used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The land was a mere curve on the horizon; all about him the sea rose and fell, and from the shimmering mirror of every wave the sunlight shot backward in various directions.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The land was a mere curve on the horizon; all about him the sea rose and fell, and from the shimmering mirror of every wave the sunlight shot backward in various directions.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading The other kayaks darted after him like erratic bugs.
(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 The land was a mere curve on the horizon; all about him the sea rose and fell, and from the shimmering mirror of every wave the sunlight shot backward in various directions.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The land was a mere curve on the horizon; all about him the sea rose and fell, and from the shimmering mirror of every wave the sunlight shot backward in various directions.
backwardadverbUS /ˈbækwərd/
at or to or toward the back or rear
From this reading The land was a mere curve on the horizon; all about him the sea rose and fell, and from the shimmering mirror of every wave the sunlight shot backward in various directions.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Then his speed slackened, he glanced behind.
bugsnounUS /bʌɡz/
plural of “bug” — general term for any insect or similar creeping or crawling invertebrate
From this reading The other kayaks darted after him like erratic bugs.
curvenounUS /kɜːrv/
the trace of a point whose direction of motion changes
From this reading The land was a mere curve on the horizon; all about him the sea rose and fell, and from the shimmering mirror of every wave the sunlight shot backward in various directions.
dartedverbUS /ˈdɑːrtɪd/
past form of “dart” — move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading The other kayaks darted after him like erratic bugs.
plural of “direction” — a line leading to a place or point
From this reading The land was a mere curve on the horizon; all about him the sea rose and fell, and from the shimmering mirror of every wave the sunlight shot backward in various directions.
erraticadjectiveUS /ɪˈrætɪk/
liable to sudden unpredictable change
From this reading The other kayaks darted after him like erratic bugs.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading The land was a mere curve on the horizon; all about him the sea rose and fell, and from the shimmering mirror of every wave the sunlight shot backward in various directions.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading The land was a mere curve on the horizon; all about him the sea rose and fell, and from the shimmering mirror of every wave the sunlight shot backward in various directions.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The land was a mere curve on the horizon; all about him the sea rose and fell, and from the shimmering mirror of every wave the sunlight shot backward in various directions.
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading Then his speed slackened, he glanced behind.
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading A thousand golden searchlights seemed playing over the sea.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Soon he had outdistanced the party.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Soon he had outdistanced the party.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The other kayaks darted after him like erratic bugs.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Then his speed slackened, he glanced behind.
the line at which the sky and Earth appear to meet
From this reading The land was a mere curve on the horizon; all about him the sea rose and fell, and from the shimmering mirror of every wave the sunlight shot backward in various directions.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The land was a mere curve on the horizon; all about him the sea rose and fell, and from the shimmering mirror of every wave the sunlight shot backward in various directions.
kayaksnounUS /ˈkaɪæks/
plural of “kayak” — a small canoe consisting of a light frame made watertight with animal skins; used by Eskimos
From this reading The other kayaks darted after him like erratic bugs.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading The land was a mere curve on the horizon; all about him the sea rose and fell, and from the shimmering mirror of every wave the sunlight shot backward in various directions.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The other kayaks darted after him like erratic bugs.
being nothing more than specified
From this reading The land was a mere curve on the horizon; all about him the sea rose and fell, and from the shimmering mirror of every wave the sunlight shot backward in various directions.
mirrornounUS /ˈmɪrər/
polished surface that forms images by reflecting light
From this reading The land was a mere curve on the horizon; all about him the sea rose and fell, and from the shimmering mirror of every wave the sunlight shot backward in various directions.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The land was a mere curve on the horizon; all about him the sea rose and fell, and from the shimmering mirror of every wave the sunlight shot backward in various directions.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The land was a mere curve on the horizon; all about him the sea rose and fell, and from the shimmering mirror of every wave the sunlight shot backward in various directions.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The other kayaks darted after him like erratic bugs.
outdistancedverbUS /ˈaʊtˈdɪstənst/
past form of “outdistance” — go far ahead of
From this reading Soon he had outdistanced the party.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading A thousand golden searchlights seemed playing over the sea.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading Soon he had outdistanced the party.
the act of playing a musical instrument
From this reading A thousand golden searchlights seemed playing over the sea.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading The land was a mere curve on the horizon; all about him the sea rose and fell, and from the shimmering mirror of every wave the sunlight shot backward in various directions.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading The land was a mere curve on the horizon; all about him the sea rose and fell, and from the shimmering mirror of every wave the sunlight shot backward in various directions.
searchlightsnounUS /ˈsɜːrtʃlaɪts/
plural of “searchlight” — a light source with reflectors that projects a beam of light in a particular direction
From this reading A thousand golden searchlights seemed playing over the sea.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading A thousand golden searchlights seemed playing over the sea.
shimmeringverbUS /ˈʃɪmərɪŋ/
-ing form of “shimmer” — shine with a weak or fitful light
From this reading The land was a mere curve on the horizon; all about him the sea rose and fell, and from the shimmering mirror of every wave the sunlight shot backward in various directions.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading The land was a mere curve on the horizon; all about him the sea rose and fell, and from the shimmering mirror of every wave the sunlight shot backward in various directions.
slackenedverbUS /ˈslækənd/
past form of “slacken” — become slow or slower
From this reading Then his speed slackened, he glanced behind.
in the near future
From this reading Soon he had outdistanced the party.
move hurridly
From this reading Then his speed slackened, he glanced behind.
the rays of the sun
From this reading The land was a mere curve on the horizon; all about him the sea rose and fell, and from the shimmering mirror of every wave the sunlight shot backward in various directions.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Soon he had outdistanced the party.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then his speed slackened, he glanced behind.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading A thousand golden searchlights seemed playing over the sea.
of many different kinds purposefully arranged but lacking any uniformity
From this reading The land was a mere curve on the horizon; all about him the sea rose and fell, and from the shimmering mirror of every wave the sunlight shot backward in various directions.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The land was a mere curve on the horizon; all about him the sea rose and fell, and from the shimmering mirror of every wave the sunlight shot backward in various directions.
one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
From this reading The land was a mere curve on the horizon; all about him the sea rose and fell, and from the shimmering mirror of every wave the sunlight shot backward in various directions.
