used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A TERRIBLE LOSS.
afloatadjectiveUS /əˈfloʊt/
aimlessly drifting
From this reading The first plunge made me shiver from head to foot, and it was only by instinct that I kept my mouth shut and struck out to keep myself afloat.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading To be suddenly aroused out of a sound sleep, and immediately afterwards to find yourself struggling in deep, dark water is not an experience to be desired.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading To be suddenly aroused out of a sound sleep, and immediately afterwards to find yourself struggling in deep, dark water is not an experience to be desired.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading To be suddenly aroused out of a sound sleep, and immediately afterwards to find yourself struggling in deep, dark water is not an experience to be desired.
arousedadjectiveUS /ərˈaʊzd/
aroused to action
From this reading To be suddenly aroused out of a sound sleep, and immediately afterwards to find yourself struggling in deep, dark water is not an experience to be desired.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading To be suddenly aroused out of a sound sleep, and immediately afterwards to find yourself struggling in deep, dark water is not an experience to be desired.
a youthful male person
From this reading It was some time ere I could recover and call out to the cabin boy:
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The first plunge made me shiver from head to foot, and it was only by instinct that I kept my mouth shut and struck out to keep myself afloat.
small room on a ship or boat where people sleep
From this reading It was some time ere I could recover and call out to the cabin boy:
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading It was some time ere I could recover and call out to the cabin boy:
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I had not the slightest notion of what had happened, and in the darkness could see nothing.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading To be suddenly aroused out of a sound sleep, and immediately afterwards to find yourself struggling in deep, dark water is not an experience to be desired.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading I had not the slightest notion of what had happened, and in the darkness could see nothing.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading To be suddenly aroused out of a sound sleep, and immediately afterwards to find yourself struggling in deep, dark water is not an experience to be desired.
wanted intensely
From this reading To be suddenly aroused out of a sound sleep, and immediately afterwards to find yourself struggling in deep, dark water is not an experience to be desired.
an old word for “before”
From this reading It was some time ere I could recover and call out to the cabin boy:
undergo or live through a difficult experience
From this reading To be suddenly aroused out of a sound sleep, and immediately afterwards to find yourself struggling in deep, dark water is not an experience to be desired.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading To be suddenly aroused out of a sound sleep, and immediately afterwards to find yourself struggling in deep, dark water is not an experience to be desired.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The first plunge made me shiver from head to foot, and it was only by instinct that I kept my mouth shut and struck out to keep myself afloat.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading The first plunge made me shiver from head to foot, and it was only by instinct that I kept my mouth shut and struck out to keep myself afloat.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The first plunge made me shiver from head to foot, and it was only by instinct that I kept my mouth shut and struck out to keep myself afloat.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had not the slightest notion of what had happened, and in the darkness could see nothing.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading I had not the slightest notion of what had happened, and in the darkness could see nothing.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading The first plunge made me shiver from head to foot, and it was only by instinct that I kept my mouth shut and struck out to keep myself afloat.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The first plunge made me shiver from head to foot, and it was only by instinct that I kept my mouth shut and struck out to keep myself afloat.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading To be suddenly aroused out of a sound sleep, and immediately afterwards to find yourself struggling in deep, dark water is not an experience to be desired.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading To be suddenly aroused out of a sound sleep, and immediately afterwards to find yourself struggling in deep, dark water is not an experience to be desired.
inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli
From this reading The first plunge made me shiver from head to foot, and it was only by instinct that I kept my mouth shut and struck out to keep myself afloat.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading To be suddenly aroused out of a sound sleep, and immediately afterwards to find yourself struggling in deep, dark water is not an experience to be desired.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The first plunge made me shiver from head to foot, and it was only by instinct that I kept my mouth shut and struck out to keep myself afloat.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading The first plunge made me shiver from head to foot, and it was only by instinct that I kept my mouth shut and struck out to keep myself afloat.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading The first plunge made me shiver from head to foot, and it was only by instinct that I kept my mouth shut and struck out to keep myself afloat.
something that is lost
From this reading A TERRIBLE LOSS.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading The first plunge made me shiver from head to foot, and it was only by instinct that I kept my mouth shut and struck out to keep myself afloat.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The first plunge made me shiver from head to foot, and it was only by instinct that I kept my mouth shut and struck out to keep myself afloat.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading The first plunge made me shiver from head to foot, and it was only by instinct that I kept my mouth shut and struck out to keep myself afloat.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The first plunge made me shiver from head to foot, and it was only by instinct that I kept my mouth shut and struck out to keep myself afloat.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading The first plunge made me shiver from head to foot, and it was only by instinct that I kept my mouth shut and struck out to keep myself afloat.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading To be suddenly aroused out of a sound sleep, and immediately afterwards to find yourself struggling in deep, dark water is not an experience to be desired.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading I had not the slightest notion of what had happened, and in the darkness could see nothing.
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading I had not the slightest notion of what had happened, and in the darkness could see nothing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading To be suddenly aroused out of a sound sleep, and immediately afterwards to find yourself struggling in deep, dark water is not an experience to be desired.
and nothing more
From this reading The first plunge made me shiver from head to foot, and it was only by instinct that I kept my mouth shut and struck out to keep myself afloat.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading To be suddenly aroused out of a sound sleep, and immediately afterwards to find yourself struggling in deep, dark water is not an experience to be desired.
plungeverbUS /plʌndʒ/
thrust or throw into
From this reading The first plunge made me shiver from head to foot, and it was only by instinct that I kept my mouth shut and struck out to keep myself afloat.
recoververbUS /rɪˈkʌvər/
get or find back; recover the use of
From this reading It was some time ere I could recover and call out to the cabin boy:
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I had not the slightest notion of what had happened, and in the darkness could see nothing.
shiververbUS /ˈʃɪvər/
tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement
From this reading The first plunge made me shiver from head to foot, and it was only by instinct that I kept my mouth shut and struck out to keep myself afloat.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading The first plunge made me shiver from head to foot, and it was only by instinct that I kept my mouth shut and struck out to keep myself afloat.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading To be suddenly aroused out of a sound sleep, and immediately afterwards to find yourself struggling in deep, dark water is not an experience to be desired.
superlative of “slight” — (quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none or (with “a”) at least some
From this reading I had not the slightest notion of what had happened, and in the darkness could see nothing.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It was some time ere I could recover and call out to the cabin boy:
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading To be suddenly aroused out of a sound sleep, and immediately afterwards to find yourself struggling in deep, dark water is not an experience to be desired.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading The first plunge made me shiver from head to foot, and it was only by instinct that I kept my mouth shut and struck out to keep myself afloat.
engaged in a struggle to overcome especially poverty or obscurity
From this reading To be suddenly aroused out of a sound sleep, and immediately afterwards to find yourself struggling in deep, dark water is not an experience to be desired.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading To be suddenly aroused out of a sound sleep, and immediately afterwards to find yourself struggling in deep, dark water is not an experience to be desired.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading A TERRIBLE LOSS.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The first plunge made me shiver from head to foot, and it was only by instinct that I kept my mouth shut and struck out to keep myself afloat.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The first plunge made me shiver from head to foot, and it was only by instinct that I kept my mouth shut and struck out to keep myself afloat.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It was some time ere I could recover and call out to the cabin boy:
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To be suddenly aroused out of a sound sleep, and immediately afterwards to find yourself struggling in deep, dark water is not an experience to be desired.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The first plunge made me shiver from head to foot, and it was only by instinct that I kept my mouth shut and struck out to keep myself afloat.
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 To be suddenly aroused out of a sound sleep, and immediately afterwards to find yourself struggling in deep, dark water is not an experience to be desired.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I had not the slightest notion of what had happened, and in the darkness could see nothing.
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading To be suddenly aroused out of a sound sleep, and immediately afterwards to find yourself struggling in deep, dark water is not an experience to be desired.
