Chapter I · Chapter 1

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Ah!” he thought, “where there is a church there will be houses and people; and, perhaps, some one will give me a bit and a sup.”

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

dried out by heat or excessive exposure to sunlight

From this reading How he longed to get down to it, and cool his poor baked lips!

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading “Ah!” he thought, “where there is a church there will be houses and people; and, perhaps, some one will give me a bit and a sup.”

at or to a lower level than something

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

a small piece or quantity of something

From this reading “Ah!” he thought, “where there is a church there will be houses and people; and, perhaps, some one will give me a bit and a sup.”

possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching

From this reading But, brave little chimney-sweep as he was, he dared not climb down such chimneys as those.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But, brave little chimney-sweep as he was, he dared not climb down such chimneys as those.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

a vertical flue that provides a path through which smoke from a fire is carried away through the wall or roof of a building

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But, brave little chimney-sweep as he was, he dared not climb down such chimneys as those.

plural of “chimney” — a vertical flue that provides a path through which smoke from a fire is carried away through the wall or roof of a building

From this reading But, brave little chimney-sweep as he was, he dared not climb down such chimneys as those.

one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship

From this reading “Ah!” he thought, “where there is a church there will be houses and people; and, perhaps, some one will give me a bit and a sup.”

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So he went on and on, till his head spun round with the heat, and he thought he heard church-bells ringing a long way off.

go upward with gradual or continuous progress

From this reading But, brave little chimney-sweep as he was, he dared not climb down such chimneys as those.

neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat

From this reading How he longed to get down to it, and cool his poor baked lips!

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

past form of “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission

From this reading But, brave little chimney-sweep as he was, he dared not climb down such chimneys as those.

absence of light or illumination

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

plural of “dwarf” — a person who is markedly small

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

decreasing in amount or degree

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading How he longed to get down to it, and cool his poor baked lips!

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading “Ah!” he thought, “where there is a church there will be houses and people; and, perhaps, some one will give me a bit and a sup.”

the act of departing

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading So he went on and on, till his head spun round with the heat, and he thought he heard church-bells ringing a long way off.

perceive (sound) via the auditory sense

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading So he went on and on, till his head spun round with the heat, and he thought he heard church-bells ringing a long way off.

a form of energy that is transferred by a difference in temperature

From this reading So he went on and on, till his head spun round with the heat, and he thought he heard church-bells ringing a long way off.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading How he longed to get down to it, and cool his poor baked lips!

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

plural of “house” — a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading “Ah!” he thought, “where there is a church there will be houses and people; and, perhaps, some one will give me a bit and a sup.”

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading How he longed to get down to it, and cool his poor baked lips!

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading “Ah!” he thought, “where there is a church there will be houses and people; and, perhaps, some one will give me a bit and a sup.”

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking

From this reading How he longed to get down to it, and cool his poor baked lips!

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading But, brave little chimney-sweep as he was, he dared not climb down such chimneys as those.

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 So he went on and on, till his head spun round with the heat, and he thought he heard church-bells ringing a long way off.

past form of “long” — desire strongly or persistently

From this reading How he longed to get down to it, and cool his poor baked lips!

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading “Ah!” he thought, “where there is a church there will be houses and people; and, perhaps, some one will give me a bit and a sup.”

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading But, brave little chimney-sweep as he was, he dared not climb down such chimneys as those.

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading So he went on and on, till his head spun round with the heat, and he thought he heard church-bells ringing a long way off.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading So he went on and on, till his head spun round with the heat, and he thought he heard church-bells ringing a long way off.

on one occasion

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “Ah!” he thought, “where there is a church there will be houses and people; and, perhaps, some one will give me a bit and a sup.”

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading “Ah!” he thought, “where there is a church there will be houses and people; and, perhaps, some one will give me a bit and a sup.”

by chance

From this reading “Ah!” he thought, “where there is a church there will be houses and people; and, perhaps, some one will give me a bit and a sup.”

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading How he longed to get down to it, and cool his poor baked lips!

the sound of a bell ringing

From this reading So he went on and on, till his head spun round with the heat, and he thought he heard church-bells ringing a long way off.

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

From this reading So he went on and on, till his head spun round with the heat, and he thought he heard church-bells ringing a long way off.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading So he went on and on, till his head spun round with the heat, and he thought he heard church-bells ringing a long way off.

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

inflected form of “spin” — revolve quickly and repeatedly around one's own axis

From this reading So he went on and on, till his head spun round with the heat, and he thought he heard church-bells ringing a long way off.

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading But, brave little chimney-sweep as he was, he dared not climb down such chimneys as those.

a small amount of liquid food

From this reading “Ah!” he thought, “where there is a church there will be houses and people; and, perhaps, some one will give me a bit and a sup.”

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

in or at that place or location

From this reading “Ah!” he thought, “where there is a church there will be houses and people; and, perhaps, some one will give me a bit and a sup.”

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading But, brave little chimney-sweep as he was, he dared not climb down such chimneys as those.

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading So he went on and on, till his head spun round with the heat, and he thought he heard church-bells ringing a long way off.

up to a particular time

From this reading So he went on and on, till his head spun round with the heat, and he thought he heard church-bells ringing a long way off.

like the short high ringing sound of a small bell

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading How he longed to get down to it, and cool his poor baked lips!

-ing form of “trickle” — run or flow slowly, as in drops or in an unsteady stream

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

under the level of the ground

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent

From this reading Now and then he passed by a deep dark swallow-hole, going down into the earth, as if it was the chimney of some dwarfs house underground; and more than once, as he passed, he could hear water falling, trickling, tinkling, many many feet below.

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading So he went on and on, till his head spun round with the heat, and he thought he heard church-bells ringing a long way off.

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading So he went on and on, till his head spun round with the heat, and he thought he heard church-bells ringing a long way off.

in or at the place that

From this reading “Ah!” he thought, “where there is a church there will be houses and people; and, perhaps, some one will give me a bit and a sup.”

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading “Ah!” he thought, “where there is a church there will be houses and people; and, perhaps, some one will give me a bit and a sup.”

in the company of; together with

From this reading So he went on and on, till his head spun round with the heat, and he thought he heard church-bells ringing a long way off.