used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The first red streaks of dawn were appearing as Johnny sat down on the beam of a railroad bridge a quarter of a mile from the wreck.
appearingnounUS /əˈpɪrɪŋ/
formal attendance (in court or at a hearing) of a party in an action
From this reading The first red streaks of dawn were appearing as Johnny sat down on the beam of a railroad bridge a quarter of a mile from the wreck.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The first red streaks of dawn were appearing as Johnny sat down on the beam of a railroad bridge a quarter of a mile from the wreck.
beamnounUS /biːm/
a signal transmitted along a narrow path; guides airplane pilots in darkness or bad weather
From this reading The first red streaks of dawn were appearing as Johnny sat down on the beam of a railroad bridge a quarter of a mile from the wreck.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It had been a strange, wild night.
a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc.
From this reading The first red streaks of dawn were appearing as Johnny sat down on the beam of a railroad bridge a quarter of a mile from the wreck.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Now that these mysteries were uncovered he had come down here to think.
counterfeitersnounUS /ˈkaʊntərfɪtərz/
plural of “counterfeiter” — someone who makes copies illegally
From this reading Tom Stick was not one of the counterfeiters; he knew that now.
the first light of day
From this reading The first red streaks of dawn were appearing as Johnny sat down on the beam of a railroad bridge a quarter of a mile from the wreck.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The first red streaks of dawn were appearing as Johnny sat down on the beam of a railroad bridge a quarter of a mile from the wreck.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The first red streaks of dawn were appearing as Johnny sat down on the beam of a railroad bridge a quarter of a mile from the wreck.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The first red streaks of dawn were appearing as Johnny sat down on the beam of a railroad bridge a quarter of a mile from the wreck.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It had been a strange, wild night.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading Many startling things had happened; many mysteries had been solved.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Now that these mysteries were uncovered he had come down here to think.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Now that these mysteries were uncovered he had come down here to think.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It had been a strange, wild night.
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading The first red streaks of dawn were appearing as Johnny sat down on the beam of a railroad bridge a quarter of a mile from the wreck.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Tom Stick was not one of the counterfeiters; he knew that now.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Many startling things had happened; many mysteries had been solved.
a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading The first red streaks of dawn were appearing as Johnny sat down on the beam of a railroad bridge a quarter of a mile from the wreck.
mysteriesnounUS /ˈmɪstəriz/
plural of “mystery” — something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading Many startling things had happened; many mysteries had been solved.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading It had been a strange, wild night.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Tom Stick was not one of the counterfeiters; he knew that now.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now that these mysteries were uncovered he had come down here to think.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The first red streaks of dawn were appearing as Johnny sat down on the beam of a railroad bridge a quarter of a mile from the wreck.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The first red streaks of dawn were appearing as Johnny sat down on the beam of a railroad bridge a quarter of a mile from the wreck.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Tom Stick was not one of the counterfeiters; he knew that now.
one of four equal parts
From this reading The first red streaks of dawn were appearing as Johnny sat down on the beam of a railroad bridge a quarter of a mile from the wreck.
railroadnounUS /ˈreɪlroʊd/
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading The first red streaks of dawn were appearing as Johnny sat down on the beam of a railroad bridge a quarter of a mile from the wreck.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading The first red streaks of dawn were appearing as Johnny sat down on the beam of a railroad bridge a quarter of a mile from the wreck.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading The first red streaks of dawn were appearing as Johnny sat down on the beam of a railroad bridge a quarter of a mile from the wreck.
solvedadjectiveUS /sɑːlvd/
explained or answered
From this reading Many startling things had happened; many mysteries had been solved.
startlingadjectiveUS /ˈstɑːrtlɪŋ/
so remarkably different or sudden as to cause momentary shock or alarm
From this reading Many startling things had happened; many mysteries had been solved.
put, fix, force, or implant
From this reading Tom Stick was not one of the counterfeiters; he knew that now.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading It had been a strange, wild night.
streaksnounUS /striːks/
plural of “streak” — an unbroken series of events
From this reading The first red streaks of dawn were appearing as Johnny sat down on the beam of a railroad bridge a quarter of a mile from the wreck.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Now that these mysteries were uncovered he had come down here to think.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The first red streaks of dawn were appearing as Johnny sat down on the beam of a railroad bridge a quarter of a mile from the wreck.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Now that these mysteries were uncovered he had come down here to think.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Many startling things had happened; many mysteries had been solved.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Now that these mysteries were uncovered he had come down here to think.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Now that these mysteries were uncovered he had come down here to think.
male cat
From this reading Tom Stick was not one of the counterfeiters; he knew that now.
uncoveredadjectiveUS /ənˈkʌvərd/
not covered with clothing
From this reading Now that these mysteries were uncovered he had come down here to think.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Tom Stick was not one of the counterfeiters; he knew that now.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The first red streaks of dawn were appearing as Johnny sat down on the beam of a railroad bridge a quarter of a mile from the wreck.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading It had been a strange, wild night.
wrecknounUS /rek/
something or someone that has suffered ruin or dilapidation
From this reading The first red streaks of dawn were appearing as Johnny sat down on the beam of a railroad bridge a quarter of a mile from the wreck.
