aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “We had better be about it, then,” said Johnston, rising stiffly and holding to the ropes.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “We had better be about it, then,” said Johnston, rising stiffly and holding to the ropes.
asphyxiatedadjectiveUS /æˈsfɪksieɪtɪd/
in a state of asphyxia
From this reading “If we should go down in the water with the balloon we would get tangled in the ropes and get asphyxiated with the gas.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading We had better hang down under the basket and let go at exactly the same time.”
balloonnounUS /bəˈluːn/
large tough nonrigid bag filled with gas or heated air
From this reading There is no use trying to save the balloon.”
a container that is usually woven and has handles
From this reading We had better hang down under the basket and let go at exactly the same time.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “We had better be about it, then,” said Johnston, rising stiffly and holding to the ropes.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading The water was not more than forty feet beneath, and the island was getting nearer every instant.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading “We had better be about it, then,” said Johnston, rising stiffly and holding to the ropes.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “If we should go down in the water with the balloon we would get tangled in the ropes and get asphyxiated with the gas.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading The water was not more than forty feet beneath, and the island was getting nearer every instant.
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading We had better hang down under the basket and let go at exactly the same time.”
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading The water was not more than forty feet beneath, and the island was getting nearer every instant.
fortyadjectiveUS /ˈfɔːrti/
being ten more than thirty
From this reading The water was not more than forty feet beneath, and the island was getting nearer every instant.
gasnounUS /ɡæs/
the state of matter distinguished from the solid and liquid states by: relatively low density and viscosity
From this reading “If we should go down in the water with the balloon we would get tangled in the ropes and get asphyxiated with the gas.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “If we should go down in the water with the balloon we would get tangled in the ropes and get asphyxiated with the gas.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading The water was not more than forty feet beneath, and the island was getting nearer every instant.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “If we should go down in the water with the balloon we would get tangled in the ropes and get asphyxiated with the gas.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “We had better be about it, then,” said Johnston, rising stiffly and holding to the ropes.
be suspended or hanging
From this reading We had better hang down under the basket and let go at exactly the same time.”
the act of retaining something
From this reading “We had better be about it, then,” said Johnston, rising stiffly and holding to the ropes.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If we should go down in the water with the balloon we would get tangled in the ropes and get asphyxiated with the gas.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “If we should go down in the water with the balloon we would get tangled in the ropes and get asphyxiated with the gas.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading The water was not more than forty feet beneath, and the island was getting nearer every instant.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There is no use trying to save the balloon.”
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading The water was not more than forty feet beneath, and the island was getting nearer every instant.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “We had better be about it, then,” said Johnston, rising stiffly and holding to the ropes.
JohnstonnounUS /ˈdʒɑːnstən/
Confederate general in the American Civil War; led the Confederate troops in the West (1807-1891)
From this reading “We had better be about it, then,” said Johnston, rising stiffly and holding to the ropes.
letauxiliary verbUS /let/
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading We had better hang down under the basket and let go at exactly the same time.”
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The water was not more than forty feet beneath, and the island was getting nearer every instant.
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading The water was not more than forty feet beneath, and the island was getting nearer every instant.
not any; not one
From this reading There is no use trying to save the balloon.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The water was not more than forty feet beneath, and the island was getting nearer every instant.
advancing or becoming higher or greater in degree or value or status
From this reading “We had better be about it, then,” said Johnston, rising stiffly and holding to the ropes.
ropesnounUS /roʊps/
plural of “rope” — a strong line
From this reading “We had better be about it, then,” said Johnston, rising stiffly and holding to the ropes.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “We had better be about it, then,” said Johnston, rising stiffly and holding to the ropes.
Identical; not different.
From this reading We had better hang down under the basket and let go at exactly the same time.”
except for; apart from
From this reading There is no use trying to save the balloon.”
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading “If we should go down in the water with the balloon we would get tangled in the ropes and get asphyxiated with the gas.
stifflyadverbUS /ˈstɪfli/
in a stiff manner
From this reading “We had better be about it, then,” said Johnston, rising stiffly and holding to the ropes.
tangledadjectiveUS /ˈtæŋɡəld/
in a confused mass
From this reading “If we should go down in the water with the balloon we would get tangled in the ropes and get asphyxiated with the gas.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The water was not more than forty feet beneath, and the island was getting nearer every instant.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There is no use trying to save the balloon.”
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “We had better be about it, then,” said Johnston, rising stiffly and holding to the ropes.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There is no use trying to save the balloon.”
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading We had better hang down under the basket and let go at exactly the same time.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There is no use trying to save the balloon.”
hard to endure
From this reading There is no use trying to save the balloon.”
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading We had better hang down under the basket and let go at exactly the same time.”
the act of using
From this reading There is no use trying to save the balloon.”
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The water was not more than forty feet beneath, and the island was getting nearer every instant.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading “If we should go down in the water with the balloon we would get tangled in the ropes and get asphyxiated with the gas.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “We had better be about it, then,” said Johnston, rising stiffly and holding to the ropes.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “If we should go down in the water with the balloon we would get tangled in the ropes and get asphyxiated with the gas.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “If we should go down in the water with the balloon we would get tangled in the ropes and get asphyxiated with the gas.
