used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “We haven’t had much skating for a long time,” said Eloise, as she skated around in a circle, chatting to Hilary and Lilian.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading It was in January, cold, sparkling, crisp, the ice on the dam above the river’s mouth thick and smooth as glass.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was in January, cold, sparkling, crisp, the ice on the dam above the river’s mouth thick and smooth as glass.
move towards
From this reading Now the weather was not so cold, but no approach to melting or thawing temperature.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading “We haven’t had much skating for a long time,” said Eloise, as she skated around in a circle, chatting to Hilary and Lilian.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was in January, cold, sparkling, crisp, the ice on the dam above the river’s mouth thick and smooth as glass.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading There had been some very severe weather which the girls had welcomed as making it possible to skate.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Now the weather was not so cold, but no approach to melting or thawing temperature.
CARNIVALnounUS /ˈkɑːrnəvəl/
a festival marked by merrymaking and processions
From this reading THE ICE CARNIVAL.
chattingverbUS /ˈtʃætɪŋ/
inflected form of “chat” — talk socially without exchanging too much information
From this reading “We haven’t had much skating for a long time,” said Eloise, as she skated around in a circle, chatting to Hilary and Lilian.
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading “We haven’t had much skating for a long time,” said Eloise, as she skated around in a circle, chatting to Hilary and Lilian.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading It was in January, cold, sparkling, crisp, the ice on the dam above the river’s mouth thick and smooth as glass.
crispadjectiveUS /krɪsp/
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading It was in January, cold, sparkling, crisp, the ice on the dam above the river’s mouth thick and smooth as glass.
damnounUS /dæm/
a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea
From this reading It was in January, cold, sparkling, crisp, the ice on the dam above the river’s mouth thick and smooth as glass.
Eloise
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We haven’t had much skating for a long time,” said Eloise, as she skated around in a circle, chatting to Hilary and Lilian.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “We haven’t had much skating for a long time,” said Eloise, as she skated around in a circle, chatting to Hilary and Lilian.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading There had been some very severe weather which the girls had welcomed as making it possible to skate.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading It was in January, cold, sparkling, crisp, the ice on the dam above the river’s mouth thick and smooth as glass.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading There had been some very severe weather which the girls had welcomed as making it possible to skate.
haven't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We haven’t had much skating for a long time,” said Eloise, as she skated around in a circle, chatting to Hilary and Lilian.
Hilary
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We haven’t had much skating for a long time,” said Eloise, as she skated around in a circle, chatting to Hilary and Lilian.
water frozen in the solid state
From this reading THE ICE CARNIVAL.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was in January, cold, sparkling, crisp, the ice on the dam above the river’s mouth thick and smooth as glass.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was in January, cold, sparkling, crisp, the ice on the dam above the river’s mouth thick and smooth as glass.
JanuarynounUS /ˈdʒænjuːeri/
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading It was in January, cold, sparkling, crisp, the ice on the dam above the river’s mouth thick and smooth as glass.
Lilian
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We haven’t had much skating for a long time,” said Eloise, as she skated around in a circle, chatting to Hilary and Lilian.
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 “We haven’t had much skating for a long time,” said Eloise, as she skated around in a circle, chatting to Hilary and Lilian.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading There had been some very severe weather which the girls had welcomed as making it possible to skate.
meltingnounUS /ˈmeltɪŋ/
the process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid
From this reading Now the weather was not so cold, but no approach to melting or thawing temperature.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading It was in January, cold, sparkling, crisp, the ice on the dam above the river’s mouth thick and smooth as glass.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading “We haven’t had much skating for a long time,” said Eloise, as she skated around in a circle, chatting to Hilary and Lilian.
not any; not one
From this reading Now the weather was not so cold, but no approach to melting or thawing temperature.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Now the weather was not so cold, but no approach to melting or thawing temperature.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now the weather was not so cold, but no approach to melting or thawing temperature.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It was in January, cold, sparkling, crisp, the ice on the dam above the river’s mouth thick and smooth as glass.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Now the weather was not so cold, but no approach to melting or thawing temperature.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading There had been some very severe weather which the girls had welcomed as making it possible to skate.
river'snounUS /ˈrɪvərz/
possessive form of “river” — a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading It was in January, cold, sparkling, crisp, the ice on the dam above the river’s mouth thick and smooth as glass.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “We haven’t had much skating for a long time,” said Eloise, as she skated around in a circle, chatting to Hilary and Lilian.
intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality
From this reading There had been some very severe weather which the girls had welcomed as making it possible to skate.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “We haven’t had much skating for a long time,” said Eloise, as she skated around in a circle, chatting to Hilary and Lilian.
skatenounUS /skeɪt/
sports equipment that is worn on the feet to enable the wearer to glide along and to be propelled by the alternate actions of the legs
From this reading There had been some very severe weather which the girls had welcomed as making it possible to skate.
skatedverbUS /ˈskeɪtɪd/
past form of “skate” — move along on skates
From this reading “We haven’t had much skating for a long time,” said Eloise, as she skated around in a circle, chatting to Hilary and Lilian.
skatingnounUS /ˈskeɪtɪŋ/
the sport of gliding on skates
From this reading “We haven’t had much skating for a long time,” said Eloise, as she skated around in a circle, chatting to Hilary and Lilian.
having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities
From this reading It was in January, cold, sparkling, crisp, the ice on the dam above the river’s mouth thick and smooth as glass.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Now the weather was not so cold, but no approach to melting or thawing temperature.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading There had been some very severe weather which the girls had welcomed as making it possible to skate.
sparklingadjectiveUS /ˈspɑːrklɪŋ/
shining with brilliant points of light like stars
From this reading It was in January, cold, sparkling, crisp, the ice on the dam above the river’s mouth thick and smooth as glass.
temperaturenounUS /ˈtemprətʃər/
the degree of hotness or coldness of a body or environment (corresponding to its molecular activity)
From this reading Now the weather was not so cold, but no approach to melting or thawing temperature.
thawingnounUS /ˈθɔːɪŋ/
the process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid
From this reading Now the weather was not so cold, but no approach to melting or thawing temperature.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE ICE CARNIVAL.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There had been some very severe weather which the girls had welcomed as making it possible to skate.
not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading It was in January, cold, sparkling, crisp, the ice on the dam above the river’s mouth thick and smooth as glass.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “We haven’t had much skating for a long time,” said Eloise, as she skated around in a circle, chatting to Hilary and Lilian.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There had been some very severe weather which the girls had welcomed as making it possible to skate.
precisely as stated
From this reading There had been some very severe weather which the girls had welcomed as making it possible to skate.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was in January, cold, sparkling, crisp, the ice on the dam above the river’s mouth thick and smooth as glass.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “We haven’t had much skating for a long time,” said Eloise, as she skated around in a circle, chatting to Hilary and Lilian.
the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
From this reading There had been some very severe weather which the girls had welcomed as making it possible to skate.
welcomedverbUS /ˈwelkəmd/
past form of “welcome” — accept gladly
From this reading There had been some very severe weather which the girls had welcomed as making it possible to skate.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading There had been some very severe weather which the girls had welcomed as making it possible to skate.
