used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Perhaps he was a police officer looking for a stolen boat.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "He did not give his name, but asked many questions--who the captain is, where we got him and how, and all about it.
(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 "He did not give his name, but asked many questions--who the captain is, where we got him and how, and all about it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "He did not give his name, but asked many questions--who the captain is, where we got him and how, and all about it.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "He did not give his name, but asked many questions--who the captain is, where we got him and how, and all about it.
an indentation of a shoreline larger than a cove but smaller than a gulf
From this reading OUT OF SIGHT OF LAND "The man wished to know to whom the boat out in the bay belonged," Miss Elting was saying to the Chief Guardian.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading What do you suppose he could have been trying to find out?"
past form of “belong” — be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading OUT OF SIGHT OF LAND "The man wished to know to whom the boat out in the bay belonged," Miss Elting was saying to the Chief Guardian.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading OUT OF SIGHT OF LAND "The man wished to know to whom the boat out in the bay belonged," Miss Elting was saying to the Chief Guardian.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "He did not give his name, but asked many questions--who the captain is, where we got him and how, and all about it.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading "He did not give his name, but asked many questions--who the captain is, where we got him and how, and all about it.
a person who is in charge
From this reading OUT OF SIGHT OF LAND "The man wished to know to whom the boat out in the bay belonged," Miss Elting was saying to the Chief Guardian.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading What do you suppose he could have been trying to find out?"
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "He did not give his name, but asked many questions--who the captain is, where we got him and how, and all about it.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading What do you suppose he could have been trying to find out?"
Elting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading OUT OF SIGHT OF LAND "The man wished to know to whom the boat out in the bay belonged," Miss Elting was saying to the Chief Guardian.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading What do you suppose he could have been trying to find out?"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Perhaps he was a police officer looking for a stolen boat.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "He did not give his name, but asked many questions--who the captain is, where we got him and how, and all about it.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "He did not give his name, but asked many questions--who the captain is, where we got him and how, and all about it.
GuardiannounUS /ˈɡɑːrdiən/
a person who cares for persons or property
From this reading OUT OF SIGHT OF LAND "The man wished to know to whom the boat out in the bay belonged," Miss Elting was saying to the Chief Guardian.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading What do you suppose he could have been trying to find out?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He did not give his name, but asked many questions--who the captain is, where we got him and how, and all about it.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "He did not give his name, but asked many questions--who the captain is, where we got him and how, and all about it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "He did not give his name, but asked many questions--who the captain is, where we got him and how, and all about it.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He did not give his name, but asked many questions--who the captain is, where we got him and how, and all about it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading OUT OF SIGHT OF LAND "The man wished to know to whom the boat out in the bay belonged," Miss Elting was saying to the Chief Guardian.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "He did not give his name, but asked many questions--who the captain is, where we got him and how, and all about it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "He did not give his name, but asked many questions--who the captain is, where we got him and how, and all about it.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading OUT OF SIGHT OF LAND "The man wished to know to whom the boat out in the bay belonged," Miss Elting was saying to the Chief Guardian.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading OUT OF SIGHT OF LAND "The man wished to know to whom the boat out in the bay belonged," Miss Elting was saying to the Chief Guardian.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading "Perhaps he was a police officer looking for a stolen boat.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading OUT OF SIGHT OF LAND "The man wished to know to whom the boat out in the bay belonged," Miss Elting was saying to the Chief Guardian.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading "He did not give his name, but asked many questions--who the captain is, where we got him and how, and all about it.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading OUT OF SIGHT OF LAND "The man wished to know to whom the boat out in the bay belonged," Miss Elting was saying to the Chief Guardian.
of an obscure nature
From this reading The questioner was very mysterious.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "He did not give his name, but asked many questions--who the captain is, where we got him and how, and all about it.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "He did not give his name, but asked many questions--who the captain is, where we got him and how, and all about it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading OUT OF SIGHT OF LAND "The man wished to know to whom the boat out in the bay belonged," Miss Elting was saying to the Chief Guardian.
any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading "Perhaps he was a police officer looking for a stolen boat.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading OUT OF SIGHT OF LAND "The man wished to know to whom the boat out in the bay belonged," Miss Elting was saying to the Chief Guardian.
by chance
From this reading "Perhaps he was a police officer looking for a stolen boat.
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading "Perhaps he was a police officer looking for a stolen boat.
questionernounUS /ˈkwestʃənər/
someone who asks a question
From this reading The questioner was very mysterious.
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading "He did not give his name, but asked many questions--who the captain is, where we got him and how, and all about it.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading OUT OF SIGHT OF LAND "The man wished to know to whom the boat out in the bay belonged," Miss Elting was saying to the Chief Guardian.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading OUT OF SIGHT OF LAND "The man wished to know to whom the boat out in the bay belonged," Miss Elting was saying to the Chief Guardian.
inflected form of “steal” — take without the owner's consent
From this reading "Perhaps he was a police officer looking for a stolen boat.
express a supposition
From this reading What do you suppose he could have been trying to find out?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading OUT OF SIGHT OF LAND "The man wished to know to whom the boat out in the bay belonged," Miss Elting was saying to the Chief Guardian.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading OUT OF SIGHT OF LAND "The man wished to know to whom the boat out in the bay belonged," Miss Elting was saying to the Chief Guardian.
hard to endure
From this reading What do you suppose he could have been trying to find out?"
precisely as stated
From this reading The questioner was very mysterious.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading OUT OF SIGHT OF LAND "The man wished to know to whom the boat out in the bay belonged," Miss Elting was saying to the Chief Guardian.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "He did not give his name, but asked many questions--who the captain is, where we got him and how, and all about it.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What do you suppose he could have been trying to find out?"
in or at the place that
From this reading "He did not give his name, but asked many questions--who the captain is, where we got him and how, and all about it.
which person or people
From this reading "He did not give his name, but asked many questions--who the captain is, where we got him and how, and all about it.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading OUT OF SIGHT OF LAND "The man wished to know to whom the boat out in the bay belonged," Miss Elting was saying to the Chief Guardian.
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading OUT OF SIGHT OF LAND "The man wished to know to whom the boat out in the bay belonged," Miss Elting was saying to the Chief Guardian.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading What do you suppose he could have been trying to find out?"
