used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER With a further grinding of the brake shoes on the wheels, and many bumps, the train came to an abrupt stop.
abruptadjectiveUS /əˈbrʌpt/
marked by sudden changes in subject and sharp transitions
From this reading A SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER With a further grinding of the brake shoes on the wheels, and many bumps, the train came to an abrupt stop.
take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome
From this reading The passengers who had been tossed from their seats slowly arose, little the worse for the adventure save bruises.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading A SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER With a further grinding of the brake shoes on the wheels, and many bumps, the train came to an abrupt stop.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER With a further grinding of the brake shoes on the wheels, and many bumps, the train came to an abrupt stop.
inflected form of “arise” — come into existence; take on form or shape
From this reading The passengers who had been tossed from their seats slowly arose, little the worse for the adventure save bruises.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Then came a silence, to be broken by Bob, who asked:
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Then came a silence, to be broken by Bob, who asked:
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The passengers who had been tossed from their seats slowly arose, little the worse for the adventure save bruises.
bendingnounUS /ˈbendɪŋ/
movement that causes the formation of a curve
From this reading But there followed no terrifying crash, no overturning of the coaches, no splintering of woodwork, no bending of steel trusses, and no explosion of the locomotive boiler.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading Then came a silence, to be broken by Bob, who asked:
boilernounUS /ˈbɔɪlər/
sealed vessel where water is converted to steam
From this reading But there followed no terrifying crash, no overturning of the coaches, no splintering of woodwork, no bending of steel trusses, and no explosion of the locomotive boiler.
brakenounUS /breɪk/
a restraint used to slow or stop a vehicle
From this reading A SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER With a further grinding of the brake shoes on the wheels, and many bumps, the train came to an abrupt stop.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading Then came a silence, to be broken by Bob, who asked:
bruisesnounUS /ˈbruːzəz/
plural of “bruise” — an injury that doesn't break the skin but results in some discoloration
From this reading The passengers who had been tossed from their seats slowly arose, little the worse for the adventure save bruises.
bumpsnounUS /bʌmps/
plural of “bump” — a lump on the body caused by a blow
From this reading A SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER With a further grinding of the brake shoes on the wheels, and many bumps, the train came to an abrupt stop.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But there followed no terrifying crash, no overturning of the coaches, no splintering of woodwork, no bending of steel trusses, and no explosion of the locomotive boiler.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Then came a silence, to be broken by Bob, who asked:
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading A SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER With a further grinding of the brake shoes on the wheels, and many bumps, the train came to an abrupt stop.
an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading A SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER With a further grinding of the brake shoes on the wheels, and many bumps, the train came to an abrupt stop.
coachesnounUS /ˈkoʊtʃɪz/
plural of “coach” — (sports) someone in charge of training an athlete or a team
From this reading But there followed no terrifying crash, no overturning of the coaches, no splintering of woodwork, no bending of steel trusses, and no explosion of the locomotive boiler.
crashverbUS /kræʃ/
fall or come down violently
From this reading But there followed no terrifying crash, no overturning of the coaches, no splintering of woodwork, no bending of steel trusses, and no explosion of the locomotive boiler.
explosionnounUS /ɪkˈsploʊʒən/
a violent release of energy caused by a chemical or nuclear reaction
From this reading But there followed no terrifying crash, no overturning of the coaches, no splintering of woodwork, no bending of steel trusses, and no explosion of the locomotive boiler.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading But there followed no terrifying crash, no overturning of the coaches, no splintering of woodwork, no bending of steel trusses, and no explosion of the locomotive boiler.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The passengers who had been tossed from their seats slowly arose, little the worse for the adventure save bruises.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The passengers who had been tossed from their seats slowly arose, little the worse for the adventure save bruises.
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading A SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER With a further grinding of the brake shoes on the wheels, and many bumps, the train came to an abrupt stop.
grindingnounUS /ˈɡraɪndɪŋ/
material resulting from the process of grinding
From this reading A SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER With a further grinding of the brake shoes on the wheels, and many bumps, the train came to an abrupt stop.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The passengers who had been tossed from their seats slowly arose, little the worse for the adventure save bruises.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading “What happened?”
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The passengers who had been tossed from their seats slowly arose, little the worse for the adventure save bruises.
locomotivenounUS /ˌloʊkəˈmoʊtɪv/
a wheeled vehicle consisting of a self-propelled engine that is used to draw trains along railway tracks
From this reading But there followed no terrifying crash, no overturning of the coaches, no splintering of woodwork, no bending of steel trusses, and no explosion of the locomotive boiler.
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 A SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER With a further grinding of the brake shoes on the wheels, and many bumps, the train came to an abrupt stop.
not any; not one
From this reading But there followed no terrifying crash, no overturning of the coaches, no splintering of woodwork, no bending of steel trusses, and no explosion of the locomotive boiler.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER With a further grinding of the brake shoes on the wheels, and many bumps, the train came to an abrupt stop.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER With a further grinding of the brake shoes on the wheels, and many bumps, the train came to an abrupt stop.
overturningverbUS /ˈoʊvərtɜːrnɪŋ/
-ing form of “overturn” — turn from an upright or normal position
From this reading But there followed no terrifying crash, no overturning of the coaches, no splintering of woodwork, no bending of steel trusses, and no explosion of the locomotive boiler.
plural of “passenger” — a traveler riding in a vehicle (a boat or bus or car or plane or train etc) who is not operating it
From this reading The passengers who had been tossed from their seats slowly arose, little the worse for the adventure save bruises.
except for; apart from
From this reading The passengers who had been tossed from their seats slowly arose, little the worse for the adventure save bruises.
seatsnounUS /siːts/
an area that includes places where several people can sit
From this reading The passengers who had been tossed from their seats slowly arose, little the worse for the adventure save bruises.
a particular situation
From this reading A SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER With a further grinding of the brake shoes on the wheels, and many bumps, the train came to an abrupt stop.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading Then came a silence, to be broken by Bob, who asked:
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading The passengers who had been tossed from their seats slowly arose, little the worse for the adventure save bruises.
splinteringnounUS /ˈsplɪntərɪŋ/
the act of chipping something
From this reading But there followed no terrifying crash, no overturning of the coaches, no splintering of woodwork, no bending of steel trusses, and no explosion of the locomotive boiler.
an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range
From this reading But there followed no terrifying crash, no overturning of the coaches, no splintering of woodwork, no bending of steel trusses, and no explosion of the locomotive boiler.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading A SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER With a further grinding of the brake shoes on the wheels, and many bumps, the train came to an abrupt stop.
SUSPICIOUSadjectiveUS /səˈspɪʃəs/
openly distrustful and unwilling to confide
From this reading A SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER With a further grinding of the brake shoes on the wheels, and many bumps, the train came to an abrupt stop.
terrifyingadjectiveUS /ˈterəfaɪɪŋ/
causing extreme terror
From this reading But there followed no terrifying crash, no overturning of the coaches, no splintering of woodwork, no bending of steel trusses, and no explosion of the locomotive boiler.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER With a further grinding of the brake shoes on the wheels, and many bumps, the train came to an abrupt stop.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The passengers who had been tossed from their seats slowly arose, little the worse for the adventure save bruises.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then came a silence, to be broken by Bob, who asked:
in or at that place or location
From this reading But there followed no terrifying crash, no overturning of the coaches, no splintering of woodwork, no bending of steel trusses, and no explosion of the locomotive boiler.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER With a further grinding of the brake shoes on the wheels, and many bumps, the train came to an abrupt stop.
tossedverbUS /tɔːst/
past form of “toss” — throw or toss with a light motion
From this reading The passengers who had been tossed from their seats slowly arose, little the worse for the adventure save bruises.
create by training and teaching
From this reading A SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER With a further grinding of the brake shoes on the wheels, and many bumps, the train came to an abrupt stop.
trussesnounUS /ˈtrʌsɪz/
plural of “truss” — (medicine) a bandage consisting of a pad and belt; worn to hold a hernia in place by pressure
From this reading But there followed no terrifying crash, no overturning of the coaches, no splintering of woodwork, no bending of steel trusses, and no explosion of the locomotive boiler.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What happened?”
wheelsnounUS /wiːlz/
plural of “wheel” — a simple machine consisting of a circular frame with spokes (or a solid disc) that can rotate on a shaft or axle (as in vehicles or other machines)
From this reading A SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER With a further grinding of the brake shoes on the wheels, and many bumps, the train came to an abrupt stop.
which person or people
From this reading The passengers who had been tossed from their seats slowly arose, little the worse for the adventure save bruises.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A SUSPICIOUS CHARACTER With a further grinding of the brake shoes on the wheels, and many bumps, the train came to an abrupt stop.
woodworknounUS /ˈwʊdwɜːrk/
work made of wood; especially moldings or stairways or furniture
From this reading But there followed no terrifying crash, no overturning of the coaches, no splintering of woodwork, no bending of steel trusses, and no explosion of the locomotive boiler.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading The passengers who had been tossed from their seats slowly arose, little the worse for the adventure save bruises.
