used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Jerry’s prophecy that they might yet have another thrilling adventure and narrow escape filled them with a sort of startled expectancy.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading The road that went straight as a taut lariat across miles of flat, sandy waste was glistening in the late afternoon sun.
take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome
From this reading Jerry’s prophecy that they might yet have another thrilling adventure and narrow escape filled them with a sort of startled expectancy.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading The road that went straight as a taut lariat across miles of flat, sandy waste was glistening in the late afternoon sun.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading They could not see the forking valley roads until they had dropped down the last steep descent of the mountain and were almost upon them.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Jerry unconsciously uttered an exclamation of relief.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The girls held tight as they had been commanded, their nerves taut and tense.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Jerry’s prophecy that they might yet have another thrilling adventure and narrow escape filled them with a sort of startled expectancy.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The girls held tight as they had been commanded, their nerves taut and tense.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The girls held tight as they had been commanded, their nerves taut and tense.
past form of “command” — be in command of
From this reading The girls held tight as they had been commanded, their nerves taut and tense.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading They could not see the forking valley roads until they had dropped down the last steep descent of the mountain and were almost upon them.
descentnounUS /dɪˈsent/
An action of moving downward, dropping, or falling into a deeper place.
From this reading They could not see the forking valley roads until they had dropped down the last steep descent of the mountain and were almost upon them.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading They could not see the forking valley roads until they had dropped down the last steep descent of the mountain and were almost upon them.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading They could not see the forking valley roads until they had dropped down the last steep descent of the mountain and were almost upon them.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading Jerry’s prophecy that they might yet have another thrilling adventure and narrow escape filled them with a sort of startled expectancy.
exclamationnounUS /ˌekskləˈmeɪʃən/
an abrupt excited utterance
From this reading Jerry unconsciously uttered an exclamation of relief.
expectancynounUS /ɪkˈspektənsi/
an expectation
From this reading Jerry’s prophecy that they might yet have another thrilling adventure and narrow escape filled them with a sort of startled expectancy.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading Jerry’s prophecy that they might yet have another thrilling adventure and narrow escape filled them with a sort of startled expectancy.
having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another
From this reading The road that went straight as a taut lariat across miles of flat, sandy waste was glistening in the late afternoon sun.
forkingnounUS /ˈfɔːrkɪŋ/
the place where something divides into branches
From this reading They could not see the forking valley roads until they had dropped down the last steep descent of the mountain and were almost upon them.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading The girls held tight as they had been commanded, their nerves taut and tense.
glisteningadjectiveUS /ˈɡlɪsənɪŋ/
reflecting light
From this reading The road that went straight as a taut lariat across miles of flat, sandy waste was glistening in the late afternoon sun.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The girls held tight as they had been commanded, their nerves taut and tense.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Jerry’s prophecy that they might yet have another thrilling adventure and narrow escape filled them with a sort of startled expectancy.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading The girls held tight as they had been commanded, their nerves taut and tense.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The road that went straight as a taut lariat across miles of flat, sandy waste was glistening in the late afternoon sun.
offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading Jerry unconsciously uttered an exclamation of relief.
Jerry'snounUS /ˈdʒeriz/
possessive form of “jerry” — offensive term for a person of German descent
From this reading Jerry’s prophecy that they might yet have another thrilling adventure and narrow escape filled them with a sort of startled expectancy.
lariatnounUS /ˈleriət/
a long noosed rope used to catch animals
From this reading The road that went straight as a taut lariat across miles of flat, sandy waste was glistening in the late afternoon sun.
immediately past
From this reading They could not see the forking valley roads until they had dropped down the last steep descent of the mountain and were almost upon them.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading The road that went straight as a taut lariat across miles of flat, sandy waste was glistening in the late afternoon sun.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Jerry’s prophecy that they might yet have another thrilling adventure and narrow escape filled them with a sort of startled expectancy.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading The road that went straight as a taut lariat across miles of flat, sandy waste was glistening in the late afternoon sun.
a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading They could not see the forking valley roads until they had dropped down the last steep descent of the mountain and were almost upon them.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading Jerry’s prophecy that they might yet have another thrilling adventure and narrow escape filled them with a sort of startled expectancy.
an uneasy psychological state
From this reading The girls held tight as they had been commanded, their nerves taut and tense.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading They could not see the forking valley roads until they had dropped down the last steep descent of the mountain and were almost upon them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Jerry’s prophecy that they might yet have another thrilling adventure and narrow escape filled them with a sort of startled expectancy.
prophecynounUS /ˈprɒf.ə.si/
A prediction of what will happen in the future, often divinely or magically inspired.
From this reading Jerry’s prophecy that they might yet have another thrilling adventure and narrow escape filled them with a sort of startled expectancy.
the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced
From this reading Jerry unconsciously uttered an exclamation of relief.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading The road that went straight as a taut lariat across miles of flat, sandy waste was glistening in the late afternoon sun.
roadsnounUS /roʊdz/
a partly sheltered anchorage
From this reading They could not see the forking valley roads until they had dropped down the last steep descent of the mountain and were almost upon them.
sandyadjectiveUS /ˈsændi/
of hair color; pale yellowish to yellowish brown
From this reading The road that went straight as a taut lariat across miles of flat, sandy waste was glistening in the late afternoon sun.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading They could not see the forking valley roads until they had dropped down the last steep descent of the mountain and were almost upon them.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading Jerry’s prophecy that they might yet have another thrilling adventure and narrow escape filled them with a sort of startled expectancy.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading Jerry’s prophecy that they might yet have another thrilling adventure and narrow escape filled them with a sort of startled expectancy.
having a sharp inclination
From this reading They could not see the forking valley roads until they had dropped down the last steep descent of the mountain and were almost upon them.
successive (without a break)
From this reading The road that went straight as a taut lariat across miles of flat, sandy waste was glistening in the late afternoon sun.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The road that went straight as a taut lariat across miles of flat, sandy waste was glistening in the late afternoon sun.
tautadjectiveUS /tɔːt/
pulled or drawn tight
From this reading The girls held tight as they had been commanded, their nerves taut and tense.
tensenounUS /tens/
a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
From this reading The girls held tight as they had been commanded, their nerves taut and tense.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Jerry’s prophecy that they might yet have another thrilling adventure and narrow escape filled them with a sort of startled expectancy.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The girls held tight as they had been commanded, their nerves taut and tense.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The girls held tight as they had been commanded, their nerves taut and tense.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Jerry’s prophecy that they might yet have another thrilling adventure and narrow escape filled them with a sort of startled expectancy.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The girls held tight as they had been commanded, their nerves taut and tense.
thrillingadjectiveUS /ˈθrɪlɪŋ/
causing a surge of emotion or excitement
From this reading Jerry’s prophecy that they might yet have another thrilling adventure and narrow escape filled them with a sort of startled expectancy.
closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading The girls held tight as they had been commanded, their nerves taut and tense.
unconsciouslyadverbUS /ˌʌnˈkɑːnʃəsli/
without awareness
From this reading Jerry unconsciously uttered an exclamation of relief.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading They could not see the forking valley roads until they had dropped down the last steep descent of the mountain and were almost upon them.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading They could not see the forking valley roads until they had dropped down the last steep descent of the mountain and were almost upon them.
communicated in words
From this reading Jerry unconsciously uttered an exclamation of relief.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading They could not see the forking valley roads until they had dropped down the last steep descent of the mountain and were almost upon them.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The road that went straight as a taut lariat across miles of flat, sandy waste was glistening in the late afternoon sun.
any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted
From this reading The road that went straight as a taut lariat across miles of flat, sandy waste was glistening in the late afternoon sun.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The road that went straight as a taut lariat across miles of flat, sandy waste was glistening in the late afternoon sun.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They could not see the forking valley roads until they had dropped down the last steep descent of the mountain and were almost upon them.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Jerry’s prophecy that they might yet have another thrilling adventure and narrow escape filled them with a sort of startled expectancy.
but in spite of that
From this reading Jerry’s prophecy that they might yet have another thrilling adventure and narrow escape filled them with a sort of startled expectancy.
