used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading We must return for a while to the kidnaped Leicester.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Presently, amidst a dead silence, he was lifted into a boat, which instantly put about toward the open sea.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Gagged and completely powerless, he was hurried along by his captors, through the ruins and down, by a circuitous path, terribly narrow and steep, to the beach.
amidstprepositionUS /əˈmɪdst/
in the middle of; surrounded by
From this reading Presently, amidst a dead silence, he was lifted into a boat, which instantly put about toward the open sea.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Gagged and completely powerless, he was hurried along by his captors, through the ruins and down, by a circuitous path, terribly narrow and steep, to the beach.
an area of sand sloping down to the water of a sea or lake
From this reading Gagged and completely powerless, he was hurried along by his captors, through the ruins and down, by a circuitous path, terribly narrow and steep, to the beach.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading Presently, amidst a dead silence, he was lifted into a boat, which instantly put about toward the open sea.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Gagged and completely powerless, he was hurried along by his captors, through the ruins and down, by a circuitous path, terribly narrow and steep, to the beach.
captorsnounUS /ˈkæptərz/
plural of “captor” — a person who captures and holds people or animals
From this reading Gagged and completely powerless, he was hurried along by his captors, through the ruins and down, by a circuitous path, terribly narrow and steep, to the beach.
circuitousadjectiveUS /sərˈkjuːɪtəs/
marked by obliqueness or indirection in speech or conduct
From this reading Gagged and completely powerless, he was hurried along by his captors, through the ruins and down, by a circuitous path, terribly narrow and steep, to the beach.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading Gagged and completely powerless, he was hurried along by his captors, through the ruins and down, by a circuitous path, terribly narrow and steep, to the beach.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Though his mouth was gagged, he could still see and hear, and when they had reached the beach he saw the starlike signal which had often puzzled him and heard the sound of muffled oars.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading Presently, amidst a dead silence, he was lifted into a boat, which instantly put about toward the open sea.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Gagged and completely powerless, he was hurried along by his captors, through the ruins and down, by a circuitous path, terribly narrow and steep, to the beach.
EARL'SnounUS /ɜːrlz/
possessive form of “earl” — a British peer ranking below a marquess and above a viscount
From this reading THE EARL'S SECRET.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading We must return for a while to the kidnaped Leicester.
GaggedverbUS /ɡæɡd/
inflected form of “gag” — prevent from speaking out
From this reading Gagged and completely powerless, he was hurried along by his captors, through the ruins and down, by a circuitous path, terribly narrow and steep, to the beach.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Though his mouth was gagged, he could still see and hear, and when they had reached the beach he saw the starlike signal which had often puzzled him and heard the sound of muffled oars.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Gagged and completely powerless, he was hurried along by his captors, through the ruins and down, by a circuitous path, terribly narrow and steep, to the beach.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading Though his mouth was gagged, he could still see and hear, and when they had reached the beach he saw the starlike signal which had often puzzled him and heard the sound of muffled oars.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Though his mouth was gagged, he could still see and hear, and when they had reached the beach he saw the starlike signal which had often puzzled him and heard the sound of muffled oars.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Though his mouth was gagged, he could still see and hear, and when they had reached the beach he saw the starlike signal which had often puzzled him and heard the sound of muffled oars.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Gagged and completely powerless, he was hurried along by his captors, through the ruins and down, by a circuitous path, terribly narrow and steep, to the beach.
moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste
From this reading Gagged and completely powerless, he was hurried along by his captors, through the ruins and down, by a circuitous path, terribly narrow and steep, to the beach.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading Presently, amidst a dead silence, he was lifted into a boat, which instantly put about toward the open sea.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Presently, amidst a dead silence, he was lifted into a boat, which instantly put about toward the open sea.
kidnapedverbUS /ˈkɪdnæpt/
past form of “kidnap” — take away to an undisclosed location against their will and usually in order to extract a ransom
From this reading We must return for a while to the kidnaped Leicester.
LeicesternounUS /ˈlestər/
a largely agricultural county in central England
From this reading We must return for a while to the kidnaped Leicester.
held up in the air
From this reading Presently, amidst a dead silence, he was lifted into a boat, which instantly put about toward the open sea.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading Though his mouth was gagged, he could still see and hear, and when they had reached the beach he saw the starlike signal which had often puzzled him and heard the sound of muffled oars.
muffledadjectiveUS /ˈmʌfəld/
being or made softer or less loud or clear
From this reading Though his mouth was gagged, he could still see and hear, and when they had reached the beach he saw the starlike signal which had often puzzled him and heard the sound of muffled oars.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading We must return for a while to the kidnaped Leicester.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading Gagged and completely powerless, he was hurried along by his captors, through the ruins and down, by a circuitous path, terribly narrow and steep, to the beach.
oarsnounUS /ɔːrz/
plural of “oar” — an implement used to propel or steer a boat
From this reading Though his mouth was gagged, he could still see and hear, and when they had reached the beach he saw the starlike signal which had often puzzled him and heard the sound of muffled oars.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Though his mouth was gagged, he could still see and hear, and when they had reached the beach he saw the starlike signal which had often puzzled him and heard the sound of muffled oars.
many times at short intervals
From this reading Though his mouth was gagged, he could still see and hear, and when they had reached the beach he saw the starlike signal which had often puzzled him and heard the sound of muffled oars.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Presently, amidst a dead silence, he was lifted into a boat, which instantly put about toward the open sea.
a course of conduct
From this reading Gagged and completely powerless, he was hurried along by his captors, through the ruins and down, by a circuitous path, terribly narrow and steep, to the beach.
powerlessadjectiveUS /ˈpaʊərləs/
lacking power
From this reading Gagged and completely powerless, he was hurried along by his captors, through the ruins and down, by a circuitous path, terribly narrow and steep, to the beach.
in the near future
From this reading Presently, amidst a dead silence, he was lifted into a boat, which instantly put about toward the open sea.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Presently, amidst a dead silence, he was lifted into a boat, which instantly put about toward the open sea.
filled with bewilderment
From this reading Though his mouth was gagged, he could still see and hear, and when they had reached the beach he saw the starlike signal which had often puzzled him and heard the sound of muffled oars.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading Though his mouth was gagged, he could still see and hear, and when they had reached the beach he saw the starlike signal which had often puzzled him and heard the sound of muffled oars.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading We must return for a while to the kidnaped Leicester.
ruinsnounUS /ˈruːənz/
plural of “ruin” — an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction
From this reading Gagged and completely powerless, he was hurried along by his captors, through the ruins and down, by a circuitous path, terribly narrow and steep, to the beach.
cut with a saw
From this reading Though his mouth was gagged, he could still see and hear, and when they had reached the beach he saw the starlike signal which had often puzzled him and heard the sound of muffled oars.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading Presently, amidst a dead silence, he was lifted into a boat, which instantly put about toward the open sea.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading THE EARL'S SECRET.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Though his mouth was gagged, he could still see and hear, and when they had reached the beach he saw the starlike signal which had often puzzled him and heard the sound of muffled oars.
any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message
From this reading Though his mouth was gagged, he could still see and hear, and when they had reached the beach he saw the starlike signal which had often puzzled him and heard the sound of muffled oars.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading Presently, amidst a dead silence, he was lifted into a boat, which instantly put about toward the open sea.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Though his mouth was gagged, he could still see and hear, and when they had reached the beach he saw the starlike signal which had often puzzled him and heard the sound of muffled oars.
starlikeadjectiveUS /ˈstɑːrlaɪk/
resembling a star
From this reading Though his mouth was gagged, he could still see and hear, and when they had reached the beach he saw the starlike signal which had often puzzled him and heard the sound of muffled oars.
having a sharp inclination
From this reading Gagged and completely powerless, he was hurried along by his captors, through the ruins and down, by a circuitous path, terribly narrow and steep, to the beach.
not in physical motion
From this reading Though his mouth was gagged, he could still see and hear, and when they had reached the beach he saw the starlike signal which had often puzzled him and heard the sound of muffled oars.
terriblyadverbUS /ˈterəbli/
used as intensifiers
From this reading Gagged and completely powerless, he was hurried along by his captors, through the ruins and down, by a circuitous path, terribly narrow and steep, to the beach.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE EARL'S SECRET.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Though his mouth was gagged, he could still see and hear, and when they had reached the beach he saw the starlike signal which had often puzzled him and heard the sound of muffled oars.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Though his mouth was gagged, he could still see and hear, and when they had reached the beach he saw the starlike signal which had often puzzled him and heard the sound of muffled oars.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Gagged and completely powerless, he was hurried along by his captors, through the ruins and down, by a circuitous path, terribly narrow and steep, to the beach.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We must return for a while to the kidnaped Leicester.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading Presently, amidst a dead silence, he was lifted into a boat, which instantly put about toward the open sea.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Gagged and completely powerless, he was hurried along by his captors, through the ruins and down, by a circuitous path, terribly narrow and steep, to the beach.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We must return for a while to the kidnaped Leicester.
at the time that
From this reading Though his mouth was gagged, he could still see and hear, and when they had reached the beach he saw the starlike signal which had often puzzled him and heard the sound of muffled oars.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Though his mouth was gagged, he could still see and hear, and when they had reached the beach he saw the starlike signal which had often puzzled him and heard the sound of muffled oars.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading We must return for a while to the kidnaped Leicester.
