used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Hampered with my ragged clothes and oilskins, I could hardly swim a stroke.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Hampered with my ragged clothes and oilskins, I could hardly swim a stroke.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading A rushing comber struck me, and I felt myself going down, unable to fight any longer.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading It was black dark.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading My breath was gone.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading When I came to I was lying upon the life raft, and the girl was clinging to me with one hand, and passing one of the lashings of the raft with the other.
clingingverbUS /ˈklɪŋɪŋ/
-ing form of “cling” — come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation
From this reading When I came to I was lying upon the life raft, and the girl was clinging to me with one hand, and passing one of the lashings of the raft with the other.
clothing in general
From this reading Hampered with my ragged clothes and oilskins, I could hardly swim a stroke.
combernounUS /ˈkoʊmər/
a person who separates and straightens the fibers of cotton or wool
From this reading A rushing comber struck me, and I felt myself going down, unable to fight any longer.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Hampered with my ragged clothes and oilskins, I could hardly swim a stroke.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading It was black dark.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading A rushing comber struck me, and I felt myself going down, unable to fight any longer.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading A rushing comber struck me, and I felt myself going down, unable to fight any longer.
be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading A rushing comber struck me, and I felt myself going down, unable to fight any longer.
a young female
From this reading When I came to I was lying upon the life raft, and the girl was clinging to me with one hand, and passing one of the lashings of the raft with the other.
the act of departing
From this reading A rushing comber struck me, and I felt myself going down, unable to fight any longer.
destroyed or killed
From this reading My breath was gone.
HamperedverbUS /ˈhæmpərd/
past form of “hamper” — prevent the progress or free movement of
From this reading Hampered with my ragged clothes and oilskins, I could hardly swim a stroke.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading When I came to I was lying upon the life raft, and the girl was clinging to me with one hand, and passing one of the lashings of the raft with the other.
only a very short time before
From this reading Hampered with my ragged clothes and oilskins, I could hardly swim a stroke.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Hampered with my ragged clothes and oilskins, I could hardly swim a stroke.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was black dark.
lashingsnounUS /ˈlæʃɪŋz/
a large number or amount
From this reading When I came to I was lying upon the life raft, and the girl was clinging to me with one hand, and passing one of the lashings of the raft with the other.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading When I came to I was lying upon the life raft, and the girl was clinging to me with one hand, and passing one of the lashings of the raft with the other.
for more time
From this reading A rushing comber struck me, and I felt myself going down, unable to fight any longer.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading When I came to I was lying upon the life raft, and the girl was clinging to me with one hand, and passing one of the lashings of the raft with the other.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A rushing comber struck me, and I felt myself going down, unable to fight any longer.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Hampered with my ragged clothes and oilskins, I could hardly swim a stroke.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading A rushing comber struck me, and I felt myself going down, unable to fight any longer.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When I came to I was lying upon the life raft, and the girl was clinging to me with one hand, and passing one of the lashings of the raft with the other.
oilskins
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hampered with my ragged clothes and oilskins, I could hardly swim a stroke.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading When I came to I was lying upon the life raft, and the girl was clinging to me with one hand, and passing one of the lashings of the raft with the other.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading When I came to I was lying upon the life raft, and the girl was clinging to me with one hand, and passing one of the lashings of the raft with the other.
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading When I came to I was lying upon the life raft, and the girl was clinging to me with one hand, and passing one of the lashings of the raft with the other.
raftnounUS /ræft/
a flat float (usually made of logs or planks) that can be used for transport or as a platform for swimmers
From this reading When I came to I was lying upon the life raft, and the girl was clinging to me with one hand, and passing one of the lashings of the raft with the other.
raggedadjectiveUS /ˈræɡəd/
being or dressed in clothes that are worn or torn
From this reading Hampered with my ragged clothes and oilskins, I could hardly swim a stroke.
(American football) an attempt to advance the ball by running into the line
From this reading A rushing comber struck me, and I felt myself going down, unable to fight any longer.
(sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand
From this reading Hampered with my ragged clothes and oilskins, I could hardly swim a stroke.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading A rushing comber struck me, and I felt myself going down, unable to fight any longer.
swimverbUS /swɪm/
travel through water
From this reading Hampered with my ragged clothes and oilskins, I could hardly swim a stroke.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When I came to I was lying upon the life raft, and the girl was clinging to me with one hand, and passing one of the lashings of the raft with the other.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A rushing comber struck me, and I felt myself going down, unable to fight any longer.
(usually followed by “to”) not having the necessary means or skill or know-how
From this reading A rushing comber struck me, and I felt myself going down, unable to fight any longer.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading When I came to I was lying upon the life raft, and the girl was clinging to me with one hand, and passing one of the lashings of the raft with the other.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My breath was gone.
at the time that
From this reading When I came to I was lying upon the life raft, and the girl was clinging to me with one hand, and passing one of the lashings of the raft with the other.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Hampered with my ragged clothes and oilskins, I could hardly swim a stroke.
