used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE NEWS OF THE FALL Five days before the fall of the Alamo a little group of men began to gather at the village of Washington, on the Brazos river in Texas.
AlamonounUS /ˈæləmoʊ/
a siege and massacre at a mission in San Antonio in 1836; Mexican forces under Santa Anna besieged and massacred American rebels who were fighting to make Texas independent of Mexico
From this reading THE NEWS OF THE FALL Five days before the fall of the Alamo a little group of men began to gather at the village of Washington, on the Brazos river in Texas.
(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 All the houses were new, mostly of unpainted wood, and they contained some of the furniture of necessity, none of luxury.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading All the houses were new, mostly of unpainted wood, and they contained some of the furniture of necessity, none of luxury.
nonfictional prose forming an independent part of a publication
From this reading The first and most important article was the rifle which the Texans never needed more than they did now.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE NEWS OF THE FALL Five days before the fall of the Alamo a little group of men began to gather at the village of Washington, on the Brazos river in Texas.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading THE NEWS OF THE FALL Five days before the fall of the Alamo a little group of men began to gather at the village of Washington, on the Brazos river in Texas.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading THE NEWS OF THE FALL Five days before the fall of the Alamo a little group of men began to gather at the village of Washington, on the Brazos river in Texas.
BrazosnounUS /ˈbrɑːzoʊs/
a river that rises in Mexico and flows across Texas into the Gulf of Mexico
From this reading THE NEWS OF THE FALL Five days before the fall of the Alamo a little group of men began to gather at the village of Washington, on the Brazos river in Texas.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But this new and little Washington was seething with excitement and suspense, and its population was now more than triple the normal.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The name of the little town indicated well whence its people had come.
gotten under control
From this reading All the houses were new, mostly of unpainted wood, and they contained some of the furniture of necessity, none of luxury.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading THE NEWS OF THE FALL Five days before the fall of the Alamo a little group of men began to gather at the village of Washington, on the Brazos river in Texas.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The first and most important article was the rifle which the Texans never needed more than they did now.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading But this new and little Washington was seething with excitement and suspense, and its population was now more than triple the normal.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading THE NEWS OF THE FALL Five days before the fall of the Alamo a little group of men began to gather at the village of Washington, on the Brazos river in Texas.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The first and most important article was the rifle which the Texans never needed more than they did now.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading THE NEWS OF THE FALL Five days before the fall of the Alamo a little group of men began to gather at the village of Washington, on the Brazos river in Texas.
furnishings that make a room or other area ready for occupancy
From this reading All the houses were new, mostly of unpainted wood, and they contained some of the furniture of necessity, none of luxury.
assemble or get together
From this reading THE NEWS OF THE FALL Five days before the fall of the Alamo a little group of men began to gather at the village of Washington, on the Brazos river in Texas.
any number of entities (members) considered as a unit
From this reading THE NEWS OF THE FALL Five days before the fall of the Alamo a little group of men began to gather at the village of Washington, on the Brazos river in Texas.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The name of the little town indicated well whence its people had come.
plural of “house” — a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading All the houses were new, mostly of unpainted wood, and they contained some of the furniture of necessity, none of luxury.
of great significance or value
From this reading The first and most important article was the rifle which the Texans never needed more than they did now.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE NEWS OF THE FALL Five days before the fall of the Alamo a little group of men began to gather at the village of Washington, on the Brazos river in Texas.
indicatedverbUS /ˈɪndəkeɪtəd/
past form of “indicate” — be a signal for or a symptom of
From this reading The name of the little town indicated well whence its people had come.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The name of the little town indicated well whence its people had come.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading THE NEWS OF THE FALL Five days before the fall of the Alamo a little group of men began to gather at the village of Washington, on the Brazos river in Texas.
luxurynounUS /ˈlʌɡʒəri/
something that is an indulgence rather than a necessity
From this reading All the houses were new, mostly of unpainted wood, and they contained some of the furniture of necessity, none of luxury.
the force of workers available
From this reading THE NEWS OF THE FALL Five days before the fall of the Alamo a little group of men began to gather at the village of Washington, on the Brazos river in Texas.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The first and most important article was the rifle which the Texans never needed more than they did now.
used to form the superlative
From this reading The first and most important article was the rifle which the Texans never needed more than they did now.
mostlyadverbUS /ˈmoʊstli/
in large part; mainly or chiefly
From this reading All the houses were new, mostly of unpainted wood, and they contained some of the furniture of necessity, none of luxury.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading The name of the little town indicated well whence its people had come.
the condition of being essential or indispensable
From this reading All the houses were new, mostly of unpainted wood, and they contained some of the furniture of necessity, none of luxury.
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading The first and most important article was the rifle which the Texans never needed more than they did now.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading The first and most important article was the rifle which the Texans never needed more than they did now.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading All the houses were new, mostly of unpainted wood, and they contained some of the furniture of necessity, none of luxury.
information about recent and important events
From this reading THE NEWS OF THE FALL Five days before the fall of the Alamo a little group of men began to gather at the village of Washington, on the Brazos river in Texas.
not one, and not any
From this reading All the houses were new, mostly of unpainted wood, and they contained some of the furniture of necessity, none of luxury.
normaladjectiveUS /ˈnɔːrməl/
conforming with or constituting a norm or standard or level or type or social norm; not abnormal
From this reading But this new and little Washington was seething with excitement and suspense, and its population was now more than triple the normal.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The first and most important article was the rifle which the Texans never needed more than they did now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE NEWS OF THE FALL Five days before the fall of the Alamo a little group of men began to gather at the village of Washington, on the Brazos river in Texas.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THE NEWS OF THE FALL Five days before the fall of the Alamo a little group of men began to gather at the village of Washington, on the Brazos river in Texas.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading The name of the little town indicated well whence its people had come.
populationnounUS /ˌpɑːpjəˈleɪʃən/
the people who inhabit a territory or state
From this reading But this new and little Washington was seething with excitement and suspense, and its population was now more than triple the normal.
steal goods; take as spoils
From this reading The first and most important article was the rifle which the Texans never needed more than they did now.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading THE NEWS OF THE FALL Five days before the fall of the Alamo a little group of men began to gather at the village of Washington, on the Brazos river in Texas.
seethingadjectiveUS /ˈsiːðɪŋ/
in constant agitation
From this reading But this new and little Washington was seething with excitement and suspense, and its population was now more than triple the normal.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading All the houses were new, mostly of unpainted wood, and they contained some of the furniture of necessity, none of luxury.
suspensenounUS /səˈspens/
apprehension about what is going to happen
From this reading But this new and little Washington was seething with excitement and suspense, and its population was now more than triple the normal.
TexansnounUS /ˈteksənz/
plural of “texan” — a native or resident of Texas
From this reading The first and most important article was the rifle which the Texans never needed more than they did now.
TexasnounUS /ˈteksəs/
the second largest state; located in southwestern United States on the Gulf of Mexico
From this reading THE NEWS OF THE FALL Five days before the fall of the Alamo a little group of men began to gather at the village of Washington, on the Brazos river in Texas.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The first and most important article was the rifle which the Texans never needed more than they did now.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE NEWS OF THE FALL Five days before the fall of the Alamo a little group of men began to gather at the village of Washington, on the Brazos river in Texas.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading All the houses were new, mostly of unpainted wood, and they contained some of the furniture of necessity, none of luxury.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading But this new and little Washington was seething with excitement and suspense, and its population was now more than triple the normal.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE NEWS OF THE FALL Five days before the fall of the Alamo a little group of men began to gather at the village of Washington, on the Brazos river in Texas.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading The name of the little town indicated well whence its people had come.
tripleverbUS /ˈtrɪpəl/
increase threefold
From this reading But this new and little Washington was seething with excitement and suspense, and its population was now more than triple the normal.
unpaintedadjectiveUS /ənˈpeɪntɪd/
not having makeup on
From this reading All the houses were new, mostly of unpainted wood, and they contained some of the furniture of necessity, none of luxury.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading THE NEWS OF THE FALL Five days before the fall of the Alamo a little group of men began to gather at the village of Washington, on the Brazos river in Texas.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The first and most important article was the rifle which the Texans never needed more than they did now.
the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791
From this reading THE NEWS OF THE FALL Five days before the fall of the Alamo a little group of men began to gather at the village of Washington, on the Brazos river in Texas.
(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 The name of the little town indicated well whence its people had come.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading All the houses were new, mostly of unpainted wood, and they contained some of the furniture of necessity, none of luxury.
an old word meaning “from where”
From this reading The name of the little town indicated well whence its people had come.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The first and most important article was the rifle which the Texans never needed more than they did now.
in the company of; together with
From this reading But this new and little Washington was seething with excitement and suspense, and its population was now more than triple the normal.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading All the houses were new, mostly of unpainted wood, and they contained some of the furniture of necessity, none of luxury.
