Chapter IV

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading They had been so close together that they all came down in a heap, in a waving confusion of arms and legs.

surprising greatly

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

weapons considered collectively

From this reading They had been so close together that they all came down in a heap, in a waving confusion of arms and legs.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Fortunately the distance had been only a few feet, but it was enough to knock the breath out of them, especially out of Jimmy, who had the misfortune of finding himself at the bottom of the heap.

floor consisting of open space at the top of a house just below roof; often used for storage

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

the past participle of “be”

From this reading They had been so close together that they all came down in a heap, in a waving confusion of arms and legs.

shining intensely

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

the lower side of anything

From this reading Fortunately the distance had been only a few feet, but it was enough to knock the breath out of them, especially out of Jimmy, who had the misfortune of finding himself at the bottom of the heap.

plural of “boy” — a youthful male person

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing

From this reading Fortunately the distance had been only a few feet, but it was enough to knock the breath out of them, especially out of Jimmy, who had the misfortune of finding himself at the bottom of the heap.

inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Fortunately the distance had been only a few feet, but it was enough to knock the breath out of them, especially out of Jimmy, who had the misfortune of finding himself at the bottom of the heap.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading They had been so close together that they all came down in a heap, in a waving confusion of arms and legs.

any utterance produced simultaneously by a group

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other

From this reading They had been so close together that they all came down in a heap, in a waving confusion of arms and legs.

make overcast or cloudy

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

in a coherent manner

From this reading For a minute or two they were too dazed by the suddenness of the fall to speak coherently, or in fact to speak at all.

disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably

From this reading They had been so close together that they all came down in a heap, in a waving confusion of arms and legs.

in a state of mental numbness especially as resulting from shock

From this reading For a minute or two they were too dazed by the suddenness of the fall to speak coherently, or in fact to speak at all.

the act of discovering something

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

straightened out

From this reading Then gradually they disentangled themselves and got to their feet.

the property created by the space between two objects or points

From this reading Fortunately the distance had been only a few feet, but it was enough to knock the breath out of them, especially out of Jimmy, who had the misfortune of finding himself at the bottom of the heap.

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading They had been so close together that they all came down in a heap, in a waving confusion of arms and legs.

remove the dust from

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose

From this reading Fortunately the distance had been only a few feet, but it was enough to knock the breath out of them, especially out of Jimmy, who had the misfortune of finding himself at the bottom of the heap.

to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common

From this reading Fortunately the distance had been only a few feet, but it was enough to knock the breath out of them, especially out of Jimmy, who had the misfortune of finding himself at the bottom of the heap.

a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred

From this reading For a minute or two they were too dazed by the suddenness of the fall to speak coherently, or in fact to speak at all.

descend in free fall under the influence of gravity

From this reading For a minute or two they were too dazed by the suddenness of the fall to speak coherently, or in fact to speak at all.

decreasing in amount or degree

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading Fortunately the distance had been only a few feet, but it was enough to knock the breath out of them, especially out of Jimmy, who had the misfortune of finding himself at the bottom of the heap.

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading Fortunately the distance had been only a few feet, but it was enough to knock the breath out of them, especially out of Jimmy, who had the misfortune of finding himself at the bottom of the heap.

the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation

From this reading Fortunately the distance had been only a few feet, but it was enough to knock the breath out of them, especially out of Jimmy, who had the misfortune of finding himself at the bottom of the heap.

the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For a minute or two they were too dazed by the suddenness of the fall to speak coherently, or in fact to speak at all.

by good fortune

From this reading Fortunately the distance had been only a few feet, but it was enough to knock the breath out of them, especially out of Jimmy, who had the misfortune of finding himself at the bottom of the heap.

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading Then gradually they disentangled themselves and got to their feet.

in a gradual manner

From this reading Then gradually they disentangled themselves and got to their feet.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading They had been so close together that they all came down in a heap, in a waving confusion of arms and legs.

a collection of objects laid on top of each other

From this reading They had been so close together that they all came down in a heap, in a waving confusion of arms and legs.

of comparatively great physical weight or density

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading Fortunately the distance had been only a few feet, but it was enough to knock the breath out of them, especially out of Jimmy, who had the misfortune of finding himself at the bottom of the heap.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Fortunately the distance had been only a few feet, but it was enough to knock the breath out of them, especially out of Jimmy, who had the misfortune of finding himself at the bottom of the heap.

to move or force, especially in an effort to get something open

From this reading Fortunately the distance had been only a few feet, but it was enough to knock the breath out of them, especially out of Jimmy, who had the misfortune of finding himself at the bottom of the heap.

deliver a sharp blow or push

From this reading Fortunately the distance had been only a few feet, but it was enough to knock the breath out of them, especially out of Jimmy, who had the misfortune of finding himself at the bottom of the heap.

staying power

From this reading They had been so close together that they all came down in a heap, in a waving confusion of arms and legs.

a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour

From this reading For a minute or two they were too dazed by the suddenness of the fall to speak coherently, or in fact to speak at all.

unnecessary and unforeseen trouble resulting from an unfortunate event

From this reading Fortunately the distance had been only a few feet, but it was enough to knock the breath out of them, especially out of Jimmy, who had the misfortune of finding himself at the bottom of the heap.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

and nothing more

From this reading Fortunately the distance had been only a few feet, but it was enough to knock the breath out of them, especially out of Jimmy, who had the misfortune of finding himself at the bottom of the heap.

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading For a minute or two they were too dazed by the suddenness of the fall to speak coherently, or in fact to speak at all.

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Fortunately the distance had been only a few feet, but it was enough to knock the breath out of them, especially out of Jimmy, who had the misfortune of finding himself at the bottom of the heap.

apply a heavy coat to

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

plural of “shout” — a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading They had been so close together that they all came down in a heap, in a waving confusion of arms and legs.

express in speech

From this reading For a minute or two they were too dazed by the suddenness of the fall to speak coherently, or in fact to speak at all.

the quality of happening with headlong haste or without warning

From this reading For a minute or two they were too dazed by the suddenness of the fall to speak coherently, or in fact to speak at all.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading They had been so close together that they all came down in a heap, in a waving confusion of arms and legs.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Then gradually they disentangled themselves and got to their feet.

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Fortunately the distance had been only a few feet, but it was enough to knock the breath out of them, especially out of Jimmy, who had the misfortune of finding himself at the bottom of the heap.

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then gradually they disentangled themselves and got to their feet.

in or at that place or location

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

make a dull sound

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Fortunately the distance had been only a few feet, but it was enough to knock the breath out of them, especially out of Jimmy, who had the misfortune of finding himself at the bottom of the heap.

in contact with each other or in proximity

From this reading They had been so close together that they all came down in a heap, in a waving confusion of arms and legs.

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading For a minute or two they were too dazed by the suddenness of the fall to speak coherently, or in fact to speak at all.

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading For a minute or two they were too dazed by the suddenness of the fall to speak coherently, or in fact to speak at all.

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading AN AMAZING DISCOVERY There was a chorus of shouts as the boys felt themselves falling, followed by a heavy thud as they brought up on the floor of the attic in a blinding cloud of dust and plaster.

the act of signaling by a movement of the hand

From this reading They had been so close together that they all came down in a heap, in a waving confusion of arms and legs.

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading For a minute or two they were too dazed by the suddenness of the fall to speak coherently, or in fact to speak at all.

which person or people

From this reading Fortunately the distance had been only a few feet, but it was enough to knock the breath out of them, especially out of Jimmy, who had the misfortune of finding himself at the bottom of the heap.