used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE STORY BEGINS Miss Radford tied her pony to the trunk of a slender fir-balsam and climbed to the summit of a small hill.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Opposite the cabin, across the river, rose the buttes that met her eyes always when she came to the cabin door.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Opposite the cabin, across the river, rose the buttes that met her eyes always when she came to the cabin door.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE STORY BEGINS Miss Radford tied her pony to the trunk of a slender fir-balsam and climbed to the summit of a small hill.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading She made sure of this before seating herself upon a little shelf of rock, near a tall cedar.
plural of “begin” — Israeli statesman (born in Russia) who (as prime minister of Israel) negotiated a peace treaty with Anwar Sadat (then the president of Egypt) (1913-1992)
From this reading THE STORY BEGINS Miss Radford tied her pony to the trunk of a slender fir-balsam and climbed to the summit of a small hill.
Ben'snounUS /benz/
possessive form of “ben” — a mountain or tall hill
From this reading Half a mile down the river she could see a corner of Ben's cabin, a section of the corral fence, and one of the small outbuildings.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading There were some trees, quite a bit of grass, some shrubbery, on the hill--and no snakes.
buttes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Opposite the cabin, across the river, rose the buttes that met her eyes always when she came to the cabin door.
small room on a ship or boat where people sleep
From this reading Half a mile down the river she could see a corner of Ben's cabin, a section of the corral fence, and one of the small outbuildings.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Opposite the cabin, across the river, rose the buttes that met her eyes always when she came to the cabin door.
cedarnounUS /ˈsiːdər/
any of numerous trees of the family Cupressaceae that resemble cedars
From this reading She made sure of this before seating herself upon a little shelf of rock, near a tall cedar.
past form of “climb” — go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading THE STORY BEGINS Miss Radford tied her pony to the trunk of a slender fir-balsam and climbed to the summit of a small hill.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading Half a mile down the river she could see a corner of Ben's cabin, a section of the corral fence, and one of the small outbuildings.
corralverbUS /kərˈæl/
enclose in a corral
From this reading Half a mile down the river she could see a corner of Ben's cabin, a section of the corral fence, and one of the small outbuildings.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Half a mile down the river she could see a corner of Ben's cabin, a section of the corral fence, and one of the small outbuildings.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Opposite the cabin, across the river, rose the buttes that met her eyes always when she came to the cabin door.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Half a mile down the river she could see a corner of Ben's cabin, a section of the corral fence, and one of the small outbuildings.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Opposite the cabin, across the river, rose the buttes that met her eyes always when she came to the cabin door.
enclose with a fence
From this reading Half a mile down the river she could see a corner of Ben's cabin, a section of the corral fence, and one of the small outbuildings.
fir-balsam
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE STORY BEGINS Miss Radford tied her pony to the trunk of a slender fir-balsam and climbed to the summit of a small hill.
shoot down, of birds
From this reading There were some trees, quite a bit of grass, some shrubbery, on the hill--and no snakes.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading Half a mile down the river she could see a corner of Ben's cabin, a section of the corral fence, and one of the small outbuildings.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading THE STORY BEGINS Miss Radford tied her pony to the trunk of a slender fir-balsam and climbed to the summit of a small hill.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading She made sure of this before seating herself upon a little shelf of rock, near a tall cedar.
a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading THE STORY BEGINS Miss Radford tied her pony to the trunk of a slender fir-balsam and climbed to the summit of a small hill.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She made sure of this before seating herself upon a little shelf of rock, near a tall cedar.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading She made sure of this before seating herself upon a little shelf of rock, near a tall cedar.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading Opposite the cabin, across the river, rose the buttes that met her eyes always when she came to the cabin door.
a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading Half a mile down the river she could see a corner of Ben's cabin, a section of the corral fence, and one of the small outbuildings.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading THE STORY BEGINS Miss Radford tied her pony to the trunk of a slender fir-balsam and climbed to the summit of a small hill.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading She made sure of this before seating herself upon a little shelf of rock, near a tall cedar.
not any; not one
From this reading There were some trees, quite a bit of grass, some shrubbery, on the hill--and no snakes.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE STORY BEGINS Miss Radford tied her pony to the trunk of a slender fir-balsam and climbed to the summit of a small hill.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading There were some trees, quite a bit of grass, some shrubbery, on the hill--and no snakes.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Half a mile down the river she could see a corner of Ben's cabin, a section of the corral fence, and one of the small outbuildings.
being directly across from each other; facing
From this reading Opposite the cabin, across the river, rose the buttes that met her eyes always when she came to the cabin door.
outbuildings
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Half a mile down the river she could see a corner of Ben's cabin, a section of the corral fence, and one of the small outbuildings.
ponynounUS /ˈpoʊniː/
a range horse of the western United States
From this reading THE STORY BEGINS Miss Radford tied her pony to the trunk of a slender fir-balsam and climbed to the summit of a small hill.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading There were some trees, quite a bit of grass, some shrubbery, on the hill--and no snakes.
Radford
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE STORY BEGINS Miss Radford tied her pony to the trunk of a slender fir-balsam and climbed to the summit of a small hill.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading Half a mile down the river she could see a corner of Ben's cabin, a section of the corral fence, and one of the small outbuildings.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading She made sure of this before seating herself upon a little shelf of rock, near a tall cedar.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading Opposite the cabin, across the river, rose the buttes that met her eyes always when she came to the cabin door.
seatingnounUS /ˈsiːtɪŋ/
an area that includes places where several people can sit
From this reading She made sure of this before seating herself upon a little shelf of rock, near a tall cedar.
sectionnounUS /ˈsekʃən/
a self-contained part of a larger composition (written or musical)
From this reading Half a mile down the river she could see a corner of Ben's cabin, a section of the corral fence, and one of the small outbuildings.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Half a mile down the river she could see a corner of Ben's cabin, a section of the corral fence, and one of the small outbuildings.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She made sure of this before seating herself upon a little shelf of rock, near a tall cedar.
shelfnounUS /ʃelf/
A flat horizontal plane used to hold books or scrolls in a library.
From this reading She made sure of this before seating herself upon a little shelf of rock, near a tall cedar.
shrubberynounUS /ˈʃrʌbəri/
an area where a number of shrubs are planted
From this reading There were some trees, quite a bit of grass, some shrubbery, on the hill--and no snakes.
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading THE STORY BEGINS Miss Radford tied her pony to the trunk of a slender fir-balsam and climbed to the summit of a small hill.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading THE STORY BEGINS Miss Radford tied her pony to the trunk of a slender fir-balsam and climbed to the summit of a small hill.
snakesnounUS /sneɪks/
plural of “snake” — limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous
From this reading There were some trees, quite a bit of grass, some shrubbery, on the hill--and no snakes.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading There were some trees, quite a bit of grass, some shrubbery, on the hill--and no snakes.
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 THE STORY BEGINS Miss Radford tied her pony to the trunk of a slender fir-balsam and climbed to the summit of a small hill.
summitnounUS /ˈsʌmət/
the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
From this reading THE STORY BEGINS Miss Radford tied her pony to the trunk of a slender fir-balsam and climbed to the summit of a small hill.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading She made sure of this before seating herself upon a little shelf of rock, near a tall cedar.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading She made sure of this before seating herself upon a little shelf of rock, near a tall cedar.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Opposite the cabin, across the river, rose the buttes that met her eyes always when she came to the cabin door.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE STORY BEGINS Miss Radford tied her pony to the trunk of a slender fir-balsam and climbed to the summit of a small hill.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were some trees, quite a bit of grass, some shrubbery, on the hill--and no snakes.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading She made sure of this before seating herself upon a little shelf of rock, near a tall cedar.
bound or secured closely
From this reading THE STORY BEGINS Miss Radford tied her pony to the trunk of a slender fir-balsam and climbed to the summit of a small hill.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE STORY BEGINS Miss Radford tied her pony to the trunk of a slender fir-balsam and climbed to the summit of a small hill.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading There were some trees, quite a bit of grass, some shrubbery, on the hill--and no snakes.
the main stem of a tree; usually covered with bark; the bole is usually the part that is commercially useful for lumber
From this reading THE STORY BEGINS Miss Radford tied her pony to the trunk of a slender fir-balsam and climbed to the summit of a small hill.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading She made sure of this before seating herself upon a little shelf of rock, near a tall cedar.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were some trees, quite a bit of grass, some shrubbery, on the hill--and no snakes.
at the time that
From this reading Opposite the cabin, across the river, rose the buttes that met her eyes always when she came to the cabin door.
