used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A NOCTURNAL VISITOR It was in that dark hour that precedes the dawn, which for some reason or other is always the blackest of the night.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading His cry of alarm woke the others, and they were about to leap from their beds when Phil’s warning shout prevented them.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Suddenly Phil awoke and sniffed the air.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading His cry of alarm woke the others, and they were about to leap from their beds when Phil’s warning shout prevented them.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading A NOCTURNAL VISITOR It was in that dark hour that precedes the dawn, which for some reason or other is always the blackest of the night.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Suddenly Phil awoke and sniffed the air.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading Suddenly Phil awoke and sniffed the air.
bedsnounUS /bedz/
plural of “bed” — a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading His cry of alarm woke the others, and they were about to leap from their beds when Phil’s warning shout prevented them.
blackestadjectiveUS /ˈblækəst/
superlative of “black” — being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading A NOCTURNAL VISITOR It was in that dark hour that precedes the dawn, which for some reason or other is always the blackest of the night.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading The three boys were sleeping soundly.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading His cry of alarm woke the others, and they were about to leap from their beds when Phil’s warning shout prevented them.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading A NOCTURNAL VISITOR It was in that dark hour that precedes the dawn, which for some reason or other is always the blackest of the night.
the first light of day
From this reading A NOCTURNAL VISITOR It was in that dark hour that precedes the dawn, which for some reason or other is always the blackest of the night.
dazedadjectiveUS /deɪzd/
in a state of mental numbness especially as resulting from shock
From this reading For a moment or two he was dazed, then he gave a shout.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A NOCTURNAL VISITOR It was in that dark hour that precedes the dawn, which for some reason or other is always the blackest of the night.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading His cry of alarm woke the others, and they were about to leap from their beds when Phil’s warning shout prevented them.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading For a moment or two he was dazed, then he gave a shout.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For a moment or two he was dazed, then he gave a shout.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His cry of alarm woke the others, and they were about to leap from their beds when Phil’s warning shout prevented them.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading A NOCTURNAL VISITOR It was in that dark hour that precedes the dawn, which for some reason or other is always the blackest of the night.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A NOCTURNAL VISITOR It was in that dark hour that precedes the dawn, which for some reason or other is always the blackest of the night.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A NOCTURNAL VISITOR It was in that dark hour that precedes the dawn, which for some reason or other is always the blackest of the night.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A NOCTURNAL VISITOR It was in that dark hour that precedes the dawn, which for some reason or other is always the blackest of the night.
leapnounUS /liːp/
a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards
From this reading His cry of alarm woke the others, and they were about to leap from their beds when Phil’s warning shout prevented them.
a particular point in time
From this reading For a moment or two he was dazed, then he gave a shout.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading A NOCTURNAL VISITOR It was in that dark hour that precedes the dawn, which for some reason or other is always the blackest of the night.
NOCTURNALadjectiveUS /nɑːkˈtɜːrnəl/
belonging to or active during the night
From this reading A NOCTURNAL VISITOR It was in that dark hour that precedes the dawn, which for some reason or other is always the blackest of the night.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A NOCTURNAL VISITOR It was in that dark hour that precedes the dawn, which for some reason or other is always the blackest of the night.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading A NOCTURNAL VISITOR It was in that dark hour that precedes the dawn, which for some reason or other is always the blackest of the night.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading A NOCTURNAL VISITOR It was in that dark hour that precedes the dawn, which for some reason or other is always the blackest of the night.
others
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His cry of alarm woke the others, and they were about to leap from their beds when Phil’s warning shout prevented them.
Phil
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Suddenly Phil awoke and sniffed the air.
Phil's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His cry of alarm woke the others, and they were about to leap from their beds when Phil’s warning shout prevented them.
precedesverbUS /prɪˈsiːdz/
third-person singular of “precede” — be earlier in time; go back further
From this reading A NOCTURNAL VISITOR It was in that dark hour that precedes the dawn, which for some reason or other is always the blackest of the night.
preventedverbUS /prɪˈventɪd/
past form of “prevent” — keep from happening or arising; make impossible
From this reading His cry of alarm woke the others, and they were about to leap from their beds when Phil’s warning shout prevented them.
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading A NOCTURNAL VISITOR It was in that dark hour that precedes the dawn, which for some reason or other is always the blackest of the night.
utter in a loud voice; talk in a loud voice (usually denoting characteristic manner of speaking)
From this reading For a moment or two he was dazed, then he gave a shout.
the state of being asleep
From this reading The three boys were sleeping soundly.
sniffedverbUS /snɪft/
past form of “sniff” — perceive by inhaling through the nose
From this reading Suddenly Phil awoke and sniffed the air.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading A NOCTURNAL VISITOR It was in that dark hour that precedes the dawn, which for some reason or other is always the blackest of the night.
soundlyadverbUS /ˈsaʊndli/
deeply or completely
From this reading The three boys were sleeping soundly.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Suddenly Phil awoke and sniffed the air.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A NOCTURNAL VISITOR It was in that dark hour that precedes the dawn, which for some reason or other is always the blackest of the night.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A NOCTURNAL VISITOR It was in that dark hour that precedes the dawn, which for some reason or other is always the blackest of the night.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading His cry of alarm woke the others, and they were about to leap from their beds when Phil’s warning shout prevented them.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading His cry of alarm woke the others, and they were about to leap from their beds when Phil’s warning shout prevented them.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading For a moment or two he was dazed, then he gave a shout.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading His cry of alarm woke the others, and they were about to leap from their beds when Phil’s warning shout prevented them.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The three boys were sleeping soundly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading His cry of alarm woke the others, and they were about to leap from their beds when Phil’s warning shout prevented them.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading For a moment or two he was dazed, then he gave a shout.
someone who visits
From this reading A NOCTURNAL VISITOR It was in that dark hour that precedes the dawn, which for some reason or other is always the blackest of the night.
a message informing of danger
From this reading His cry of alarm woke the others, and they were about to leap from their beds when Phil’s warning shout prevented them.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A NOCTURNAL VISITOR It was in that dark hour that precedes the dawn, which for some reason or other is always the blackest of the night.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The three boys were sleeping soundly.
at the time that
From this reading His cry of alarm woke the others, and they were about to leap from their beds when Phil’s warning shout prevented them.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading A NOCTURNAL VISITOR It was in that dark hour that precedes the dawn, which for some reason or other is always the blackest of the night.
wokeverbUS /woʊk/
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading His cry of alarm woke the others, and they were about to leap from their beds when Phil’s warning shout prevented them.
