adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Only a few glowing embers remained of the fire, and the driftwood that we had collected was exhausted.
againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading I thought that I would gather more, and build up the fire against the time when the others should awake.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading WHEN the stars had gone out and the moon begun to pale, I raised my face from my hands.
awakeadjectiveUS /əˈweɪk/
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading I thought that I would gather more, and build up the fire against the time when the others should awake.
beachnounUS /biːtʃ/
an area of sand sloping down to the water of a sea or lake
From this reading The driftwood lay in greatest quantity some distance up the beach, against a low ridge of sand dunes.
begunverbUS /bɪˈɡʌn/
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading WHEN the stars had gone out and the moon begun to pale, I raised my face from my hands.
BeyondprepositionUS /bɪˈɑːnd/
on the far side of; further than
From this reading Beyond these the islet tapered off to a long gray point of sand and shell.
buildverbUS /bɪld/
make by combining materials and parts
From this reading I thought that I would gather more, and build up the fire against the time when the others should awake.
collectedadjectiveUS /kəˈlektəd/
brought together in one place
From this reading Only a few glowing embers remained of the fire, and the driftwood that we had collected was exhausted.
distancenounUS /ˈdɪstəns/
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading The driftwood lay in greatest quantity some distance up the beach, against a low ridge of sand dunes.
driftwoodnounUS /ˈdrɪftwʊd/
wood that is floating or that has been washed ashore
From this reading Only a few glowing embers remained of the fire, and the driftwood that we had collected was exhausted.
dunesnounUS /duːnz/
plural of “dune” — a ridge of sand created by the wind; found in deserts or near lakes and oceans
From this reading The driftwood lay in greatest quantity some distance up the beach, against a low ridge of sand dunes.
embersnounUS /ˈembərz/
plural of “ember” — a hot fragment of wood or coal that is left from a fire and is glowing or smoldering
From this reading Only a few glowing embers remained of the fire, and the driftwood that we had collected was exhausted.
exhaustedadjectiveUS /ɪɡˈzɔːstɪd/
drained of energy or effectiveness; extremely tired; completely exhausted
From this reading Only a few glowing embers remained of the fire, and the driftwood that we had collected was exhausted.
facenounUS /feɪs/
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading WHEN the stars had gone out and the moon begun to pale, I raised my face from my hands.
fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Only a few glowing embers remained of the fire, and the driftwood that we had collected was exhausted.
fireverbUS /ˈfaɪər/
start firing a weapon
From this reading Only a few glowing embers remained of the fire, and the driftwood that we had collected was exhausted.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading WHEN the stars had gone out and the moon begun to pale, I raised my face from my hands.
gatherverbUS /ˈɡæðər/
assemble or get together
From this reading I thought that I would gather more, and build up the fire against the time when the others should awake.
glowingadjectiveUS /ˈɡloʊɪŋ/
highly enthusiastic
From this reading Only a few glowing embers remained of the fire, and the driftwood that we had collected was exhausted.
goneadjectiveUS /ɡɔːn/
destroyed or killed
From this reading WHEN the stars had gone out and the moon begun to pale, I raised my face from my hands.
graynounUS /ɡreɪ/
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading Beyond these the islet tapered off to a long gray point of sand and shell.
greatestadjectiveUS /ˈɡreɪtəst/
highest in quality
From this reading The driftwood lay in greatest quantity some distance up the beach, against a low ridge of sand dunes.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading WHEN the stars had gone out and the moon begun to pale, I raised my face from my hands.
handsnounUS /hændz/
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading WHEN the stars had gone out and the moon begun to pale, I raised my face from my hands.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading WHEN the stars had gone out and the moon begun to pale, I raised my face from my hands.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The driftwood lay in greatest quantity some distance up the beach, against a low ridge of sand dunes.
isletnounUS /ˈaɪlɪt/
a small island
From this reading Beyond these the islet tapered off to a long gray point of sand and shell.
layverbUS /leɪ/
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The driftwood lay in greatest quantity some distance up the beach, against a low ridge of sand dunes.
longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/
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 Beyond these the islet tapered off to a long gray point of sand and shell.
lowadjectiveUS /loʊ/
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading The driftwood lay in greatest quantity some distance up the beach, against a low ridge of sand dunes.
moonnounUS /muːn/
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading WHEN the stars had gone out and the moon begun to pale, I raised my face from my hands.
moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading I thought that I would gather more, and build up the fire against the time when the others should awake.
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading WHEN the stars had gone out and the moon begun to pale, I raised my face from my hands.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Only a few glowing embers remained of the fire, and the driftwood that we had collected was exhausted.
offadverbUS /ɔːf/
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Beyond these the islet tapered off to a long gray point of sand and shell.
OnlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/
and nothing more
From this reading Only a few glowing embers remained of the fire, and the driftwood that we had collected was exhausted.
others
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I thought that I would gather more, and build up the fire against the time when the others should awake.
outadjectiveUS /aʊt/
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading WHEN the stars had gone out and the moon begun to pale, I raised my face from my hands.
paleadjectiveUS /peɪl/
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading WHEN the stars had gone out and the moon begun to pale, I raised my face from my hands.
pointnounUS /pɔɪnt/
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading Beyond these the islet tapered off to a long gray point of sand and shell.
quantitynounUS /ˈkwɑːntəti/
how much there is or how many there are of something that you can quantify
From this reading The driftwood lay in greatest quantity some distance up the beach, against a low ridge of sand dunes.
raisedadjectiveUS /reɪzd/
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading WHEN the stars had gone out and the moon begun to pale, I raised my face from my hands.
remainedverbUS /rɪˈmeɪnd/
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading Only a few glowing embers remained of the fire, and the driftwood that we had collected was exhausted.
ridgenounUS /rɪdʒ/
a long narrow natural elevation or striation
From this reading The driftwood lay in greatest quantity some distance up the beach, against a low ridge of sand dunes.
sandnounUS /sænd/
a loose material consisting of grains of rock or coral
From this reading The driftwood lay in greatest quantity some distance up the beach, against a low ridge of sand dunes.
shellnounUS /ʃel/
ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
From this reading Beyond these the islet tapered off to a long gray point of sand and shell.
shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading I thought that I would gather more, and build up the fire against the time when the others should awake.
someadjectiveUS /sʌm/
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The driftwood lay in greatest quantity some distance up the beach, against a low ridge of sand dunes.
starsnounUS /stɑːrz/
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading WHEN the stars had gone out and the moon begun to pale, I raised my face from my hands.
taperedadjectiveUS /ˈteɪpərd/
becoming gradually narrower
From this reading Beyond these the islet tapered off to a long gray point of sand and shell.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Only a few glowing embers remained of the fire, and the driftwood that we had collected was exhausted.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading WHEN the stars had gone out and the moon begun to pale, I raised my face from my hands.
thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Beyond these the islet tapered off to a long gray point of sand and shell.
thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading I thought that I would gather more, and build up the fire against the time when the others should awake.
timenounUS /taɪm/
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading I thought that I would gather more, and build up the fire against the time when the others should awake.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading WHEN the stars had gone out and the moon begun to pale, I raised my face from my hands.
upadjectiveUS /ʌp/
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I thought that I would gather more, and build up the fire against the time when the others should awake.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Only a few glowing embers remained of the fire, and the driftwood that we had collected was exhausted.
wepronounUS /wiː/
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Only a few glowing embers remained of the fire, and the driftwood that we had collected was exhausted.
WHENconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading WHEN the stars had gone out and the moon begun to pale, I raised my face from my hands.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I thought that I would gather more, and build up the fire against the time when the others should awake.
