Chapter XVI

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

From this reading THE ASTONISHING WILLIAM The echoes of many voices soon grew into such a roar that individual words became indistinguishable.

become imbued

From this reading “Gee whiz, fellows, just absorb this!” he cried.

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

From this reading Much pushing and crowding followed, as Bob Somers turned the light of his lantern full on the scrawling letters.

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

From this reading Much pushing and crowding followed, as Bob Somers turned the light of his lantern full on the scrawling letters.

surprising greatly

From this reading THE ASTONISHING WILLIAM The echoes of many voices soon grew into such a roar that individual words became indistinguishable.

(Genesis 11:1-11) a tower built by Noah's descendants (probably in Babylon) who intended it to reach up to heaven; God foiled them by confusing their language so they could no longer understand one another

From this reading This babel of sound Bob Somers managed, with some difficulty, to still.

inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition

From this reading THE ASTONISHING WILLIAM The echoes of many voices soon grew into such a roar that individual words became indistinguishable.

move up and down repeatedly

From this reading This babel of sound Bob Somers managed, with some difficulty, to still.

a long narrow depression in a surface

From this reading “Well, what’s he written on the thing?” demanded Cranny, impatiently.

inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading “Gee whiz, fellows, just absorb this!” he cried.

a situation in which people or things are crowded together

From this reading Much pushing and crowding followed, as Bob Somers turned the light of his lantern full on the scrawling letters.

past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully

From this reading “Well, what’s he written on the thing?” demanded Cranny, impatiently.

an effort that is inconvenient

From this reading This babel of sound Bob Somers managed, with some difficulty, to still.

plural of “echo” — the repetition of a sound resulting from reflection of the sound waves

From this reading THE ASTONISHING WILLIAM The echoes of many voices soon grew into such a roar that individual words became indistinguishable.

plural of “fellow” — a boy or man

From this reading “Gee whiz, fellows, just absorb this!” he cried.

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

From this reading Much pushing and crowding followed, as Bob Somers turned the light of his lantern full on the scrawling letters.

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

From this reading Much pushing and crowding followed, as Bob Somers turned the light of his lantern full on the scrawling letters.

a unit of force equal to the force exerted by gravity; used to indicate the force to which a body is subjected when it is accelerated

From this reading “Gee whiz, fellows, just absorb this!” he cried.

inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become

From this reading THE ASTONISHING WILLIAM The echoes of many voices soon grew into such a roar that individual words became indistinguishable.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading “Well, what’s he written on the thing?” demanded Cranny, impatiently.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Much pushing and crowding followed, as Bob Somers turned the light of his lantern full on the scrawling letters.

with impatience; in an impatient manner

From this reading “Well, what’s he written on the thing?” demanded Cranny, impatiently.

exactly alike; incapable of being perceived as different

From this reading THE ASTONISHING WILLIAM The echoes of many voices soon grew into such a roar that individual words became indistinguishable.

being or characteristic of a single thing or person

From this reading THE ASTONISHING WILLIAM The echoes of many voices soon grew into such a roar that individual words became indistinguishable.

moving to the inside of something

From this reading THE ASTONISHING WILLIAM The echoes of many voices soon grew into such a roar that individual words became indistinguishable.

and nothing more

From this reading “Gee whiz, fellows, just absorb this!” he cried.

light in a transparent protective case

From this reading Much pushing and crowding followed, as Bob Somers turned the light of his lantern full on the scrawling letters.

the literary culture

From this reading Much pushing and crowding followed, as Bob Somers turned the light of his lantern full on the scrawling letters.

of comparatively little physical weight or density

From this reading Much pushing and crowding followed, as Bob Somers turned the light of his lantern full on the scrawling letters.

past form of “manage” — be successful; achieve a goal

From this reading This babel of sound Bob Somers managed, with some difficulty, to still.

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading THE ASTONISHING WILLIAM The echoes of many voices soon grew into such a roar that individual words became indistinguishable.

to a great degree or extent

From this reading Much pushing and crowding followed, as Bob Somers turned the light of his lantern full on the scrawling letters.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE ASTONISHING WILLIAM The echoes of many voices soon grew into such a roar that individual words became indistinguishable.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading “Well, what’s he written on the thing?” demanded Cranny, impatiently.

the act of applying force in order to move something away

From this reading Much pushing and crowding followed, as Bob Somers turned the light of his lantern full on the scrawling letters.

make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles

From this reading THE ASTONISHING WILLIAM The echoes of many voices soon grew into such a roar that individual words became indistinguishable.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Much pushing and crowding followed, as Bob Somers turned the light of his lantern full on the scrawling letters.

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading This babel of sound Bob Somers managed, with some difficulty, to still.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading This babel of sound Bob Somers managed, with some difficulty, to still.

in the near future

From this reading THE ASTONISHING WILLIAM The echoes of many voices soon grew into such a roar that individual words became indistinguishable.

the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause

From this reading This babel of sound Bob Somers managed, with some difficulty, to still.

not in physical motion

From this reading This babel of sound Bob Somers managed, with some difficulty, to still.

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading THE ASTONISHING WILLIAM The echoes of many voices soon grew into such a roar that individual words became indistinguishable.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading THE ASTONISHING WILLIAM The echoes of many voices soon grew into such a roar that individual words became indistinguishable.

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

From this reading THE ASTONISHING WILLIAM The echoes of many voices soon grew into such a roar that individual words became indistinguishable.

a special situation

From this reading “Well, what’s he written on the thing?” demanded Cranny, impatiently.

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading This babel of sound Bob Somers managed, with some difficulty, to still.

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

From this reading This babel of sound Bob Somers managed, with some difficulty, to still.

moved around an axis or center

From this reading Much pushing and crowding followed, as Bob Somers turned the light of his lantern full on the scrawling letters.

plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading THE ASTONISHING WILLIAM The echoes of many voices soon grew into such a roar that individual words became indistinguishable.

(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 “Well, what’s he written on the thing?” demanded Cranny, impatiently.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Well, what’s he written on the thing?” demanded Cranny, impatiently.

someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field

From this reading “Gee whiz, fellows, just absorb this!” he cried.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE ASTONISHING WILLIAM The echoes of many voices soon grew into such a roar that individual words became indistinguishable.

in the company of; together with

From this reading This babel of sound Bob Somers managed, with some difficulty, to still.

the words that are spoken

From this reading THE ASTONISHING WILLIAM The echoes of many voices soon grew into such a roar that individual words became indistinguishable.

set down in writing in any of various ways

From this reading “Well, what’s he written on the thing?” demanded Cranny, impatiently.