used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “A blooming pilot?”
Alex
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alex could make no headway swimming in the direction of the boat, for the creatures he had hooked were pulling him, iron and all, toward the Indiana shore.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Alex could make no headway swimming in the direction of the boat, for the creatures he had hooked were pulling him, iron and all, toward the Indiana shore.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Alex could make no headway swimming in the direction of the boat, for the creatures he had hooked were pulling him, iron and all, toward the Indiana shore.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “What do you think you are?” called Case.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading Now and then the boy was drawn beneath the surface and came up spluttering, but still grimly holding to the lines.
bloomingnounUS /ˈbluːmɪŋ/
the organic process of bearing flowers
From this reading “A blooming pilot?”
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading Alex could make no headway swimming in the direction of the boat, for the creatures he had hooked were pulling him, iron and all, toward the Indiana shore.
a youthful male person
From this reading Now and then the boy was drawn beneath the surface and came up spluttering, but still grimly holding to the lines.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Now and then the boy was drawn beneath the surface and came up spluttering, but still grimly holding to the lines.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “What do you think you are?” called Case.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Now and then the boy was drawn beneath the surface and came up spluttering, but still grimly holding to the lines.
an occurrence of something
From this reading “What do you think you are?” called Case.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Alex could make no headway swimming in the direction of the boat, for the creatures he had hooked were pulling him, iron and all, toward the Indiana shore.
plural of “creature” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading Alex could make no headway swimming in the direction of the boat, for the creatures he had hooked were pulling him, iron and all, toward the Indiana shore.
a line leading to a place or point
From this reading Alex could make no headway swimming in the direction of the boat, for the creatures he had hooked were pulling him, iron and all, toward the Indiana shore.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “What do you think you are?” called Case.
Don't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don’t loose your fish!” jeered Jule, leaning over the gunwale, his face red with laughter.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading Now and then the boy was drawn beneath the surface and came up spluttering, but still grimly holding to the lines.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading “Don’t loose your fish!” jeered Jule, leaning over the gunwale, his face red with laughter.
any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
From this reading “Don’t loose your fish!” jeered Jule, leaning over the gunwale, his face red with laughter.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Alex could make no headway swimming in the direction of the boat, for the creatures he had hooked were pulling him, iron and all, toward the Indiana shore.
grimlyadverbUS /ˈɡrɪmli/
in a grim implacable manner
From this reading Now and then the boy was drawn beneath the surface and came up spluttering, but still grimly holding to the lines.
gunwalenoun
wale at the top of the side of boat; topmost planking of a wooden vessel
From this reading “Don’t loose your fish!” jeered Jule, leaning over the gunwale, his face red with laughter.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Alex could make no headway swimming in the direction of the boat, for the creatures he had hooked were pulling him, iron and all, toward the Indiana shore.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Alex could make no headway swimming in the direction of the boat, for the creatures he had hooked were pulling him, iron and all, toward the Indiana shore.
headwaynounUS /ˈhedweɪ/
vertical space available to allow easy passage under something
From this reading Alex could make no headway swimming in the direction of the boat, for the creatures he had hooked were pulling him, iron and all, toward the Indiana shore.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Alex could make no headway swimming in the direction of the boat, for the creatures he had hooked were pulling him, iron and all, toward the Indiana shore.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Don’t loose your fish!” jeered Jule, leaning over the gunwale, his face red with laughter.
the act of retaining something
From this reading Now and then the boy was drawn beneath the surface and came up spluttering, but still grimly holding to the lines.
hookedadjectiveUS /hʊkt/
curved down like an eagle's beak
From this reading Alex could make no headway swimming in the direction of the boat, for the creatures he had hooked were pulling him, iron and all, toward the Indiana shore.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Alex could make no headway swimming in the direction of the boat, for the creatures he had hooked were pulling him, iron and all, toward the Indiana shore.
IndiananounUS /ˌɪndiˈænə/
a state in midwestern United States
From this reading Alex could make no headway swimming in the direction of the boat, for the creatures he had hooked were pulling him, iron and all, toward the Indiana shore.
a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
From this reading Alex could make no headway swimming in the direction of the boat, for the creatures he had hooked were pulling him, iron and all, toward the Indiana shore.
jeeredverbUS /dʒɪrd/
past form of “jeer” — laugh at with contempt and derision
From this reading “Don’t loose your fish!” jeered Jule, leaning over the gunwale, his face red with laughter.
Jule
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don’t loose your fish!” jeered Jule, leaning over the gunwale, his face red with laughter.
the sound of laughing
From this reading “Don’t loose your fish!” jeered Jule, leaning over the gunwale, his face red with laughter.
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading “Don’t loose your fish!” jeered Jule, leaning over the gunwale, his face red with laughter.
plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading Now and then the boy was drawn beneath the surface and came up spluttering, but still grimly holding to the lines.
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading “Don’t loose your fish!” jeered Jule, leaning over the gunwale, his face red with laughter.
engage in
From this reading Alex could make no headway swimming in the direction of the boat, for the creatures he had hooked were pulling him, iron and all, toward the Indiana shore.
not any; not one
From this reading Alex could make no headway swimming in the direction of the boat, for the creatures he had hooked were pulling him, iron and all, toward the Indiana shore.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now and then the boy was drawn beneath the surface and came up spluttering, but still grimly holding to the lines.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Alex could make no headway swimming in the direction of the boat, for the creatures he had hooked were pulling him, iron and all, toward the Indiana shore.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading “Don’t loose your fish!” jeered Jule, leaning over the gunwale, his face red with laughter.
pilotverbUS /ˈpaɪlət/
operate an airplane
From this reading “A blooming pilot?”
the act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you
From this reading Alex could make no headway swimming in the direction of the boat, for the creatures he had hooked were pulling him, iron and all, toward the Indiana shore.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading “Don’t loose your fish!” jeered Jule, leaning over the gunwale, his face red with laughter.
the land along the edge of a body of water
From this reading Alex could make no headway swimming in the direction of the boat, for the creatures he had hooked were pulling him, iron and all, toward the Indiana shore.
spluttering
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now and then the boy was drawn beneath the surface and came up spluttering, but still grimly holding to the lines.
not in physical motion
From this reading Now and then the boy was drawn beneath the surface and came up spluttering, but still grimly holding to the lines.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading Now and then the boy was drawn beneath the surface and came up spluttering, but still grimly holding to the lines.
swimmingnounUS /ˈswɪmɪŋ/
the act of swimming
From this reading Alex could make no headway swimming in the direction of the boat, for the creatures he had hooked were pulling him, iron and all, toward the Indiana shore.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Don’t loose your fish!” jeered Jule, leaning over the gunwale, his face red with laughter.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Now and then the boy was drawn beneath the surface and came up spluttering, but still grimly holding to the lines.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “What do you think you are?” called Case.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Now and then the boy was drawn beneath the surface and came up spluttering, but still grimly holding to the lines.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading Alex could make no headway swimming in the direction of the boat, for the creatures he had hooked were pulling him, iron and all, toward the Indiana shore.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Now and then the boy was drawn beneath the surface and came up spluttering, but still grimly holding to the lines.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Now and then the boy was drawn beneath the surface and came up spluttering, but still grimly holding to the lines.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Alex could make no headway swimming in the direction of the boat, for the creatures he had hooked were pulling him, iron and all, toward the Indiana shore.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What do you think you are?” called Case.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Don’t loose your fish!” jeered Jule, leaning over the gunwale, his face red with laughter.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What do you think you are?” called Case.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Don’t loose your fish!” jeered Jule, leaning over the gunwale, his face red with laughter.
