used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A colony of beavers had migrated into the valley, and constructed their dam; and this it was which had caused the sudden inundation.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading "I remained for some time, after I had made the discovery, watching these creatures and their interesting movements.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
beaversnounUS /ˈbiːvərz/
plural of “beaver” — the soft brown fur of the beaver
From this reading I knew, then, that the strange beings before me were _beavers_--the _castor fibre_ of the naturalists.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
beingsnounUS /ˈbiːɪŋz/
plural of “being” — the state or fact of existing
From this reading I knew, then, that the strange beings before me were _beavers_--the _castor fibre_ of the naturalists.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
castornounUS /ˈkæstər/
a multiple star with 6 components; second brightest in Gemini; close to Pollux
From this reading I knew, then, that the strange beings before me were _beavers_--the _castor fibre_ of the naturalists.
past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally
From this reading A colony of beavers had migrated into the valley, and constructed their dam; and this it was which had caused the sudden inundation.
colonynounUS /ˈkɑːləni/
a body of people who settle far from home but maintain ties with their homeland; inhabitants remain nationals of their home state but are not literally under the home state's system of government
From this reading A colony of beavers had migrated into the valley, and constructed their dam; and this it was which had caused the sudden inundation.
constructedverbUS /kənˈstrʌktəd/
past form of “construct” — make by combining materials and parts
From this reading A colony of beavers had migrated into the valley, and constructed their dam; and this it was which had caused the sudden inundation.
plural of “creature” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
damnounUS /dæm/
a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea
From this reading A colony of beavers had migrated into the valley, and constructed their dam; and this it was which had caused the sudden inundation.
the act of discovering something
From this reading "I remained for some time, after I had made the discovery, watching these creatures and their interesting movements.
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading "The whole mystery was now explained.
a competitor thought likely to win
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
fibrenounUS /ˈfaɪbər/
a slender and greatly elongated substance capable of being spun into yarn
From this reading I knew, then, that the strange beings before me were _beavers_--the _castor fibre_ of the naturalists.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
the aggregate of past events
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
arousing or holding the attention
From this reading "I remained for some time, after I had made the discovery, watching these creatures and their interesting movements.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading A colony of beavers had migrated into the valley, and constructed their dam; and this it was which had caused the sudden inundation.
inundationnounUS /ˌɪnənˈdeɪʃən/
the rising of a body of water and its overflowing onto normally dry land
From this reading A colony of beavers had migrated into the valley, and constructed their dam; and this it was which had caused the sudden inundation.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A colony of beavers had migrated into the valley, and constructed their dam; and this it was which had caused the sudden inundation.
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 "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I knew, then, that the strange beings before me were _beavers_--the _castor fibre_ of the naturalists.
migratedverbUS /ˈmaɪɡreɪtɪd/
past form of “migrate” — move from one country or region to another and settle there
From this reading A colony of beavers had migrated into the valley, and constructed their dam; and this it was which had caused the sudden inundation.
plural of “movement” — a change of position that does not entail a change of location
From this reading "I remained for some time, after I had made the discovery, watching these creatures and their interesting movements.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading "The whole mystery was now explained.
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
naturalistsnounUS /ˈnætʃərəlɪsts/
plural of “naturalist” — an advocate of the doctrine that the world can be understood in scientific terms
From this reading I knew, then, that the strange beings before me were _beavers_--the _castor fibre_ of the naturalists.
neglectedadjectiveUS /nəˈɡlektəd/
disregarded
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "The whole mystery was now explained.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I knew, then, that the strange beings before me were _beavers_--the _castor fibre_ of the naturalists.
on one occasion
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
gradual improvement or growth or development
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading "I remained for some time, after I had made the discovery, watching these creatures and their interesting movements.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading I knew, then, that the strange beings before me were _beavers_--the _castor fibre_ of the naturalists.
studiesnounUS /ˈstʌdiz/
plural of “study” — a detailed critical inspection
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading A colony of beavers had migrated into the valley, and constructed their dam; and this it was which had caused the sudden inundation.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I knew, then, that the strange beings before me were _beavers_--the _castor fibre_ of the naturalists.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading A colony of beavers had migrated into the valley, and constructed their dam; and this it was which had caused the sudden inundation.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading I knew, then, that the strange beings before me were _beavers_--the _castor fibre_ of the naturalists.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading "I remained for some time, after I had made the discovery, watching these creatures and their interesting movements.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading A colony of beavers had migrated into the valley, and constructed their dam; and this it was which had caused the sudden inundation.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "I remained for some time, after I had made the discovery, watching these creatures and their interesting movements.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading A colony of beavers had migrated into the valley, and constructed their dam; and this it was which had caused the sudden inundation.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "The whole mystery was now explained.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading "I remained for some time, after I had made the discovery, watching these creatures and their interesting movements.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "I had never seen such creatures before, but I knew at once what they were--for although I had neglected my other studies, natural history had always been my favourite, and I had made some progress in that.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading A colony of beavers had migrated into the valley, and constructed their dam; and this it was which had caused the sudden inundation.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading "The whole mystery was now explained.
