used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There were all sorts of vague rumours of a sudden attack upon the North Sea Fleet at Rosyth, and a fierce cruiser battle, in which we had been badly beaten by Germany.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading The authentic account of a further landing in Essex--somewhere near Maldon--was now published.
(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 There were all sorts of vague rumours of a sudden attack upon the North Sea Fleet at Rosyth, and a fierce cruiser battle, in which we had been badly beaten by Germany.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There were all sorts of vague rumours of a sudden attack upon the North Sea Fleet at Rosyth, and a fierce cruiser battle, in which we had been badly beaten by Germany.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading That our fleet had been taken unawares was apparent.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading There were all sorts of vague rumours of a sudden attack upon the North Sea Fleet at Rosyth, and a fierce cruiser battle, in which we had been badly beaten by Germany.
(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
From this reading There were all sorts of vague rumours of a sudden attack upon the North Sea Fleet at Rosyth, and a fierce cruiser battle, in which we had been badly beaten by Germany.
authenticadjectiveUS /əˈθentɪk/
conforming to fact and therefore worthy of belief
From this reading The authentic account of a further landing in Essex--somewhere near Maldon--was now published.
to a severe or serious degree
From this reading There were all sorts of vague rumours of a sudden attack upon the North Sea Fleet at Rosyth, and a fierce cruiser battle, in which we had been badly beaten by Germany.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading There were all sorts of vague rumours of a sudden attack upon the North Sea Fleet at Rosyth, and a fierce cruiser battle, in which we had been badly beaten by Germany.
formed or made thin by hammering
From this reading There were all sorts of vague rumours of a sudden attack upon the North Sea Fleet at Rosyth, and a fierce cruiser battle, in which we had been badly beaten by Germany.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading That our fleet had been taken unawares was apparent.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading There were all sorts of vague rumours of a sudden attack upon the North Sea Fleet at Rosyth, and a fierce cruiser battle, in which we had been badly beaten by Germany.
campaignnounUS /kæmˈpeɪn/
a race between candidates for elective office
From this reading It is, however, the land campaign which we have here to record.
cruisernounUS /ˈkruːzər/
a car in which policemen cruise the streets; equipped with radiotelephonic communications to headquarters
From this reading There were all sorts of vague rumours of a sudden attack upon the North Sea Fleet at Rosyth, and a fierce cruiser battle, in which we had been badly beaten by Germany.
made known or openly avowed
From this reading STATE OF SIEGE DECLARED.
EssexnounUS /ˈesɪks/
a county in southeastern England on the North Sea and the Thames estuary
From this reading The authentic account of a further landing in Essex--somewhere near Maldon--was now published.
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading There were all sorts of vague rumours of a sudden attack upon the North Sea Fleet at Rosyth, and a fierce cruiser battle, in which we had been badly beaten by Germany.
group of aircraft operating together under the same ownership
From this reading That our fleet had been taken unawares was apparent.
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 The authentic account of a further landing in Essex--somewhere near Maldon--was now published.
GermanynounUS /ˈdʒɜːrməni/
a republic in central Europe; split into East Germany and West Germany after World War II and reunited in 1990
From this reading There were all sorts of vague rumours of a sudden attack upon the North Sea Fleet at Rosyth, and a fierce cruiser battle, in which we had been badly beaten by Germany.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading That our fleet had been taken unawares was apparent.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It is, however, the land campaign which we have here to record.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading It is, however, the land campaign which we have here to record.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading It is, however, the land campaign which we have here to record.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There were all sorts of vague rumours of a sudden attack upon the North Sea Fleet at Rosyth, and a fierce cruiser battle, in which we had been badly beaten by Germany.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is, however, the land campaign which we have here to record.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is, however, the land campaign which we have here to record.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading It is, however, the land campaign which we have here to record.
an intermediate platform in a staircase
From this reading The authentic account of a further landing in Essex--somewhere near Maldon--was now published.
Maldonnoun
a battle in which the Danes defeated the Saxons in 991; celebrated in an old English poem
From this reading The authentic account of a further landing in Essex--somewhere near Maldon--was now published.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading The authentic account of a further landing in Essex--somewhere near Maldon--was now published.
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading There were all sorts of vague rumours of a sudden attack upon the North Sea Fleet at Rosyth, and a fierce cruiser battle, in which we had been badly beaten by Germany.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The authentic account of a further landing in Essex--somewhere near Maldon--was now published.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading STATE OF SIEGE DECLARED.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading That our fleet had been taken unawares was apparent.
prepared and printed for distribution and sale
From this reading The authentic account of a further landing in Essex--somewhere near Maldon--was now published.
anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events
From this reading It is, however, the land campaign which we have here to record.
Rosyth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were all sorts of vague rumours of a sudden attack upon the North Sea Fleet at Rosyth, and a fierce cruiser battle, in which we had been badly beaten by Germany.
rumoursnounUS /ˈruːmərz/
plural of “rumour” — gossip (usually a mixture of truth and untruth) passed around by word of mouth
From this reading There were all sorts of vague rumours of a sudden attack upon the North Sea Fleet at Rosyth, and a fierce cruiser battle, in which we had been badly beaten by Germany.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading There were all sorts of vague rumours of a sudden attack upon the North Sea Fleet at Rosyth, and a fierce cruiser battle, in which we had been badly beaten by Germany.
SIEGEnounUS /siːdʒ/
the action of an armed force that surrounds a fortified place and isolates it while continuing to attack
From this reading STATE OF SIEGE DECLARED.
in or at or to some place
From this reading The authentic account of a further landing in Essex--somewhere near Maldon--was now published.
plural of “sort” — a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading There were all sorts of vague rumours of a sudden attack upon the North Sea Fleet at Rosyth, and a fierce cruiser battle, in which we had been badly beaten by Germany.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading STATE OF SIEGE DECLARED.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading There were all sorts of vague rumours of a sudden attack upon the North Sea Fleet at Rosyth, and a fierce cruiser battle, in which we had been badly beaten by Germany.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading That our fleet had been taken unawares was apparent.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That our fleet had been taken unawares was apparent.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There were all sorts of vague rumours of a sudden attack upon the North Sea Fleet at Rosyth, and a fierce cruiser battle, in which we had been badly beaten by Germany.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were all sorts of vague rumours of a sudden attack upon the North Sea Fleet at Rosyth, and a fierce cruiser battle, in which we had been badly beaten by Germany.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It is, however, the land campaign which we have here to record.
unawaresadverbUS /ˌʌnəˈwerz/
without forethought or plan; inadvertently
From this reading That our fleet had been taken unawares was apparent.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading There were all sorts of vague rumours of a sudden attack upon the North Sea Fleet at Rosyth, and a fierce cruiser battle, in which we had been badly beaten by Germany.
not clearly expressed or understood
From this reading There were all sorts of vague rumours of a sudden attack upon the North Sea Fleet at Rosyth, and a fierce cruiser battle, in which we had been badly beaten by Germany.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That our fleet had been taken unawares was apparent.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading There were all sorts of vague rumours of a sudden attack upon the North Sea Fleet at Rosyth, and a fierce cruiser battle, in which we had been badly beaten by Germany.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were all sorts of vague rumours of a sudden attack upon the North Sea Fleet at Rosyth, and a fierce cruiser battle, in which we had been badly beaten by Germany.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading There were all sorts of vague rumours of a sudden attack upon the North Sea Fleet at Rosyth, and a fierce cruiser battle, in which we had been badly beaten by Germany.
