used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The big, wide, flat-bottomed canoe, with her wooden awning and her one straight mast lay black, a few yards out, in the dark night.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The big, wide, flat-bottomed canoe, with her wooden awning and her one straight mast lay black, a few yards out, in the dark night.
separated or at a distance in place or position or time
From this reading The men stood with their backs to him, legs apart.
awningnounUS /ˈɑːnɪŋ/
a canopy made of canvas to shelter people or things from rain or sun
From this reading The big, wide, flat-bottomed canoe, with her wooden awning and her one straight mast lay black, a few yards out, in the dark night.
backsnounUS /bæks/
plural of “back” — the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine
From this reading The men stood with their backs to him, legs apart.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The big, wide, flat-bottomed canoe, with her wooden awning and her one straight mast lay black, a few yards out, in the dark night.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading The big, wide, flat-bottomed canoe, with her wooden awning and her one straight mast lay black, a few yards out, in the dark night.
a committee having supervisory powers
From this reading A short man with trousers rolled up came to carry the people on board.
the act of burning something
From this reading A lamp was burning under the wooden roof; one looked in, from the shore.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading A short man with trousers rolled up came to carry the people on board.
small and light boat; pointed at both ends; propelled with a paddle
From this reading The big, wide, flat-bottomed canoe, with her wooden awning and her one straight mast lay black, a few yards out, in the dark night.
move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading A short man with trousers rolled up came to carry the people on board.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading The big, wide, flat-bottomed canoe, with her wooden awning and her one straight mast lay black, a few yards out, in the dark night.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading The big, wide, flat-bottomed canoe, with her wooden awning and her one straight mast lay black, a few yards out, in the dark night.
flat-bottomedadjective
having a flat bottom
From this reading The big, wide, flat-bottomed canoe, with her wooden awning and her one straight mast lay black, a few yards out, in the dark night.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And this was home for the passengers.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A lamp was burning under the wooden roof; one looked in, from the shore.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The big, wide, flat-bottomed canoe, with her wooden awning and her one straight mast lay black, a few yards out, in the dark night.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The men stood with their backs to him, legs apart.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading And this was home for the passengers.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The big, wide, flat-bottomed canoe, with her wooden awning and her one straight mast lay black, a few yards out, in the dark night.
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading A lamp was burning under the wooden roof; one looked in, from the shore.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The big, wide, flat-bottomed canoe, with her wooden awning and her one straight mast lay black, a few yards out, in the dark night.
staying power
From this reading The men stood with their backs to him, legs apart.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading A lamp was burning under the wooden roof; one looked in, from the shore.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading A short man with trousers rolled up came to carry the people on board.
mastnounUS /mæst/
a vertical spar for supporting sails
From this reading The big, wide, flat-bottomed canoe, with her wooden awning and her one straight mast lay black, a few yards out, in the dark night.
the force of workers available
From this reading The men stood with their backs to him, legs apart.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The big, wide, flat-bottomed canoe, with her wooden awning and her one straight mast lay black, a few yards out, in the dark night.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A short man with trousers rolled up came to carry the people on board.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The big, wide, flat-bottomed canoe, with her wooden awning and her one straight mast lay black, a few yards out, in the dark night.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The big, wide, flat-bottomed canoe, with her wooden awning and her one straight mast lay black, a few yards out, in the dark night.
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 And this was home for the passengers.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading A short man with trousers rolled up came to carry the people on board.
especially of petals or leaves in bud; having margins rolled inward
From this reading A short man with trousers rolled up came to carry the people on board.
a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
From this reading A lamp was burning under the wooden roof; one looked in, from the shore.
the land along the edge of a body of water
From this reading A lamp was burning under the wooden roof; one looked in, from the shore.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading A short man with trousers rolled up came to carry the people on board.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The men stood with their backs to him, legs apart.
successive (without a break)
From this reading The big, wide, flat-bottomed canoe, with her wooden awning and her one straight mast lay black, a few yards out, in the dark night.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The big, wide, flat-bottomed canoe, with her wooden awning and her one straight mast lay black, a few yards out, in the dark night.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The men stood with their backs to him, legs apart.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading And this was home for the passengers.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A short man with trousers rolled up came to carry the people on board.
trousersnounUS /ˈtraʊzərz/
(usually in the plural) a garment extending from the waist to the knee or ankle, covering each leg separately
From this reading A short man with trousers rolled up came to carry the people on board.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading A lamp was burning under the wooden roof; one looked in, from the shore.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading A short man with trousers rolled up came to carry the people on board.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A lamp was burning under the wooden roof; one looked in, from the shore.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading The big, wide, flat-bottomed canoe, with her wooden awning and her one straight mast lay black, a few yards out, in the dark night.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The big, wide, flat-bottomed canoe, with her wooden awning and her one straight mast lay black, a few yards out, in the dark night.
made or consisting of (entirely or in part) or employing wood
From this reading The big, wide, flat-bottomed canoe, with her wooden awning and her one straight mast lay black, a few yards out, in the dark night.
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading The big, wide, flat-bottomed canoe, with her wooden awning and her one straight mast lay black, a few yards out, in the dark night.
