used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading For an hour the Comet had been toiling upward by a circuitous and intricate way.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading They had not been permitted to light the Comet’s one illuminating eye, but had gone silently and swiftly along.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading For an hour the Comet had been toiling upward by a circuitous and intricate way.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For an hour the Comet had been toiling upward by a circuitous and intricate way.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading If they must see these men into a safe hiding place it was well to get it over with as soon as possible.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading For an hour the Comet had been toiling upward by a circuitous and intricate way.
Billie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Billie had made up her mind not to linger.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But he had not lost in speed.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading For an hour the Comet had been toiling upward by a circuitous and intricate way.
circuitousadjectiveUS /sərˈkjuːɪtəs/
marked by obliqueness or indirection in speech or conduct
From this reading For an hour the Comet had been toiling upward by a circuitous and intricate way.
CometnounUS /ˈkɑːmət/
(astronomy) a relatively small extraterrestrial body consisting of a frozen mass that travels around the sun in a highly elliptical orbit
From this reading For an hour the Comet had been toiling upward by a circuitous and intricate way.
Comet'snounUS /ˈkɑːməts/
possessive form of “comet” — (astronomy) a relatively small extraterrestrial body consisting of a frozen mass that travels around the sun in a highly elliptical orbit
From this reading They had not been permitted to light the Comet’s one illuminating eye, but had gone silently and swiftly along.
the organ of sight
From this reading They had not been permitted to light the Comet’s one illuminating eye, but had gone silently and swiftly along.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For an hour the Comet had been toiling upward by a circuitous and intricate way.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading If they must see these men into a safe hiding place it was well to get it over with as soon as possible.
destroyed or killed
From this reading They had not been permitted to light the Comet’s one illuminating eye, but had gone silently and swiftly along.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For an hour the Comet had been toiling upward by a circuitous and intricate way.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But he had not lost in speed.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Billie had made up her mind not to linger.
hidingnounUS /ˈhaɪdɪŋ/
the activity of keeping something secret
From this reading If they must see these men into a safe hiding place it was well to get it over with as soon as possible.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading For an hour the Comet had been toiling upward by a circuitous and intricate way.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If they must see these men into a safe hiding place it was well to get it over with as soon as possible.
illuminatingadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈluːməneɪtɪŋ/
tending to increase knowledge or dissipate ignorance
From this reading They had not been permitted to light the Comet’s one illuminating eye, but had gone silently and swiftly along.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But he had not lost in speed.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading If they must see these men into a safe hiding place it was well to get it over with as soon as possible.
intricateadjectiveUS /ˈɪntrəkət/
having many complexly arranged elements; elaborate
From this reading For an hour the Comet had been toiling upward by a circuitous and intricate way.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading If they must see these men into a safe hiding place it was well to get it over with as soon as possible.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading They had not been permitted to light the Comet’s one illuminating eye, but had gone silently and swiftly along.
lingerverbUS /ˈlɪŋɡər/
remain present although waning or gradually dying
From this reading Billie had made up her mind not to linger.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading But he had not lost in speed.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Billie had made up her mind not to linger.
the force of workers available
From this reading If they must see these men into a safe hiding place it was well to get it over with as soon as possible.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Billie had made up her mind not to linger.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading If they must see these men into a safe hiding place it was well to get it over with as soon as possible.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But he had not lost in speed.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading They had not been permitted to light the Comet’s one illuminating eye, but had gone silently and swiftly along.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading If they must see these men into a safe hiding place it was well to get it over with as soon as possible.
inflected form of “permit” — consent to, give permission
From this reading They had not been permitted to light the Comet’s one illuminating eye, but had gone silently and swiftly along.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading If they must see these men into a safe hiding place it was well to get it over with as soon as possible.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading If they must see these men into a safe hiding place it was well to get it over with as soon as possible.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading If they must see these men into a safe hiding place it was well to get it over with as soon as possible.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading If they must see these men into a safe hiding place it was well to get it over with as soon as possible.
without speaking
From this reading They had not been permitted to light the Comet’s one illuminating eye, but had gone silently and swiftly along.
in the near future
From this reading If they must see these men into a safe hiding place it was well to get it over with as soon as possible.
move hurridly
From this reading But he had not lost in speed.
in a swift manner
From this reading They had not been permitted to light the Comet’s one illuminating eye, but had gone silently and swiftly along.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For an hour the Comet had been toiling upward by a circuitous and intricate way.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading If they must see these men into a safe hiding place it was well to get it over with as soon as possible.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If they must see these men into a safe hiding place it was well to get it over with as soon as possible.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Billie had made up her mind not to linger.
toilingadjectiveUS /ˈtɔɪlɪŋ/
doing arduous or unpleasant work
From this reading For an hour the Comet had been toiling upward by a circuitous and intricate way.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Billie had made up her mind not to linger.
directed up
From this reading For an hour the Comet had been toiling upward by a circuitous and intricate way.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading If they must see these men into a safe hiding place it was well to get it over with as soon as possible.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading For an hour the Comet had been toiling upward by a circuitous and intricate way.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading If they must see these men into a safe hiding place it was well to get it over with as soon as possible.
in the company of; together with
From this reading If they must see these men into a safe hiding place it was well to get it over with as soon as possible.
