used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The intense darkness of a few hours ago had passed away, and it was possible on the roof to see dimly the figure of the old man, the parapet, and the lead.
in the past
From this reading The intense darkness of a few hours ago had passed away, and it was possible on the roof to see dimly the figure of the old man, the parapet, and the lead.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The intense darkness of a few hours ago had passed away, and it was possible on the roof to see dimly the figure of the old man, the parapet, and the lead.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading In each of the four corners, but so placed as not to obstruct the shoot wholly, and yet to impinge upon it, lay a heap of something.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The intense darkness of a few hours ago had passed away, and it was possible on the roof to see dimly the figure of the old man, the parapet, and the lead.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading In each of the four corners, but so placed as not to obstruct the shoot wholly, and yet to impinge upon it, lay a heap of something.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading Towards each of the four corners of the lead the roof sloped gently, and in each corner was a shoot leading to a pipe.
cornersnounUS /ˈkɔːrnərz/
plural of “corner” — a place off to the side of an area
From this reading Towards each of the four corners of the lead the roof sloped gently, and in each corner was a shoot leading to a pipe.
CrawfordnounUS /ˈkrɔːfərd/
United States neoclassical sculptor (1814-1857)
From this reading When Crawford reached the roof it was still dark.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading When Crawford reached the roof it was still dark.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading The intense darkness of a few hours ago had passed away, and it was possible on the roof to see dimly the figure of the old man, the parapet, and the lead.
dimlyadverbUS /ˈdɪmli/
in a dim indistinct manner
From this reading The intense darkness of a few hours ago had passed away, and it was possible on the roof to see dimly the figure of the old man, the parapet, and the lead.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Towards each of the four corners of the lead the roof sloped gently, and in each corner was a shoot leading to a pipe.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading The intense darkness of a few hours ago had passed away, and it was possible on the roof to see dimly the figure of the old man, the parapet, and the lead.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading The intense darkness of a few hours ago had passed away, and it was possible on the roof to see dimly the figure of the old man, the parapet, and the lead.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading Towards each of the four corners of the lead the roof sloped gently, and in each corner was a shoot leading to a pipe.
in a gradual manner
From this reading Towards each of the four corners of the lead the roof sloped gently, and in each corner was a shoot leading to a pipe.
gutternounUS /ˈɡʌtər/
a channel along the eaves or on the roof; collects and carries away rainwater
From this reading To each of those heaps the old man went in succession, moving the heaps so as to make them impinge a little more upon the gutter.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The intense darkness of a few hours ago had passed away, and it was possible on the roof to see dimly the figure of the old man, the parapet, and the lead.
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading In each of the four corners, but so placed as not to obstruct the shoot wholly, and yet to impinge upon it, lay a heap of something.
heapsnounUS /hiːps/
a large number or amount
From this reading To each of those heaps the old man went in succession, moving the heaps so as to make them impinge a little more upon the gutter.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading The intense darkness of a few hours ago had passed away, and it was possible on the roof to see dimly the figure of the old man, the parapet, and the lead.
impingeverbUS /ˌɪmˈpɪndʒ/
impinge or infringe upon
From this reading In each of the four corners, but so placed as not to obstruct the shoot wholly, and yet to impinge upon it, lay a heap of something.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Towards each of the four corners of the lead the roof sloped gently, and in each corner was a shoot leading to a pipe.
possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree
From this reading The intense darkness of a few hours ago had passed away, and it was possible on the roof to see dimly the figure of the old man, the parapet, and the lead.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading When Crawford reached the roof it was still dark.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading In each of the four corners, but so placed as not to obstruct the shoot wholly, and yet to impinge upon it, lay a heap of something.
take somebody somewhere
From this reading The intense darkness of a few hours ago had passed away, and it was possible on the roof to see dimly the figure of the old man, the parapet, and the lead.
indicating the most important performer or role
From this reading Towards each of the four corners of the lead the roof sloped gently, and in each corner was a shoot leading to a pipe.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading To each of those heaps the old man went in succession, moving the heaps so as to make them impinge a little more upon the gutter.
engage in
From this reading To each of those heaps the old man went in succession, moving the heaps so as to make them impinge a little more upon the gutter.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The intense darkness of a few hours ago had passed away, and it was possible on the roof to see dimly the figure of the old man, the parapet, and the lead.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading To each of those heaps the old man went in succession, moving the heaps so as to make them impinge a little more upon the gutter.
in motion
From this reading To each of those heaps the old man went in succession, moving the heaps so as to make them impinge a little more upon the gutter.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading In each of the four corners, but so placed as not to obstruct the shoot wholly, and yet to impinge upon it, lay a heap of something.
obstructverbUS /əbˈstrʌkt/
hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of
From this reading In each of the four corners, but so placed as not to obstruct the shoot wholly, and yet to impinge upon it, lay a heap of something.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The intense darkness of a few hours ago had passed away, and it was possible on the roof to see dimly the figure of the old man, the parapet, and the lead.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The intense darkness of a few hours ago had passed away, and it was possible on the roof to see dimly the figure of the old man, the parapet, and the lead.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The intense darkness of a few hours ago had passed away, and it was possible on the roof to see dimly the figure of the old man, the parapet, and the lead.
parapetnounUS /ˈperəpet/
a low wall along the edge of a roof or balcony
From this reading The intense darkness of a few hours ago had passed away, and it was possible on the roof to see dimly the figure of the old man, the parapet, and the lead.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading The intense darkness of a few hours ago had passed away, and it was possible on the roof to see dimly the figure of the old man, the parapet, and the lead.
a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
From this reading Towards each of the four corners of the lead the roof sloped gently, and in each corner was a shoot leading to a pipe.
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading In each of the four corners, but so placed as not to obstruct the shoot wholly, and yet to impinge upon it, lay a heap of something.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading The intense darkness of a few hours ago had passed away, and it was possible on the roof to see dimly the figure of the old man, the parapet, and the lead.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading When Crawford reached the roof it was still dark.
a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
From this reading When Crawford reached the roof it was still dark.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading The intense darkness of a few hours ago had passed away, and it was possible on the roof to see dimly the figure of the old man, the parapet, and the lead.
hit with a missile from a weapon
From this reading Towards each of the four corners of the lead the roof sloped gently, and in each corner was a shoot leading to a pipe.
slopedadjective
having an oblique or slanted direction
From this reading Towards each of the four corners of the lead the roof sloped gently, and in each corner was a shoot leading to a pipe.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading In each of the four corners, but so placed as not to obstruct the shoot wholly, and yet to impinge upon it, lay a heap of something.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading In each of the four corners, but so placed as not to obstruct the shoot wholly, and yet to impinge upon it, lay a heap of something.
not in physical motion
From this reading When Crawford reached the roof it was still dark.
successionnounUS /səkˈseʃən/
a following of one thing after another in time
From this reading To each of those heaps the old man went in succession, moving the heaps so as to make them impinge a little more upon the gutter.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When Crawford reached the roof it was still dark.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading To each of those heaps the old man went in succession, moving the heaps so as to make them impinge a little more upon the gutter.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading To each of those heaps the old man went in succession, moving the heaps so as to make them impinge a little more upon the gutter.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The intense darkness of a few hours ago had passed away, and it was possible on the roof to see dimly the figure of the old man, the parapet, and the lead.
in the direction of
From this reading Towards each of the four corners of the lead the roof sloped gently, and in each corner was a shoot leading to a pipe.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading In each of the four corners, but so placed as not to obstruct the shoot wholly, and yet to impinge upon it, lay a heap of something.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When Crawford reached the roof it was still dark.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading To each of those heaps the old man went in succession, moving the heaps so as to make them impinge a little more upon the gutter.
at the time that
From this reading When Crawford reached the roof it was still dark.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading In each of the four corners, but so placed as not to obstruct the shoot wholly, and yet to impinge upon it, lay a heap of something.
but in spite of that
From this reading In each of the four corners, but so placed as not to obstruct the shoot wholly, and yet to impinge upon it, lay a heap of something.
