used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
in the past
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading FATHER AND SON.
any thing at all
From this reading It is not likely that anything whatever remains standing now of the Whipple house.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
Asa
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
installation from which a military force initiates operations
From this reading Tangled masses of wild-brier and lichens surrounded its base, and pushed their way in through the open, dismantled doorway.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
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 must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
dismantledadjectiveUS /dɪˈsmæntəld/
torn down and broken up
From this reading Tangled masses of wild-brier and lichens surrounded its base, and pushed their way in through the open, dismantled doorway.
the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close
From this reading Tangled masses of wild-brier and lichens surrounded its base, and pushed their way in through the open, dismantled doorway.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
dry-rotten
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The rafters had fallen in; what was left of the sides were dry-rotten under a mask of microscopic silver-gray moss.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading The rafters had fallen in; what was left of the sides were dry-rotten under a mask of microscopic silver-gray moss.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading FATHER AND SON.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading It is not likely that anything whatever remains standing now of the Whipple house.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is not likely that anything whatever remains standing now of the Whipple house.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is not likely that anything whatever remains standing now of the Whipple house.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading The rafters had fallen in; what was left of the sides were dry-rotten under a mask of microscopic silver-gray moss.
lichensnounUS /ˈlaɪkənz/
plural of “lichen” — any of several eruptive skin diseases characterized by hard thick lesions grouped together and resembling lichens growing on rocks
From this reading Tangled masses of wild-brier and lichens surrounded its base, and pushed their way in through the open, dismantled doorway.
has a good chance of being the case or of coming about
From this reading It is not likely that anything whatever remains standing now of the Whipple house.
maskverbUS /mæsk/
hide under a false appearance
From this reading The rafters had fallen in; what was left of the sides were dry-rotten under a mask of microscopic silver-gray moss.
massesnounUS /ˈmæsəz/
the common people generally
From this reading Tangled masses of wild-brier and lichens surrounded its base, and pushed their way in through the open, dismantled doorway.
microscopicadjectiveUS /ˌmaɪkrəˈskɑːpɪk/
of or relating to or used in microscopy
From this reading The rafters had fallen in; what was left of the sides were dry-rotten under a mask of microscopic silver-gray moss.
mossnounUS /mɔːs/
tiny leafy-stemmed flowerless plants
From this reading The rafters had fallen in; what was left of the sides were dry-rotten under a mask of microscopic silver-gray moss.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It is not likely that anything whatever remains standing now of the Whipple house.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading It is not likely that anything whatever remains standing now of the Whipple house.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It is not likely that anything whatever remains standing now of the Whipple house.
on one occasion
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Tangled masses of wild-brier and lichens surrounded its base, and pushed their way in through the open, dismantled doorway.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
past form of “push” — move with force
From this reading Tangled masses of wild-brier and lichens surrounded its base, and pushed their way in through the open, dismantled doorway.
raftersnounUS /ˈræftərz/
plural of “rafter” — one of several parallel sloping beams that support a roof
From this reading The rafters had fallen in; what was left of the sides were dry-rotten under a mask of microscopic silver-gray moss.
any object that is left unused or still extant
From this reading It is not likely that anything whatever remains standing now of the Whipple house.
ridge-beam
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
roof-tree
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
ruinsnounUS /ˈruːənz/
plural of “ruin” — an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading The rafters had fallen in; what was left of the sides were dry-rotten under a mask of microscopic silver-gray moss.
silver-grayadjective
of grey resembling silver
From this reading The rafters had fallen in; what was left of the sides were dry-rotten under a mask of microscopic silver-gray moss.
a male human offspring
From this reading FATHER AND SON.
squirrelnounUS /ˈskwɜːrəl/
a kind of arboreal rodent having a long bushy tail
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
having a supporting base
From this reading It is not likely that anything whatever remains standing now of the Whipple house.
confined on all sides
From this reading Tangled masses of wild-brier and lichens surrounded its base, and pushed their way in through the open, dismantled doorway.
TangledadjectiveUS /ˈtæŋɡəld/
in a confused mass
From this reading Tangled masses of wild-brier and lichens surrounded its base, and pushed their way in through the open, dismantled doorway.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It is not likely that anything whatever remains standing now of the Whipple house.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It is not likely that anything whatever remains standing now of the Whipple house.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Tangled masses of wild-brier and lichens surrounded its base, and pushed their way in through the open, dismantled doorway.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Tangled masses of wild-brier and lichens surrounded its base, and pushed their way in through the open, dismantled doorway.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The rafters had fallen in; what was left of the sides were dry-rotten under a mask of microscopic silver-gray moss.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The rafters had fallen in; what was left of the sides were dry-rotten under a mask of microscopic silver-gray moss.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading The rafters had fallen in; what was left of the sides were dry-rotten under a mask of microscopic silver-gray moss.
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading It is not likely that anything whatever remains standing now of the Whipple house.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
Whipple
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is not likely that anything whatever remains standing now of the Whipple house.
Whipple's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
whiskedverbUS /wɪskt/
past form of “whisk” — move somewhere quickly
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
wild-brier
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Tangled masses of wild-brier and lichens surrounded its base, and pushed their way in through the open, dismantled doorway.
a late time of life
From this reading It must be a dozen years ago that I shot a black squirrel as it whisked its way along over the ridge-beam which had once been Asa Whipple's roof-tree; and the place then was in ruins.
