used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A few seconds later and he disappeared also, but whither he went she could not tell.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading She was an indistinct figure in the misty air, but she could feel that his eyes were piercing her through and through.
in addition
From this reading A few seconds later and he disappeared also, but whither he went she could not tell.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading The whole oddity of the episode startled her, although much that had taken place had been anticipated and described by Mrs. Pentreddle.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading She was an indistinct figure in the misty air, but she could feel that his eyes were piercing her through and through.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For some moments Patricia stood still, with the box in her hand, and stared into the gloomy fog, behind which the man was retreating.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Another man passed her swiftly, as if in pursuit of the first, but halted for one single moment to look at her.
anticipatedadjectiveUS /ænˈtɪsəpeɪtɪd/
expected hopefully
From this reading The whole oddity of the episode startled her, although much that had taken place had been anticipated and described by Mrs. Pentreddle.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Another man passed her swiftly, as if in pursuit of the first, but halted for one single moment to look at her.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Another man passed her swiftly, as if in pursuit of the first, but halted for one single moment to look at her.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The whole oddity of the episode startled her, although much that had taken place had been anticipated and described by Mrs. Pentreddle.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading For some moments Patricia stood still, with the box in her hand, and stared into the gloomy fog, behind which the man was retreating.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading For some moments Patricia stood still, with the box in her hand, and stared into the gloomy fog, behind which the man was retreating.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Another man passed her swiftly, as if in pursuit of the first, but halted for one single moment to look at her.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The whole oddity of the episode startled her, although much that had taken place had been anticipated and described by Mrs. Pentreddle.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading She was an indistinct figure in the misty air, but she could feel that his eyes were piercing her through and through.
represented in words especially with sharpness and detail
From this reading The whole oddity of the episode startled her, although much that had taken place had been anticipated and described by Mrs. Pentreddle.
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading A few seconds later and he disappeared also, but whither he went she could not tell.
episodenounUS /ˈepəsoʊd/
a happening that is distinctive in a series of related events
From this reading The whole oddity of the episode startled her, although much that had taken place had been anticipated and described by Mrs. Pentreddle.
opinion or judgment
From this reading She was an indistinct figure in the misty air, but she could feel that his eyes were piercing her through and through.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading She was an indistinct figure in the misty air, but she could feel that his eyes were piercing her through and through.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading A few seconds later and he disappeared also, but whither he went she could not tell.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading She was an indistinct figure in the misty air, but she could feel that his eyes were piercing her through and through.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Another man passed her swiftly, as if in pursuit of the first, but halted for one single moment to look at her.
fognounUS /fɑːɡ/
droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground
From this reading For some moments Patricia stood still, with the box in her hand, and stared into the gloomy fog, behind which the man was retreating.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For some moments Patricia stood still, with the box in her hand, and stared into the gloomy fog, behind which the man was retreating.
depressingly dark
From this reading For some moments Patricia stood still, with the box in her hand, and stared into the gloomy fog, behind which the man was retreating.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The whole oddity of the episode startled her, although much that had taken place had been anticipated and described by Mrs. Pentreddle.
past form of “halt” — cause to stop
From this reading Another man passed her swiftly, as if in pursuit of the first, but halted for one single moment to look at her.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading For some moments Patricia stood still, with the box in her hand, and stared into the gloomy fog, behind which the man was retreating.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A few seconds later and he disappeared also, but whither he went she could not tell.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading For some moments Patricia stood still, with the box in her hand, and stared into the gloomy fog, behind which the man was retreating.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She was an indistinct figure in the misty air, but she could feel that his eyes were piercing her through and through.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Another man passed her swiftly, as if in pursuit of the first, but halted for one single moment to look at her.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading For some moments Patricia stood still, with the box in her hand, and stared into the gloomy fog, behind which the man was retreating.
indistinctadjectiveUS /ˌɪndɪˈstɪŋkt/
not clearly defined or easy to perceive or understand
From this reading She was an indistinct figure in the misty air, but she could feel that his eyes were piercing her through and through.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading For some moments Patricia stood still, with the box in her hand, and stared into the gloomy fog, behind which the man was retreating.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading A few seconds later and he disappeared also, but whither he went she could not tell.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Another man passed her swiftly, as if in pursuit of the first, but halted for one single moment to look at her.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading For some moments Patricia stood still, with the box in her hand, and stared into the gloomy fog, behind which the man was retreating.
mistyadjectiveUS /ˈmɪsti/
filled or abounding with fog or mist
From this reading She was an indistinct figure in the misty air, but she could feel that his eyes were piercing her through and through.
a particular point in time
From this reading Another man passed her swiftly, as if in pursuit of the first, but halted for one single moment to look at her.
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading For some moments Patricia stood still, with the box in her hand, and stared into the gloomy fog, behind which the man was retreating.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading The whole oddity of the episode startled her, although much that had taken place had been anticipated and described by Mrs. Pentreddle.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading The whole oddity of the episode startled her, although much that had taken place had been anticipated and described by Mrs. Pentreddle.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading A few seconds later and he disappeared also, but whither he went she could not tell.
odditynounUS /ˈɑːdəti/
eccentricity that is not easily explained
From this reading The whole oddity of the episode startled her, although much that had taken place had been anticipated and described by Mrs. Pentreddle.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Another man passed her swiftly, as if in pursuit of the first, but halted for one single moment to look at her.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Another man passed her swiftly, as if in pursuit of the first, but halted for one single moment to look at her.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Another man passed her swiftly, as if in pursuit of the first, but halted for one single moment to look at her.
Patricia
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For some moments Patricia stood still, with the box in her hand, and stared into the gloomy fog, behind which the man was retreating.
Pentreddle
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The whole oddity of the episode startled her, although much that had taken place had been anticipated and described by Mrs. Pentreddle.
piercingadjectiveUS /ˈpɪrsɪŋ/
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading She was an indistinct figure in the misty air, but she could feel that his eyes were piercing her through and through.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading The whole oddity of the episode startled her, although much that had taken place had been anticipated and described by Mrs. Pentreddle.
the act of pursuing in an effort to overtake or capture
From this reading Another man passed her swiftly, as if in pursuit of the first, but halted for one single moment to look at her.
retreatingverbUS /riˈtriːtɪŋ/
-ing form of “retreat” — pull back or move away or backward
From this reading For some moments Patricia stood still, with the box in her hand, and stared into the gloomy fog, behind which the man was retreating.
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading A few seconds later and he disappeared also, but whither he went she could not tell.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was an indistinct figure in the misty air, but she could feel that his eyes were piercing her through and through.
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading Another man passed her swiftly, as if in pursuit of the first, but halted for one single moment to look at her.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading For some moments Patricia stood still, with the box in her hand, and stared into the gloomy fog, behind which the man was retreating.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading For some moments Patricia stood still, with the box in her hand, and stared into the gloomy fog, behind which the man was retreating.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading The whole oddity of the episode startled her, although much that had taken place had been anticipated and described by Mrs. Pentreddle.
not in physical motion
From this reading For some moments Patricia stood still, with the box in her hand, and stared into the gloomy fog, behind which the man was retreating.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading For some moments Patricia stood still, with the box in her hand, and stared into the gloomy fog, behind which the man was retreating.
in a swift manner
From this reading Another man passed her swiftly, as if in pursuit of the first, but halted for one single moment to look at her.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading The whole oddity of the episode startled her, although much that had taken place had been anticipated and described by Mrs. Pentreddle.
express in words
From this reading A few seconds later and he disappeared also, but whither he went she could not tell.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She was an indistinct figure in the misty air, but she could feel that his eyes were piercing her through and through.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For some moments Patricia stood still, with the box in her hand, and stared into the gloomy fog, behind which the man was retreating.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading She was an indistinct figure in the misty air, but she could feel that his eyes were piercing her through and through.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Another man passed her swiftly, as if in pursuit of the first, but halted for one single moment to look at her.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For some moments Patricia stood still, with the box in her hand, and stared into the gloomy fog, behind which the man was retreating.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading A few seconds later and he disappeared also, but whither he went she could not tell.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading She was an indistinct figure in the misty air, but she could feel that his eyes were piercing her through and through.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading For some moments Patricia stood still, with the box in her hand, and stared into the gloomy fog, behind which the man was retreating.
whitheradverbUS /ˈwɪðər/
an old word meaning “to where”
From this reading A few seconds later and he disappeared also, but whither he went she could not tell.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading The whole oddity of the episode startled her, although much that had taken place had been anticipated and described by Mrs. Pentreddle.
in the company of; together with
From this reading For some moments Patricia stood still, with the box in her hand, and stared into the gloomy fog, behind which the man was retreating.
