used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading * * * * * At last a sunbeam came along the field—several sunbeams, in fact.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading They were quite bright and warm, and the little Elf-man, who had kept close indoors all the bad weather, opened his door and sat on the threshold basking.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading * * * * * At last a sunbeam came along the field—several sunbeams, in fact.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They were quite bright and warm, and the little Elf-man, who had kept close indoors all the bad weather, opened his door and sat on the threshold basking.
any person at all
From this reading Is anybody here for out-of-doors?”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading * * * * * At last a sunbeam came along the field—several sunbeams, in fact.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading They were quite bright and warm, and the little Elf-man, who had kept close indoors all the bad weather, opened his door and sat on the threshold basking.
baskingverbUS /ˈbæskɪŋ/
-ing form of “bask” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading They were quite bright and warm, and the little Elf-man, who had kept close indoors all the bad weather, opened his door and sat on the threshold basking.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading They were quite bright and warm, and the little Elf-man, who had kept close indoors all the bad weather, opened his door and sat on the threshold basking.
burrowed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then the sunbeams burrowed right down into the earth, and said: “Hurry up!
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading * * * * * At last a sunbeam came along the field—several sunbeams, in fact.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading They were quite bright and warm, and the little Elf-man, who had kept close indoors all the bad weather, opened his door and sat on the threshold basking.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading You could not have heard them; their voices were not like ours.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading They were quite bright and warm, and the little Elf-man, who had kept close indoors all the bad weather, opened his door and sat on the threshold basking.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Then the sunbeams burrowed right down into the earth, and said: “Hurry up!
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading Then the sunbeams burrowed right down into the earth, and said: “Hurry up!
Elf-man
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were quite bright and warm, and the little Elf-man, who had kept close indoors all the bad weather, opened his door and sat on the threshold basking.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading * * * * * At last a sunbeam came along the field—several sunbeams, in fact.
a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed
From this reading * * * * * At last a sunbeam came along the field—several sunbeams, in fact.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Is anybody here for out-of-doors?”
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They were quite bright and warm, and the little Elf-man, who had kept close indoors all the bad weather, opened his door and sat on the threshold basking.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading You could not have heard them; their voices were not like ours.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading You could not have heard them; their voices were not like ours.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Is anybody here for out-of-doors?”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading They were quite bright and warm, and the little Elf-man, who had kept close indoors all the bad weather, opened his door and sat on the threshold basking.
a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
From this reading Then the sunbeams burrowed right down into the earth, and said: “Hurry up!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading * * * * * At last a sunbeam came along the field—several sunbeams, in fact.
indoorsadverbUS /ˈɪndɔːrz/
within a building
From this reading They were quite bright and warm, and the little Elf-man, who had kept close indoors all the bad weather, opened his door and sat on the threshold basking.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Then the sunbeams burrowed right down into the earth, and said: “Hurry up!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Is anybody here for out-of-doors?”
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading They were quite bright and warm, and the little Elf-man, who had kept close indoors all the bad weather, opened his door and sat on the threshold basking.
immediately past
From this reading * * * * * At last a sunbeam came along the field—several sunbeams, in fact.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading You could not have heard them; their voices were not like ours.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading They were quite bright and warm, and the little Elf-man, who had kept close indoors all the bad weather, opened his door and sat on the threshold basking.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading You could not have heard them; their voices were not like ours.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They were quite bright and warm, and the little Elf-man, who had kept close indoors all the bad weather, opened his door and sat on the threshold basking.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading They were quite bright and warm, and the little Elf-man, who had kept close indoors all the bad weather, opened his door and sat on the threshold basking.
the one or ones belonging to us
From this reading You could not have heard them; their voices were not like ours.
out-of-doorsnoun
where the air is unconfined
From this reading Is anybody here for out-of-doors?”
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading They were quite bright and warm, and the little Elf-man, who had kept close indoors all the bad weather, opened his door and sat on the threshold basking.
precisely, exactly
From this reading Then the sunbeams burrowed right down into the earth, and said: “Hurry up!
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Then the sunbeams burrowed right down into the earth, and said: “Hurry up!
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading They were quite bright and warm, and the little Elf-man, who had kept close indoors all the bad weather, opened his door and sat on the threshold basking.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading * * * * * At last a sunbeam came along the field—several sunbeams, in fact.
sunbeamnounUS /ˈsʌnbiːm/
a ray of sunlight
From this reading * * * * * At last a sunbeam came along the field—several sunbeams, in fact.
sunbeams
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading * * * * * At last a sunbeam came along the field—several sunbeams, in fact.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading * * * * * At last a sunbeam came along the field—several sunbeams, in fact.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading You could not have heard them; their voices were not like ours.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading You could not have heard them; their voices were not like ours.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then the sunbeams burrowed right down into the earth, and said: “Hurry up!
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were quite bright and warm, and the little Elf-man, who had kept close indoors all the bad weather, opened his door and sat on the threshold basking.
thresholdnounUS /ˈθreʃoʊld/
the starting point for a new state or experience
From this reading They were quite bright and warm, and the little Elf-man, who had kept close indoors all the bad weather, opened his door and sat on the threshold basking.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Then the sunbeams burrowed right down into the earth, and said: “Hurry up!
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading You could not have heard them; their voices were not like ours.
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading They were quite bright and warm, and the little Elf-man, who had kept close indoors all the bad weather, opened his door and sat on the threshold basking.
the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
From this reading They were quite bright and warm, and the little Elf-man, who had kept close indoors all the bad weather, opened his door and sat on the threshold basking.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were quite bright and warm, and the little Elf-man, who had kept close indoors all the bad weather, opened his door and sat on the threshold basking.
which person or people
From this reading They were quite bright and warm, and the little Elf-man, who had kept close indoors all the bad weather, opened his door and sat on the threshold basking.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You could not have heard them; their voices were not like ours.
