used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Long and long and long ago, when there were only a few men in the world, there were few diseases.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “Now this is the strange thing about these germs.
in the past
From this reading Long and long and long ago, when there were only a few men in the world, there were few diseases.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading There were always new ones coming to live in men's bodies.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Long and long and long ago, when there were only a few men in the world, there were few diseases.
inflected form of “arise” — come into existence; take on form or shape
From this reading But as men increased and lived closely together in great cities and civilizations, new diseases arose, new kinds of germs entered their bodies.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading But as men increased and lived closely together in great cities and civilizations, new diseases arose, new kinds of germs entered their bodies.
beingsnounUS /ˈbiːɪŋz/
plural of “being” — the state or fact of existing
From this reading Thus were countless millions and billions of human beings killed.
billionsnounUS /ˈbɪljənz/
plural of “billion” — the number that is represented as a one followed by 12 zeros; in the United Kingdom the usage followed in the United States is frequently seen
From this reading Thus were countless millions and billions of human beings killed.
plural of “body” — the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading There were always new ones coming to live in men's bodies.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But as men increased and lived closely together in great cities and civilizations, new diseases arose, new kinds of germs entered their bodies.
citiesnounUS /ˈsɪtiz/
plural of “city” — a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading But as men increased and lived closely together in great cities and civilizations, new diseases arose, new kinds of germs entered their bodies.
civilizationsnounUS /ˌsɪvəlɪˈzeɪʃənz/
plural of “civilization” — a society in an advanced state of social development (e.g., with complex legal and political and religious organizations)
From this reading But as men increased and lived closely together in great cities and civilizations, new diseases arose, new kinds of germs entered their bodies.
in a close relation or position in time or space
From this reading But as men increased and lived closely together in great cities and civilizations, new diseases arose, new kinds of germs entered their bodies.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading There were always new ones coming to live in men's bodies.
countlessadjectiveUS /ˈkaʊntləs/
too numerous to be counted
From this reading Thus were countless millions and billions of human beings killed.
diseasesnounUS /dɪˈziːzəz/
plural of “disease” — an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning
From this reading Long and long and long ago, when there were only a few men in the world, there were few diseases.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading But as men increased and lived closely together in great cities and civilizations, new diseases arose, new kinds of germs entered their bodies.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Long and long and long ago, when there were only a few men in the world, there were few diseases.
germsnounUS /dʒɜːrmz/
plural of “germ” — anything that provides inspiration for later work
From this reading “Now this is the strange thing about these germs.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading But as men increased and lived closely together in great cities and civilizations, new diseases arose, new kinds of germs entered their bodies.
humanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/
characteristic of humanity
From this reading Thus were countless millions and billions of human beings killed.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There were always new ones coming to live in men's bodies.
made greater in size or amount or degree
From this reading But as men increased and lived closely together in great cities and civilizations, new diseases arose, new kinds of germs entered their bodies.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Now this is the strange thing about these germs.
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading Thus were countless millions and billions of human beings killed.
plural of “kind” — a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading But as men increased and lived closely together in great cities and civilizations, new diseases arose, new kinds of germs entered their bodies.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading There were always new ones coming to live in men's bodies.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading But as men increased and lived closely together in great cities and civilizations, new diseases arose, new kinds of germs entered their bodies.
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 Long and long and long ago, when there were only a few men in the world, there were few diseases.
the force of workers available
From this reading Long and long and long ago, when there were only a few men in the world, there were few diseases.
men'snounUS /menz/
a public toilet for men
From this reading There were always new ones coming to live in men's bodies.
plural of “million” — the number that is represented as a one followed by 6 zeros
From this reading Thus were countless millions and billions of human beings killed.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading There were always new ones coming to live in men's bodies.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Now this is the strange thing about these germs.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But as men increased and lived closely together in great cities and civilizations, new diseases arose, new kinds of germs entered their bodies.
plural of “one” — the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
From this reading There were always new ones coming to live in men's bodies.
and nothing more
From this reading Long and long and long ago, when there were only a few men in the world, there were few diseases.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading “Now this is the strange thing about these germs.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Now this is the strange thing about these germs.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading But as men increased and lived closely together in great cities and civilizations, new diseases arose, new kinds of germs entered their bodies.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were always new ones coming to live in men's bodies.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading “Now this is the strange thing about these germs.
a special situation
From this reading “Now this is the strange thing about these germs.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Now this is the strange thing about these germs.
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading Thus were countless millions and billions of human beings killed.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There were always new ones coming to live in men's bodies.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading But as men increased and lived closely together in great cities and civilizations, new diseases arose, new kinds of germs entered their bodies.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were always new ones coming to live in men's bodies.
at the time that
From this reading Long and long and long ago, when there were only a few men in the world, there were few diseases.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading Long and long and long ago, when there were only a few men in the world, there were few diseases.
