used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was a queer collection.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading McLagan Returns from the Hills McLagan surveyed the litter strewn about the beach.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There were two upturned boats with their white seams smeared and daubed heavily with tar.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading They were hardly recognisable as the well-painted lifeboats that had once stood on the boat deck of the wreck lying on the far shore of the bay.
an indentation of a shoreline larger than a cove but smaller than a gulf
From this reading They were hardly recognisable as the well-painted lifeboats that had once stood on the boat deck of the wreck lying on the far shore of the bay.
an area of sand sloping down to the water of a sea or lake
From this reading McLagan Returns from the Hills McLagan surveyed the litter strewn about the beach.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading They were hardly recognisable as the well-painted lifeboats that had once stood on the boat deck of the wreck lying on the far shore of the bay.
plural of “boat” — a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading There were two upturned boats with their white seams smeared and daubed heavily with tar.
collectionnounUS /kəˈlekʃən/
several things grouped together or considered as a whole
From this reading It was a queer collection.
daubedverbUS /dɔːbd/
past form of “daub” — coat with plaster
From this reading There were two upturned boats with their white seams smeared and daubed heavily with tar.
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading They were hardly recognisable as the well-painted lifeboats that had once stood on the boat deck of the wreck lying on the far shore of the bay.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading They were hardly recognisable as the well-painted lifeboats that had once stood on the boat deck of the wreck lying on the far shore of the bay.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading McLagan Returns from the Hills McLagan surveyed the litter strewn about the beach.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They were hardly recognisable as the well-painted lifeboats that had once stood on the boat deck of the wreck lying on the far shore of the bay.
only a very short time before
From this reading They were hardly recognisable as the well-painted lifeboats that had once stood on the boat deck of the wreck lying on the far shore of the bay.
to a considerable degree
From this reading There were two upturned boats with their white seams smeared and daubed heavily with tar.
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading McLagan Returns from the Hills McLagan surveyed the litter strewn about the beach.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a queer collection.
lifeboatsnounUS /ˈlaɪfboʊts/
plural of “lifeboat” — a strong sea boat designed to rescue people from a sinking ship
From this reading They were hardly recognisable as the well-painted lifeboats that had once stood on the boat deck of the wreck lying on the far shore of the bay.
litternounUS /ˈlɪtər/
the offspring at one birth of a multiparous mammal
From this reading McLagan Returns from the Hills McLagan surveyed the litter strewn about the beach.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading They were hardly recognisable as the well-painted lifeboats that had once stood on the boat deck of the wreck lying on the far shore of the bay.
McLagan
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading McLagan Returns from the Hills McLagan surveyed the litter strewn about the beach.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They were hardly recognisable as the well-painted lifeboats that had once stood on the boat deck of the wreck lying on the far shore of the bay.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They were hardly recognisable as the well-painted lifeboats that had once stood on the boat deck of the wreck lying on the far shore of the bay.
on one occasion
From this reading They were hardly recognisable as the well-painted lifeboats that had once stood on the boat deck of the wreck lying on the far shore of the bay.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading It was a queer collection.
recognisableadjective
capable of being recognized
From this reading They were hardly recognisable as the well-painted lifeboats that had once stood on the boat deck of the wreck lying on the far shore of the bay.
ReturnsnounUS /rɪˈtɜːrnz/
plural of “return” — document giving the tax collector information about the taxpayer's tax liability
From this reading McLagan Returns from the Hills McLagan surveyed the litter strewn about the beach.
ropesnounUS /roʊps/
plural of “rope” — a strong line
From this reading A wealth of ship’s ropes sprawled upon the shingle.
seamsnounUS /siːmz/
plural of “seam” — joint consisting of a line formed by joining two pieces
From this reading There were two upturned boats with their white seams smeared and daubed heavily with tar.
shinglenounUS /ˈʃɪŋɡəl/
building material used as siding or roofing
From this reading A wealth of ship’s ropes sprawled upon the shingle.
ship'snounUS /ʃɪps/
possessive form of “ship” — a vessel that carries passengers or freight
From this reading A wealth of ship’s ropes sprawled upon the shingle.
the land along the edge of a body of water
From this reading They were hardly recognisable as the well-painted lifeboats that had once stood on the boat deck of the wreck lying on the far shore of the bay.
smearedverbUS /smɪrd/
past form of “smear” — stain by smearing or daubing with a dirty substance
From this reading There were two upturned boats with their white seams smeared and daubed heavily with tar.
sprawledverbUS /sprɔːld/
past form of “sprawl” — sit or lie with one's limbs spread out
From this reading A wealth of ship’s ropes sprawled upon the shingle.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading They were hardly recognisable as the well-painted lifeboats that had once stood on the boat deck of the wreck lying on the far shore of the bay.
strewnverbUS /struːn/
inflected form of “strew” — spread by scattering ("straw" is archaic)
From this reading McLagan Returns from the Hills McLagan surveyed the litter strewn about the beach.
surveyedverbUS /sərˈveɪd/
past form of “survey” — consider in a comprehensive way
From this reading McLagan Returns from the Hills McLagan surveyed the litter strewn about the beach.
tarnounUS /tɑːr/
any of various dark heavy viscid substances obtained as a residue
From this reading There were two upturned boats with their white seams smeared and daubed heavily with tar.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They were hardly recognisable as the well-painted lifeboats that had once stood on the boat deck of the wreck lying on the far shore of the bay.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading McLagan Returns from the Hills McLagan surveyed the litter strewn about the beach.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading There were two upturned boats with their white seams smeared and daubed heavily with tar.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were two upturned boats with their white seams smeared and daubed heavily with tar.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were hardly recognisable as the well-painted lifeboats that had once stood on the boat deck of the wreck lying on the far shore of the bay.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading There were two upturned boats with their white seams smeared and daubed heavily with tar.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading A wealth of ship’s ropes sprawled upon the shingle.
upturnedadjective
having been turned so that the bottom is no longer the bottom
From this reading There were two upturned boats with their white seams smeared and daubed heavily with tar.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a queer collection.
the state of being rich and affluent; having a plentiful supply of material goods and money
From this reading A wealth of ship’s ropes sprawled upon the shingle.
well-painted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were hardly recognisable as the well-painted lifeboats that had once stood on the boat deck of the wreck lying on the far shore of the bay.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were two upturned boats with their white seams smeared and daubed heavily with tar.
a Caucasian
From this reading There were two upturned boats with their white seams smeared and daubed heavily with tar.
in the company of; together with
From this reading There were two upturned boats with their white seams smeared and daubed heavily with tar.
wrecknounUS /rek/
something or someone that has suffered ruin or dilapidation
From this reading They were hardly recognisable as the well-painted lifeboats that had once stood on the boat deck of the wreck lying on the far shore of the bay.
