used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A broken line of moving dots, the little company trailed a slow way across this ocean of green.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading A broken line of moving dots, the little company trailed a slow way across this ocean of green.
move forward, also in the metaphorical sense
From this reading One afternoon David riding in the rear crested a ridge and saw them a mile in advance, the road stretching before and behind them in a curving thread.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading One afternoon David riding in the rear crested a ridge and saw them a mile in advance, the road stretching before and behind them in a curving thread.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The birds in the trees and the bees in the flowers had a more important place in its economy.
backsnounUS /bæks/
plural of “back” — the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine
From this reading The tops of the wagons were like the backs of creeping insects, the mounted figures, specks of life that raised a slight tarnish of dust on the golden clearness.
beesnounUS /biːz/
plural of “bee” — any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species
From this reading The birds in the trees and the bees in the flowers had a more important place in its economy.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading One afternoon David riding in the rear crested a ridge and saw them a mile in advance, the road stretching before and behind them in a curving thread.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading One afternoon David riding in the rear crested a ridge and saw them a mile in advance, the road stretching before and behind them in a curving thread.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading The birds in the trees and the bees in the flowers had a more important place in its economy.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading A broken line of moving dots, the little company trailed a slow way across this ocean of green.
clearnessnounUS /ˈklɪrnəs/
free from obscurity and easy to understand; the comprehensibility of clear expression
From this reading The tops of the wagons were like the backs of creeping insects, the mounted figures, specks of life that raised a slight tarnish of dust on the golden clearness.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading A broken line of moving dots, the little company trailed a slow way across this ocean of green.
creepingnounUS /ˈkriːpɪŋ/
a slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body
From this reading The tops of the wagons were like the backs of creeping insects, the mounted figures, specks of life that raised a slight tarnish of dust on the golden clearness.
crestedadjectiveUS /ˈkrestɪd/
bearing an heraldic device
From this reading One afternoon David riding in the rear crested a ridge and saw them a mile in advance, the road stretching before and behind them in a curving thread.
curvingadjectiveUS /ˈkɜːrvɪŋ/
having or marked by a curve or smoothly rounded bend
From this reading One afternoon David riding in the rear crested a ridge and saw them a mile in advance, the road stretching before and behind them in a curving thread.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading One afternoon David riding in the rear crested a ridge and saw them a mile in advance, the road stretching before and behind them in a curving thread.
dotsnounUS /dɑːts/
plural of “dot” — a very small circular shape
From this reading A broken line of moving dots, the little company trailed a slow way across this ocean of green.
remove the dust from
From this reading The tops of the wagons were like the backs of creeping insects, the mounted figures, specks of life that raised a slight tarnish of dust on the golden clearness.
economynounUS /ɪˈkɑːnəmi/
the system of production and distribution and consumption
From this reading The birds in the trees and the bees in the flowers had a more important place in its economy.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Nothing on its face was more insignificant than they.
plural of “figure” — a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading The tops of the wagons were like the backs of creeping insects, the mounted figures, specks of life that raised a slight tarnish of dust on the golden clearness.
plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
From this reading The birds in the trees and the bees in the flowers had a more important place in its economy.
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading The tops of the wagons were like the backs of creeping insects, the mounted figures, specks of life that raised a slight tarnish of dust on the golden clearness.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading A broken line of moving dots, the little company trailed a slow way across this ocean of green.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The birds in the trees and the bees in the flowers had a more important place in its economy.
of great significance or value
From this reading The birds in the trees and the bees in the flowers had a more important place in its economy.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The birds in the trees and the bees in the flowers had a more important place in its economy.
insectsnounUS /ˈɪnsekts/
plural of “insect” — small air-breathing arthropod
From this reading The tops of the wagons were like the backs of creeping insects, the mounted figures, specks of life that raised a slight tarnish of dust on the golden clearness.
insignificantadjectiveUS /ˌɪnsɪɡˈnjɪfɪkənt/
signifying nothing
From this reading Nothing on its face was more insignificant than they.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Nothing on its face was more insignificant than they.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading The tops of the wagons were like the backs of creeping insects, the mounted figures, specks of life that raised a slight tarnish of dust on the golden clearness.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The tops of the wagons were like the backs of creeping insects, the mounted figures, specks of life that raised a slight tarnish of dust on the golden clearness.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading A broken line of moving dots, the little company trailed a slow way across this ocean of green.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading A broken line of moving dots, the little company trailed a slow way across this ocean of green.
a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading One afternoon David riding in the rear crested a ridge and saw them a mile in advance, the road stretching before and behind them in a curving thread.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Nothing on its face was more insignificant than they.
assembled for use; especially by being attached to a support
From this reading The tops of the wagons were like the backs of creeping insects, the mounted figures, specks of life that raised a slight tarnish of dust on the golden clearness.
in motion
From this reading A broken line of moving dots, the little company trailed a slow way across this ocean of green.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Nothing on its face was more insignificant than they.
a large body of water constituting a principal part of the hydrosphere
From this reading A broken line of moving dots, the little company trailed a slow way across this ocean of green.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A broken line of moving dots, the little company trailed a slow way across this ocean of green.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Nothing on its face was more insignificant than they.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One afternoon David riding in the rear crested a ridge and saw them a mile in advance, the road stretching before and behind them in a curving thread.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading The birds in the trees and the bees in the flowers had a more important place in its economy.
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading The tops of the wagons were like the backs of creeping insects, the mounted figures, specks of life that raised a slight tarnish of dust on the golden clearness.
the back of a military formation or procession
From this reading One afternoon David riding in the rear crested a ridge and saw them a mile in advance, the road stretching before and behind them in a curving thread.
ridgenounUS /rɪdʒ/
a long narrow natural elevation or striation
From this reading One afternoon David riding in the rear crested a ridge and saw them a mile in advance, the road stretching before and behind them in a curving thread.
the sport of sitting on the back of a horse while controlling its movements
From this reading One afternoon David riding in the rear crested a ridge and saw them a mile in advance, the road stretching before and behind them in a curving thread.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading One afternoon David riding in the rear crested a ridge and saw them a mile in advance, the road stretching before and behind them in a curving thread.
cut with a saw
From this reading One afternoon David riding in the rear crested a ridge and saw them a mile in advance, the road stretching before and behind them in a curving thread.
a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)
From this reading The tops of the wagons were like the backs of creeping insects, the mounted figures, specks of life that raised a slight tarnish of dust on the golden clearness.
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading A broken line of moving dots, the little company trailed a slow way across this ocean of green.
specksnounUS /speks/
plural of “speck” — a very small spot
From this reading The tops of the wagons were like the backs of creeping insects, the mounted figures, specks of life that raised a slight tarnish of dust on the golden clearness.
stretchingnounUS /ˈstretʃɪŋ/
act of expanding by lengthening or widening
From this reading One afternoon David riding in the rear crested a ridge and saw them a mile in advance, the road stretching before and behind them in a curving thread.
tarnishverbUS /ˈtɑːrnɪʃ/
make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically
From this reading The tops of the wagons were like the backs of creeping insects, the mounted figures, specks of life that raised a slight tarnish of dust on the golden clearness.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Nothing on its face was more insignificant than they.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The tops of the wagons were like the backs of creeping insects, the mounted figures, specks of life that raised a slight tarnish of dust on the golden clearness.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A broken line of moving dots, the little company trailed a slow way across this ocean of green.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading One afternoon David riding in the rear crested a ridge and saw them a mile in advance, the road stretching before and behind them in a curving thread.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Nothing on its face was more insignificant than they.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading A broken line of moving dots, the little company trailed a slow way across this ocean of green.
threadverbUS /θred/
to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course
From this reading One afternoon David riding in the rear crested a ridge and saw them a mile in advance, the road stretching before and behind them in a curving thread.
topsadjectiveUS /tɑːps/
of the highest quality
From this reading The tops of the wagons were like the backs of creeping insects, the mounted figures, specks of life that raised a slight tarnish of dust on the golden clearness.
trailedverbUS /treɪld/
past form of “trail” — to lag or linger behind
From this reading A broken line of moving dots, the little company trailed a slow way across this ocean of green.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading The birds in the trees and the bees in the flowers had a more important place in its economy.
wagonsnounUS /ˈwæɡənz/
plural of “wagon” — any of various kinds of wheeled vehicles drawn by an animal or a tractor
From this reading The tops of the wagons were like the backs of creeping insects, the mounted figures, specks of life that raised a slight tarnish of dust on the golden clearness.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Nothing on its face was more insignificant than they.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading A broken line of moving dots, the little company trailed a slow way across this ocean of green.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The tops of the wagons were like the backs of creeping insects, the mounted figures, specks of life that raised a slight tarnish of dust on the golden clearness.
