used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A few yards from the palace the Count met Michael, who was coming towards him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "A boat, quick, quick, my good Michael," he shouted, "'tis a matter of life and death."
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading The sailor, terrified at the condition in which he saw his commandant, wished to ask him what the matter was, but the Count roughly imposed silence on him by repeating his order to procure a boat at once.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The sailor, terrified at the condition in which he saw his commandant, wished to ask him what the matter was, but the Count roughly imposed silence on him by repeating his order to procure a boat at once.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading "A boat, quick, quick, my good Michael," he shouted, "'tis a matter of life and death."
of a stringed instrument; sounded by stroking with a bow
From this reading Michael bowed his head.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The sailor, terrified at the condition in which he saw his commandant, wished to ask him what the matter was, but the Count roughly imposed silence on him by repeating his order to procure a boat at once.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The sailor, terrified at the condition in which he saw his commandant, wished to ask him what the matter was, but the Count roughly imposed silence on him by repeating his order to procure a boat at once.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading A few yards from the palace the Count met Michael, who was coming towards him.
commandantnounUS /ˌkɑːmənˈdɑːnt/
an officer in command of a military unit
From this reading The sailor, terrified at the condition in which he saw his commandant, wished to ask him what the matter was, but the Count roughly imposed silence on him by repeating his order to procure a boat at once.
a state at a particular time
From this reading The sailor, terrified at the condition in which he saw his commandant, wished to ask him what the matter was, but the Count roughly imposed silence on him by repeating his order to procure a boat at once.
determine the number or amount of
From this reading A few yards from the palace the Count met Michael, who was coming towards him.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading "A boat, quick, quick, my good Michael," he shouted, "'tis a matter of life and death."
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading DESPAIR.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading A few yards from the palace the Count met Michael, who was coming towards him.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A few yards from the palace the Count met Michael, who was coming towards him.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "A boat, quick, quick, my good Michael," he shouted, "'tis a matter of life and death."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "A boat, quick, quick, my good Michael," he shouted, "'tis a matter of life and death."
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Michael bowed his head.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A few yards from the palace the Count met Michael, who was coming towards him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The sailor, terrified at the condition in which he saw his commandant, wished to ask him what the matter was, but the Count roughly imposed silence on him by repeating his order to procure a boat at once.
imposedadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpoʊzd/
set forth authoritatively as obligatory
From this reading The sailor, terrified at the condition in which he saw his commandant, wished to ask him what the matter was, but the Count roughly imposed silence on him by repeating his order to procure a boat at once.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The sailor, terrified at the condition in which he saw his commandant, wished to ask him what the matter was, but the Count roughly imposed silence on him by repeating his order to procure a boat at once.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading "A boat, quick, quick, my good Michael," he shouted, "'tis a matter of life and death."
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "A boat, quick, quick, my good Michael," he shouted, "'tis a matter of life and death."
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading A few yards from the palace the Count met Michael, who was coming towards him.
(Old Testament) the guardian archangel of the Jews
From this reading A few yards from the palace the Count met Michael, who was coming towards him.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "A boat, quick, quick, my good Michael," he shouted, "'tis a matter of life and death."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "A boat, quick, quick, my good Michael," he shouted, "'tis a matter of life and death."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The sailor, terrified at the condition in which he saw his commandant, wished to ask him what the matter was, but the Count roughly imposed silence on him by repeating his order to procure a boat at once.
on one occasion
From this reading The sailor, terrified at the condition in which he saw his commandant, wished to ask him what the matter was, but the Count roughly imposed silence on him by repeating his order to procure a boat at once.
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading The sailor, terrified at the condition in which he saw his commandant, wished to ask him what the matter was, but the Count roughly imposed silence on him by repeating his order to procure a boat at once.
a large and stately mansion
From this reading A few yards from the palace the Count met Michael, who was coming towards him.
procureverbUS /proʊˈkjʊr/
get by special effort
From this reading The sailor, terrified at the condition in which he saw his commandant, wished to ask him what the matter was, but the Count roughly imposed silence on him by repeating his order to procure a boat at once.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading "A boat, quick, quick, my good Michael," he shouted, "'tis a matter of life and death."
repeatingnounUS /rɪˈpiːtɪŋ/
the act of doing or performing again
From this reading The sailor, terrified at the condition in which he saw his commandant, wished to ask him what the matter was, but the Count roughly imposed silence on him by repeating his order to procure a boat at once.
roughlyadverbUS /ˈrʌfli/
(of quantities) imprecise but fairly close to correct
From this reading The sailor, terrified at the condition in which he saw his commandant, wished to ask him what the matter was, but the Count roughly imposed silence on him by repeating his order to procure a boat at once.
any member of a ship's crew
From this reading The sailor, terrified at the condition in which he saw his commandant, wished to ask him what the matter was, but the Count roughly imposed silence on him by repeating his order to procure a boat at once.
cut with a saw
From this reading The sailor, terrified at the condition in which he saw his commandant, wished to ask him what the matter was, but the Count roughly imposed silence on him by repeating his order to procure a boat at once.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading "A boat, quick, quick, my good Michael," he shouted, "'tis a matter of life and death."
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading The sailor, terrified at the condition in which he saw his commandant, wished to ask him what the matter was, but the Count roughly imposed silence on him by repeating his order to procure a boat at once.
terrifiedadjectiveUS /ˈterəfaɪd/
thrown into a state of intense fear or desperation
From this reading The sailor, terrified at the condition in which he saw his commandant, wished to ask him what the matter was, but the Count roughly imposed silence on him by repeating his order to procure a boat at once.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A few yards from the palace the Count met Michael, who was coming towards him.
plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite
From this reading "A boat, quick, quick, my good Michael," he shouted, "'tis a matter of life and death."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The sailor, terrified at the condition in which he saw his commandant, wished to ask him what the matter was, but the Count roughly imposed silence on him by repeating his order to procure a boat at once.
in the direction of
From this reading A few yards from the palace the Count met Michael, who was coming towards him.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A few yards from the palace the Count met Michael, who was coming towards him.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading The sailor, terrified at the condition in which he saw his commandant, wished to ask him what the matter was, but the Count roughly imposed silence on him by repeating his order to procure a boat at once.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The sailor, terrified at the condition in which he saw his commandant, wished to ask him what the matter was, but the Count roughly imposed silence on him by repeating his order to procure a boat at once.
which person or people
From this reading A few yards from the palace the Count met Michael, who was coming towards him.
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading The sailor, terrified at the condition in which he saw his commandant, wished to ask him what the matter was, but the Count roughly imposed silence on him by repeating his order to procure a boat at once.
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading A few yards from the palace the Count met Michael, who was coming towards him.
