used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading This strange encounter was a battle of will against will!
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading This strange encounter was a battle of will against will!
alienadjectiveUS /ˈeɪliən/
not contained in or deriving from the essential nature of something
From this reading Unlike anything he had ever met before in his short lifetime, it could only have come from some alien source.
any thing at all
From this reading Unlike anything he had ever met before in his short lifetime, it could only have come from some alien source.
(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
From this reading The same rebellion against authority which had ruled his boyhood, which had pushed him into the orbit of the project, stiffened him to meet this attack.
the power or right to give orders or make decisions
From this reading The same rebellion against authority which had ruled his boyhood, which had pushed him into the orbit of the project, stiffened him to meet this attack.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading This strange encounter was a battle of will against will!
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Unlike anything he had ever met before in his short lifetime, it could only have come from some alien source.
boyhoodnounUS /ˈbɔɪhʊd/
the childhood of a boy
From this reading The same rebellion against authority which had ruled his boyhood, which had pushed him into the orbit of the project, stiffened him to meet this attack.
terminate
From this reading Ross fought to break that hold, to turn his head, to face the peril which crept upon him now.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Unlike anything he had ever met before in his short lifetime, it could only have come from some alien source.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Unlike anything he had ever met before in his short lifetime, it could only have come from some alien source.
inflected form of “creep” — move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground
From this reading Ross fought to break that hold, to turn his head, to face the peril which crept upon him now.
encounterverbUS /ɪnˈkaʊntər/
come together
From this reading This strange encounter was a battle of will against will!
at any time
From this reading Unlike anything he had ever met before in his short lifetime, it could only have come from some alien source.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Ross fought to break that hold, to turn his head, to face the peril which crept upon him now.
inflected form of “fight” — be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading Ross fought to break that hold, to turn his head, to face the peril which crept upon him now.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Unlike anything he had ever met before in his short lifetime, it could only have come from some alien source.
the act of departing
From this reading He was going to turn his head; he was going to see who stood there.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Unlike anything he had ever met before in his short lifetime, it could only have come from some alien source.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Unlike anything he had ever met before in his short lifetime, it could only have come from some alien source.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Unlike anything he had ever met before in his short lifetime, it could only have come from some alien source.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Ross fought to break that hold, to turn his head, to face the peril which crept upon him now.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Ross fought to break that hold, to turn his head, to face the peril which crept upon him now.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Ross fought to break that hold, to turn his head, to face the peril which crept upon him now.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Ross fought to break that hold, to turn his head, to face the peril which crept upon him now.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Unlike anything he had ever met before in his short lifetime, it could only have come from some alien source.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The same rebellion against authority which had ruled his boyhood, which had pushed him into the orbit of the project, stiffened him to meet this attack.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Unlike anything he had ever met before in his short lifetime, it could only have come from some alien source.
lifetimenounUS /ˈlaɪftaɪm/
the period during which something is functional (as between birth and death)
From this reading Unlike anything he had ever met before in his short lifetime, it could only have come from some alien source.
come together
From this reading The same rebellion against authority which had ruled his boyhood, which had pushed him into the orbit of the project, stiffened him to meet this attack.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading Unlike anything he had ever met before in his short lifetime, it could only have come from some alien source.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Ross fought to break that hold, to turn his head, to face the peril which crept upon him now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading This strange encounter was a battle of will against will!
and nothing more
From this reading Unlike anything he had ever met before in his short lifetime, it could only have come from some alien source.
orbitnounUS /ˈɔːrbət/
the (usually elliptical) path described by one celestial body in its revolution about another
From this reading The same rebellion against authority which had ruled his boyhood, which had pushed him into the orbit of the project, stiffened him to meet this attack.
perilnounUS /ˈperəl/
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading Ross fought to break that hold, to turn his head, to face the peril which crept upon him now.
projectverbUS /ˈprɑːdʒekt/
communicate vividly
From this reading The same rebellion against authority which had ruled his boyhood, which had pushed him into the orbit of the project, stiffened him to meet this attack.
past form of “push” — move with force
From this reading The same rebellion against authority which had ruled his boyhood, which had pushed him into the orbit of the project, stiffened him to meet this attack.
rebellionnounUS /rɪˈbeljən/
refusal to accept some authority or code or convention
From this reading The same rebellion against authority which had ruled his boyhood, which had pushed him into the orbit of the project, stiffened him to meet this attack.
RossnounUS /rɑːs/
Scottish explorer who led Arctic expeditions that yielded geographic discoveries while searching for the Northwest Passage (1777-1856)
From this reading Ross fought to break that hold, to turn his head, to face the peril which crept upon him now.
ruledadjectiveUS /ruːld/
subject to a ruling authority
From this reading The same rebellion against authority which had ruled his boyhood, which had pushed him into the orbit of the project, stiffened him to meet this attack.
Identical; not different.
From this reading The same rebellion against authority which had ruled his boyhood, which had pushed him into the orbit of the project, stiffened him to meet this attack.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading He was going to turn his head; he was going to see who stood there.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading Unlike anything he had ever met before in his short lifetime, it could only have come from some alien source.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Unlike anything he had ever met before in his short lifetime, it could only have come from some alien source.
the place where something begins, where it springs into being
From this reading Unlike anything he had ever met before in his short lifetime, it could only have come from some alien source.
stiffenedverbUS /ˈstɪfənd/
past form of “stiffen” — become stiff or stiffer
From this reading The same rebellion against authority which had ruled his boyhood, which had pushed him into the orbit of the project, stiffened him to meet this attack.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading He was going to turn his head; he was going to see who stood there.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading This strange encounter was a battle of will against will!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Ross fought to break that hold, to turn his head, to face the peril which crept upon him now.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Ross fought to break that hold, to turn his head, to face the peril which crept upon him now.
in or at that place or location
From this reading He was going to turn his head; he was going to see who stood there.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This strange encounter was a battle of will against will!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Ross fought to break that hold, to turn his head, to face the peril which crept upon him now.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading Ross fought to break that hold, to turn his head, to face the peril which crept upon him now.
UnlikeadjectiveUS /ənˈlaɪk/
marked by dissimilarity
From this reading Unlike anything he had ever met before in his short lifetime, it could only have come from some alien source.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Ross fought to break that hold, to turn his head, to face the peril which crept upon him now.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This strange encounter was a battle of will against will!
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Ross fought to break that hold, to turn his head, to face the peril which crept upon him now.
which person or people
From this reading He was going to turn his head; he was going to see who stood there.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading This strange encounter was a battle of will against will!
