used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading When evening fell and he did not come Daddy John climbed the plateau and kindled a beacon fire that threw its flames against the stars.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading Till the afternoon of the next day they held the train for David.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading When evening fell and he did not come Daddy John climbed the plateau and kindled a beacon fire that threw its flames against the stars.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading As the hours passed their alarm grew and their speculations became gloomier and more sinister.
(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 All night they sat by the fire listening and waiting.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When evening fell and he did not come Daddy John climbed the plateau and kindled a beacon fire that threw its flames against the stars.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As the hours passed their alarm grew and their speculations became gloomier and more sinister.
beaconnounUS /ˈbiːkən/
a fire (usually on a hill or tower) that can be seen from a distance
From this reading When evening fell and he did not come Daddy John climbed the plateau and kindled a beacon fire that threw its flames against the stars.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading As the hours passed their alarm grew and their speculations became gloomier and more sinister.
bulknounUS /bʌlk/
the property resulting from being or relating to the greater in number of two parts; the main part
From this reading Then he took his rifle and skirted the rock's looming bulk, shattering the stillness with reports that let loose a shivering flight of echoes.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading All night they sat by the fire listening and waiting.
past form of “climb” — go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading When evening fell and he did not come Daddy John climbed the plateau and kindled a beacon fire that threw its flames against the stars.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading When evening fell and he did not come Daddy John climbed the plateau and kindled a beacon fire that threw its flames against the stars.
DaddynounUS /ˈdædi/
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading When evening fell and he did not come Daddy John climbed the plateau and kindled a beacon fire that threw its flames against the stars.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading Till the afternoon of the next day they held the train for David.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Till the afternoon of the next day they held the train for David.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading When evening fell and he did not come Daddy John climbed the plateau and kindled a beacon fire that threw its flames against the stars.
echoesnounUS /ˈekoʊz/
plural of “echo” — the repetition of a sound resulting from reflection of the sound waves
From this reading Then he took his rifle and skirted the rock's looming bulk, shattering the stillness with reports that let loose a shivering flight of echoes.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading When evening fell and he did not come Daddy John climbed the plateau and kindled a beacon fire that threw its flames against the stars.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading When evening fell and he did not come Daddy John climbed the plateau and kindled a beacon fire that threw its flames against the stars.
start firing a weapon
From this reading When evening fell and he did not come Daddy John climbed the plateau and kindled a beacon fire that threw its flames against the stars.
flamesnounUS /fleɪmz/
plural of “flame” — the process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke
From this reading When evening fell and he did not come Daddy John climbed the plateau and kindled a beacon fire that threw its flames against the stars.
a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading Then he took his rifle and skirted the rock's looming bulk, shattering the stillness with reports that let loose a shivering flight of echoes.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Till the afternoon of the next day they held the train for David.
gloomieradjectiveUS /ˈɡluːmiər/
comparative of “gloomy” — depressingly dark
From this reading As the hours passed their alarm grew and their speculations became gloomier and more sinister.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading As the hours passed their alarm grew and their speculations became gloomier and more sinister.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When evening fell and he did not come Daddy John climbed the plateau and kindled a beacon fire that threw its flames against the stars.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading Till the afternoon of the next day they held the train for David.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Then he took his rifle and skirted the rock's looming bulk, shattering the stillness with reports that let loose a shivering flight of echoes.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading As the hours passed their alarm grew and their speculations became gloomier and more sinister.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading When evening fell and he did not come Daddy John climbed the plateau and kindled a beacon fire that threw its flames against the stars.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading When evening fell and he did not come Daddy John climbed the plateau and kindled a beacon fire that threw its flames against the stars.
kindledadjectiveUS /ˈkɪndəld/
set afire
From this reading When evening fell and he did not come Daddy John climbed the plateau and kindled a beacon fire that threw its flames against the stars.
letauxiliary verbUS /let/
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Then he took his rifle and skirted the rock's looming bulk, shattering the stillness with reports that let loose a shivering flight of echoes.
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading All night they sat by the fire listening and waiting.
loomingverbUS /ˈluːmɪŋ/
-ing form of “loom” — come into view indistinctly, often threateningly
From this reading Then he took his rifle and skirted the rock's looming bulk, shattering the stillness with reports that let loose a shivering flight of echoes.
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading Then he took his rifle and skirted the rock's looming bulk, shattering the stillness with reports that let loose a shivering flight of echoes.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading As the hours passed their alarm grew and their speculations became gloomier and more sinister.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading Till the afternoon of the next day they held the train for David.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading All night they sat by the fire listening and waiting.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading When evening fell and he did not come Daddy John climbed the plateau and kindled a beacon fire that threw its flames against the stars.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Till the afternoon of the next day they held the train for David.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading As the hours passed their alarm grew and their speculations became gloomier and more sinister.
plateaunounUS /plæˈtoʊ/
a relatively flat highland
From this reading When evening fell and he did not come Daddy John climbed the plateau and kindled a beacon fire that threw its flames against the stars.
reportsnounUS /rɪˈpɔːrts/
plural of “report” — a written document describing the findings of some individual or group
From this reading Then he took his rifle and skirted the rock's looming bulk, shattering the stillness with reports that let loose a shivering flight of echoes.
steal goods; take as spoils
From this reading Then he took his rifle and skirted the rock's looming bulk, shattering the stillness with reports that let loose a shivering flight of echoes.
rock'snounUS /rɑːks/
possessive form of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading Then he took his rifle and skirted the rock's looming bulk, shattering the stillness with reports that let loose a shivering flight of echoes.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading All night they sat by the fire listening and waiting.
shatteringadjectiveUS /ˈʃætərɪŋ/
seemingly loud enough to break something; violently rattling or clattering
From this reading Then he took his rifle and skirted the rock's looming bulk, shattering the stillness with reports that let loose a shivering flight of echoes.
shiveringnounUS /ˈʃɪvərɪŋ/
a sensation of cold that often marks the start of an infection and the development of a fever
From this reading Then he took his rifle and skirted the rock's looming bulk, shattering the stillness with reports that let loose a shivering flight of echoes.
sinisteradjectiveUS /ˈsɪnɪstər/
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
From this reading As the hours passed their alarm grew and their speculations became gloomier and more sinister.
skirtedverbUS /ˈskɜːrtɪd/
past form of “skirt” — avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues)
From this reading Then he took his rifle and skirted the rock's looming bulk, shattering the stillness with reports that let loose a shivering flight of echoes.
speculationsnounUS /ˌspekjəˈleɪʃənz/
plural of “speculation” — a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence
From this reading As the hours passed their alarm grew and their speculations became gloomier and more sinister.
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading When evening fell and he did not come Daddy John climbed the plateau and kindled a beacon fire that threw its flames against the stars.
stillnessnounUS /ˈstɪlnəs/
(poetic) tranquil silence
From this reading Then he took his rifle and skirted the rock's looming bulk, shattering the stillness with reports that let loose a shivering flight of echoes.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading When evening fell and he did not come Daddy John climbed the plateau and kindled a beacon fire that threw its flames against the stars.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Till the afternoon of the next day they held the train for David.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading As the hours passed their alarm grew and their speculations became gloomier and more sinister.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he took his rifle and skirted the rock's looming bulk, shattering the stillness with reports that let loose a shivering flight of echoes.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Till the afternoon of the next day they held the train for David.
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading When evening fell and he did not come Daddy John climbed the plateau and kindled a beacon fire that threw its flames against the stars.
up to a particular time
From this reading Till the afternoon of the next day they held the train for David.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Then he took his rifle and skirted the rock's looming bulk, shattering the stillness with reports that let loose a shivering flight of echoes.
create by training and teaching
From this reading Till the afternoon of the next day they held the train for David.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading All night they sat by the fire listening and waiting.
at the time that
From this reading When evening fell and he did not come Daddy John climbed the plateau and kindled a beacon fire that threw its flames against the stars.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Then he took his rifle and skirted the rock's looming bulk, shattering the stillness with reports that let loose a shivering flight of echoes.
