adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading In that hour his nerves had been keyed to a tension that was almost at the breaking point.
almostadverbUS /ˈɔːlmoʊst/
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading In that hour his nerves had been keyed to a tension that was almost at the breaking point.
AndeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An hour later Philip looked at his watch.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Not a sound came from off the Barren or from out of the scrub timber that did not hold a mental and physical shock for him.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading An hour later Philip looked at his watch.
BarrenadjectiveUS /ˈbærən/
providing no shelter or sustenance
From this reading Not a sound came from off the Barren or from out of the scrub timber that did not hold a mental and physical shock for him.
beastsnounUS /biːsts/
plural of “beast” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading He believed that Bram and his pack would come up quietly; that he would not hear the man's footsteps or the soft pads of his beasts until they were very near.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading In that hour his nerves had been keyed to a tension that was almost at the breaking point.
believedverbUS /bɪˈliːvd/
past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading He believed that Bram and his pack would come up quietly; that he would not hear the man's footsteps or the soft pads of his beasts until they were very near.
Bram
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He believed that Bram and his pack would come up quietly; that he would not hear the man's footsteps or the soft pads of his beasts until they were very near.
breakingnounUS /ˈbreɪkɪŋ/
the act of breaking something
From this reading In that hour his nerves had been keyed to a tension that was almost at the breaking point.
cameverbUS /keɪm/
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Not a sound came from off the Barren or from out of the scrub timber that did not hold a mental and physical shock for him.
closeadjectiveUS /kloʊs/
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading It was close to midnight.
comeverbUS /kʌm/
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He believed that Bram and his pack would come up quietly; that he would not hear the man's footsteps or the soft pads of his beasts until they were very near.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Not a sound came from off the Barren or from out of the scrub timber that did not hold a mental and physical shock for him.
footstepsnounUS /ˈfʊtsteps/
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading He believed that Bram and his pack would come up quietly; that he would not hear the man's footsteps or the soft pads of his beasts until they were very near.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Not a sound came from off the Barren or from out of the scrub timber that did not hold a mental and physical shock for him.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Not a sound came from off the Barren or from out of the scrub timber that did not hold a mental and physical shock for him.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading In that hour his nerves had been keyed to a tension that was almost at the breaking point.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He believed that Bram and his pack would come up quietly; that he would not hear the man's footsteps or the soft pads of his beasts until they were very near.
hearverbUS /hiːr/
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading He believed that Bram and his pack would come up quietly; that he would not hear the man's footsteps or the soft pads of his beasts until they were very near.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Not a sound came from off the Barren or from out of the scrub timber that did not hold a mental and physical shock for him.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading An hour later Philip looked at his watch.
holdverbUS /hoʊld/
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Not a sound came from off the Barren or from out of the scrub timber that did not hold a mental and physical shock for him.
hournounUS /ˈaʊər/
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading An hour later Philip looked at his watch.
InprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In that hour his nerves had been keyed to a tension that was almost at the breaking point.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was close to midnight.
keyedadjectiveUS /kiːd/
fitted with or secured by a key
From this reading In that hour his nerves had been keyed to a tension that was almost at the breaking point.
lateradverbUS /ˈleɪtər/
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading An hour later Philip looked at his watch.
lookedverbUS /lʊkt/
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading An hour later Philip looked at his watch.
man'snounUS /mænz/
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He believed that Bram and his pack would come up quietly; that he would not hear the man's footsteps or the soft pads of his beasts until they were very near.
mentaladjectiveUS /ˈmentəl/
involving the mind or an intellectual process
From this reading Not a sound came from off the Barren or from out of the scrub timber that did not hold a mental and physical shock for him.
midnightnounUS /ˈmɪdnaɪt/
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading It was close to midnight.
nearadverbUS /nɪr/
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading He believed that Bram and his pack would come up quietly; that he would not hear the man's footsteps or the soft pads of his beasts until they were very near.
nervesnounUS /nɜːrvz/
an uneasy psychological state
From this reading In that hour his nerves had been keyed to a tension that was almost at the breaking point.
NotadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not a sound came from off the Barren or from out of the scrub timber that did not hold a mental and physical shock for him.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Not a sound came from off the Barren or from out of the scrub timber that did not hold a mental and physical shock for him.
offadverbUS /ɔːf/
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Not a sound came from off the Barren or from out of the scrub timber that did not hold a mental and physical shock for him.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Not a sound came from off the Barren or from out of the scrub timber that did not hold a mental and physical shock for him.
outadjectiveUS /aʊt/
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Not a sound came from off the Barren or from out of the scrub timber that did not hold a mental and physical shock for him.
packverbUS /pæk/
arrange in a container
From this reading He believed that Bram and his pack would come up quietly; that he would not hear the man's footsteps or the soft pads of his beasts until they were very near.
padsnounUS /pædz/
plural of “pad” — a number of sheets of paper fastened together along one edge
From this reading He believed that Bram and his pack would come up quietly; that he would not hear the man's footsteps or the soft pads of his beasts until they were very near.
PhilipnounUS /ˈfɪləp/
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading An hour later Philip looked at his watch.
physicaladjectiveUS /ˈfɪzɪkəl/
involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit
From this reading Not a sound came from off the Barren or from out of the scrub timber that did not hold a mental and physical shock for him.
pointnounUS /pɔɪnt/
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading In that hour his nerves had been keyed to a tension that was almost at the breaking point.
quietlyadverbUS /ˈkwaɪətli/
with low volume
From this reading He believed that Bram and his pack would come up quietly; that he would not hear the man's footsteps or the soft pads of his beasts until they were very near.
scrubverbUS /skrʌb/
clean with hard rubbing
From this reading Not a sound came from off the Barren or from out of the scrub timber that did not hold a mental and physical shock for him.
shocknounUS /ʃɑːk/
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading Not a sound came from off the Barren or from out of the scrub timber that did not hold a mental and physical shock for him.
softadjectiveUS /sɑːft/
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading He believed that Bram and his pack would come up quietly; that he would not hear the man's footsteps or the soft pads of his beasts until they were very near.
soundnounUS /saʊnd/
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Not a sound came from off the Barren or from out of the scrub timber that did not hold a mental and physical shock for him.
tensionnounUS /ˈtenʃən/
(psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense
From this reading In that hour his nerves had been keyed to a tension that was almost at the breaking point.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading In that hour his nerves had been keyed to a tension that was almost at the breaking point.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In that hour his nerves had been keyed to a tension that was almost at the breaking point.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He believed that Bram and his pack would come up quietly; that he would not hear the man's footsteps or the soft pads of his beasts until they were very near.
timbernounUS /ˈtɪmbər/
the wood of trees cut and prepared for use as building material
From this reading Not a sound came from off the Barren or from out of the scrub timber that did not hold a mental and physical shock for him.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was close to midnight.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading He believed that Bram and his pack would come up quietly; that he would not hear the man's footsteps or the soft pads of his beasts until they were very near.
upadjectiveUS /ʌp/
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He believed that Bram and his pack would come up quietly; that he would not hear the man's footsteps or the soft pads of his beasts until they were very near.
veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/
precisely as stated
From this reading He believed that Bram and his pack would come up quietly; that he would not hear the man's footsteps or the soft pads of his beasts until they were very near.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was close to midnight.
watchverbUS /wɑːtʃ/
look attentively
From this reading An hour later Philip looked at his watch.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He believed that Bram and his pack would come up quietly; that he would not hear the man's footsteps or the soft pads of his beasts until they were very near.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He believed that Bram and his pack would come up quietly; that he would not hear the man's footsteps or the soft pads of his beasts until they were very near.
