as the current swung them in.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The stream was much swollen, and the few boats tied up were bumping freely against the shore as the current swung them in.
plural of “boat” — a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading The stream was much swollen, and the few boats tied up were bumping freely against the shore as the current swung them in.
bumpingverbUS /ˈbʌmpɪŋ/
-ing form of “bump” — knock against with force or violence
From this reading The stream was much swollen, and the few boats tied up were bumping freely against the shore as the current swung them in.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Presently he found himself down by the docks along the muddy river.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading For over half an hour longer Dick tramped the streets of the city looking for some trace of his father.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "I wonder if father could have come down here?" he mused.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "I wonder if father could have come down here?" he mused.
a flow of electricity through a conductor
From this reading The stream was much swollen, and the few boats tied up were bumping freely against the shore as the current swung them in.
someone who is a detective
From this reading For over half an hour longer Dick tramped the streets of the city looking for some trace of his father.
docksnounUS /dɑːks/
plural of “dock” — an enclosure in a court of law where the defendant sits during the trial
From this reading Presently he found himself down by the docks along the muddy river.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Presently he found himself down by the docks along the muddy river.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading For over half an hour longer Dick tramped the streets of the city looking for some trace of his father.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading The stream was much swollen, and the few boats tied up were bumping freely against the shore as the current swung them in.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For over half an hour longer Dick tramped the streets of the city looking for some trace of his father.
set up or found
From this reading Presently he found himself down by the docks along the muddy river.
in a free manner
From this reading The stream was much swollen, and the few boats tied up were bumping freely against the shore as the current swung them in.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading For over half an hour longer Dick tramped the streets of the city looking for some trace of his father.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I wonder if father could have come down here?" he mused.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Presently he found himself down by the docks along the muddy river.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "I wonder if father could have come down here?" he mused.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Presently he found himself down by the docks along the muddy river.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading For over half an hour longer Dick tramped the streets of the city looking for some trace of his father.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading For over half an hour longer Dick tramped the streets of the city looking for some trace of his father.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I wonder if father could have come down here?" he mused.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "I wonder if father could have come down here?" he mused.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The stream was much swollen, and the few boats tied up were bumping freely against the shore as the current swung them in.
for more time
From this reading For over half an hour longer Dick tramped the streets of the city looking for some trace of his father.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading For over half an hour longer Dick tramped the streets of the city looking for some trace of his father.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading The stream was much swollen, and the few boats tied up were bumping freely against the shore as the current swung them in.
muddyadjectiveUS /ˈmʌdi/
(of soil) soft and watery
From this reading Presently he found himself down by the docks along the muddy river.
musedverbUS /mjuːzd/
past form of “muse” — reflect deeply on a subject
From this reading "I wonder if father could have come down here?" he mused.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading For over half an hour longer Dick tramped the streets of the city looking for some trace of his father.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading OUT ON THE RIVER.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading OUT ON THE RIVER.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading For over half an hour longer Dick tramped the streets of the city looking for some trace of his father.
in the near future
From this reading Presently he found himself down by the docks along the muddy river.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading OUT ON THE RIVER.
the land along the edge of a body of water
From this reading The stream was much swollen, and the few boats tied up were bumping freely against the shore as the current swung them in.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading For over half an hour longer Dick tramped the streets of the city looking for some trace of his father.
a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth
From this reading The stream was much swollen, and the few boats tied up were bumping freely against the shore as the current swung them in.
plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading For over half an hour longer Dick tramped the streets of the city looking for some trace of his father.
swollenadjectiveUS /ˈswoʊlən/
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
From this reading The stream was much swollen, and the few boats tied up were bumping freely against the shore as the current swung them in.
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading The stream was much swollen, and the few boats tied up were bumping freely against the shore as the current swung them in.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading OUT ON THE RIVER.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The stream was much swollen, and the few boats tied up were bumping freely against the shore as the current swung them in.
bound or secured closely
From this reading The stream was much swollen, and the few boats tied up were bumping freely against the shore as the current swung them in.
a just detectable amount
From this reading For over half an hour longer Dick tramped the streets of the city looking for some trace of his father.
trampedverbUS /træmpt/
past form of “tramp” — travel on foot, especially on a walking expedition
From this reading For over half an hour longer Dick tramped the streets of the city looking for some trace of his father.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The stream was much swollen, and the few boats tied up were bumping freely against the shore as the current swung them in.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The stream was much swollen, and the few boats tied up were bumping freely against the shore as the current swung them in.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The stream was much swollen, and the few boats tied up were bumping freely against the shore as the current swung them in.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading "I wonder if father could have come down here?" he mused.
