used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading TIME Tom got a lift to Kingston and here he weakened.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He strolled about the hot, parched city, watched the traffic, looked in shop windows.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading In many of these, newspapers had been spread over the goods to protect them from the merciless sun, and he read the headings of stale news—anything to give him an excuse not to hurry.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading TIME Tom got a lift to Kingston and here he weakened.
any thing at all
From this reading In many of these, newspapers had been spread over the goods to protect them from the merciless sun, and he read the headings of stale news—anything to give him an excuse not to hurry.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He would wait a little before calling at a police station.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading They would probably be busy just then; he did not tell himself why.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading In many of these, newspapers had been spread over the goods to protect them from the merciless sun, and he read the headings of stale news—anything to give him an excuse not to hurry.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading He would wait a little before calling at a police station.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading They would probably be busy just then; he did not tell himself why.
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading He would wait a little before calling at a police station.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading He strolled about the hot, parched city, watched the traffic, looked in shop windows.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading They would probably be busy just then; he did not tell himself why.
accept an excuse for
From this reading In many of these, newspapers had been spread over the goods to protect them from the merciless sun, and he read the headings of stale news—anything to give him an excuse not to hurry.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading In many of these, newspapers had been spread over the goods to protect them from the merciless sun, and he read the headings of stale news—anything to give him an excuse not to hurry.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading In many of these, newspapers had been spread over the goods to protect them from the merciless sun, and he read the headings of stale news—anything to give him an excuse not to hurry.
plural of “good” — benefit
From this reading In many of these, newspapers had been spread over the goods to protect them from the merciless sun, and he read the headings of stale news—anything to give him an excuse not to hurry.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading TIME Tom got a lift to Kingston and here he weakened.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading In many of these, newspapers had been spread over the goods to protect them from the merciless sun, and he read the headings of stale news—anything to give him an excuse not to hurry.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading TIME Tom got a lift to Kingston and here he weakened.
headingsnounUS /ˈhedɪŋz/
plural of “heading” — a line of text serving to indicate what the passage below it is about
From this reading In many of these, newspapers had been spread over the goods to protect them from the merciless sun, and he read the headings of stale news—anything to give him an excuse not to hurry.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading TIME Tom got a lift to Kingston and here he weakened.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading In many of these, newspapers had been spread over the goods to protect them from the merciless sun, and he read the headings of stale news—anything to give him an excuse not to hurry.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading They would probably be busy just then; he did not tell himself why.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading He strolled about the hot, parched city, watched the traffic, looked in shop windows.
a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
From this reading In many of these, newspapers had been spread over the goods to protect them from the merciless sun, and he read the headings of stale news—anything to give him an excuse not to hurry.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He strolled about the hot, parched city, watched the traffic, looked in shop windows.
and nothing more
From this reading They would probably be busy just then; he did not tell himself why.
KingstonnounUS /ˈkɪŋstən/
a town on the Hudson River in New York
From this reading TIME Tom got a lift to Kingston and here he weakened.
raise from a lower to a higher position
From this reading TIME Tom got a lift to Kingston and here he weakened.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He would wait a little before calling at a police station.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He strolled about the hot, parched city, watched the traffic, looked in shop windows.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading In many of these, newspapers had been spread over the goods to protect them from the merciless sun, and he read the headings of stale news—anything to give him an excuse not to hurry.
mercilessadjectiveUS /ˈmɜːrsələs/
having or showing no mercy
From this reading In many of these, newspapers had been spread over the goods to protect them from the merciless sun, and he read the headings of stale news—anything to give him an excuse not to hurry.
information about recent and important events
From this reading In many of these, newspapers had been spread over the goods to protect them from the merciless sun, and he read the headings of stale news—anything to give him an excuse not to hurry.
newspapersnounUS /ˈnuːzpeɪpərz/
plural of “newspaper” — a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading In many of these, newspapers had been spread over the goods to protect them from the merciless sun, and he read the headings of stale news—anything to give him an excuse not to hurry.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading They would probably be busy just then; he did not tell himself why.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In many of these, newspapers had been spread over the goods to protect them from the merciless sun, and he read the headings of stale news—anything to give him an excuse not to hurry.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading In many of these, newspapers had been spread over the goods to protect them from the merciless sun, and he read the headings of stale news—anything to give him an excuse not to hurry.
parchedadjectiveUS /pɑːrtʃt/
dried out by heat or excessive exposure to sunlight
From this reading He strolled about the hot, parched city, watched the traffic, looked in shop windows.
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading He would wait a little before calling at a police station.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading They would probably be busy just then; he did not tell himself why.
shield from danger, injury, destruction, or damage
From this reading In many of these, newspapers had been spread over the goods to protect them from the merciless sun, and he read the headings of stale news—anything to give him an excuse not to hurry.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading In many of these, newspapers had been spread over the goods to protect them from the merciless sun, and he read the headings of stale news—anything to give him an excuse not to hurry.
do one's shopping
From this reading He strolled about the hot, parched city, watched the traffic, looked in shop windows.
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading In many of these, newspapers had been spread over the goods to protect them from the merciless sun, and he read the headings of stale news—anything to give him an excuse not to hurry.
staleadjectiveUS /steɪl/
lacking freshness, palatability, or showing deterioration from age
From this reading In many of these, newspapers had been spread over the goods to protect them from the merciless sun, and he read the headings of stale news—anything to give him an excuse not to hurry.
a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose
From this reading He would wait a little before calling at a police station.
strolledverbUS /stroʊld/
past form of “stroll” — walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
From this reading He strolled about the hot, parched city, watched the traffic, looked in shop windows.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading In many of these, newspapers had been spread over the goods to protect them from the merciless sun, and he read the headings of stale news—anything to give him an excuse not to hurry.
express in words
From this reading They would probably be busy just then; he did not tell himself why.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He strolled about the hot, parched city, watched the traffic, looked in shop windows.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading In many of these, newspapers had been spread over the goods to protect them from the merciless sun, and he read the headings of stale news—anything to give him an excuse not to hurry.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading They would probably be busy just then; he did not tell himself why.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading In many of these, newspapers had been spread over the goods to protect them from the merciless sun, and he read the headings of stale news—anything to give him an excuse not to hurry.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They would probably be busy just then; he did not tell himself why.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading TIME Tom got a lift to Kingston and here he weakened.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading TIME Tom got a lift to Kingston and here he weakened.
male cat
From this reading TIME Tom got a lift to Kingston and here he weakened.
trafficnounUS /ˈtræfɪk/
the aggregation of things (pedestrians or vehicles) coming and going in a particular locality during a specified period of time
From this reading He strolled about the hot, parched city, watched the traffic, looked in shop windows.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading He would wait a little before calling at a police station.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading He strolled about the hot, parched city, watched the traffic, looked in shop windows.
weakenedadjectiveUS /ˈwiːkənd/
impaired by diminution
From this reading TIME Tom got a lift to Kingston and here he weakened.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading They would probably be busy just then; he did not tell himself why.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading He strolled about the hot, parched city, watched the traffic, looked in shop windows.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He would wait a little before calling at a police station.
