Chapter I · An Expedition

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

From this reading This conversation took place between Captain Bullen, of the 32nd Pioneers, and his son.

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

From this reading Captain Bullen had taken a great deal of pains with his son's education but, as he said, he had now taught the boy all that he knew; and felt that he ought to go to England, and be regularly coached for the army.

(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something

From this reading The captain had lost his wife some years before and, as their two youngest children had also died, he had not been able to bring himself to send the remaining boy home.

(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 Captain Bullen had taken a great deal of pains with his son's education but, as he said, he had now taught the boy all that he knew; and felt that he ought to go to England, and be regularly coached for the army.

in addition

From this reading The captain had lost his wife some years before and, as their two youngest children had also died, he had not been able to bring himself to send the remaining boy home.

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

From this reading This conversation took place between Captain Bullen, of the 32nd Pioneers, and his son.

a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state

From this reading Captain Bullen had taken a great deal of pains with his son's education but, as he said, he had now taught the boy all that he knew; and felt that he ought to go to England, and be regularly coached for the army.

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

From this reading The captain had lost his wife some years before and, as their two youngest children had also died, he had not been able to bring himself to send the remaining boy home.

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

From this reading Captain Bullen had taken a great deal of pains with his son's education but, as he said, he had now taught the boy all that he knew; and felt that he ought to go to England, and be regularly coached for the army.

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The captain had lost his wife some years before and, as their two youngest children had also died, he had not been able to bring himself to send the remaining boy home.

earlier than; in front of

From this reading The captain had lost his wife some years before and, as their two youngest children had also died, he had not been able to bring himself to send the remaining boy home.

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading This conversation took place between Captain Bullen, of the 32nd Pioneers, and his son.

a youthful male person

From this reading The captain had lost his wife some years before and, as their two youngest children had also died, he had not been able to bring himself to send the remaining boy home.

take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading The captain had lost his wife some years before and, as their two youngest children had also died, he had not been able to bring himself to send the remaining boy home.

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

From this reading This conversation took place between Captain Bullen, of the 32nd Pioneers, and his son.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Captain Bullen had taken a great deal of pains with his son's education but, as he said, he had now taught the boy all that he knew; and felt that he ought to go to England, and be regularly coached for the army.

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

From this reading The regiment was in cantonments near the northern frontier of India.

an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant

From this reading This conversation took place between Captain Bullen, of the 32nd Pioneers, and his son.

plural of “child” — a young person of either sex

From this reading The captain had lost his wife some years before and, as their two youngest children had also died, he had not been able to bring himself to send the remaining boy home.

the weather in some location averaged over some long period of time

From this reading The climate was excellent, and the boy enjoyed as good health as if he had been in England.

past form of “coach” — teach and supervise (someone); act as a trainer or coach (to), as in sports

From this reading Captain Bullen had taken a great deal of pains with his son's education but, as he said, he had now taught the boy all that he knew; and felt that he ought to go to England, and be regularly coached for the army.

the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.

From this reading This conversation took place between Captain Bullen, of the 32nd Pioneers, and his son.

act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression

From this reading Captain Bullen had taken a great deal of pains with his son's education but, as he said, he had now taught the boy all that he knew; and felt that he ought to go to England, and be regularly coached for the army.

past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading The captain had lost his wife some years before and, as their two youngest children had also died, he had not been able to bring himself to send the remaining boy home.

the activities of educating or instructing; activities that impart knowledge or skill

From this reading Captain Bullen had taken a great deal of pains with his son's education but, as he said, he had now taught the boy all that he knew; and felt that he ought to go to England, and be regularly coached for the army.

a division of the United Kingdom

From this reading The climate was excellent, and the boy enjoyed as good health as if he had been in England.

past form of “enjoy” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in

From this reading The climate was excellent, and the boy enjoyed as good health as if he had been in England.

very good; of the highest quality

From this reading The climate was excellent, and the boy enjoyed as good health as if he had been in England.

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading Captain Bullen had taken a great deal of pains with his son's education but, as he said, he had now taught the boy all that he knew; and felt that he ought to go to England, and be regularly coached for the army.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Captain Bullen had taken a great deal of pains with his son's education but, as he said, he had now taught the boy all that he knew; and felt that he ought to go to England, and be regularly coached for the army.

a wilderness at the edge of a settled area of a country

From this reading The regiment was in cantonments near the northern frontier of India.

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading Captain Bullen had taken a great deal of pains with his son's education but, as he said, he had now taught the boy all that he knew; and felt that he ought to go to England, and be regularly coached for the army.

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading The climate was excellent, and the boy enjoyed as good health as if he had been in England.

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading Captain Bullen had taken a great deal of pains with his son's education but, as he said, he had now taught the boy all that he knew; and felt that he ought to go to England, and be regularly coached for the army.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The captain had lost his wife some years before and, as their two youngest children had also died, he had not been able to bring himself to send the remaining boy home.

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

From this reading The captain had lost his wife some years before and, as their two youngest children had also died, he had not been able to bring himself to send the remaining boy home.

a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease

From this reading The climate was excellent, and the boy enjoyed as good health as if he had been in England.

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading The captain had lost his wife some years before and, as their two youngest children had also died, he had not been able to bring himself to send the remaining boy home.

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

From this reading This conversation took place between Captain Bullen, of the 32nd Pioneers, and his son.

where you live at a particular time

From this reading The captain had lost his wife some years before and, as their two youngest children had also died, he had not been able to bring himself to send the remaining boy home.

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading The climate was excellent, and the boy enjoyed as good health as if he had been in England.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading The regiment was in cantonments near the northern frontier of India.

a republic in the Asian subcontinent in southern Asia; second most populous country in the world; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1947

From this reading The regiment was in cantonments near the northern frontier of India.

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 Captain Bullen had taken a great deal of pains with his son's education but, as he said, he had now taught the boy all that he knew; and felt that he ought to go to England, and be regularly coached for the army.

no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered

From this reading The captain had lost his wife some years before and, as their two youngest children had also died, he had not been able to bring himself to send the remaining boy home.

near in time or place or relationship

From this reading The regiment was in cantonments near the northern frontier of India.

in or characteristic of a region of the United States north of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line

From this reading The regiment was in cantonments near the northern frontier of India.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The captain had lost his wife some years before and, as their two youngest children had also died, he had not been able to bring himself to send the remaining boy home.

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

From this reading Captain Bullen had taken a great deal of pains with his son's education but, as he said, he had now taught the boy all that he knew; and felt that he ought to go to England, and be regularly coached for the army.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading This conversation took place between Captain Bullen, of the 32nd Pioneers, and his son.

used with “to” to say what is right or advisable

From this reading Captain Bullen had taken a great deal of pains with his son's education but, as he said, he had now taught the boy all that he knew; and felt that he ought to go to England, and be regularly coached for the army.

an effortful attempt to attain a goal

From this reading Captain Bullen had taken a great deal of pains with his son's education but, as he said, he had now taught the boy all that he knew; and felt that he ought to go to England, and be regularly coached for the army.

plural of “pioneer” — someone who helps to open up a new line of research or technology or art

From this reading This conversation took place between Captain Bullen, of the 32nd Pioneers, and his son.

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading This conversation took place between Captain Bullen, of the 32nd Pioneers, and his son.

subject to rigid discipline, order, and systematization

From this reading The regiment was in cantonments near the northern frontier of India.

in a regular manner

From this reading Captain Bullen had taken a great deal of pains with his son's education but, as he said, he had now taught the boy all that he knew; and felt that he ought to go to England, and be regularly coached for the army.

not used up

From this reading The captain had lost his wife some years before and, as their two youngest children had also died, he had not been able to bring himself to send the remaining boy home.

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading Captain Bullen had taken a great deal of pains with his son's education but, as he said, he had now taught the boy all that he knew; and felt that he ought to go to England, and be regularly coached for the army.

cause to go somewhere

From this reading The captain had lost his wife some years before and, as their two youngest children had also died, he had not been able to bring himself to send the remaining boy home.

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

From this reading The captain had lost his wife some years before and, as their two youngest children had also died, he had not been able to bring himself to send the remaining boy home.

a male human offspring

From this reading This conversation took place between Captain Bullen, of the 32nd Pioneers, and his son.

possessive form of “son” — a male human offspring

From this reading Captain Bullen had taken a great deal of pains with his son's education but, as he said, he had now taught the boy all that he knew; and felt that he ought to go to England, and be regularly coached for the army.

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading Captain Bullen had taken a great deal of pains with his son's education but, as he said, he had now taught the boy all that he knew; and felt that he ought to go to England, and be regularly coached for the army.

inflected form of “teach” — impart skills or knowledge to

From this reading Captain Bullen had taken a great deal of pains with his son's education but, as he said, he had now taught the boy all that he knew; and felt that he ought to go to England, and be regularly coached for the army.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Captain Bullen had taken a great deal of pains with his son's education but, as he said, he had now taught the boy all that he knew; and felt that he ought to go to England, and be regularly coached for the army.

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

From this reading This conversation took place between Captain Bullen, of the 32nd Pioneers, and his son.

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The captain had lost his wife some years before and, as their two youngest children had also died, he had not been able to bring himself to send the remaining boy home.

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading This conversation took place between Captain Bullen, of the 32nd Pioneers, and his son.

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

From this reading The captain had lost his wife some years before and, as their two youngest children had also died, he had not been able to bring himself to send the remaining boy home.

inflected form of “take” — carry out

From this reading This conversation took place between Captain Bullen, of the 32nd Pioneers, and his son.

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading The captain had lost his wife some years before and, as their two youngest children had also died, he had not been able to bring himself to send the remaining boy home.

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

From this reading The regiment was in cantonments near the northern frontier of India.

a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

From this reading The captain had lost his wife some years before and, as their two youngest children had also died, he had not been able to bring himself to send the remaining boy home.

in the company of; together with

From this reading Captain Bullen had taken a great deal of pains with his son's education but, as he said, he had now taught the boy all that he knew; and felt that he ought to go to England, and be regularly coached for the army.

a late time of life

From this reading The captain had lost his wife some years before and, as their two youngest children had also died, he had not been able to bring himself to send the remaining boy home.

superlative of “young” — (used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading The captain had lost his wife some years before and, as their two youngest children had also died, he had not been able to bring himself to send the remaining boy home.