aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Looking back as he rowed, he could see the figure of Isbel; she was putting things straight about the house, and just at that moment, as if stirred by the loneliness and the voices of the gulls, his heart went out to her.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading The gulls started after him from the reef opening, and now their voices came singly, mewing and miauling, the very voice of desolation itself.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Schumer had left him two boats, the dinghy and the boat of the _Cormorant_.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading They were both on the beach, and as the dinghy was the easiest to launch single-handed, he used it and pushed off to the fishing ground.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Looking back as he rowed, he could see the figure of Isbel; she was putting things straight about the house, and just at that moment, as if stirred by the loneliness and the voices of the gulls, his heart went out to her.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading THE FIRST OF THE TWO PEARLS He came back to the beach.
an area of sand sloping down to the water of a sea or lake
From this reading THE FIRST OF THE TWO PEARLS He came back to the beach.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading Schumer had left him two boats, the dinghy and the boat of the _Cormorant_.
plural of “boat” — a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading Schumer had left him two boats, the dinghy and the boat of the _Cormorant_.
the two together, not just one
From this reading They were both on the beach, and as the dinghy was the easiest to launch single-handed, he used it and pushed off to the fishing ground.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Looking back as he rowed, he could see the figure of Isbel; she was putting things straight about the house, and just at that moment, as if stirred by the loneliness and the voices of the gulls, his heart went out to her.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading THE FIRST OF THE TWO PEARLS He came back to the beach.
CormorantnounUS /ˈkɔːrmərənt/
large voracious dark-colored long-necked seabird with a distensible pouch for holding fish; used in Asia to catch fish
From this reading Schumer had left him two boats, the dinghy and the boat of the _Cormorant_.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Looking back as he rowed, he could see the figure of Isbel; she was putting things straight about the house, and just at that moment, as if stirred by the loneliness and the voices of the gulls, his heart went out to her.
desolationnounUS /ˌdesəˈleɪʃən/
the state of being decayed or destroyed
From this reading The gulls started after him from the reef opening, and now their voices came singly, mewing and miauling, the very voice of desolation itself.
dinghynounUS /ˈdɪŋi/
a small boat of shallow draft with cross thwarts for seats and rowlocks for oars with which it is propelled
From this reading Schumer had left him two boats, the dinghy and the boat of the _Cormorant_.
easiestadjectiveUS /ˈiːziəst/
superlative of “easy” — posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading They were both on the beach, and as the dinghy was the easiest to launch single-handed, he used it and pushed off to the fishing ground.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading Looking back as he rowed, he could see the figure of Isbel; she was putting things straight about the house, and just at that moment, as if stirred by the loneliness and the voices of the gulls, his heart went out to her.
FIRSTadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading THE FIRST OF THE TWO PEARLS He came back to the beach.
fishingnounUS /ˈfɪʃɪŋ/
the act of someone who fishes as a diversion
From this reading They were both on the beach, and as the dinghy was the easiest to launch single-handed, he used it and pushed off to the fishing ground.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The gulls started after him from the reef opening, and now their voices came singly, mewing and miauling, the very voice of desolation itself.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading They were both on the beach, and as the dinghy was the easiest to launch single-handed, he used it and pushed off to the fishing ground.
gullsnounUS /ɡʌlz/
plural of “gull” — a person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of
From this reading The gulls started after him from the reef opening, and now their voices came singly, mewing and miauling, the very voice of desolation itself.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Schumer had left him two boats, the dinghy and the boat of the _Cormorant_.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE FIRST OF THE TWO PEARLS He came back to the beach.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Looking back as he rowed, he could see the figure of Isbel; she was putting things straight about the house, and just at that moment, as if stirred by the loneliness and the voices of the gulls, his heart went out to her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Looking back as he rowed, he could see the figure of Isbel; she was putting things straight about the house, and just at that moment, as if stirred by the loneliness and the voices of the gulls, his heart went out to her.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Schumer had left him two boats, the dinghy and the boat of the _Cormorant_.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Looking back as he rowed, he could see the figure of Isbel; she was putting things straight about the house, and just at that moment, as if stirred by the loneliness and the voices of the gulls, his heart went out to her.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Looking back as he rowed, he could see the figure of Isbel; she was putting things straight about the house, and just at that moment, as if stirred by the loneliness and the voices of the gulls, his heart went out to her.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Looking back as he rowed, he could see the figure of Isbel; she was putting things straight about the house, and just at that moment, as if stirred by the loneliness and the voices of the gulls, his heart went out to her.
Isbel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Looking back as he rowed, he could see the figure of Isbel; she was putting things straight about the house, and just at that moment, as if stirred by the loneliness and the voices of the gulls, his heart went out to her.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading They were both on the beach, and as the dinghy was the easiest to launch single-handed, he used it and pushed off to the fishing ground.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading The gulls started after him from the reef opening, and now their voices came singly, mewing and miauling, the very voice of desolation itself.
and nothing more
From this reading Looking back as he rowed, he could see the figure of Isbel; she was putting things straight about the house, and just at that moment, as if stirred by the loneliness and the voices of the gulls, his heart went out to her.
launchverbUS /lɔːntʃ/
set up or found
From this reading They were both on the beach, and as the dinghy was the easiest to launch single-handed, he used it and pushed off to the fishing ground.
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 Schumer had left him two boats, the dinghy and the boat of the _Cormorant_.
lonelinessnounUS /ˈloʊnlinəs/
the state of being alone in solitary isolation
From this reading Looking back as he rowed, he could see the figure of Isbel; she was putting things straight about the house, and just at that moment, as if stirred by the loneliness and the voices of the gulls, his heart went out to her.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Looking back as he rowed, he could see the figure of Isbel; she was putting things straight about the house, and just at that moment, as if stirred by the loneliness and the voices of the gulls, his heart went out to her.
mewing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The gulls started after him from the reef opening, and now their voices came singly, mewing and miauling, the very voice of desolation itself.
miauling
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The gulls started after him from the reef opening, and now their voices came singly, mewing and miauling, the very voice of desolation itself.
a particular point in time
From this reading Looking back as he rowed, he could see the figure of Isbel; she was putting things straight about the house, and just at that moment, as if stirred by the loneliness and the voices of the gulls, his heart went out to her.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The gulls started after him from the reef opening, and now their voices came singly, mewing and miauling, the very voice of desolation itself.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE FIRST OF THE TWO PEARLS He came back to the beach.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading They were both on the beach, and as the dinghy was the easiest to launch single-handed, he used it and pushed off to the fishing ground.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They were both on the beach, and as the dinghy was the easiest to launch single-handed, he used it and pushed off to the fishing ground.
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading The gulls started after him from the reef opening, and now their voices came singly, mewing and miauling, the very voice of desolation itself.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Looking back as he rowed, he could see the figure of Isbel; she was putting things straight about the house, and just at that moment, as if stirred by the loneliness and the voices of the gulls, his heart went out to her.
PEARLSnounUS /pɜːrlz/
plural of “pearl” — a smooth lustrous round structure inside the shell of a clam or oyster; much valued as a jewel
From this reading THE FIRST OF THE TWO PEARLS He came back to the beach.
past form of “push” — move with force
From this reading They were both on the beach, and as the dinghy was the easiest to launch single-handed, he used it and pushed off to the fishing ground.
hitting a golf ball that is on the green using a putter
From this reading Looking back as he rowed, he could see the figure of Isbel; she was putting things straight about the house, and just at that moment, as if stirred by the loneliness and the voices of the gulls, his heart went out to her.
reefnounUS /riːf/
a submerged ridge of rock or coral near the surface of the water
From this reading The gulls started after him from the reef opening, and now their voices came singly, mewing and miauling, the very voice of desolation itself.
rowedverbUS /roʊd/
past form of “row” — propel with oars
From this reading Looking back as he rowed, he could see the figure of Isbel; she was putting things straight about the house, and just at that moment, as if stirred by the loneliness and the voices of the gulls, his heart went out to her.
Schumer
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Schumer had left him two boats, the dinghy and the boat of the _Cormorant_.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Looking back as he rowed, he could see the figure of Isbel; she was putting things straight about the house, and just at that moment, as if stirred by the loneliness and the voices of the gulls, his heart went out to her.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Looking back as he rowed, he could see the figure of Isbel; she was putting things straight about the house, and just at that moment, as if stirred by the loneliness and the voices of the gulls, his heart went out to her.
single-handedadjectiveUS /ˈsɪŋɡəlˈhændɪd/
unsupported by other people
From this reading They were both on the beach, and as the dinghy was the easiest to launch single-handed, he used it and pushed off to the fishing ground.
singlyadverbUS /ˈsɪŋɡli/
one by one; one at a time
From this reading The gulls started after him from the reef opening, and now their voices came singly, mewing and miauling, the very voice of desolation itself.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The gulls started after him from the reef opening, and now their voices came singly, mewing and miauling, the very voice of desolation itself.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading Looking back as he rowed, he could see the figure of Isbel; she was putting things straight about the house, and just at that moment, as if stirred by the loneliness and the voices of the gulls, his heart went out to her.
successive (without a break)
From this reading Looking back as he rowed, he could see the figure of Isbel; she was putting things straight about the house, and just at that moment, as if stirred by the loneliness and the voices of the gulls, his heart went out to her.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Looking back as he rowed, he could see the figure of Isbel; she was putting things straight about the house, and just at that moment, as if stirred by the loneliness and the voices of the gulls, his heart went out to her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE FIRST OF THE TWO PEARLS He came back to the beach.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The gulls started after him from the reef opening, and now their voices came singly, mewing and miauling, the very voice of desolation itself.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were both on the beach, and as the dinghy was the easiest to launch single-handed, he used it and pushed off to the fishing ground.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Looking back as he rowed, he could see the figure of Isbel; she was putting things straight about the house, and just at that moment, as if stirred by the loneliness and the voices of the gulls, his heart went out to her.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE FIRST OF THE TWO PEARLS He came back to the beach.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading THE FIRST OF THE TWO PEARLS He came back to the beach.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading They were both on the beach, and as the dinghy was the easiest to launch single-handed, he used it and pushed off to the fishing ground.
precisely as stated
From this reading The gulls started after him from the reef opening, and now their voices came singly, mewing and miauling, the very voice of desolation itself.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading The gulls started after him from the reef opening, and now their voices came singly, mewing and miauling, the very voice of desolation itself.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading The gulls started after him from the reef opening, and now their voices came singly, mewing and miauling, the very voice of desolation itself.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading They were both on the beach, and as the dinghy was the easiest to launch single-handed, he used it and pushed off to the fishing ground.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Looking back as he rowed, he could see the figure of Isbel; she was putting things straight about the house, and just at that moment, as if stirred by the loneliness and the voices of the gulls, his heart went out to her.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were both on the beach, and as the dinghy was the easiest to launch single-handed, he used it and pushed off to the fishing ground.
