used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Take a look through these glasses and tell me what you see,” called big Bob early one morning.
AlinounUS /ˈɑːli/
United States prizefighter who won the world heavyweight championship three times (born in 1942)
From this reading “Ali, come here.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading Ali looked up inquiringly, and Bob grasped him by an arm and urged him forward, past the well, through the patches of garden stuff, down among a grove of fig trees, to the edge of the oasis.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Ali looked up inquiringly, and Bob grasped him by an arm and urged him forward, past the well, through the patches of garden stuff, down among a grove of fig trees, to the edge of the oasis.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Take a look through these glasses and tell me what you see,” called big Bob early one morning.
the event of one object coming closer to another
From this reading As he spoke he was approaching the encampment, where the Arabs were preparing breakfast, at a run.
ArabsnounUS /ˈærəbz/
plural of “arab” — a member of a Semitic people originally from the Arabian peninsula and surrounding territories who speaks Arabic and who inhabits much of the Middle East and northern Africa
From this reading As he spoke he was approaching the encampment, where the Arabs were preparing breakfast, at a run.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading Ali looked up inquiringly, and Bob grasped him by an arm and urged him forward, past the well, through the patches of garden stuff, down among a grove of fig trees, to the edge of the oasis.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As he spoke he was approaching the encampment, where the Arabs were preparing breakfast, at a run.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading As he spoke he was approaching the encampment, where the Arabs were preparing breakfast, at a run.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Take a look through these glasses and tell me what you see,” called big Bob early one morning.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading Take a look through these glasses and tell me what you see,” called big Bob early one morning.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading As he spoke he was approaching the encampment, where the Arabs were preparing breakfast, at a run.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Ali looked up inquiringly, and Bob grasped him by an arm and urged him forward, past the well, through the patches of garden stuff, down among a grove of fig trees, to the edge of the oasis.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Take a look through these glasses and tell me what you see,” called big Bob early one morning.
CHASINGverbUS /ˈtʃeɪsɪŋ/
-ing form of “chase” — go after with the intent to catch
From this reading CHASING OSTRICHES.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Ali, come here.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Ali looked up inquiringly, and Bob grasped him by an arm and urged him forward, past the well, through the patches of garden stuff, down among a grove of fig trees, to the edge of the oasis.
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading Take a look through these glasses and tell me what you see,” called big Bob early one morning.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading Ali looked up inquiringly, and Bob grasped him by an arm and urged him forward, past the well, through the patches of garden stuff, down among a grove of fig trees, to the edge of the oasis.
encampmentnounUS /ɪnˈkæmpmɪnt/
a site where people on holiday can pitch a tent
From this reading As he spoke he was approaching the encampment, where the Arabs were preparing breakfast, at a run.
fignounUS /fɪɡ/
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading Ali looked up inquiringly, and Bob grasped him by an arm and urged him forward, past the well, through the patches of garden stuff, down among a grove of fig trees, to the edge of the oasis.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading Ali looked up inquiringly, and Bob grasped him by an arm and urged him forward, past the well, through the patches of garden stuff, down among a grove of fig trees, to the edge of the oasis.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading Ali looked up inquiringly, and Bob grasped him by an arm and urged him forward, past the well, through the patches of garden stuff, down among a grove of fig trees, to the edge of the oasis.
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading Take a look through these glasses and tell me what you see,” called big Bob early one morning.
graspedverbUS /ɡræspt/
past form of “grasp” — hold firmly
From this reading Ali looked up inquiringly, and Bob grasped him by an arm and urged him forward, past the well, through the patches of garden stuff, down among a grove of fig trees, to the edge of the oasis.
grovenounUS /ɡroʊv/
a small growth of trees without underbrush
From this reading Ali looked up inquiringly, and Bob grasped him by an arm and urged him forward, past the well, through the patches of garden stuff, down among a grove of fig trees, to the edge of the oasis.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As he spoke he was approaching the encampment, where the Arabs were preparing breakfast, at a run.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “Ali, come here.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Ali looked up inquiringly, and Bob grasped him by an arm and urged him forward, past the well, through the patches of garden stuff, down among a grove of fig trees, to the edge of the oasis.
inquiringlyadverb
in an inquiring manner
From this reading Ali looked up inquiringly, and Bob grasped him by an arm and urged him forward, past the well, through the patches of garden stuff, down among a grove of fig trees, to the edge of the oasis.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Take a look through these glasses and tell me what you see,” called big Bob early one morning.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Ali looked up inquiringly, and Bob grasped him by an arm and urged him forward, past the well, through the patches of garden stuff, down among a grove of fig trees, to the edge of the oasis.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Take a look through these glasses and tell me what you see,” called big Bob early one morning.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Take a look through these glasses and tell me what you see,” called big Bob early one morning.
oasisnounUS /oʊˈeɪsɪs/
a fertile tract in a desert (where the water table approaches the surface)
From this reading Ali looked up inquiringly, and Bob grasped him by an arm and urged him forward, past the well, through the patches of garden stuff, down among a grove of fig trees, to the edge of the oasis.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Ali looked up inquiringly, and Bob grasped him by an arm and urged him forward, past the well, through the patches of garden stuff, down among a grove of fig trees, to the edge of the oasis.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Take a look through these glasses and tell me what you see,” called big Bob early one morning.
OSTRICHESnounUS /ˈɑːstrɪtʃɪz/
plural of “ostrich” — a person who refuses to face reality or recognize the truth (a reference to the popular notion that the ostrich hides from danger by burying its head in the sand)
From this reading CHASING OSTRICHES.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading Ali looked up inquiringly, and Bob grasped him by an arm and urged him forward, past the well, through the patches of garden stuff, down among a grove of fig trees, to the edge of the oasis.
patchesnounUS /ˈpætʃəz/
plural of “patch” — a small contrasting part of something
From this reading Ali looked up inquiringly, and Bob grasped him by an arm and urged him forward, past the well, through the patches of garden stuff, down among a grove of fig trees, to the edge of the oasis.
preparingverbUS /priˈperɪŋ/
-ing form of “prepare” — make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading As he spoke he was approaching the encampment, where the Arabs were preparing breakfast, at a run.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading As he spoke he was approaching the encampment, where the Arabs were preparing breakfast, at a run.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Take a look through these glasses and tell me what you see,” called big Bob early one morning.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading As he spoke he was approaching the encampment, where the Arabs were preparing breakfast, at a run.
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading Ali looked up inquiringly, and Bob grasped him by an arm and urged him forward, past the well, through the patches of garden stuff, down among a grove of fig trees, to the edge of the oasis.
carry out
From this reading Take a look through these glasses and tell me what you see,” called big Bob early one morning.
express in words
From this reading Take a look through these glasses and tell me what you see,” called big Bob early one morning.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As he spoke he was approaching the encampment, where the Arabs were preparing breakfast, at a run.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Take a look through these glasses and tell me what you see,” called big Bob early one morning.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Take a look through these glasses and tell me what you see,” called big Bob early one morning.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Ali looked up inquiringly, and Bob grasped him by an arm and urged him forward, past the well, through the patches of garden stuff, down among a grove of fig trees, to the edge of the oasis.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading Ali looked up inquiringly, and Bob grasped him by an arm and urged him forward, past the well, through the patches of garden stuff, down among a grove of fig trees, to the edge of the oasis.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Ali looked up inquiringly, and Bob grasped him by an arm and urged him forward, past the well, through the patches of garden stuff, down among a grove of fig trees, to the edge of the oasis.
past form of “urge” — force or impel in an indicated direction
From this reading Ali looked up inquiringly, and Bob grasped him by an arm and urged him forward, past the well, through the patches of garden stuff, down among a grove of fig trees, to the edge of the oasis.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As he spoke he was approaching the encampment, where the Arabs were preparing breakfast, at a run.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Ali looked up inquiringly, and Bob grasped him by an arm and urged him forward, past the well, through the patches of garden stuff, down among a grove of fig trees, to the edge of the oasis.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading As he spoke he was approaching the encampment, where the Arabs were preparing breakfast, at a run.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Take a look through these glasses and tell me what you see,” called big Bob early one morning.
in or at the place that
From this reading As he spoke he was approaching the encampment, where the Arabs were preparing breakfast, at a run.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Take a look through these glasses and tell me what you see,” called big Bob early one morning.
