used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading They had gone but a short distance when a yell from Billy fell upon their ears.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The cause of his distress was at once apparent, for coming toward him from the rear was the bull, pawing and growling in an angry manner.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Pushing off the boat, he seized the oars and settled himself down to work.
angryadjectiveUS /ˈæŋɡri/
feeling or showing anger
From this reading The cause of his distress was at once apparent, for coming toward him from the rear was the bull, pawing and growling in an angry manner.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading The cause of his distress was at once apparent, for coming toward him from the rear was the bull, pawing and growling in an angry manner.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading He was standing upon the shore, frantically waving his arms, and imploring them to return.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The cause of his distress was at once apparent, for coming toward him from the rear was the bull, pawing and growling in an angry manner.
a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading They had gone but a short distance when a yell from Billy fell upon their ears.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading Pushing off the boat, he seized the oars and settled himself down to work.
uncastrated adult male of domestic cattle
From this reading The cause of his distress was at once apparent, for coming toward him from the rear was the bull, pawing and growling in an angry manner.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading They had gone but a short distance when a yell from Billy fell upon their ears.
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading The cause of his distress was at once apparent, for coming toward him from the rear was the bull, pawing and growling in an angry manner.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading The cause of his distress was at once apparent, for coming toward him from the rear was the bull, pawing and growling in an angry manner.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading They had gone but a short distance when a yell from Billy fell upon their ears.
psychological suffering
From this reading The cause of his distress was at once apparent, for coming toward him from the rear was the bull, pawing and growling in an angry manner.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Pushing off the boat, he seized the oars and settled himself down to work.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading They had gone but a short distance when a yell from Billy fell upon their ears.
plural of “enemy” — an opposing military force
From this reading It had evidently recovered from its fright, and was seeking revenge upon his enemies.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading It had evidently recovered from its fright, and was seeking revenge upon his enemies.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading They had gone but a short distance when a yell from Billy fell upon their ears.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The cause of his distress was at once apparent, for coming toward him from the rear was the bull, pawing and growling in an angry manner.
franticallyadverbUS /ˈfræntəkəli/
in an uncontrolled manner
From this reading He was standing upon the shore, frantically waving his arms, and imploring them to return.
frightnounUS /fraɪt/
an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
From this reading It had evidently recovered from its fright, and was seeking revenge upon his enemies.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading They had gone but a short distance when a yell from Billy fell upon their ears.
destroyed or killed
From this reading They had gone but a short distance when a yell from Billy fell upon their ears.
growlingnounUS /ˈɡroʊlɪŋ/
a gruff or angry utterance (suggestive of the growling of an animal)
From this reading The cause of his distress was at once apparent, for coming toward him from the rear was the bull, pawing and growling in an angry manner.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They had gone but a short distance when a yell from Billy fell upon their ears.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Pushing off the boat, he seized the oars and settled himself down to work.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The cause of his distress was at once apparent, for coming toward him from the rear was the bull, pawing and growling in an angry manner.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Pushing off the boat, he seized the oars and settled himself down to work.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was standing upon the shore, frantically waving his arms, and imploring them to return.
imploringadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈplɔːrɪŋ/
begging
From this reading He was standing upon the shore, frantically waving his arms, and imploring them to return.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The cause of his distress was at once apparent, for coming toward him from the rear was the bull, pawing and growling in an angry manner.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It had evidently recovered from its fright, and was seeking revenge upon his enemies.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading It had evidently recovered from its fright, and was seeking revenge upon his enemies.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The cause of his distress was at once apparent, for coming toward him from the rear was the bull, pawing and growling in an angry manner.
oarsnounUS /ɔːrz/
plural of “oar” — an implement used to propel or steer a boat
From this reading Pushing off the boat, he seized the oars and settled himself down to work.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The cause of his distress was at once apparent, for coming toward him from the rear was the bull, pawing and growling in an angry manner.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Pushing off the boat, he seized the oars and settled himself down to work.
on one occasion
From this reading The cause of his distress was at once apparent, for coming toward him from the rear was the bull, pawing and growling in an angry manner.
pawingverbUS /ˈpɔːɪŋ/
-ing form of “paw” — scrape with the paws
From this reading The cause of his distress was at once apparent, for coming toward him from the rear was the bull, pawing and growling in an angry manner.
PushingnounUS /ˈpʊʃɪŋ/
the act of applying force in order to move something away
From this reading Pushing off the boat, he seized the oars and settled himself down to work.
the back of a military formation or procession
From this reading The cause of his distress was at once apparent, for coming toward him from the rear was the bull, pawing and growling in an angry manner.
freed from illness or injury
From this reading It had evidently recovered from its fright, and was seeking revenge upon his enemies.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading He was standing upon the shore, frantically waving his arms, and imploring them to return.
action taken in return for an injury or offense
From this reading It had evidently recovered from its fright, and was seeking revenge upon his enemies.
the act of searching for something
From this reading It had evidently recovered from its fright, and was seeking revenge upon his enemies.
past form of “seize” — take hold of; grab
From this reading Pushing off the boat, he seized the oars and settled himself down to work.
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading Pushing off the boat, he seized the oars and settled himself down to work.
the land along the edge of a body of water
From this reading He was standing upon the shore, frantically waving his arms, and imploring them to return.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading They had gone but a short distance when a yell from Billy fell upon their ears.
having a supporting base
From this reading He was standing upon the shore, frantically waving his arms, and imploring them to return.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Pushing off the boat, he seized the oars and settled himself down to work.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They had gone but a short distance when a yell from Billy fell upon their ears.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He was standing upon the shore, frantically waving his arms, and imploring them to return.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had gone but a short distance when a yell from Billy fell upon their ears.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Pushing off the boat, he seized the oars and settled himself down to work.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading The cause of his distress was at once apparent, for coming toward him from the rear was the bull, pawing and growling in an angry manner.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading They had gone but a short distance when a yell from Billy fell upon their ears.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was standing upon the shore, frantically waving his arms, and imploring them to return.
wavingnounUS /ˈweɪvɪŋ/
the act of signaling by a movement of the hand
From this reading He was standing upon the shore, frantically waving his arms, and imploring them to return.
at the time that
From this reading They had gone but a short distance when a yell from Billy fell upon their ears.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading Pushing off the boat, he seized the oars and settled himself down to work.
yellnounUS /jel/
a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
From this reading They had gone but a short distance when a yell from Billy fell upon their ears.
