used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading SURROUNDED BY EAGLES There was a sudden tremor all over the airship as Washington, in the engine room, in obedience to the signals, turned off the power.
airshipnounUS /ˈerʃɪp/
a steerable self-propelled aircraft
From this reading SURROUNDED BY EAGLES There was a sudden tremor all over the airship as Washington, in the engine room, in obedience to the signals, turned off the power.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading SURROUNDED BY EAGLES There was a sudden tremor all over the airship as Washington, in the engine room, in obedience to the signals, turned off the power.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It grew larger and seemed to be made up of a number of small moving objects.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading SURROUNDED BY EAGLES There was a sudden tremor all over the airship as Washington, in the engine room, in obedience to the signals, turned off the power.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The black cloud that the professor had been gazing at came nearer.
a flexible container with a single opening
From this reading Then sounded a hiss as the captain let some gas from the bag.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It grew larger and seemed to be made up of a number of small moving objects.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The black cloud that the professor had been gazing at came nearer.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The ship began to sink toward the earth.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading The black cloud that the professor had been gazing at came nearer.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading SURROUNDED BY EAGLES There was a sudden tremor all over the airship as Washington, in the engine room, in obedience to the signals, turned off the power.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The black cloud that the professor had been gazing at came nearer.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading Then sounded a hiss as the captain let some gas from the bag.
make overcast or cloudy
From this reading The black cloud that the professor had been gazing at came nearer.
EAGLESnounUS /ˈiːɡəlz/
plural of “eagle” — any of various large keen-sighted diurnal birds of prey noted for their broad wings and strong soaring flight
From this reading SURROUNDED BY EAGLES There was a sudden tremor all over the airship as Washington, in the engine room, in obedience to the signals, turned off the power.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading The ship began to sink toward the earth.
enginenounUS /ˈendʒən/
motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work
From this reading SURROUNDED BY EAGLES There was a sudden tremor all over the airship as Washington, in the engine room, in obedience to the signals, turned off the power.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Then sounded a hiss as the captain let some gas from the bag.
gasnounUS /ɡæs/
the state of matter distinguished from the solid and liquid states by: relatively low density and viscosity
From this reading Then sounded a hiss as the captain let some gas from the bag.
-ing form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading The black cloud that the professor had been gazing at came nearer.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading It grew larger and seemed to be made up of a number of small moving objects.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The black cloud that the professor had been gazing at came nearer.
hissverbUS /hɪs/
make a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval
From this reading Then sounded a hiss as the captain let some gas from the bag.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading SURROUNDED BY EAGLES There was a sudden tremor all over the airship as Washington, in the engine room, in obedience to the signals, turned off the power.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It grew larger and seemed to be made up of a number of small moving objects.
large or big relative to something else
From this reading It grew larger and seemed to be made up of a number of small moving objects.
letauxiliary verbUS /let/
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Then sounded a hiss as the captain let some gas from the bag.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading It grew larger and seemed to be made up of a number of small moving objects.
in motion
From this reading It grew larger and seemed to be made up of a number of small moving objects.
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading The black cloud that the professor had been gazing at came nearer.
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading It grew larger and seemed to be made up of a number of small moving objects.
obediencenounUS /oʊˈbiːdiəns/
the act of obeying; dutiful or submissive behavior with respect to another person
From this reading SURROUNDED BY EAGLES There was a sudden tremor all over the airship as Washington, in the engine room, in obedience to the signals, turned off the power.
plural of “object” — a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading It grew larger and seemed to be made up of a number of small moving objects.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It grew larger and seemed to be made up of a number of small moving objects.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading SURROUNDED BY EAGLES There was a sudden tremor all over the airship as Washington, in the engine room, in obedience to the signals, turned off the power.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading SURROUNDED BY EAGLES There was a sudden tremor all over the airship as Washington, in the engine room, in obedience to the signals, turned off the power.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading SURROUNDED BY EAGLES There was a sudden tremor all over the airship as Washington, in the engine room, in obedience to the signals, turned off the power.
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading The black cloud that the professor had been gazing at came nearer.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading SURROUNDED BY EAGLES There was a sudden tremor all over the airship as Washington, in the engine room, in obedience to the signals, turned off the power.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It grew larger and seemed to be made up of a number of small moving objects.
transport commercially
From this reading The ship began to sink toward the earth.
signalsnounUS /ˈsɪɡnəlz/
plural of “signal” — any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message
From this reading SURROUNDED BY EAGLES There was a sudden tremor all over the airship as Washington, in the engine room, in obedience to the signals, turned off the power.
sinkverbUS /sɪŋk/
fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading The ship began to sink toward the earth.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It grew larger and seemed to be made up of a number of small moving objects.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Then sounded a hiss as the captain let some gas from the bag.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading Then sounded a hiss as the captain let some gas from the bag.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading SURROUNDED BY EAGLES There was a sudden tremor all over the airship as Washington, in the engine room, in obedience to the signals, turned off the power.
confined on all sides
From this reading SURROUNDED BY EAGLES There was a sudden tremor all over the airship as Washington, in the engine room, in obedience to the signals, turned off the power.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The black cloud that the professor had been gazing at came nearer.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading SURROUNDED BY EAGLES There was a sudden tremor all over the airship as Washington, in the engine room, in obedience to the signals, turned off the power.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then sounded a hiss as the captain let some gas from the bag.
in or at that place or location
From this reading SURROUNDED BY EAGLES There was a sudden tremor all over the airship as Washington, in the engine room, in obedience to the signals, turned off the power.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading SURROUNDED BY EAGLES There was a sudden tremor all over the airship as Washington, in the engine room, in obedience to the signals, turned off the power.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading The ship began to sink toward the earth.
tremornounUS /ˈtremər/
an involuntary vibration (as if from illness or fear)
From this reading SURROUNDED BY EAGLES There was a sudden tremor all over the airship as Washington, in the engine room, in obedience to the signals, turned off the power.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading SURROUNDED BY EAGLES There was a sudden tremor all over the airship as Washington, in the engine room, in obedience to the signals, turned off the power.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading It grew larger and seemed to be made up of a number of small moving objects.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading SURROUNDED BY EAGLES There was a sudden tremor all over the airship as Washington, in the engine room, in obedience to the signals, turned off the power.
the capital of the United States in the District of Columbia and a tourist mecca; George Washington commissioned Charles L'Enfant to lay out the city in 1791
From this reading SURROUNDED BY EAGLES There was a sudden tremor all over the airship as Washington, in the engine room, in obedience to the signals, turned off the power.
