used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A young man was shaving.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The smoothness of early youth was gone--for the time--and serious lines showed about the mouth and eyes.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading A sky, somber and leaden, arched above him, and now and then flakes of snow fell in the sodden trench, but John Scott went on placidly with his task.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His feet rested upon a broad plank embedded in mud, and the tiny glass in which he saw himself hung upon a wall of raw, reeking earth.
archedadjectiveUS /ɑːrtʃt/
constructed with or in the form of an arch or arches
From this reading A sky, somber and leaden, arched above him, and now and then flakes of snow fell in the sodden trench, but John Scott went on placidly with his task.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The face that looked back at him had been changed greatly in the last six months.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading The face that looked back at him had been changed greatly in the last six months.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The face that looked back at him had been changed greatly in the last six months.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading His feet rested upon a broad plank embedded in mud, and the tiny glass in which he saw himself hung upon a wall of raw, reeking earth.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading A sky, somber and leaden, arched above him, and now and then flakes of snow fell in the sodden trench, but John Scott went on placidly with his task.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading The face that looked back at him had been changed greatly in the last six months.
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading The smoothness of early youth was gone--for the time--and serious lines showed about the mouth and eyes.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading His feet rested upon a broad plank embedded in mud, and the tiny glass in which he saw himself hung upon a wall of raw, reeking earth.
embeddedadjectiveUS /emˈbedɪd/
enclosed firmly in a surrounding mass
From this reading His feet rested upon a broad plank embedded in mud, and the tiny glass in which he saw himself hung upon a wall of raw, reeking earth.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The smoothness of early youth was gone--for the time--and serious lines showed about the mouth and eyes.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The face that looked back at him had been changed greatly in the last six months.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading His feet rested upon a broad plank embedded in mud, and the tiny glass in which he saw himself hung upon a wall of raw, reeking earth.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading A sky, somber and leaden, arched above him, and now and then flakes of snow fell in the sodden trench, but John Scott went on placidly with his task.
flakesnounUS /fleɪks/
plural of “flake” — a crystal of snow
From this reading A sky, somber and leaden, arched above him, and now and then flakes of snow fell in the sodden trench, but John Scott went on placidly with his task.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The smoothness of early youth was gone--for the time--and serious lines showed about the mouth and eyes.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading His feet rested upon a broad plank embedded in mud, and the tiny glass in which he saw himself hung upon a wall of raw, reeking earth.
destroyed or killed
From this reading The smoothness of early youth was gone--for the time--and serious lines showed about the mouth and eyes.
to an extraordinary extent or degree
From this reading The face that looked back at him had been changed greatly in the last six months.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The face that looked back at him had been changed greatly in the last six months.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading His feet rested upon a broad plank embedded in mud, and the tiny glass in which he saw himself hung upon a wall of raw, reeking earth.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A sky, somber and leaden, arched above him, and now and then flakes of snow fell in the sodden trench, but John Scott went on placidly with his task.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading His feet rested upon a broad plank embedded in mud, and the tiny glass in which he saw himself hung upon a wall of raw, reeking earth.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His feet rested upon a broad plank embedded in mud, and the tiny glass in which he saw himself hung upon a wall of raw, reeking earth.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading His feet rested upon a broad plank embedded in mud, and the tiny glass in which he saw himself hung upon a wall of raw, reeking earth.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading His feet rested upon a broad plank embedded in mud, and the tiny glass in which he saw himself hung upon a wall of raw, reeking earth.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading A sky, somber and leaden, arched above him, and now and then flakes of snow fell in the sodden trench, but John Scott went on placidly with his task.
immediately past
From this reading The face that looked back at him had been changed greatly in the last six months.
leadenadjectiveUS /ˈledən/
darkened with overcast
From this reading A sky, somber and leaden, arched above him, and now and then flakes of snow fell in the sodden trench, but John Scott went on placidly with his task.
plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading The smoothness of early youth was gone--for the time--and serious lines showed about the mouth and eyes.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The face that looked back at him had been changed greatly in the last six months.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading A young man was shaving.
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading The face that looked back at him had been changed greatly in the last six months.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading The smoothness of early youth was gone--for the time--and serious lines showed about the mouth and eyes.
water soaked soil; soft wet earth
From this reading His feet rested upon a broad plank embedded in mud, and the tiny glass in which he saw himself hung upon a wall of raw, reeking earth.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading A sky, somber and leaden, arched above him, and now and then flakes of snow fell in the sodden trench, but John Scott went on placidly with his task.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading His feet rested upon a broad plank embedded in mud, and the tiny glass in which he saw himself hung upon a wall of raw, reeking earth.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A sky, somber and leaden, arched above him, and now and then flakes of snow fell in the sodden trench, but John Scott went on placidly with his task.
placidlyadverbUS /ˈplæsɪdli/
in a quiet and tranquil manner
From this reading A sky, somber and leaden, arched above him, and now and then flakes of snow fell in the sodden trench, but John Scott went on placidly with his task.
plankverbUS /plæŋk/
cover with planks
From this reading His feet rested upon a broad plank embedded in mud, and the tiny glass in which he saw himself hung upon a wall of raw, reeking earth.
rawadjectiveUS /rɑː/
(used especially of commodities) being unprocessed or manufactured using only simple or minimal processes
From this reading His feet rested upon a broad plank embedded in mud, and the tiny glass in which he saw himself hung upon a wall of raw, reeking earth.
reekingadjectiveUS /ˈriːkɪŋ/
wet with secreted or exuded moisture such as sweat or tears
From this reading His feet rested upon a broad plank embedded in mud, and the tiny glass in which he saw himself hung upon a wall of raw, reeking earth.
not tired; refreshed as by sleeping or relaxing
From this reading His feet rested upon a broad plank embedded in mud, and the tiny glass in which he saw himself hung upon a wall of raw, reeking earth.
cut with a saw
From this reading His feet rested upon a broad plank embedded in mud, and the tiny glass in which he saw himself hung upon a wall of raw, reeking earth.
ScottnounUS /skɑːt/
award-winning United States film actor (1928-1999)
From this reading A sky, somber and leaden, arched above him, and now and then flakes of snow fell in the sodden trench, but John Scott went on placidly with his task.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading The smoothness of early youth was gone--for the time--and serious lines showed about the mouth and eyes.
shavingnounUS /ˈʃeɪvɪŋ/
the act of removing hair with a razor
From this reading A young man was shaving.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading The smoothness of early youth was gone--for the time--and serious lines showed about the mouth and eyes.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading The face that looked back at him had been changed greatly in the last six months.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading A sky, somber and leaden, arched above him, and now and then flakes of snow fell in the sodden trench, but John Scott went on placidly with his task.
smoothnessnounUS /ˈsmuːðnəs/
a texture without roughness; smooth to the touch
From this reading The smoothness of early youth was gone--for the time--and serious lines showed about the mouth and eyes.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading A sky, somber and leaden, arched above him, and now and then flakes of snow fell in the sodden trench, but John Scott went on placidly with his task.
soddenadjectiveUS /ˈsɑːdən/
wet through and through; thoroughly wet
From this reading A sky, somber and leaden, arched above him, and now and then flakes of snow fell in the sodden trench, but John Scott went on placidly with his task.
somberadjectiveUS /ˈsɑːmbər/
lacking brightness or color; dull
From this reading A sky, somber and leaden, arched above him, and now and then flakes of snow fell in the sodden trench, but John Scott went on placidly with his task.
any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading A sky, somber and leaden, arched above him, and now and then flakes of snow fell in the sodden trench, but John Scott went on placidly with his task.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The face that looked back at him had been changed greatly in the last six months.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His feet rested upon a broad plank embedded in mud, and the tiny glass in which he saw himself hung upon a wall of raw, reeking earth.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading A sky, somber and leaden, arched above him, and now and then flakes of snow fell in the sodden trench, but John Scott went on placidly with his task.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading The smoothness of early youth was gone--for the time--and serious lines showed about the mouth and eyes.
very small
From this reading His feet rested upon a broad plank embedded in mud, and the tiny glass in which he saw himself hung upon a wall of raw, reeking earth.
trenchnounUS /trentʃ/
a ditch dug as a fortification having a parapet of the excavated earth
From this reading A sky, somber and leaden, arched above him, and now and then flakes of snow fell in the sodden trench, but John Scott went on placidly with his task.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading His feet rested upon a broad plank embedded in mud, and the tiny glass in which he saw himself hung upon a wall of raw, reeking earth.
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading His feet rested upon a broad plank embedded in mud, and the tiny glass in which he saw himself hung upon a wall of raw, reeking earth.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A young man was shaving.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading A sky, somber and leaden, arched above him, and now and then flakes of snow fell in the sodden trench, but John Scott went on placidly with his task.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading His feet rested upon a broad plank embedded in mud, and the tiny glass in which he saw himself hung upon a wall of raw, reeking earth.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A sky, somber and leaden, arched above him, and now and then flakes of snow fell in the sodden trench, but John Scott went on placidly with his task.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading A young man was shaving.
a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading The smoothness of early youth was gone--for the time--and serious lines showed about the mouth and eyes.
