used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He thought of making a wild effort to reach the door, but the weakness of his trembling knees, and the row of black figures that stood between, dissuaded him at once.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He thought of making a wild effort to reach the door, but the weakness of his trembling knees, and the row of black figures that stood between, dissuaded him at once.
past form of “approach” — move towards
From this reading Two of the Brothers approached and took him gently by the arm.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading Two of the Brothers approached and took him gently by the arm.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He thought of making a wild effort to reach the door, but the weakness of his trembling knees, and the row of black figures that stood between, dissuaded him at once.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading He thought of making a wild effort to reach the door, but the weakness of his trembling knees, and the row of black figures that stood between, dissuaded him at once.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading He thought of making a wild effort to reach the door, but the weakness of his trembling knees, and the row of black figures that stood between, dissuaded him at once.
plural of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading Two of the Brothers approached and took him gently by the arm.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading He would have screamed for help, but remembering the emptiness of the vast building, and the loneliness of the situation, he understood that no help could come that way, and he kept his lips closed.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He thought of making a wild effort to reach the door, but the weakness of his trembling knees, and the row of black figures that stood between, dissuaded him at once.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Two of the Brothers approached and took him gently by the arm.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading He would have screamed for help, but remembering the emptiness of the vast building, and the loneliness of the situation, he understood that no help could come that way, and he kept his lips closed.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He would have screamed for help, but remembering the emptiness of the vast building, and the loneliness of the situation, he understood that no help could come that way, and he kept his lips closed.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading But he knew now what was coming.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He would have screamed for help, but remembering the emptiness of the vast building, and the loneliness of the situation, he understood that no help could come that way, and he kept his lips closed.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He stood still and did nothing.
dissuadedverbUS /dɪˈsweɪdɪd/
past form of “dissuade” — turn away from by persuasion
From this reading He thought of making a wild effort to reach the door, but the weakness of his trembling knees, and the row of black figures that stood between, dissuaded him at once.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading He thought of making a wild effort to reach the door, but the weakness of his trembling knees, and the row of black figures that stood between, dissuaded him at once.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading He thought of making a wild effort to reach the door, but the weakness of his trembling knees, and the row of black figures that stood between, dissuaded him at once.
emptinessnounUS /ˈemptinəs/
the state of containing nothing
From this reading He would have screamed for help, but remembering the emptiness of the vast building, and the loneliness of the situation, he understood that no help could come that way, and he kept his lips closed.
plural of “figure” — a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading He thought of making a wild effort to reach the door, but the weakness of his trembling knees, and the row of black figures that stood between, dissuaded him at once.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He would have screamed for help, but remembering the emptiness of the vast building, and the loneliness of the situation, he understood that no help could come that way, and he kept his lips closed.
in a gradual manner
From this reading Two of the Brothers approached and took him gently by the arm.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He would have screamed for help, but remembering the emptiness of the vast building, and the loneliness of the situation, he understood that no help could come that way, and he kept his lips closed.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He thought of making a wild effort to reach the door, but the weakness of his trembling knees, and the row of black figures that stood between, dissuaded him at once.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading He would have screamed for help, but remembering the emptiness of the vast building, and the loneliness of the situation, he understood that no help could come that way, and he kept his lips closed.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He thought of making a wild effort to reach the door, but the weakness of his trembling knees, and the row of black figures that stood between, dissuaded him at once.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He thought of making a wild effort to reach the door, but the weakness of his trembling knees, and the row of black figures that stood between, dissuaded him at once.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading He would have screamed for help, but remembering the emptiness of the vast building, and the loneliness of the situation, he understood that no help could come that way, and he kept his lips closed.
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading He thought of making a wild effort to reach the door, but the weakness of his trembling knees, and the row of black figures that stood between, dissuaded him at once.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading But he knew now what was coming.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading He would have screamed for help, but remembering the emptiness of the vast building, and the loneliness of the situation, he understood that no help could come that way, and he kept his lips closed.
lonelinessnounUS /ˈloʊnlinəs/
the state of being alone in solitary isolation
From this reading He would have screamed for help, but remembering the emptiness of the vast building, and the loneliness of the situation, he understood that no help could come that way, and he kept his lips closed.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading He thought of making a wild effort to reach the door, but the weakness of his trembling knees, and the row of black figures that stood between, dissuaded him at once.
not any; not one
From this reading He would have screamed for help, but remembering the emptiness of the vast building, and the loneliness of the situation, he understood that no help could come that way, and he kept his lips closed.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading He stood still and did nothing.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading But he knew now what was coming.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He thought of making a wild effort to reach the door, but the weakness of his trembling knees, and the row of black figures that stood between, dissuaded him at once.
on one occasion
From this reading He thought of making a wild effort to reach the door, but the weakness of his trembling knees, and the row of black figures that stood between, dissuaded him at once.
reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading He thought of making a wild effort to reach the door, but the weakness of his trembling knees, and the row of black figures that stood between, dissuaded him at once.
rememberingnounUS /rɪˈmembərɪŋ/
the cognitive processes whereby past experience is remembered
From this reading He would have screamed for help, but remembering the emptiness of the vast building, and the loneliness of the situation, he understood that no help could come that way, and he kept his lips closed.
an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading He thought of making a wild effort to reach the door, but the weakness of his trembling knees, and the row of black figures that stood between, dissuaded him at once.
screamedverbUS /skriːmd/
past form of “scream” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading He would have screamed for help, but remembering the emptiness of the vast building, and the loneliness of the situation, he understood that no help could come that way, and he kept his lips closed.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading He would have screamed for help, but remembering the emptiness of the vast building, and the loneliness of the situation, he understood that no help could come that way, and he kept his lips closed.
not in physical motion
From this reading He stood still and did nothing.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading He thought of making a wild effort to reach the door, but the weakness of his trembling knees, and the row of black figures that stood between, dissuaded him at once.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He thought of making a wild effort to reach the door, but the weakness of his trembling knees, and the row of black figures that stood between, dissuaded him at once.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He thought of making a wild effort to reach the door, but the weakness of his trembling knees, and the row of black figures that stood between, dissuaded him at once.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He thought of making a wild effort to reach the door, but the weakness of his trembling knees, and the row of black figures that stood between, dissuaded him at once.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He thought of making a wild effort to reach the door, but the weakness of his trembling knees, and the row of black figures that stood between, dissuaded him at once.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Two of the Brothers approached and took him gently by the arm.
a shaky motion
From this reading He thought of making a wild effort to reach the door, but the weakness of his trembling knees, and the row of black figures that stood between, dissuaded him at once.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Two of the Brothers approached and took him gently by the arm.
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading He would have screamed for help, but remembering the emptiness of the vast building, and the loneliness of the situation, he understood that no help could come that way, and he kept his lips closed.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading He would have screamed for help, but remembering the emptiness of the vast building, and the loneliness of the situation, he understood that no help could come that way, and he kept his lips closed.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But he knew now what was coming.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading He would have screamed for help, but remembering the emptiness of the vast building, and the loneliness of the situation, he understood that no help could come that way, and he kept his lips closed.
a flaw or weak point
From this reading He thought of making a wild effort to reach the door, but the weakness of his trembling knees, and the row of black figures that stood between, dissuaded him at once.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But he knew now what was coming.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading He thought of making a wild effort to reach the door, but the weakness of his trembling knees, and the row of black figures that stood between, dissuaded him at once.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He would have screamed for help, but remembering the emptiness of the vast building, and the loneliness of the situation, he understood that no help could come that way, and he kept his lips closed.
