used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading And he went nearer, and he saw that the men were in a trench that they had dug in the road, as far as the new house.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He wanted to ask somebody about them, but there was nobody there except the two men in the trench, so he walked along until he came to the mortar box.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading He wanted to ask somebody about them, but there was nobody there except the two men in the trench, so he walked along until he came to the mortar box.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And he went nearer, and he saw that the men were in a trench that they had dug in the road, as far as the new house.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And he went nearer, and he saw that the men were in a trench that they had dug in the road, as far as the new house.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading He wanted to ask somebody about them, but there was nobody there except the two men in the trench, so he walked along until he came to the mortar box.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The pipes were big enough for his kitty to crawl through.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading He wanted to ask somebody about them, but there was nobody there except the two men in the trench, so he walked along until he came to the mortar box.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He wanted to ask somebody about them, but there was nobody there except the two men in the trench, so he walked along until he came to the mortar box.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He wanted to ask somebody about them, but there was nobody there except the two men in the trench, so he walked along until he came to the mortar box.
crawlverbUS /krɔːl/
move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground
From this reading The pipes were big enough for his kitty to crawl through.
dugnounUS /dʌɡ/
an udder or breast or teat
From this reading And he went nearer, and he saw that the men were in a trench that they had dug in the road, as far as the new house.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading The pipes were big enough for his kitty to crawl through.
apart from; not including
From this reading He wanted to ask somebody about them, but there was nobody there except the two men in the trench, so he walked along until he came to the mortar box.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading And he went nearer, and he saw that the men were in a trench that they had dug in the road, as far as the new house.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The pipes were big enough for his kitty to crawl through.
gutternounUS /ˈɡʌtər/
a channel along the eaves or on the roof; collects and carries away rainwater
From this reading Some long iron pipes were in the gutter.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading And he went nearer, and he saw that the men were in a trench that they had dug in the road, as far as the new house.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And he went nearer, and he saw that the men were in a trench that they had dug in the road, as far as the new house.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The pipes were big enough for his kitty to crawl through.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading And he went nearer, and he saw that the men were in a trench that they had dug in the road, as far as the new house.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And he went nearer, and he saw that the men were in a trench that they had dug in the road, as far as the new house.
a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
From this reading Some long iron pipes were in the gutter.
kittynounUS /ˈkɪti/
the combined stakes of the betters
From this reading The pipes were big enough for his kitty to crawl through.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Some long iron pipes were in the gutter.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The mortar man wasn't there.
the force of workers available
From this reading And he went nearer, and he saw that the men were in a trench that they had dug in the road, as far as the new house.
mortarnounUS /ˈmɔːrtər/
a muzzle-loading high-angle gun with a short barrel that fires shells at high elevations for a short range
From this reading He wanted to ask somebody about them, but there was nobody there except the two men in the trench, so he walked along until he came to the mortar box.
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading And he went nearer, and he saw that the men were in a trench that they had dug in the road, as far as the new house.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading And he went nearer, and he saw that the men were in a trench that they had dug in the road, as far as the new house.
no person; not anyone
From this reading He wanted to ask somebody about them, but there was nobody there except the two men in the trench, so he walked along until he came to the mortar box.
pipesnounUS /paɪps/
plural of “pipe” — a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
From this reading Some long iron pipes were in the gutter.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading And he went nearer, and he saw that the men were in a trench that they had dug in the road, as far as the new house.
cut with a saw
From this reading And he went nearer, and he saw that the men were in a trench that they had dug in the road, as far as the new house.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He wanted to ask somebody about them, but there was nobody there except the two men in the trench, so he walked along until he came to the mortar box.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some long iron pipes were in the gutter.
a person, without saying who
From this reading He wanted to ask somebody about them, but there was nobody there except the two men in the trench, so he walked along until he came to the mortar box.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And he went nearer, and he saw that the men were in a trench that they had dug in the road, as far as the new house.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And he went nearer, and he saw that the men were in a trench that they had dug in the road, as far as the new house.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He wanted to ask somebody about them, but there was nobody there except the two men in the trench, so he walked along until he came to the mortar box.
in or at that place or location
From this reading He wanted to ask somebody about them, but there was nobody there except the two men in the trench, so he walked along until he came to the mortar box.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And he went nearer, and he saw that the men were in a trench that they had dug in the road, as far as the new house.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The pipes were big enough for his kitty to crawl through.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The pipes were big enough for his kitty to crawl through.
trenchnounUS /trentʃ/
a ditch dug as a fortification having a parapet of the excavated earth
From this reading And he went nearer, and he saw that the men were in a trench that they had dug in the road, as far as the new house.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He wanted to ask somebody about them, but there was nobody there except the two men in the trench, so he walked along until he came to the mortar box.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading He wanted to ask somebody about them, but there was nobody there except the two men in the trench, so he walked along until he came to the mortar box.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading He wanted to ask somebody about them, but there was nobody there except the two men in the trench, so he walked along until he came to the mortar box.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading He wanted to ask somebody about them, but there was nobody there except the two men in the trench, so he walked along until he came to the mortar box.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He wanted to ask somebody about them, but there was nobody there except the two men in the trench, so he walked along until he came to the mortar box.
wasn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The mortar man wasn't there.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading And he went nearer, and he saw that the men were in a trench that they had dug in the road, as far as the new house.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading And he went nearer, and he saw that the men were in a trench that they had dug in the road, as far as the new house.
