used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The highest point a human being has ever ascended in a free balloon is about seven miles.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The highest point a human being has ever ascended in a free balloon is about seven miles.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Our knowledge of the upper air is very limited.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As to ourselves, we enjoyed the story hugely and the chances are that you will too.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading As to ourselves, we enjoyed the story hugely and the chances are that you will too.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Our new author presents a very unusual, as well as complex situation, with a typical O. Henry ending.
ascendedverbUS /əˈsendɪd/
past form of “ascend” — travel up
From this reading The highest point a human being has ever ascended in a free balloon is about seven miles.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading Our new author presents a very unusual, as well as complex situation, with a typical O. Henry ending.
balloonnounUS /bəˈluːn/
large tough nonrigid bag filled with gas or heated air
From this reading The highest point a human being has ever ascended in a free balloon is about seven miles.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading The highest point a human being has ever ascended in a free balloon is about seven miles.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading What exists beyond this, we do not know.
plural of “chance” — a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading As to ourselves, we enjoyed the story hugely and the chances are that you will too.
complexnounUS /ˈkɑːmpleks/
a conceptual whole made up of complicated and related parts
From this reading Our new author presents a very unusual, as well as complex situation, with a typical O. Henry ending.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading What exists beyond this, we do not know.
endingnounUS /ˈendɪŋ/
the end of a word (a suffix or inflectional ending or final morpheme)
From this reading Our new author presents a very unusual, as well as complex situation, with a typical O. Henry ending.
past form of “enjoy” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading As to ourselves, we enjoyed the story hugely and the chances are that you will too.
at any time
From this reading The highest point a human being has ever ascended in a free balloon is about seven miles.
existsverbUS /ɪɡˈzɪsts/
third-person singular of “exist” — have an existence, be extant
From this reading What exists beyond this, we do not know.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading The highest point a human being has ever ascended in a free balloon is about seven miles.
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The highest point a human being has ever ascended in a free balloon is about seven miles.
a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second
From this reading Our new author presents a very unusual, as well as complex situation, with a typical O. Henry ending.
superlative of “high” — greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading The highest point a human being has ever ascended in a free balloon is about seven miles.
hugelyadverbUS /ˈhjuːdʒli/
extremely
From this reading As to ourselves, we enjoyed the story hugely and the chances are that you will too.
humanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/
characteristic of humanity
From this reading The highest point a human being has ever ascended in a free balloon is about seven miles.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The highest point a human being has ever ascended in a free balloon is about seven miles.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Our knowledge of the upper air is very limited.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading What exists beyond this, we do not know.
the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning
From this reading Our knowledge of the upper air is very limited.
limitedadjectiveUS /ˈlɪmətəd/
small in range or scope
From this reading Our knowledge of the upper air is very limited.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading The highest point a human being has ever ascended in a free balloon is about seven miles.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Our new author presents a very unusual, as well as complex situation, with a typical O. Henry ending.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading What exists beyond this, we do not know.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading Our new author presents a very unusual, as well as complex situation, with a typical O. Henry ending.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Our knowledge of the upper air is very limited.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Our knowledge of the upper air is very limited.
used when we are both doing the action and receiving it
From this reading As to ourselves, we enjoyed the story hugely and the chances are that you will too.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading The highest point a human being has ever ascended in a free balloon is about seven miles.
presentsnounUS /ˈprezənts/
plural of “present” — the period of time that is happening now; any continuous stretch of time including the moment of speech
From this reading Our new author presents a very unusual, as well as complex situation, with a typical O. Henry ending.
the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one
From this reading The highest point a human being has ever ascended in a free balloon is about seven miles.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading Our new author presents a very unusual, as well as complex situation, with a typical O. Henry ending.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading As to ourselves, we enjoyed the story hugely and the chances are that you will too.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading As to ourselves, we enjoyed the story hugely and the chances are that you will too.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Our knowledge of the upper air is very limited.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading What exists beyond this, we do not know.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As to ourselves, we enjoyed the story hugely and the chances are that you will too.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading As to ourselves, we enjoyed the story hugely and the chances are that you will too.
typicaladjectiveUS /ˈtɪpəkəl/
exhibiting the qualities or characteristics that identify a group or kind or category
From this reading Our new author presents a very unusual, as well as complex situation, with a typical O. Henry ending.
not usual or common or ordinary
From this reading Our new author presents a very unusual, as well as complex situation, with a typical O. Henry ending.
the topmost one of two
From this reading Our knowledge of the upper air is very limited.
precisely as stated
From this reading Our knowledge of the upper air is very limited.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading What exists beyond this, we do not know.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Our new author presents a very unusual, as well as complex situation, with a typical O. Henry ending.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What exists beyond this, we do not know.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading As to ourselves, we enjoyed the story hugely and the chances are that you will too.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Our new author presents a very unusual, as well as complex situation, with a typical O. Henry ending.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading As to ourselves, we enjoyed the story hugely and the chances are that you will too.
