Chapter XXVI · Chapter 26

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

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

in an alternating sequence or position

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

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

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

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

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading Another, and a longer, wait, and the door moved and rattled, that signal which marked the opening and shutting of the area door three flights below.

a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography)

From this reading Another, and a longer, wait, and the door moved and rattled, that signal which marked the opening and shutting of the area door three flights below.

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 Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

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

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading The sound of his steps died away.

at or to a lower level than something

From this reading Another, and a longer, wait, and the door moved and rattled, that signal which marked the opening and shutting of the area door three flights below.

above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

not breathing or able to breathe except with difficulty

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

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

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

a seat for one person, with a support for the back

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

an alliance made up of states that had been Soviet Socialist Republics in the Soviet Union prior to its dissolution in Dec 1991

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

-ing form of “cling” — come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

a grouping of a number of similar things

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

in a comforting or consoling manner

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

make a high-pitched, screeching noise

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

the act of departing

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading The sound of his steps died away.

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

opinion or judgment

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

plural of “flight” — a formation of aircraft in flight

From this reading Another, and a longer, wait, and the door moved and rattled, that signal which marked the opening and shutting of the area door three flights below.

to travel behind, go after, come after

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

the part of the face above the eyes

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

causing fear or dread or terror

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

destroyed or killed

From this reading The longshoreman was really gone.

the father of your father or mother

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

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

From this reading The sound of his steps died away.

moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

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

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

set down according to a plan

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

for more time

From this reading Another, and a longer, wait, and the door moved and rattled, that signal which marked the opening and shutting of the area door three flights below.

a laborer who loads and unloads vessels in a port

From this reading The longshoreman was really gone.

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 END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

strongly marked; easily noticeable

From this reading Another, and a longer, wait, and the door moved and rattled, that signal which marked the opening and shutting of the area door three flights below.

a particular point in time

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion

From this reading Another, and a longer, wait, and the door moved and rattled, that signal which marked the opening and shutting of the area door three flights below.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

an open or empty space in or between things

From this reading Another, and a longer, wait, and the door moved and rattled, that signal which marked the opening and shutting of the area door three flights below.

above and across; more than

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

plural of “pair” — a set of two similar things considered as a unit

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

inflected form of “pat” — pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

thrown into a state of agitated confusion; (“rattled” is an informal term)

From this reading Another, and a longer, wait, and the door moved and rattled, that signal which marked the opening and shutting of the area door three flights below.

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading The longshoreman was really gone.

the act of closing something

From this reading Another, and a longer, wait, and the door moved and rattled, that signal which marked the opening and shutting of the area door three flights below.

any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message

From this reading Another, and a longer, wait, and the door moved and rattled, that signal which marked the opening and shutting of the area door three flights below.

Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause

From this reading The sound of his steps died away.

be standing; be upright

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

a flight of stairs or a flight of steps

From this reading The sound of his steps died away.

lacking natural ease

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Another, and a longer, wait, and the door moved and rattled, that signal which marked the opening and shutting of the area door three flights below.

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

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading Another, and a longer, wait, and the door moved and rattled, that signal which marked the opening and shutting of the area door three flights below.

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

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

possessive form of “tom” — male cat

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

a shaky motion

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

a formal word for “on”

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.

stay in one place and anticipate or expect something

From this reading Another, and a longer, wait, and the door moved and rattled, that signal which marked the opening and shutting of the area door three flights below.

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

From this reading The longshoreman was really gone.

showing sorrow

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

change directions as if revolving on a pivot

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

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

From this reading Cis laid her forehead against an arm of the wheel chair, and burst into tears, clinging to old Grandpa, and trembling, and frightening him into weeping; whereupon Johnnie hurried to them, and alternately patted them comfortingly, and Father Pat came to stand over the three.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Another, and a longer, wait, and the door moved and rattled, that signal which marked the opening and shutting of the area door three flights below.

during the time that

From this reading THE END OF A LONG DAY A LONG moment of breathless silence--while four pairs of eyes fixed themselves upon the hall door, and as many pairs of ears strained to follow the creak and clump of Big Tom's departure.