used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading They were afraid then of lighting a fire, but they agreed that they would do so in the morning.
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading They were afraid then of lighting a fire, but they agreed that they would do so in the morning.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading They now, however, could not make much progress, nor could they have done so had a breeze sprung up, as they possessed no sails.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
a flexible container with a single opening
From this reading The next bag was full of some long, dried things, which might have been eels, but were very probably snakes.
a container that is usually woven and has handles
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The next bag was full of some long, dried things, which might have been eels, but were very probably snakes.
a slight wind (usually refreshing)
From this reading They now, however, could not make much progress, nor could they have done so had a breeze sprung up, as they possessed no sails.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The next bag was full of some long, dried things, which might have been eels, but were very probably snakes.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading They now, however, could not make much progress, nor could they have done so had a breeze sprung up, as they possessed no sails.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading They were afraid then of lighting a fire, but they agreed that they would do so in the morning.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading They now, however, could not make much progress, nor could they have done so had a breeze sprung up, as they possessed no sails.
driedadjectiveUS /draɪd/
not still wet
From this reading The next bag was full of some long, dried things, which might have been eels, but were very probably snakes.
eelsnounUS /iːlz/
plural of “eel” — the fatty flesh of eel; an elongate fish found in fresh water in Europe and America; large eels are usually smoked or pickled
From this reading The next bag was full of some long, dried things, which might have been eels, but were very probably snakes.
start firing a weapon
From this reading They were afraid then of lighting a fire, but they agreed that they would do so in the morning.
FrogsnounUS /frɑːɡz/
plural of “frog” — any of various tailless stout-bodied amphibians with long hind limbs for leaping; semiaquatic and terrestrial species
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading The next bag was full of some long, dried things, which might have been eels, but were very probably snakes.
gnawings
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They now, however, could not make much progress, nor could they have done so had a breeze sprung up, as they possessed no sails.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The next bag was full of some long, dried things, which might have been eels, but were very probably snakes.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading They now, however, could not make much progress, nor could they have done so had a breeze sprung up, as they possessed no sails.
a physiological need for food; the consequence of food deprivation
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
immediately past
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
lightingnounUS /ˈlaɪtɪŋ/
having abundant light or illumination
From this reading They were afraid then of lighting a fire, but they agreed that they would do so in the morning.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading The next bag was full of some long, dried things, which might have been eels, but were very probably snakes.
engage in
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
the food served and eaten at one time
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading The next bag was full of some long, dried things, which might have been eels, but were very probably snakes.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading They were afraid then of lighting a fire, but they agreed that they would do so in the morning.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading They now, however, could not make much progress, nor could they have done so had a breeze sprung up, as they possessed no sails.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next bag was full of some long, dried things, which might have been eels, but were very probably snakes.
not any; not one
From this reading They now, however, could not make much progress, nor could they have done so had a breeze sprung up, as they possessed no sails.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading They now, however, could not make much progress, nor could they have done so had a breeze sprung up, as they possessed no sails.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading They now, however, could not make much progress, nor could they have done so had a breeze sprung up, as they possessed no sails.
oarsnounUS /ɔːrz/
plural of “oar” — an implement used to propel or steer a boat
From this reading Once more they took to their oars.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The next bag was full of some long, dried things, which might have been eels, but were very probably snakes.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
on one occasion
From this reading Once more they took to their oars.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
pickledadjectiveUS /ˈpɪkəld/
(used of foods) preserved in a pickling liquid
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion
From this reading They now, however, could not make much progress, nor could they have done so had a breeze sprung up, as they possessed no sails.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading The next bag was full of some long, dried things, which might have been eels, but were very probably snakes.
gradual improvement or growth or development
From this reading They now, however, could not make much progress, nor could they have done so had a breeze sprung up, as they possessed no sails.
ricenounUS /raɪs/
grains used as food either unpolished or more often polished
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
sailsnounUS /seɪlz/
plural of “sail” — a large piece of fabric (usually canvas fabric) by means of which wind is used to propel a sailing vessel
From this reading They now, however, could not make much progress, nor could they have done so had a breeze sprung up, as they possessed no sails.
satisfyingadjectiveUS /ˈsætɪsfaɪɪŋ/
providing abundant nourishment
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
shell-fish
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
snailsnounUS /sneɪlz/
plural of “snail” — freshwater or marine or terrestrial gastropod mollusk usually having an external enclosing spiral shell
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
snakesnounUS /sneɪks/
plural of “snake” — limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous
From this reading The next bag was full of some long, dried things, which might have been eels, but were very probably snakes.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading They were afraid then of lighting a fire, but they agreed that they would do so in the morning.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The next bag was full of some long, dried things, which might have been eels, but were very probably snakes.
sprungverbUS /sprʌŋ/
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading They now, however, could not make much progress, nor could they have done so had a breeze sprung up, as they possessed no sails.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
temptingadjectiveUS /ˈtemptɪŋ/
highly attractive and able to arouse hope or desire
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They were afraid then of lighting a fire, but they agreed that they would do so in the morning.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The next bag was full of some long, dried things, which might have been eels, but were very probably snakes.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Once more they took to their oars.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading They were afraid then of lighting a fire, but they agreed that they would do so in the morning.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading The next bag was full of some long, dried things, which might have been eels, but were very probably snakes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Once more they took to their oars.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Once more they took to their oars.
unboiled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading They now, however, could not make much progress, nor could they have done so had a breeze sprung up, as they possessed no sails.
precisely as stated
From this reading The next bag was full of some long, dried things, which might have been eels, but were very probably snakes.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The next bag was full of some long, dried things, which might have been eels, but were very probably snakes.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The next bag was full of some long, dried things, which might have been eels, but were very probably snakes.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The next bag was full of some long, dried things, which might have been eels, but were very probably snakes.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Frogs and snails in a dried or pickled state were not more tempting; but at last they came on a basket of shell-fish, which, with some unboiled rice, stopped the gnawings of hunger, but did not make a very satisfying meal.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading They were afraid then of lighting a fire, but they agreed that they would do so in the morning.
