used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A STRING OF GOLD BEADS A moment later Bates entered with a fresh supply of wood.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Possibly he had not heard the shots in the wood; at any rate, he tended the fire with his usual gravity, and after brushing the hearth paused respectfully.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Possibly he had not heard the shots in the wood; at any rate, he tended the fire with his usual gravity, and after brushing the hearth paused respectfully.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Possibly he had not heard the shots in the wood; at any rate, he tended the fire with his usual gravity, and after brushing the hearth paused respectfully.
any thing at all
From this reading “Is there anything further, sir?”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Possibly he had not heard the shots in the wood; at any rate, he tended the fire with his usual gravity, and after brushing the hearth paused respectfully.
BatesverbUS /beɪts/
third-person singular of “bate” — moderate or restrain; lessen the force of
From this reading A STRING OF GOLD BEADS A moment later Bates entered with a fresh supply of wood.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I watched him narrowly for some sign of perturbation, but he was not to be caught off guard.
BEADSnounUS /biːdz/
several beads threaded together on a string
From this reading A STRING OF GOLD BEADS A moment later Bates entered with a fresh supply of wood.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading “I believe not, Bates.
brushingnounUS /ˈbrʌʃɪŋ/
the act of brushing your teeth
From this reading Possibly he had not heard the shots in the wood; at any rate, he tended the fire with his usual gravity, and after brushing the hearth paused respectfully.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I watched him narrowly for some sign of perturbation, but he was not to be caught off guard.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading I watched him narrowly for some sign of perturbation, but he was not to be caught off guard.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading A STRING OF GOLD BEADS A moment later Bates entered with a fresh supply of wood.
start firing a weapon
From this reading Possibly he had not heard the shots in the wood; at any rate, he tended the fire with his usual gravity, and after brushing the hearth paused respectfully.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I watched him narrowly for some sign of perturbation, but he was not to be caught off guard.
recently made, produced, or harvested
From this reading A STRING OF GOLD BEADS A moment later Bates entered with a fresh supply of wood.
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading “Is there anything further, sir?”
coins made of gold
From this reading A STRING OF GOLD BEADS A moment later Bates entered with a fresh supply of wood.
gravitynounUS /ˈɡrævəti/
(physics) the force of attraction between all masses in the universe; especially the attraction of the earth's mass for bodies near its surface
From this reading Possibly he had not heard the shots in the wood; at any rate, he tended the fire with his usual gravity, and after brushing the hearth paused respectfully.
a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading I watched him narrowly for some sign of perturbation, but he was not to be caught off guard.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Possibly he had not heard the shots in the wood; at any rate, he tended the fire with his usual gravity, and after brushing the hearth paused respectfully.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I watched him narrowly for some sign of perturbation, but he was not to be caught off guard.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Possibly he had not heard the shots in the wood; at any rate, he tended the fire with his usual gravity, and after brushing the hearth paused respectfully.
hearthnounUS /hɑːrθ/
an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built
From this reading Possibly he had not heard the shots in the wood; at any rate, he tended the fire with his usual gravity, and after brushing the hearth paused respectfully.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I watched him narrowly for some sign of perturbation, but he was not to be caught off guard.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Possibly he had not heard the shots in the wood; at any rate, he tended the fire with his usual gravity, and after brushing the hearth paused respectfully.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I watched him narrowly for some sign of perturbation, but he was not to be caught off guard.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Possibly he had not heard the shots in the wood; at any rate, he tended the fire with his usual gravity, and after brushing the hearth paused respectfully.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Is there anything further, sir?”
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading A STRING OF GOLD BEADS A moment later Bates entered with a fresh supply of wood.
a particular point in time
From this reading A STRING OF GOLD BEADS A moment later Bates entered with a fresh supply of wood.
narrowlyadverbUS /ˈneroʊli/
in a narrow manner; not allowing for exceptions
From this reading I watched him narrowly for some sign of perturbation, but he was not to be caught off guard.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I watched him narrowly for some sign of perturbation, but he was not to be caught off guard.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A STRING OF GOLD BEADS A moment later Bates entered with a fresh supply of wood.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading I watched him narrowly for some sign of perturbation, but he was not to be caught off guard.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading Possibly he had not heard the shots in the wood; at any rate, he tended the fire with his usual gravity, and after brushing the hearth paused respectfully.
perturbationnounUS /ˌpɜːrtərˈbeɪʃən/
an unhappy and worried mental state
From this reading I watched him narrowly for some sign of perturbation, but he was not to be caught off guard.
by chance
From this reading Possibly he had not heard the shots in the wood; at any rate, he tended the fire with his usual gravity, and after brushing the hearth paused respectfully.
a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit
From this reading Possibly he had not heard the shots in the wood; at any rate, he tended the fire with his usual gravity, and after brushing the hearth paused respectfully.
respectfullyadverbUS /rɪˈspektfəli/
in a respectful manner
From this reading Possibly he had not heard the shots in the wood; at any rate, he tended the fire with his usual gravity, and after brushing the hearth paused respectfully.
shotsnounUS /ʃɑːts/
plural of “shot” — the act of firing a projectile
From this reading Possibly he had not heard the shots in the wood; at any rate, he tended the fire with his usual gravity, and after brushing the hearth paused respectfully.
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading I watched him narrowly for some sign of perturbation, but he was not to be caught off guard.
term of address for a man
From this reading “Is there anything further, sir?”
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading I watched him narrowly for some sign of perturbation, but he was not to be caught off guard.
STRINGnounUS /strɪŋ/
a lightweight cord
From this reading A STRING OF GOLD BEADS A moment later Bates entered with a fresh supply of wood.
give something useful or necessary to
From this reading A STRING OF GOLD BEADS A moment later Bates entered with a fresh supply of wood.
tendedverbUS /ˈtendɪd/
past form of “tend” — have a tendency or disposition to do or be something; be inclined
From this reading Possibly he had not heard the shots in the wood; at any rate, he tended the fire with his usual gravity, and after brushing the hearth paused respectfully.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Possibly he had not heard the shots in the wood; at any rate, he tended the fire with his usual gravity, and after brushing the hearth paused respectfully.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “Is there anything further, sir?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I watched him narrowly for some sign of perturbation, but he was not to be caught off guard.
usualadjectiveUS /ˈjuːʒəwəl/
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading Possibly he had not heard the shots in the wood; at any rate, he tended the fire with his usual gravity, and after brushing the hearth paused respectfully.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I watched him narrowly for some sign of perturbation, but he was not to be caught off guard.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading I watched him narrowly for some sign of perturbation, but he was not to be caught off guard.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A STRING OF GOLD BEADS A moment later Bates entered with a fresh supply of wood.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading A STRING OF GOLD BEADS A moment later Bates entered with a fresh supply of wood.
