used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Tranquil was too old and too crafty a wood ranger to let himself be surprised.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN OLD FRIEND.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Tranquil was too old and too crafty a wood ranger to let himself be surprised.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
arousedadjectiveUS /ərˈaʊzd/
aroused to action
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
arrivingverbUS /ərˈaɪvɪŋ/
-ing form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading For a long period the noise he had heard was not repeated, and the desert had fallen back into silence.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Tranquil was too old and too crafty a wood ranger to let himself be surprised.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the Canadian did not deceive himself.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
CanadianadjectiveUS /kəˈneɪdiən/
of or relating to Canada or its people
From this reading But the Canadian did not deceive himself.
chaparralnounUS /ˌʃæpərˈæl/
dense vegetation consisting of stunted trees or bushes
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
conjecturesnounUS /kənˈdʒektʃərz/
plural of “conjecture” — a hypothesis that has been formed by speculating or conjecturing (usually with little hard evidence)
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
craftyadjectiveUS /ˈkræfti/
marked by skill in deception
From this reading Tranquil was too old and too crafty a wood ranger to let himself be surprised.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
deceiveverbUS /dɪˈsiːv/
be false to; be dishonest with
From this reading But the Canadian did not deceive himself.
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading For a long period the noise he had heard was not repeated, and the desert had fallen back into silence.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading But the Canadian did not deceive himself.
distinguishverbUS /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ/
mark as different
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
opinion or judgment
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading For a long period the noise he had heard was not repeated, and the desert had fallen back into silence.
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a long period the noise he had heard was not repeated, and the desert had fallen back into silence.
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading AN OLD FRIEND.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading For a long period the noise he had heard was not repeated, and the desert had fallen back into silence.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Tranquil was too old and too crafty a wood ranger to let himself be surprised.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading For a long period the noise he had heard was not repeated, and the desert had fallen back into silence.
letauxiliary verbUS /let/
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Tranquil was too old and too crafty a wood ranger to let himself be surprised.
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 For a long period the noise he had heard was not repeated, and the desert had fallen back into silence.
a change of position that does not entail a change of location
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading For a long period the noise he had heard was not repeated, and the desert had fallen back into silence.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading For a long period the noise he had heard was not repeated, and the desert had fallen back into silence.
obstinatelyadverb
in a stubborn unregenerate manner
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading AN OLD FRIEND.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
an amount of time
From this reading For a long period the noise he had heard was not repeated, and the desert had fallen back into silence.
a legal document giving official permission to do something
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
pierceverbUS /pɪrs/
cut or make a way through
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
probableadjectiveUS /ˈprɑːbəbəl/
likely but not certain to be or become true or real
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
rangernounUS /ˈreɪndʒər/
a member of the Texas state highway patrol; formerly a mounted lawman who maintained order on the frontier
From this reading Tranquil was too old and too crafty a wood ranger to let himself be surprised.
recurring again and again
From this reading For a long period the noise he had heard was not repeated, and the desert had fallen back into silence.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading For a long period the noise he had heard was not repeated, and the desert had fallen back into silence.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading Tranquil was too old and too crafty a wood ranger to let himself be surprised.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Tranquil was too old and too crafty a wood ranger to let himself be surprised.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Tranquil was too old and too crafty a wood ranger to let himself be surprised.
TranquiladjectiveUS /ˈtræŋkwəl/
(of a body of water) free from disturbance by heavy waves
From this reading Tranquil was too old and too crafty a wood ranger to let himself be surprised.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
plural of “visitor” — someone who visits
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Tranquil was too old and too crafty a wood ranger to let himself be surprised.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
an old word meaning “from where”
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
which person or people
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading Tranquil was too old and too crafty a wood ranger to let himself be surprised.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading With his eyes obstinately fixed on the spot whence the sound that had aroused him came, he tried to pierce the darkness, and distinguish any movement in the chaparral which would permit him to form probable conjectures as to the visitors who were arriving.
