used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
accentsnounUS /ˈæksents/
plural of “accent” — distinctive manner of oral expression
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
(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 Tell him all?
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I was wondering what he would say when I told him all--when I said "I am your son!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
treated by heating to a high temperature but below the melting or fusing point
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
cellarnounUS /ˈselər/
the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
conspiratorsnounUS /kənˈspɪrətərz/
plural of “conspirator” — a member of a conspiracy
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
contrastnounUS /ˈkɑːntræst/
the opposition or dissimilarity of things that are compared
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
faintlyadverbUS /ˈfeɪntli/
to a faint degree or weakly perceived
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading MY FATHER.
a ceremonial dinner party for many people
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
glarenounUS /ɡler/
a light within the field of vision that is brighter than the brightness to which the eyes are adapted
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading I stood thinking, my hand on the key.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I was wondering what he would say when I told him all--when I said "I am your son!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Tell him all?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I stood thinking, my hand on the key.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading I stood thinking, my hand on the key.
immediately past
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
provided with artificial light
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading MY FATHER.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I stood thinking, my hand on the key.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
rearmostadjective
located farthest to the rear
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I was wondering what he would say when I told him all--when I said "I am your son!
express in words
From this reading I was wondering what he would say when I told him all--when I said "I am your son!
shaftnounUS /ʃæft/
a line that forms the length of an arrow pointer
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
a male human offspring
From this reading I was wondering what he would say when I told him all--when I said "I am your son!
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading I stood thinking, my hand on the key.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
express in words
From this reading Tell him all?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I stood thinking, my hand on the key.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading I stood thinking, my hand on the key.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading I was wondering what he would say when I told him all--when I said "I am your son!
torchesnounUS /ˈtɔːrtʃɪz/
plural of “torch” — a light usually carried in the hand; consists of some flammable substance
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was wondering what he would say when I told him all--when I said "I am your son!
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I was wondering what he would say when I told him all--when I said "I am your son!
at the time that
From this reading I was wondering what he would say when I told him all--when I said "I am your son!
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The voices of the rearmost of the conspirators sounded more and more faintly as they passed up the shaft, until their last accents died in the room above, and silence followed; a silence in strange contrast with the bright glare of the torches which burned round me and lit up the empty cellar as for a feast.
showing curiosity
From this reading I was wondering what he would say when I told him all--when I said "I am your son!
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I was wondering what he would say when I told him all--when I said "I am your son!
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I was wondering what he would say when I told him all--when I said "I am your son!
