used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The shells were coming over pretty fast, and I gathered that we were now more or less cut off, owing to the rebels having obtained possession of a new part of the suburbs.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading We were not able to return to Johannesburg that night.
(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 All the excitement and anxiety of the last two days had left me little better than a limp rag.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The shells were coming over pretty fast, and I gathered that we were now more or less cut off, owing to the rebels having obtained possession of a new part of the suburbs.
(psychiatry) a relatively permanent state of worry and nervousness occurring in a variety of mental disorders, usually accompanied by compulsive behavior or attacks of panic
From this reading All the excitement and anxiety of the last two days had left me little better than a limp rag.
(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 All the excitement and anxiety of the last two days had left me little better than a limp rag.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading The shells were coming over pretty fast, and I gathered that we were now more or less cut off, owing to the rebels having obtained possession of a new part of the suburbs.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading The shells were coming over pretty fast, and I gathered that we were now more or less cut off, owing to the rebels having obtained possession of a new part of the suburbs.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading All the excitement and anxiety of the last two days had left me little better than a limp rag.
droppingadjectiveUS /ˈdrɑːpɪŋ/
coming down freely under the influence of gravity
From this reading I was dropping with fatigue.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading All the excitement and anxiety of the last two days had left me little better than a limp rag.
be a farmer; work as a farmer
From this reading Our place of refuge was a farm some twenty miles or so from Johannesburg—right out on the veld.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading The shells were coming over pretty fast, and I gathered that we were now more or less cut off, owing to the rebels having obtained possession of a new part of the suburbs.
fatiguenounUS /fəˈtiːɡ/
temporary loss of strength and energy resulting from hard physical or mental work
From this reading I was dropping with fatigue.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Our place of refuge was a farm some twenty miles or so from Johannesburg—right out on the veld.
brought together in one place
From this reading The shells were coming over pretty fast, and I gathered that we were now more or less cut off, owing to the rebels having obtained possession of a new part of the suburbs.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading All the excitement and anxiety of the last two days had left me little better than a limp rag.
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading The shells were coming over pretty fast, and I gathered that we were now more or less cut off, owing to the rebels having obtained possession of a new part of the suburbs.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The shells were coming over pretty fast, and I gathered that we were now more or less cut off, owing to the rebels having obtained possession of a new part of the suburbs.
JohannesburgnounUS /ˌdʒoʊˈhænɪsbərɡ/
city in the northeastern part of South Africa near Pretoria; commercial center for diamond and gold industries
From this reading We were not able to return to Johannesburg that night.
immediately past
From this reading All the excitement and anxiety of the last two days had left me little better than a limp rag.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading All the excitement and anxiety of the last two days had left me little better than a limp rag.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading The shells were coming over pretty fast, and I gathered that we were now more or less cut off, owing to the rebels having obtained possession of a new part of the suburbs.
limpverbUS /lɪmp/
walk impeded by some physical limitation or injury
From this reading All the excitement and anxiety of the last two days had left me little better than a limp rag.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading All the excitement and anxiety of the last two days had left me little better than a limp rag.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading All the excitement and anxiety of the last two days had left me little better than a limp rag.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading Our place of refuge was a farm some twenty miles or so from Johannesburg—right out on the veld.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The shells were coming over pretty fast, and I gathered that we were now more or less cut off, owing to the rebels having obtained possession of a new part of the suburbs.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading The shells were coming over pretty fast, and I gathered that we were now more or less cut off, owing to the rebels having obtained possession of a new part of the suburbs.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading We were not able to return to Johannesburg that night.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading We were not able to return to Johannesburg that night.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The shells were coming over pretty fast, and I gathered that we were now more or less cut off, owing to the rebels having obtained possession of a new part of the suburbs.
past form of “obtain” — come into possession of
From this reading The shells were coming over pretty fast, and I gathered that we were now more or less cut off, owing to the rebels having obtained possession of a new part of the suburbs.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The shells were coming over pretty fast, and I gathered that we were now more or less cut off, owing to the rebels having obtained possession of a new part of the suburbs.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The shells were coming over pretty fast, and I gathered that we were now more or less cut off, owing to the rebels having obtained possession of a new part of the suburbs.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Our place of refuge was a farm some twenty miles or so from Johannesburg—right out on the veld.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The shells were coming over pretty fast, and I gathered that we were now more or less cut off, owing to the rebels having obtained possession of a new part of the suburbs.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Our place of refuge was a farm some twenty miles or so from Johannesburg—right out on the veld.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Our place of refuge was a farm some twenty miles or so from Johannesburg—right out on the veld.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The shells were coming over pretty fast, and I gathered that we were now more or less cut off, owing to the rebels having obtained possession of a new part of the suburbs.
owingadjectiveUS /ˈoʊɪŋ/
owed as a debt
From this reading The shells were coming over pretty fast, and I gathered that we were now more or less cut off, owing to the rebels having obtained possession of a new part of the suburbs.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading The shells were coming over pretty fast, and I gathered that we were now more or less cut off, owing to the rebels having obtained possession of a new part of the suburbs.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Our place of refuge was a farm some twenty miles or so from Johannesburg—right out on the veld.
the act of having and controlling property
From this reading The shells were coming over pretty fast, and I gathered that we were now more or less cut off, owing to the rebels having obtained possession of a new part of the suburbs.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading The shells were coming over pretty fast, and I gathered that we were now more or less cut off, owing to the rebels having obtained possession of a new part of the suburbs.
ragnounUS /ræɡ/
a small piece of cloth or paper
From this reading All the excitement and anxiety of the last two days had left me little better than a limp rag.
rebelsnounUS /ˈrebəlz/
plural of “rebel” — “Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading The shells were coming over pretty fast, and I gathered that we were now more or less cut off, owing to the rebels having obtained possession of a new part of the suburbs.
refugenounUS /ˈrefjuːdʒ/
a safe place
From this reading Our place of refuge was a farm some twenty miles or so from Johannesburg—right out on the veld.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading We were not able to return to Johannesburg that night.
precisely, exactly
From this reading Our place of refuge was a farm some twenty miles or so from Johannesburg—right out on the veld.
shellsnounUS /ʃelz/
plural of “shell” — ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
From this reading The shells were coming over pretty fast, and I gathered that we were now more or less cut off, owing to the rebels having obtained possession of a new part of the suburbs.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Our place of refuge was a farm some twenty miles or so from Johannesburg—right out on the veld.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Our place of refuge was a farm some twenty miles or so from Johannesburg—right out on the veld.
suburbsnounUS /ˈsʌbərbz/
plural of “suburb” — a residential district located on the outskirts of a city
From this reading The shells were coming over pretty fast, and I gathered that we were now more or less cut off, owing to the rebels having obtained possession of a new part of the suburbs.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading All the excitement and anxiety of the last two days had left me little better than a limp rag.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading We were not able to return to Johannesburg that night.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The shells were coming over pretty fast, and I gathered that we were now more or less cut off, owing to the rebels having obtained possession of a new part of the suburbs.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We were not able to return to Johannesburg that night.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading Our place of refuge was a farm some twenty miles or so from Johannesburg—right out on the veld.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading All the excitement and anxiety of the last two days had left me little better than a limp rag.
veldnoun
elevated open grassland in southern Africa
From this reading Our place of refuge was a farm some twenty miles or so from Johannesburg—right out on the veld.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Our place of refuge was a farm some twenty miles or so from Johannesburg—right out on the veld.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We were not able to return to Johannesburg that night.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We were not able to return to Johannesburg that night.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I was dropping with fatigue.
