used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading TURNED ADRIFT Soon they were on their way again, with the sky lightening a little and the rain almost ceased.
highly skilled
From this reading Every stroke had meant to their minds, then, just so much of their journey accomplished.
ADRIFTadjectiveUS /əˈdrɪft/
aimlessly drifting
From this reading TURNED ADRIFT Soon they were on their way again, with the sky lightening a little and the rain almost ceased.
anew
From this reading TURNED ADRIFT Soon they were on their way again, with the sky lightening a little and the rain almost ceased.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading TURNED ADRIFT Soon they were on their way again, with the sky lightening a little and the rain almost ceased.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading TURNED ADRIFT Soon they were on their way again, with the sky lightening a little and the rain almost ceased.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading There was not quite so much spirit to their paddling as there had been on the way up.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading They plunged through the tangle of dripping brakes, down to the shore; pushed off once more in midstream, and started back the way they had come.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Now they knew they were striving only to put themselves on the right track again, and that there would be four wet miles of wasted effort.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading There was not quite so much spirit to their paddling as there had been on the way up.
brakesnounUS /breɪks/
a braking device consisting of a combination of interacting parts that work to slow a motor vehicle
From this reading They plunged through the tangle of dripping brakes, down to the shore; pushed off once more in midstream, and started back the way they had come.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading TURNED ADRIFT Soon they were on their way again, with the sky lightening a little and the rain almost ceased.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading They plunged through the tangle of dripping brakes, down to the shore; pushed off once more in midstream, and started back the way they had come.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading They plunged through the tangle of dripping brakes, down to the shore; pushed off once more in midstream, and started back the way they had come.
drippingnounUS /ˈdrɪpɪŋ/
a liquid (as water) that flows in drops (as from the eaves of house)
From this reading They plunged through the tangle of dripping brakes, down to the shore; pushed off once more in midstream, and started back the way they had come.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading Now they knew they were striving only to put themselves on the right track again, and that there would be four wet miles of wasted effort.
EverydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Every stroke had meant to their minds, then, just so much of their journey accomplished.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading Now they knew they were striving only to put themselves on the right track again, and that there would be four wet miles of wasted effort.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They plunged through the tangle of dripping brakes, down to the shore; pushed off once more in midstream, and started back the way they had come.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They plunged through the tangle of dripping brakes, down to the shore; pushed off once more in midstream, and started back the way they had come.
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading Every stroke had meant to their minds, then, just so much of their journey accomplished.
and nothing more
From this reading Every stroke had meant to their minds, then, just so much of their journey accomplished.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Now they knew they were striving only to put themselves on the right track again, and that there would be four wet miles of wasted effort.
lighteningnounUS /ˈlaɪtənɪŋ/
descent of the uterus into the pelvic cavity that occurs late in pregnancy; the fetus is said to have dropped
From this reading TURNED ADRIFT Soon they were on their way again, with the sky lightening a little and the rain almost ceased.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading TURNED ADRIFT Soon they were on their way again, with the sky lightening a little and the rain almost ceased.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading Every stroke had meant to their minds, then, just so much of their journey accomplished.
midstreamnounUS /ˈmɪdstriːm/
the middle of a stream
From this reading They plunged through the tangle of dripping brakes, down to the shore; pushed off once more in midstream, and started back the way they had come.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading Now they knew they were striving only to put themselves on the right track again, and that there would be four wet miles of wasted effort.
plural of “mind” — that which is responsible for one's thoughts, feelings, and conscious brain functions; the seat of the faculty of reason
From this reading Every stroke had meant to their minds, then, just so much of their journey accomplished.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading They plunged through the tangle of dripping brakes, down to the shore; pushed off once more in midstream, and started back the way they had come.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading There was not quite so much spirit to their paddling as there had been on the way up.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading There was not quite so much spirit to their paddling as there had been on the way up.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now they knew they were striving only to put themselves on the right track again, and that there would be four wet miles of wasted effort.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They plunged through the tangle of dripping brakes, down to the shore; pushed off once more in midstream, and started back the way they had come.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading They plunged through the tangle of dripping brakes, down to the shore; pushed off once more in midstream, and started back the way they had come.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading TURNED ADRIFT Soon they were on their way again, with the sky lightening a little and the rain almost ceased.
on one occasion
From this reading They plunged through the tangle of dripping brakes, down to the shore; pushed off once more in midstream, and started back the way they had come.
and nothing more
From this reading Now they knew they were striving only to put themselves on the right track again, and that there would be four wet miles of wasted effort.
paddlingverbUS /ˈpædəlɪŋ/
-ing form of “paddle” — propel with a paddle
From this reading There was not quite so much spirit to their paddling as there had been on the way up.
past form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into
From this reading They plunged through the tangle of dripping brakes, down to the shore; pushed off once more in midstream, and started back the way they had come.
past form of “push” — move with force
From this reading They plunged through the tangle of dripping brakes, down to the shore; pushed off once more in midstream, and started back the way they had come.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Now they knew they were striving only to put themselves on the right track again, and that there would be four wet miles of wasted effort.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading There was not quite so much spirit to their paddling as there had been on the way up.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading TURNED ADRIFT Soon they were on their way again, with the sky lightening a little and the rain almost ceased.
precisely, exactly
From this reading Now they knew they were striving only to put themselves on the right track again, and that there would be four wet miles of wasted effort.
the land along the edge of a body of water
From this reading They plunged through the tangle of dripping brakes, down to the shore; pushed off once more in midstream, and started back the way they had come.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading TURNED ADRIFT Soon they were on their way again, with the sky lightening a little and the rain almost ceased.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading There was not quite so much spirit to their paddling as there had been on the way up.
in the near future
From this reading TURNED ADRIFT Soon they were on their way again, with the sky lightening a little and the rain almost ceased.
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading There was not quite so much spirit to their paddling as there had been on the way up.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading They plunged through the tangle of dripping brakes, down to the shore; pushed off once more in midstream, and started back the way they had come.
strivingnounUS /ˈstraɪvɪŋ/
an effortful attempt to attain a goal
From this reading Now they knew they were striving only to put themselves on the right track again, and that there would be four wet miles of wasted effort.
(sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand
From this reading Every stroke had meant to their minds, then, just so much of their journey accomplished.
tanglenounUS /ˈtæŋɡəl/
a twisted and tangled mass that is highly interwoven
From this reading They plunged through the tangle of dripping brakes, down to the shore; pushed off once more in midstream, and started back the way they had come.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Now they knew they were striving only to put themselves on the right track again, and that there would be four wet miles of wasted effort.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading TURNED ADRIFT Soon they were on their way again, with the sky lightening a little and the rain almost ceased.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading TURNED ADRIFT Soon they were on their way again, with the sky lightening a little and the rain almost ceased.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading Now they knew they were striving only to put themselves on the right track again, and that there would be four wet miles of wasted effort.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Every stroke had meant to their minds, then, just so much of their journey accomplished.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was not quite so much spirit to their paddling as there had been on the way up.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading TURNED ADRIFT Soon they were on their way again, with the sky lightening a little and the rain almost ceased.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading They plunged through the tangle of dripping brakes, down to the shore; pushed off once more in midstream, and started back the way they had come.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They plunged through the tangle of dripping brakes, down to the shore; pushed off once more in midstream, and started back the way they had come.
a line or route along which something travels or moves
From this reading Now they knew they were striving only to put themselves on the right track again, and that there would be four wet miles of wasted effort.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading TURNED ADRIFT Soon they were on their way again, with the sky lightening a little and the rain almost ceased.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading There was not quite so much spirit to their paddling as there had been on the way up.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was not quite so much spirit to their paddling as there had been on the way up.
wastedadjectiveUS /ˈweɪstɪd/
serving no useful purpose; having no excuse for being
From this reading Now they knew they were striving only to put themselves on the right track again, and that there would be four wet miles of wasted effort.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading TURNED ADRIFT Soon they were on their way again, with the sky lightening a little and the rain almost ceased.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading TURNED ADRIFT Soon they were on their way again, with the sky lightening a little and the rain almost ceased.
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading Now they knew they were striving only to put themselves on the right track again, and that there would be four wet miles of wasted effort.
in the company of; together with
From this reading TURNED ADRIFT Soon they were on their way again, with the sky lightening a little and the rain almost ceased.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Now they knew they were striving only to put themselves on the right track again, and that there would be four wet miles of wasted effort.
