used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading But now he had no guide, and he was seized with a feeling of helplessness.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading Never before had Tom been alone in the bush.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading On the few occasions when he had gone shooting alone, during his sojourn in Reinecke’s bungalow, he had always followed well-defined tracks.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But now he had no guide, and he was seized with a feeling of helplessness.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Rain had begun to fall, and the obscure sky could not be read for the points of the compass.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Never before had Tom been alone in the bush.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Never before had Tom been alone in the bush.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Rain had begun to fall, and the obscure sky could not be read for the points of the compass.
bungalownounUS /ˈbʌŋɡəloʊ/
a small house with a single story
From this reading On the few occasions when he had gone shooting alone, during his sojourn in Reinecke’s bungalow, he had always followed well-defined tracks.
a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems
From this reading Never before had Tom been alone in the bush.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But now he had no guide, and he was seized with a feeling of helplessness.
compassnounUS /ˈkʌmpəs/
navigational instrument for finding directions
From this reading Rain had begun to fall, and the obscure sky could not be read for the points of the compass.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Rain had begun to fall, and the obscure sky could not be read for the points of the compass.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading On the few occasions when he had gone shooting alone, during his sojourn in Reinecke’s bungalow, he had always followed well-defined tracks.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading Rain had begun to fall, and the obscure sky could not be read for the points of the compass.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading But now he had no guide, and he was seized with a feeling of helplessness.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading On the few occasions when he had gone shooting alone, during his sojourn in Reinecke’s bungalow, he had always followed well-defined tracks.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading On the few occasions when he had gone shooting alone, during his sojourn in Reinecke’s bungalow, he had always followed well-defined tracks.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Rain had begun to fall, and the obscure sky could not be read for the points of the compass.
destroyed or killed
From this reading On the few occasions when he had gone shooting alone, during his sojourn in Reinecke’s bungalow, he had always followed well-defined tracks.
someone employed to conduct others
From this reading But now he had no guide, and he was seized with a feeling of helplessness.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Never before had Tom been alone in the bush.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading On the few occasions when he had gone shooting alone, during his sojourn in Reinecke’s bungalow, he had always followed well-defined tracks.
helplessnessnounUS /ˈhelpləsnəs/
powerlessness revealed by an inability to act
From this reading But now he had no guide, and he was seized with a feeling of helplessness.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Since then, Mwesa or Mirambo or some other native had been with him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading On the few occasions when he had gone shooting alone, during his sojourn in Reinecke’s bungalow, he had always followed well-defined tracks.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Never before had Tom been alone in the bush.
Mirambo
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Since then, Mwesa or Mirambo or some other native had been with him.
Mwesa
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Since then, Mwesa or Mirambo or some other native had been with him.
characteristic of or existing by virtue of geographic origin
From this reading Since then, Mwesa or Mirambo or some other native had been with him.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Never before had Tom been alone in the bush.
not any; not one
From this reading But now he had no guide, and he was seized with a feeling of helplessness.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Rain had begun to fall, and the obscure sky could not be read for the points of the compass.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading But now he had no guide, and he was seized with a feeling of helplessness.
obscureverbUS /əbsˈkjʊr/
make less visible or unclear
From this reading Rain had begun to fall, and the obscure sky could not be read for the points of the compass.
something you have to do
From this reading On the few occasions when he had gone shooting alone, during his sojourn in Reinecke’s bungalow, he had always followed well-defined tracks.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But now he had no guide, and he was seized with a feeling of helplessness.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On the few occasions when he had gone shooting alone, during his sojourn in Reinecke’s bungalow, he had always followed well-defined tracks.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Since then, Mwesa or Mirambo or some other native had been with him.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Since then, Mwesa or Mirambo or some other native had been with him.
plural of “point” — a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading Rain had begun to fall, and the obscure sky could not be read for the points of the compass.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading Rain had begun to fall, and the obscure sky could not be read for the points of the compass.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading Rain had begun to fall, and the obscure sky could not be read for the points of the compass.
Reinecke's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On the few occasions when he had gone shooting alone, during his sojourn in Reinecke’s bungalow, he had always followed well-defined tracks.
past form of “seize” — take hold of; grab
From this reading But now he had no guide, and he was seized with a feeling of helplessness.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading On the few occasions when he had gone shooting alone, during his sojourn in Reinecke’s bungalow, he had always followed well-defined tracks.
SinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Since then, Mwesa or Mirambo or some other native had been with him.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading Rain had begun to fall, and the obscure sky could not be read for the points of the compass.
sojournnounUS /ˈsoʊdʒərn/
a temporary stay (e.g., as a guest)
From this reading On the few occasions when he had gone shooting alone, during his sojourn in Reinecke’s bungalow, he had always followed well-defined tracks.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Since then, Mwesa or Mirambo or some other native had been with him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Never before had Tom been alone in the bush.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Since then, Mwesa or Mirambo or some other native had been with him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Rain had begun to fall, and the obscure sky could not be read for the points of the compass.
male cat
From this reading Never before had Tom been alone in the bush.
tracksnounUS /træks/
plural of “track” — a line or route along which something travels or moves
From this reading On the few occasions when he had gone shooting alone, during his sojourn in Reinecke’s bungalow, he had always followed well-defined tracks.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But now he had no guide, and he was seized with a feeling of helplessness.
well-definedadjective
having a clean and distinct outline as if precisely cut along the edges
From this reading On the few occasions when he had gone shooting alone, during his sojourn in Reinecke’s bungalow, he had always followed well-defined tracks.
at the time that
From this reading On the few occasions when he had gone shooting alone, during his sojourn in Reinecke’s bungalow, he had always followed well-defined tracks.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Since then, Mwesa or Mirambo or some other native had been with him.
