used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A cool breeze blew down from the mountains, and the five horses sniffed it gratefully.
at or in the front
From this reading Teddy, who was riding ahead, turned in the saddle.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A cool breeze blew down from the mountains, and the five horses sniffed it gratefully.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading They had carried their riders far that day, over a trail which stiffened their leg muscles and dulled their eyes, from demanding constant attention to its treacherous unevenness.
inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard
From this reading A cool breeze blew down from the mountains, and the five horses sniffed it gratefully.
a slight wind (usually refreshing)
From this reading A cool breeze blew down from the mountains, and the five horses sniffed it gratefully.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But they had done their work well, and now they were near the end of their journey.
CanyonnounUS /ˈkænjən/
a ravine formed by a river in an area with little rainfall
From this reading THE RECKLESS RIDER Dusk had settled over Thunder Canyon.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading They had carried their riders far that day, over a trail which stiffened their leg muscles and dulled their eyes, from demanding constant attention to its treacherous unevenness.
unvarying in nature
From this reading They had carried their riders far that day, over a trail which stiffened their leg muscles and dulled their eyes, from demanding constant attention to its treacherous unevenness.
neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat
From this reading A cool breeze blew down from the mountains, and the five horses sniffed it gratefully.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading They had carried their riders far that day, over a trail which stiffened their leg muscles and dulled their eyes, from demanding constant attention to its treacherous unevenness.
demandingadjectiveUS /dɪˈmændɪŋ/
requiring more than usually expected or thought due; especially great patience and effort and skill
From this reading They had carried their riders far that day, over a trail which stiffened their leg muscles and dulled their eyes, from demanding constant attention to its treacherous unevenness.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading But they had done their work well, and now they were near the end of their journey.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading A cool breeze blew down from the mountains, and the five horses sniffed it gratefully.
dulledadjectiveUS /dʌld/
having lost or been caused to lose interest because of overexposure
From this reading They had carried their riders far that day, over a trail which stiffened their leg muscles and dulled their eyes, from demanding constant attention to its treacherous unevenness.
DusknounUS /dʌsk/
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading THE RECKLESS RIDER Dusk had settled over Thunder Canyon.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading But they had done their work well, and now they were near the end of their journey.
opinion or judgment
From this reading They had carried their riders far that day, over a trail which stiffened their leg muscles and dulled their eyes, from demanding constant attention to its treacherous unevenness.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading They had carried their riders far that day, over a trail which stiffened their leg muscles and dulled their eyes, from demanding constant attention to its treacherous unevenness.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading A cool breeze blew down from the mountains, and the five horses sniffed it gratefully.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A cool breeze blew down from the mountains, and the five horses sniffed it gratefully.
gratefullyadverbUS /ˈɡreɪtfəli/
with appreciation; in a grateful manner
From this reading A cool breeze blew down from the mountains, and the five horses sniffed it gratefully.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE RECKLESS RIDER Dusk had settled over Thunder Canyon.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading A cool breeze blew down from the mountains, and the five horses sniffed it gratefully.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Teddy, who was riding ahead, turned in the saddle.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A cool breeze blew down from the mountains, and the five horses sniffed it gratefully.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading They had carried their riders far that day, over a trail which stiffened their leg muscles and dulled their eyes, from demanding constant attention to its treacherous unevenness.
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading But they had done their work well, and now they were near the end of their journey.
a human limb; commonly used to refer to a whole limb but technically only the part of the limb between the knee and ankle
From this reading They had carried their riders far that day, over a trail which stiffened their leg muscles and dulled their eyes, from demanding constant attention to its treacherous unevenness.
plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading A cool breeze blew down from the mountains, and the five horses sniffed it gratefully.
musclesnounUS /ˈmʌsəlz/
plural of “muscle” — one of the contractile organs of the body
From this reading They had carried their riders far that day, over a trail which stiffened their leg muscles and dulled their eyes, from demanding constant attention to its treacherous unevenness.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading But they had done their work well, and now they were near the end of their journey.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading But they had done their work well, and now they were near the end of their journey.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But they had done their work well, and now they were near the end of their journey.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading THE RECKLESS RIDER Dusk had settled over Thunder Canyon.
RECKLESSadjectiveUS /ˈrekləs/
marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences
From this reading THE RECKLESS RIDER Dusk had settled over Thunder Canyon.
RIDERnounUS /ˈraɪdər/
a traveler who actively rides an animal (as a horse or camel)
From this reading THE RECKLESS RIDER Dusk had settled over Thunder Canyon.
ridersnounUS /ˈraɪdərz/
plural of “rider” — a traveler who actively rides an animal (as a horse or camel)
From this reading They had carried their riders far that day, over a trail which stiffened their leg muscles and dulled their eyes, from demanding constant attention to its treacherous unevenness.
the sport of sitting on the back of a horse while controlling its movements
From this reading Teddy, who was riding ahead, turned in the saddle.
put a saddle on
From this reading Teddy, who was riding ahead, turned in the saddle.
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading THE RECKLESS RIDER Dusk had settled over Thunder Canyon.
sniffedverbUS /snɪft/
past form of “sniff” — perceive by inhaling through the nose
From this reading A cool breeze blew down from the mountains, and the five horses sniffed it gratefully.
stiffenedverbUS /ˈstɪfənd/
past form of “stiffen” — become stiff or stiffer
From this reading They had carried their riders far that day, over a trail which stiffened their leg muscles and dulled their eyes, from demanding constant attention to its treacherous unevenness.
TeddynounUS /ˈtedi/
plaything consisting of a child's toy bear (usually plush and stuffed with soft materials)
From this reading Teddy, who was riding ahead, turned in the saddle.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They had carried their riders far that day, over a trail which stiffened their leg muscles and dulled their eyes, from demanding constant attention to its treacherous unevenness.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE RECKLESS RIDER Dusk had settled over Thunder Canyon.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They had carried their riders far that day, over a trail which stiffened their leg muscles and dulled their eyes, from demanding constant attention to its treacherous unevenness.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had carried their riders far that day, over a trail which stiffened their leg muscles and dulled their eyes, from demanding constant attention to its treacherous unevenness.
move fast, noisily, and heavily
From this reading THE RECKLESS RIDER Dusk had settled over Thunder Canyon.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They had carried their riders far that day, over a trail which stiffened their leg muscles and dulled their eyes, from demanding constant attention to its treacherous unevenness.
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading They had carried their riders far that day, over a trail which stiffened their leg muscles and dulled their eyes, from demanding constant attention to its treacherous unevenness.
treacherousadjectiveUS /ˈtretʃərəs/
dangerously unstable and unpredictable
From this reading They had carried their riders far that day, over a trail which stiffened their leg muscles and dulled their eyes, from demanding constant attention to its treacherous unevenness.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Teddy, who was riding ahead, turned in the saddle.
unevennessnoun
the quality of being uneven and lacking uniformity
From this reading They had carried their riders far that day, over a trail which stiffened their leg muscles and dulled their eyes, from demanding constant attention to its treacherous unevenness.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Teddy, who was riding ahead, turned in the saddle.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading But they had done their work well, and now they were near the end of their journey.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But they had done their work well, and now they were near the end of their journey.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading They had carried their riders far that day, over a trail which stiffened their leg muscles and dulled their eyes, from demanding constant attention to its treacherous unevenness.
which person or people
From this reading Teddy, who was riding ahead, turned in the saddle.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading But they had done their work well, and now they were near the end of their journey.
