used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
(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 Yes! all the luckless colonists were there.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
plural of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
installation from which a military force initiates operations
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
have
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Not one had yet been swallowed up.
beingsnounUS /ˈbiːɪŋz/
plural of “being” — the state or fact of existing
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
colonistsnounUS /ˈkɑːlənɪsts/
plural of “colonist” — a person who settles in a new colony or moves into new country
From this reading Yes! all the luckless colonists were there.
crouchingverbUS /ˈkraʊtʃɪŋ/
-ing form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
plural of “dog” — a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
the boundary of a surface
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
the point or degree to which something extends
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Thus far fate had spared them, probably that they might all perish together.
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading Thus far fate had spared them, probably that they might all perish together.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
furredadjective
covered with a dense coat of fine silky hairs
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
highest in quality
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Not one had yet been swallowed up.
humanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/
characteristic of humanity
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
ten 10s
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
water frozen in the solid state
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
immediately past
From this reading The last rupture had occurred when they were all in the shed.
lucklessadjectiveUS /ˈlʌkləs/
having or bringing misfortune
From this reading Yes! all the luckless colonists were there.
measuringnounUS /ˈmeʒərɪŋ/
the act or process of assigning numbers to phenomena according to a rule
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Thus far fate had spared them, probably that they might all perish together.
a particular point in time
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not one had yet been swallowed up.
inflected form of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading The last rupture had occurred when they were all in the shed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
perishverbUS /ˈperɪʃ/
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading Thus far fate had spared them, probably that they might all perish together.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading Thus far fate had spared them, probably that they might all perish together.
ruptureverbUS /ˈrʌptʃər/
separate or cause to separate abruptly
From this reading The last rupture had occurred when they were all in the shed.
only a very short time before
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
get rid of
From this reading The last rupture had occurred when they were all in the shed.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
sparedverbUS /sperd/
past form of “spare” — refrain from harming
From this reading Thus far fate had spared them, probably that they might all perish together.
stripverbUS /strɪp/
take away possessions from someone
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
swallowedverbUS /ˈswɑːloʊd/
past form of “swallow” — pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading Not one had yet been swallowed up.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Thus far fate had spared them, probably that they might all perish together.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Thus far fate had spared them, probably that they might all perish together.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Yes! all the luckless colonists were there.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The last rupture had occurred when they were all in the shed.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading Thus far fate had spared them, probably that they might all perish together.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading Thus far fate had spared them, probably that they might all perish together.
twenty-onenounUS /ˈtwentiwɔːn/
the cardinal number that is the sum of twenty and one
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Not one had yet been swallowed up.
precisely as stated
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Yes! all the luckless colonists were there.
at the time that
From this reading The last rupture had occurred when they were all in the shed.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading strip of ice, measuring one hundred feet at its base, and scarcely five hundred in its greatest extent; and on it twenty-one human beings, some hundred furred animals, a few dogs, and a large bear, which was at this moment crouching at the very edge!
an affirmative
From this reading Yes! all the luckless colonists were there.
but in spite of that
From this reading Not one had yet been swallowed up.
