used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A MIDNIGHT SEARCH That night was destined to be an eventful one on the Rover farm.
AboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading About midnight came a loud shouting from the barn, followed by the report of a shotgun.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading This was followed by a shriek from Sarah, the cook, who was afraid that burglars had come to murder her.
(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 Then all three of the boys went to bed.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading A MIDNIGHT SEARCH That night was destined to be an eventful one on the Rover farm.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Arriving home, Sam and Tom told of the fun they had had and Dick laughed heartily.
ArrivingverbUS /ərˈaɪvɪŋ/
-ing form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading Arriving home, Sam and Tom told of the fun they had had and Dick laughed heartily.
barnnounUS /bɑːrn/
an outlying farm building for storing grain or animal feed and housing farm animals
From this reading About midnight came a loud shouting from the barn, followed by the report of a shotgun.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading A MIDNIGHT SEARCH That night was destined to be an eventful one on the Rover farm.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading Then all three of the boys went to bed.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading Then all three of the boys went to bed.
burglarsnounUS /ˈbɜːrɡlərz/
plural of “burglar” — a thief who enters a building with intent to steal
From this reading This was followed by a shriek from Sarah, the cook, who was afraid that burglars had come to murder her.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading About midnight came a loud shouting from the barn, followed by the report of a shotgun.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading About midnight came a loud shouting from the barn, followed by the report of a shotgun.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading This was followed by a shriek from Sarah, the cook, who was afraid that burglars had come to murder her.
prepare a hot meal
From this reading This was followed by a shriek from Sarah, the cook, who was afraid that burglars had come to murder her.
destinedadjectiveUS /ˈdestɪnd/
headed or intending to head in a certain direction; often used as a combining form as in “college-bound students”
From this reading A MIDNIGHT SEARCH That night was destined to be an eventful one on the Rover farm.
someone who is a detective
From this reading Arriving home, Sam and Tom told of the fun they had had and Dick laughed heartily.
eventfuladjectiveUS /ɪˈventfəl/
full of events or incidents
From this reading A MIDNIGHT SEARCH That night was destined to be an eventful one on the Rover farm.
be a farmer; work as a farmer
From this reading A MIDNIGHT SEARCH That night was destined to be an eventful one on the Rover farm.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading About midnight came a loud shouting from the barn, followed by the report of a shotgun.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading About midnight came a loud shouting from the barn, followed by the report of a shotgun.
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading Arriving home, Sam and Tom told of the fun they had had and Dick laughed heartily.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Arriving home, Sam and Tom told of the fun they had had and Dick laughed heartily.
with gusto and without reservation
From this reading Arriving home, Sam and Tom told of the fun they had had and Dick laughed heartily.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading This was followed by a shriek from Sarah, the cook, who was afraid that burglars had come to murder her.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Arriving home, Sam and Tom told of the fun they had had and Dick laughed heartily.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading Arriving home, Sam and Tom told of the fun they had had and Dick laughed heartily.
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading About midnight came a loud shouting from the barn, followed by the report of a shotgun.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading A MIDNIGHT SEARCH That night was destined to be an eventful one on the Rover farm.
kill intentionally and with premeditation
From this reading This was followed by a shriek from Sarah, the cook, who was afraid that burglars had come to murder her.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading A MIDNIGHT SEARCH That night was destined to be an eventful one on the Rover farm.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Arriving home, Sam and Tom told of the fun they had had and Dick laughed heartily.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A MIDNIGHT SEARCH That night was destined to be an eventful one on the Rover farm.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading A MIDNIGHT SEARCH That night was destined to be an eventful one on the Rover farm.
to give an account or representation of in words
From this reading About midnight came a loud shouting from the barn, followed by the report of a shotgun.
RovernounUS /ˈroʊvər/
someone who leads a wandering unsettled life
From this reading A MIDNIGHT SEARCH That night was destined to be an eventful one on the Rover farm.
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading Arriving home, Sam and Tom told of the fun they had had and Dick laughed heartily.
SarahnounUS /ˈserə/
(Old Testament) the wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac
From this reading This was followed by a shriek from Sarah, the cook, who was afraid that burglars had come to murder her.
try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading A MIDNIGHT SEARCH That night was destined to be an eventful one on the Rover farm.
shotgunnounUS /ˈʃɑːtɡʌn/
firearm that is a double-barreled smoothbore shoulder weapon for firing shot at short ranges
From this reading About midnight came a loud shouting from the barn, followed by the report of a shotgun.
encouragement in the form of cheers from spectators
From this reading About midnight came a loud shouting from the barn, followed by the report of a shotgun.
shrieknounUS /ʃriːk/
sharp piercing cry
From this reading This was followed by a shriek from Sarah, the cook, who was afraid that burglars had come to murder her.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A MIDNIGHT SEARCH That night was destined to be an eventful one on the Rover farm.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A MIDNIGHT SEARCH That night was destined to be an eventful one on the Rover farm.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then all three of the boys went to bed.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Arriving home, Sam and Tom told of the fun they had had and Dick laughed heartily.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This was followed by a shriek from Sarah, the cook, who was afraid that burglars had come to murder her.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Then all three of the boys went to bed.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A MIDNIGHT SEARCH That night was destined to be an eventful one on the Rover farm.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Arriving home, Sam and Tom told of the fun they had had and Dick laughed heartily.
male cat
From this reading Arriving home, Sam and Tom told of the fun they had had and Dick laughed heartily.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A MIDNIGHT SEARCH That night was destined to be an eventful one on the Rover farm.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Then all three of the boys went to bed.
which person or people
From this reading This was followed by a shriek from Sarah, the cook, who was afraid that burglars had come to murder her.
