used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE PLOTTERS Dick Halliard had walked only a short distance along the lonely forest path when he made a startling discovery.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “That’s more than I bargained for,” he muttered, “and now would be a good time to have my pistol; but I haven’t got it, so what’s the use of thinking about it.”
alertadjectiveUS /əˈlɜːrt/
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading His own senses were on the alert, and the young hero caught the faint footfalls not far behind him.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading THE PLOTTERS Dick Halliard had walked only a short distance along the lonely forest path when he made a startling discovery.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading While he was stealthily following some one, an unknown party was following him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His own senses were on the alert, and the young hero caught the faint footfalls not far behind him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading There was comfort in the thought, however, that the stranger who was at his heels was unaware of the fact.
bargainedverbUS /ˈbɑːrɡənd/
past form of “bargain” — negotiate the terms of an exchange
From this reading “That’s more than I bargained for,” he muttered, “and now would be a good time to have my pistol; but I haven’t got it, so what’s the use of thinking about it.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “That’s more than I bargained for,” he muttered, “and now would be a good time to have my pistol; but I haven’t got it, so what’s the use of thinking about it.”
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading His own senses were on the alert, and the young hero caught the faint footfalls not far behind him.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “That’s more than I bargained for,” he muttered, “and now would be a good time to have my pistol; but I haven’t got it, so what’s the use of thinking about it.”
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading His own senses were on the alert, and the young hero caught the faint footfalls not far behind him.
a state of being relaxed and feeling no pain
From this reading There was comfort in the thought, however, that the stranger who was at his heels was unaware of the fact.
someone who is a detective
From this reading THE PLOTTERS Dick Halliard had walked only a short distance along the lonely forest path when he made a startling discovery.
the act of discovering something
From this reading THE PLOTTERS Dick Halliard had walked only a short distance along the lonely forest path when he made a startling discovery.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading THE PLOTTERS Dick Halliard had walked only a short distance along the lonely forest path when he made a startling discovery.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading There was comfort in the thought, however, that the stranger who was at his heels was unaware of the fact.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading His own senses were on the alert, and the young hero caught the faint footfalls not far behind him.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading His own senses were on the alert, and the young hero caught the faint footfalls not far behind him.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading While he was stealthily following some one, an unknown party was following him.
footfalls
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His own senses were on the alert, and the young hero caught the faint footfalls not far behind him.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “That’s more than I bargained for,” he muttered, “and now would be a good time to have my pistol; but I haven’t got it, so what’s the use of thinking about it.”
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading THE PLOTTERS Dick Halliard had walked only a short distance along the lonely forest path when he made a startling discovery.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “That’s more than I bargained for,” he muttered, “and now would be a good time to have my pistol; but I haven’t got it, so what’s the use of thinking about it.”
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “That’s more than I bargained for,” he muttered, “and now would be a good time to have my pistol; but I haven’t got it, so what’s the use of thinking about it.”
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE PLOTTERS Dick Halliard had walked only a short distance along the lonely forest path when he made a startling discovery.
Halliardnoun
a rope for raising or lowering a sail or flag
From this reading THE PLOTTERS Dick Halliard had walked only a short distance along the lonely forest path when he made a startling discovery.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “That’s more than I bargained for,” he muttered, “and now would be a good time to have my pistol; but I haven’t got it, so what’s the use of thinking about it.”
haven't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That’s more than I bargained for,” he muttered, “and now would be a good time to have my pistol; but I haven’t got it, so what’s the use of thinking about it.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE PLOTTERS Dick Halliard had walked only a short distance along the lonely forest path when he made a startling discovery.
plural of “heel” — the bottom of a shoe or boot; the back part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground and provides elevation
From this reading There was comfort in the thought, however, that the stranger who was at his heels was unaware of the fact.
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading His own senses were on the alert, and the young hero caught the faint footfalls not far behind him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading While he was stealthily following some one, an unknown party was following him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His own senses were on the alert, and the young hero caught the faint footfalls not far behind him.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading There was comfort in the thought, however, that the stranger who was at his heels was unaware of the fact.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “That’s more than I bargained for,” he muttered, “and now would be a good time to have my pistol; but I haven’t got it, so what’s the use of thinking about it.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was comfort in the thought, however, that the stranger who was at his heels was unaware of the fact.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “That’s more than I bargained for,” he muttered, “and now would be a good time to have my pistol; but I haven’t got it, so what’s the use of thinking about it.”
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading THE PLOTTERS Dick Halliard had walked only a short distance along the lonely forest path when he made a startling discovery.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading THE PLOTTERS Dick Halliard had walked only a short distance along the lonely forest path when he made a startling discovery.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “That’s more than I bargained for,” he muttered, “and now would be a good time to have my pistol; but I haven’t got it, so what’s the use of thinking about it.”
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “That’s more than I bargained for,” he muttered, “and now would be a good time to have my pistol; but I haven’t got it, so what’s the use of thinking about it.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “That’s more than I bargained for,” he muttered, “and now would be a good time to have my pistol; but I haven’t got it, so what’s the use of thinking about it.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading His own senses were on the alert, and the young hero caught the faint footfalls not far behind him.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “That’s more than I bargained for,” he muttered, “and now would be a good time to have my pistol; but I haven’t got it, so what’s the use of thinking about it.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “That’s more than I bargained for,” he muttered, “and now would be a good time to have my pistol; but I haven’t got it, so what’s the use of thinking about it.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading His own senses were on the alert, and the young hero caught the faint footfalls not far behind him.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading While he was stealthily following some one, an unknown party was following him.
and nothing more
From this reading THE PLOTTERS Dick Halliard had walked only a short distance along the lonely forest path when he made a startling discovery.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading His own senses were on the alert, and the young hero caught the faint footfalls not far behind him.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading While he was stealthily following some one, an unknown party was following him.
a course of conduct
From this reading THE PLOTTERS Dick Halliard had walked only a short distance along the lonely forest path when he made a startling discovery.
a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
From this reading “That’s more than I bargained for,” he muttered, “and now would be a good time to have my pistol; but I haven’t got it, so what’s the use of thinking about it.”
PLOTTERSnounUS /ˈplɑːtərz/
plural of “plotter” — a planner who draws up a personal scheme of action
From this reading THE PLOTTERS Dick Halliard had walked only a short distance along the lonely forest path when he made a startling discovery.
plural of “sens” — street names for marijuana
From this reading His own senses were on the alert, and the young hero caught the faint footfalls not far behind him.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading THE PLOTTERS Dick Halliard had walked only a short distance along the lonely forest path when he made a startling discovery.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “That’s more than I bargained for,” he muttered, “and now would be a good time to have my pistol; but I haven’t got it, so what’s the use of thinking about it.”
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading While he was stealthily following some one, an unknown party was following him.
startlingadjectiveUS /ˈstɑːrtlɪŋ/
so remarkably different or sudden as to cause momentary shock or alarm
From this reading THE PLOTTERS Dick Halliard had walked only a short distance along the lonely forest path when he made a startling discovery.
stealthilyadverb
in a stealthy manner
From this reading While he was stealthily following some one, an unknown party was following him.
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading There was comfort in the thought, however, that the stranger who was at his heels was unaware of the fact.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading “That’s more than I bargained for,” he muttered, “and now would be a good time to have my pistol; but I haven’t got it, so what’s the use of thinking about it.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There was comfort in the thought, however, that the stranger who was at his heels was unaware of the fact.
That's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That’s more than I bargained for,” he muttered, “and now would be a good time to have my pistol; but I haven’t got it, so what’s the use of thinking about it.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE PLOTTERS Dick Halliard had walked only a short distance along the lonely forest path when he made a startling discovery.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was comfort in the thought, however, that the stranger who was at his heels was unaware of the fact.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading “That’s more than I bargained for,” he muttered, “and now would be a good time to have my pistol; but I haven’t got it, so what’s the use of thinking about it.”
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading There was comfort in the thought, however, that the stranger who was at his heels was unaware of the fact.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “That’s more than I bargained for,” he muttered, “and now would be a good time to have my pistol; but I haven’t got it, so what’s the use of thinking about it.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “That’s more than I bargained for,” he muttered, “and now would be a good time to have my pistol; but I haven’t got it, so what’s the use of thinking about it.”
unawareadjectiveUS /ˌʌnəˈwer/
(often followed by “of”) not aware
From this reading There was comfort in the thought, however, that the stranger who was at his heels was unaware of the fact.
not known
From this reading While he was stealthily following some one, an unknown party was following him.
the act of using
From this reading “That’s more than I bargained for,” he muttered, “and now would be a good time to have my pistol; but I haven’t got it, so what’s the use of thinking about it.”
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading THE PLOTTERS Dick Halliard had walked only a short distance along the lonely forest path when he made a startling discovery.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading While he was stealthily following some one, an unknown party was following him.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His own senses were on the alert, and the young hero caught the faint footfalls not far behind him.
what's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That’s more than I bargained for,” he muttered, “and now would be a good time to have my pistol; but I haven’t got it, so what’s the use of thinking about it.”
at the time that
From this reading THE PLOTTERS Dick Halliard had walked only a short distance along the lonely forest path when he made a startling discovery.
WhileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading While he was stealthily following some one, an unknown party was following him.
which person or people
From this reading There was comfort in the thought, however, that the stranger who was at his heels was unaware of the fact.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “That’s more than I bargained for,” he muttered, “and now would be a good time to have my pistol; but I haven’t got it, so what’s the use of thinking about it.”
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading His own senses were on the alert, and the young hero caught the faint footfalls not far behind him.
