used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading On this, Captain Carey, without another word, put on his hat and walked with his son to the diggings, which were by this time a pretty considerable trench.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading They then dug together, and in about a quarter of an hour succeeded in laying bare a small brass cannon of very antique pattern and manufacture.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading They then dug together, and in about a quarter of an hour succeeded in laying bare a small brass cannon of very antique pattern and manufacture.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading On this, Captain Carey, without another word, put on his hat and walked with his son to the diggings, which were by this time a pretty considerable trench.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading On this, Captain Carey, without another word, put on his hat and walked with his son to the diggings, which were by this time a pretty considerable trench.
antiqueadjectiveUS /ænˈtiːk/
made in or typical of earlier times and valued for its age
From this reading They then dug together, and in about a quarter of an hour succeeded in laying bare a small brass cannon of very antique pattern and manufacture.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He at once jumped into the trench and bade Jack fetch his spade.
a Chadic language spoken in northern Nigeria
From this reading He at once jumped into the trench and bade Jack fetch his spade.
completely unclothed
From this reading They then dug together, and in about a quarter of an hour succeeded in laying bare a small brass cannon of very antique pattern and manufacture.
brassnounUS /bræs/
an alloy of copper and zinc
From this reading They then dug together, and in about a quarter of an hour succeeded in laying bare a small brass cannon of very antique pattern and manufacture.
brightnessnounUS /ˈbraɪtnəs/
the location of a visual perception along a continuum from black to white
From this reading The Captain looked, and perceived what resembled a fragment of a shaft of metal, dull and yellow, with lines of brightness where Jack’s spade had scraped the surface.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading On this, Captain Carey, without another word, put on his hat and walked with his son to the diggings, which were by this time a pretty considerable trench.
cannonnounUS /ˈkænən/
a large artillery gun that is usually on wheels
From this reading They then dug together, and in about a quarter of an hour succeeded in laying bare a small brass cannon of very antique pattern and manufacture.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading On this, Captain Carey, without another word, put on his hat and walked with his son to the diggings, which were by this time a pretty considerable trench.
Carey
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On this, Captain Carey, without another word, put on his hat and walked with his son to the diggings, which were by this time a pretty considerable trench.
rid of obstructions
From this reading “There,” said Jack, pointing, “my spade drove upon him, and I’ve scraped that much clear.”
large or relatively large in number or amount or extent or degree
From this reading On this, Captain Carey, without another word, put on his hat and walked with his son to the diggings, which were by this time a pretty considerable trench.
diggingsnoun
an excavation for ore or precious stones or for archaeology
From this reading On this, Captain Carey, without another word, put on his hat and walked with his son to the diggings, which were by this time a pretty considerable trench.
a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together
From this reading “There,” said Jack, pointing, “my spade drove upon him, and I’ve scraped that much clear.”
dugnounUS /dʌɡ/
an udder or breast or teat
From this reading They then dug together, and in about a quarter of an hour succeeded in laying bare a small brass cannon of very antique pattern and manufacture.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading The Captain looked, and perceived what resembled a fragment of a shaft of metal, dull and yellow, with lines of brightness where Jack’s spade had scraped the surface.
go or come after and bring or take back
From this reading He at once jumped into the trench and bade Jack fetch his spade.
fragmentnounUS /ˈfræɡ.mənt/
A small part broken or separated off something larger.
From this reading The Captain looked, and perceived what resembled a fragment of a shaft of metal, dull and yellow, with lines of brightness where Jack’s spade had scraped the surface.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The Captain looked, and perceived what resembled a fragment of a shaft of metal, dull and yellow, with lines of brightness where Jack’s spade had scraped the surface.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading On this, Captain Carey, without another word, put on his hat and walked with his son to the diggings, which were by this time a pretty considerable trench.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He at once jumped into the trench and bade Jack fetch his spade.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “There,” said Jack, pointing, “my spade drove upon him, and I’ve scraped that much clear.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading On this, Captain Carey, without another word, put on his hat and walked with his son to the diggings, which were by this time a pretty considerable trench.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading They then dug together, and in about a quarter of an hour succeeded in laying bare a small brass cannon of very antique pattern and manufacture.
I've
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “There,” said Jack, pointing, “my spade drove upon him, and I’ve scraped that much clear.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They then dug together, and in about a quarter of an hour succeeded in laying bare a small brass cannon of very antique pattern and manufacture.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He at once jumped into the trench and bade Jack fetch his spade.
a small worthless amount
From this reading “There,” said Jack, pointing, “my spade drove upon him, and I’ve scraped that much clear.”
Jack'snounUS /dʒæks/
possessive form of “jack” — a small worthless amount
From this reading The Captain looked, and perceived what resembled a fragment of a shaft of metal, dull and yellow, with lines of brightness where Jack’s spade had scraped the surface.
past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading He at once jumped into the trench and bade Jack fetch his spade.
the production of eggs (especially in birds)
From this reading They then dug together, and in about a quarter of an hour succeeded in laying bare a small brass cannon of very antique pattern and manufacture.
plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading The Captain looked, and perceived what resembled a fragment of a shaft of metal, dull and yellow, with lines of brightness where Jack’s spade had scraped the surface.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The Captain looked, and perceived what resembled a fragment of a shaft of metal, dull and yellow, with lines of brightness where Jack’s spade had scraped the surface.
manufactureverbUS /ˌmænjəˈfæktʃər/
put together out of artificial or natural components or parts
From this reading They then dug together, and in about a quarter of an hour succeeded in laying bare a small brass cannon of very antique pattern and manufacture.
metalnounUS /ˈmetəl/
any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc.
From this reading The Captain looked, and perceived what resembled a fragment of a shaft of metal, dull and yellow, with lines of brightness where Jack’s spade had scraped the surface.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading “There,” said Jack, pointing, “my spade drove upon him, and I’ve scraped that much clear.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “There,” said Jack, pointing, “my spade drove upon him, and I’ve scraped that much clear.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Captain looked, and perceived what resembled a fragment of a shaft of metal, dull and yellow, with lines of brightness where Jack’s spade had scraped the surface.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On this, Captain Carey, without another word, put on his hat and walked with his son to the diggings, which were by this time a pretty considerable trench.
on one occasion
From this reading He at once jumped into the trench and bade Jack fetch his spade.
patternnounUS /ˈpætərn/
a perceptual structure
From this reading They then dug together, and in about a quarter of an hour succeeded in laying bare a small brass cannon of very antique pattern and manufacture.
detected by instinct or inference rather than by recognized perceptual cues
From this reading The Captain looked, and perceived what resembled a fragment of a shaft of metal, dull and yellow, with lines of brightness where Jack’s spade had scraped the surface.
-ing form of “point” — indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively
From this reading “There,” said Jack, pointing, “my spade drove upon him, and I’ve scraped that much clear.”
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading On this, Captain Carey, without another word, put on his hat and walked with his son to the diggings, which were by this time a pretty considerable trench.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading On this, Captain Carey, without another word, put on his hat and walked with his son to the diggings, which were by this time a pretty considerable trench.
one of four equal parts
From this reading They then dug together, and in about a quarter of an hour succeeded in laying bare a small brass cannon of very antique pattern and manufacture.
resembledverbUS /rɪˈzembəld/
past form of “resemble” — appear like; be similar or bear a likeness to
From this reading The Captain looked, and perceived what resembled a fragment of a shaft of metal, dull and yellow, with lines of brightness where Jack’s spade had scraped the surface.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “There,” said Jack, pointing, “my spade drove upon him, and I’ve scraped that much clear.”
scrapedverbUS /skreɪpt/
past form of “scrape” — scratch repeatedly
From this reading “There,” said Jack, pointing, “my spade drove upon him, and I’ve scraped that much clear.”
shaftnounUS /ʃæft/
a line that forms the length of an arrow pointer
From this reading The Captain looked, and perceived what resembled a fragment of a shaft of metal, dull and yellow, with lines of brightness where Jack’s spade had scraped the surface.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading They then dug together, and in about a quarter of an hour succeeded in laying bare a small brass cannon of very antique pattern and manufacture.
a male human offspring
From this reading On this, Captain Carey, without another word, put on his hat and walked with his son to the diggings, which were by this time a pretty considerable trench.
spadenounUS /speɪd/
a playing card in the major suit that has one or more black figures on it
From this reading “There,” said Jack, pointing, “my spade drove upon him, and I’ve scraped that much clear.”
past form of “succeed” — attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading They then dug together, and in about a quarter of an hour succeeded in laying bare a small brass cannon of very antique pattern and manufacture.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading The Captain looked, and perceived what resembled a fragment of a shaft of metal, dull and yellow, with lines of brightness where Jack’s spade had scraped the surface.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “There,” said Jack, pointing, “my spade drove upon him, and I’ve scraped that much clear.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading On this, Captain Carey, without another word, put on his hat and walked with his son to the diggings, which were by this time a pretty considerable trench.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading They then dug together, and in about a quarter of an hour succeeded in laying bare a small brass cannon of very antique pattern and manufacture.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “There,” said Jack, pointing, “my spade drove upon him, and I’ve scraped that much clear.”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They then dug together, and in about a quarter of an hour succeeded in laying bare a small brass cannon of very antique pattern and manufacture.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading On this, Captain Carey, without another word, put on his hat and walked with his son to the diggings, which were by this time a pretty considerable trench.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading On this, Captain Carey, without another word, put on his hat and walked with his son to the diggings, which were by this time a pretty considerable trench.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading On this, Captain Carey, without another word, put on his hat and walked with his son to the diggings, which were by this time a pretty considerable trench.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading They then dug together, and in about a quarter of an hour succeeded in laying bare a small brass cannon of very antique pattern and manufacture.
trenchnounUS /trentʃ/
a ditch dug as a fortification having a parapet of the excavated earth
From this reading On this, Captain Carey, without another word, put on his hat and walked with his son to the diggings, which were by this time a pretty considerable trench.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading “There,” said Jack, pointing, “my spade drove upon him, and I’ve scraped that much clear.”
precisely as stated
From this reading They then dug together, and in about a quarter of an hour succeeded in laying bare a small brass cannon of very antique pattern and manufacture.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading On this, Captain Carey, without another word, put on his hat and walked with his son to the diggings, which were by this time a pretty considerable trench.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading On this, Captain Carey, without another word, put on his hat and walked with his son to the diggings, which were by this time a pretty considerable trench.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading The Captain looked, and perceived what resembled a fragment of a shaft of metal, dull and yellow, with lines of brightness where Jack’s spade had scraped the surface.
in or at the place that
From this reading The Captain looked, and perceived what resembled a fragment of a shaft of metal, dull and yellow, with lines of brightness where Jack’s spade had scraped the surface.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading On this, Captain Carey, without another word, put on his hat and walked with his son to the diggings, which were by this time a pretty considerable trench.
in the company of; together with
From this reading On this, Captain Carey, without another word, put on his hat and walked with his son to the diggings, which were by this time a pretty considerable trench.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading On this, Captain Carey, without another word, put on his hat and walked with his son to the diggings, which were by this time a pretty considerable trench.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading On this, Captain Carey, without another word, put on his hat and walked with his son to the diggings, which were by this time a pretty considerable trench.
of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk
From this reading The Captain looked, and perceived what resembled a fragment of a shaft of metal, dull and yellow, with lines of brightness where Jack’s spade had scraped the surface.
