used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She crept cautiously to the corner of a small street into which Harry Horton had turned.
alley-way
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was scarcely more than an alley-way—a vestige of the old city, hedged in by squat stone houses with peaked roofs, deserted it seemed and unoccupied.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was scarcely more than an alley-way—a vestige of the old city, hedged in by squat stone houses with peaked roofs, deserted it seemed and unoccupied.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was scarcely more than an alley-way—a vestige of the old city, hedged in by squat stone houses with peaked roofs, deserted it seemed and unoccupied.
anglenounUS /ˈæŋɡəl/
the space between two lines or planes that intersect; the inclination of one line to another; measured in degrees or radians
From this reading She stole into the blackness of an angle of wall and watched.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The house at which he had stopped was but a few yards from the river front.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading Beyond she could see the _Quai_, the loom of the Hôtel Dieu and Notre Dame.
blacknessnounUS /ˈblæknəs/
the quality or state of the achromatic color of least lightness (bearing the least resemblance to white)
From this reading She stole into the blackness of an angle of wall and watched.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The house at which he had stopped was but a few yards from the river front.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It was scarcely more than an alley-way—a vestige of the old city, hedged in by squat stone houses with peaked roofs, deserted it seemed and unoccupied.
cautiouslyadverbUS /ˈkɔːʃəsli/
as if with kid gloves; with caution or prudence or tact
From this reading She crept cautiously to the corner of a small street into which Harry Horton had turned.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading It was scarcely more than an alley-way—a vestige of the old city, hedged in by squat stone houses with peaked roofs, deserted it seemed and unoccupied.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading She crept cautiously to the corner of a small street into which Harry Horton had turned.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Beyond she could see the _Quai_, the loom of the Hôtel Dieu and Notre Dame.
inflected form of “creep” — move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground
From this reading She crept cautiously to the corner of a small street into which Harry Horton had turned.
DamenounUS /deɪm/
informal terms for a (young) woman
From this reading Beyond she could see the _Quai_, the loom of the Hôtel Dieu and Notre Dame.
forsaken by owner or inhabitants
From this reading It was scarcely more than an alley-way—a vestige of the old city, hedged in by squat stone houses with peaked roofs, deserted it seemed and unoccupied.
Dieu
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Beyond she could see the _Quai_, the loom of the Hôtel Dieu and Notre Dame.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading The house at which he had stopped was but a few yards from the river front.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The house at which he had stopped was but a few yards from the river front.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading The house at which he had stopped was but a few yards from the river front.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She crept cautiously to the corner of a small street into which Harry Horton had turned.
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading She crept cautiously to the corner of a small street into which Harry Horton had turned.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The house at which he had stopped was but a few yards from the river front.
hedgedadjectiveUS /hedʒd/
evasively worded in order to avoid an unqualified statement
From this reading It was scarcely more than an alley-way—a vestige of the old city, hedged in by squat stone houses with peaked roofs, deserted it seemed and unoccupied.
Horton
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She crept cautiously to the corner of a small street into which Harry Horton had turned.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The house at which he had stopped was but a few yards from the river front.
plural of “house” — a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading It was scarcely more than an alley-way—a vestige of the old city, hedged in by squat stone houses with peaked roofs, deserted it seemed and unoccupied.
Hôtel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Beyond she could see the _Quai_, the loom of the Hôtel Dieu and Notre Dame.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was scarcely more than an alley-way—a vestige of the old city, hedged in by squat stone houses with peaked roofs, deserted it seemed and unoccupied.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading She crept cautiously to the corner of a small street into which Harry Horton had turned.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was scarcely more than an alley-way—a vestige of the old city, hedged in by squat stone houses with peaked roofs, deserted it seemed and unoccupied.
loomverbUS /luːm/
come into view indistinctly, often threateningly
From this reading Beyond she could see the _Quai_, the loom of the Hôtel Dieu and Notre Dame.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading It was scarcely more than an alley-way—a vestige of the old city, hedged in by squat stone houses with peaked roofs, deserted it seemed and unoccupied.
Notre
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Beyond she could see the _Quai_, the loom of the Hôtel Dieu and Notre Dame.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She crept cautiously to the corner of a small street into which Harry Horton had turned.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading It was scarcely more than an alley-way—a vestige of the old city, hedged in by squat stone houses with peaked roofs, deserted it seemed and unoccupied.
peakedadjectiveUS /piːkt/
somewhat ill or prone to illness
From this reading It was scarcely more than an alley-way—a vestige of the old city, hedged in by squat stone houses with peaked roofs, deserted it seemed and unoccupied.
Quai
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Beyond she could see the _Quai_, the loom of the Hôtel Dieu and Notre Dame.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading The house at which he had stopped was but a few yards from the river front.
roofsnounUS /ruːfs/
plural of “roof” — a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
From this reading It was scarcely more than an alley-way—a vestige of the old city, hedged in by squat stone houses with peaked roofs, deserted it seemed and unoccupied.
only a very short time before
From this reading It was scarcely more than an alley-way—a vestige of the old city, hedged in by squat stone houses with peaked roofs, deserted it seemed and unoccupied.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Beyond she could see the _Quai_, the loom of the Hôtel Dieu and Notre Dame.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It was scarcely more than an alley-way—a vestige of the old city, hedged in by squat stone houses with peaked roofs, deserted it seemed and unoccupied.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She crept cautiously to the corner of a small street into which Harry Horton had turned.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She crept cautiously to the corner of a small street into which Harry Horton had turned.
squatverbUS /skwɑːt/
sit on one's heels
From this reading It was scarcely more than an alley-way—a vestige of the old city, hedged in by squat stone houses with peaked roofs, deserted it seemed and unoccupied.
a wide scarf worn about their shoulders by women
From this reading She stole into the blackness of an angle of wall and watched.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading It was scarcely more than an alley-way—a vestige of the old city, hedged in by squat stone houses with peaked roofs, deserted it seemed and unoccupied.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading The house at which he had stopped was but a few yards from the river front.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading She crept cautiously to the corner of a small street into which Harry Horton had turned.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading It was scarcely more than an alley-way—a vestige of the old city, hedged in by squat stone houses with peaked roofs, deserted it seemed and unoccupied.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She crept cautiously to the corner of a small street into which Harry Horton had turned.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She crept cautiously to the corner of a small street into which Harry Horton had turned.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading She crept cautiously to the corner of a small street into which Harry Horton had turned.
unoccupiedadjectiveUS /əˈnɑːkjəpaɪd/
not held or filled or in use
From this reading It was scarcely more than an alley-way—a vestige of the old city, hedged in by squat stone houses with peaked roofs, deserted it seemed and unoccupied.
vestigenounUS /ˈvestɪdʒ/
an indication that something has been present
From this reading It was scarcely more than an alley-way—a vestige of the old city, hedged in by squat stone houses with peaked roofs, deserted it seemed and unoccupied.
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading She stole into the blackness of an angle of wall and watched.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was scarcely more than an alley-way—a vestige of the old city, hedged in by squat stone houses with peaked roofs, deserted it seemed and unoccupied.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading She stole into the blackness of an angle of wall and watched.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading She crept cautiously to the corner of a small street into which Harry Horton had turned.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It was scarcely more than an alley-way—a vestige of the old city, hedged in by squat stone houses with peaked roofs, deserted it seemed and unoccupied.
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading The house at which he had stopped was but a few yards from the river front.
