adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading All was silence and a few pale stars.
acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Scenes near, scenes far, drifted across his fading mind.
AlladjectiveUS /ɔːl/
(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 was silence and a few pale stars.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading OLD DING-DONG HOMEWARD-BOUND The light was ebbing fast, and old Ding-dong with it.
anonadverbUS /ˌæˈnɔːn/
at another time
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
babblingnounUS /ˈbæbəlɪŋ/
gibberish resembling the sounds of a baby
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
beganverbUS /bɪˈɡæn/
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The old seaman began to wander.
boynounUS /bɔɪ/
a youthful male person
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
broadestadjectiveUS /ˈbrɔːdɪst/
superlative of “broad” — having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
dialectnounUS /ˈdaɪəlekt/
the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
DING-DONGnounUS /ˈdɪŋˈdɔːŋ/
the noise made by a bell
From this reading OLD DING-DONG HOMEWARD-BOUND The light was ebbing fast, and old Ding-dong with it.
DonnounUS /dɑːn/
a Spanish gentleman or nobleman
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
driftedverbUS /ˈdrɪftəd/
past form of “drift” — be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading Scenes near, scenes far, drifted across his fading mind.
ebbingnounUS /ˈebɪŋ/
a gradual decline (in size or strength or power or number)
From this reading OLD DING-DONG HOMEWARD-BOUND The light was ebbing fast, and old Ding-dong with it.
fadingnounUS /ˈfeɪdɪŋ/
weakening in force or intensity
From this reading Scenes near, scenes far, drifted across his fading mind.
faradverbUS /fɑːr/
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Scenes near, scenes far, drifted across his fading mind.
fastadverbUS /fæst/
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading OLD DING-DONG HOMEWARD-BOUND The light was ebbing fast, and old Ding-dong with it.
fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading All was silence and a few pale stars.
handnounUS /hænd/
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
heldadjectiveUS /held/
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Scenes near, scenes far, drifted across his fading mind.
holdingnounUS /ˈhoʊldɪŋ/
the act of retaining something
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
HOMEWARD-BOUNDadjective
oriented toward home
From this reading OLD DING-DONG HOMEWARD-BOUND The light was ebbing fast, and old Ding-dong with it.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading OLD DING-DONG HOMEWARD-BOUND The light was ebbing fast, and old Ding-dong with it.
ladnounUS /læd/
a boy or man
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
lightadjectiveUS /laɪt/
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading OLD DING-DONG HOMEWARD-BOUND The light was ebbing fast, and old Ding-dong with it.
mindnounUS /maɪnd/
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Scenes near, scenes far, drifted across his fading mind.
mothernounUS /ˈmʌðər/
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
nearadverbUS /nɪr/
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading Scenes near, scenes far, drifted across his fading mind.
NowadverbUS /naʊ/
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
OLDadjectiveUS /oʊld/
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading OLD DING-DONG HOMEWARD-BOUND The light was ebbing fast, and old Ding-dong with it.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
one-eyedadjectiveUS /ˌwʌˈnaɪd/
having or showing only one eye
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
paleadjectiveUS /peɪl/
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading All was silence and a few pale stars.
pitnounUS /pɪt/
A large hole in the ground, or an abyss of darkness and peril.
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
ponynounUS /ˈpoʊniː/
a range horse of the western United States
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
ScenesnounUS /siːnz/
plural of “scene” — the place where some action occurs
From this reading Scenes near, scenes far, drifted across his fading mind.
seamannounUS /ˈsiːmən/
a man who serves as a sailor
From this reading The old seaman began to wander.
silencenounUS /ˈsaɪ.ləns/
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading All was silence and a few pale stars.
spar-deck
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
starsnounUS /stɑːrz/
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading All was silence and a few pale stars.
Susannah
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading OLD DING-DONG HOMEWARD-BOUND The light was ebbing fast, and old Ding-dong with it.
tinyadjectiveUS /ˈtaɪni/
very small
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The old seaman began to wander.
wanderverbUS /ˈwɑːndər/
move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading The old seaman began to wander.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading OLD DING-DONG HOMEWARD-BOUND The light was ebbing fast, and old Ding-dong with it.
washing-tub
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
whopronounUS /huː/
which person or people
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading OLD DING-DONG HOMEWARD-BOUND The light was ebbing fast, and old Ding-dong with it.
yellingnounUS /ˈjelɪŋ/
uttering a loud inarticulate cry as of pain or excitement
From this reading Now he was a tiny lad babbling in broadest dialect to his mother at the washing-tub; now he was a pit boy yelling at Susannah, the one-eyed pit pony; anon he was on the spar-deck of the Don, holding by the hand the father of the boy who now held his.
