used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading And there was a way down.
(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 This gully was all loose stones and boulders which the slightest touch sent clattering or thundering to the bottom.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was night and nothing, but we found a narrow gully on the other side, five or six feet broad, two or three thousand feet down, and an appalling steepness.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And there was a way down.
appallingnounUS /əˈpɔːlɪŋ/
an experience that appalls
From this reading It was night and nothing, but we found a narrow gully on the other side, five or six feet broad, two or three thousand feet down, and an appalling steepness.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading We were nerved to the descent by what we had gone through and by our joy at finding a way out.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading I took the lead, clutched the rock wall for support, and began to slip downward, tentatively and cautiously.
the lower side of anything
From this reading This gully was all loose stones and boulders which the slightest touch sent clattering or thundering to the bottom.
bouldersnounUS /ˈboʊldərz/
plural of “boulder” — a large smooth mass of rock detached from its place of origin
From this reading This gully was all loose stones and boulders which the slightest touch sent clattering or thundering to the bottom.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading It was night and nothing, but we found a narrow gully on the other side, five or six feet broad, two or three thousand feet down, and an appalling steepness.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was night and nothing, but we found a narrow gully on the other side, five or six feet broad, two or three thousand feet down, and an appalling steepness.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading We were nerved to the descent by what we had gone through and by our joy at finding a way out.
cautiouslyadverbUS /ˈkɔːʃəsli/
as if with kid gloves; with caution or prudence or tact
From this reading I took the lead, clutched the rock wall for support, and began to slip downward, tentatively and cautiously.
clatteringverbUS /ˈklætərɪŋ/
-ing form of “clatter” — make a rattling sound
From this reading This gully was all loose stones and boulders which the slightest touch sent clattering or thundering to the bottom.
clutchedverbUS /klʌtʃt/
past form of “clutch” — take hold of; grab
From this reading I took the lead, clutched the rock wall for support, and began to slip downward, tentatively and cautiously.
descentnounUS /dɪˈsent/
An action of moving downward, dropping, or falling into a deeper place.
From this reading We were nerved to the descent by what we had gone through and by our joy at finding a way out.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading And there was a way down.
downwardadjectiveUS /ˈdaʊnwərd/
extending or moving from a higher to a lower place
From this reading I took the lead, clutched the rock wall for support, and began to slip downward, tentatively and cautiously.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading It was night and nothing, but we found a narrow gully on the other side, five or six feet broad, two or three thousand feet down, and an appalling steepness.
the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation
From this reading We were nerved to the descent by what we had gone through and by our joy at finding a way out.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading It was night and nothing, but we found a narrow gully on the other side, five or six feet broad, two or three thousand feet down, and an appalling steepness.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I took the lead, clutched the rock wall for support, and began to slip downward, tentatively and cautiously.
set up or found
From this reading It was night and nothing, but we found a narrow gully on the other side, five or six feet broad, two or three thousand feet down, and an appalling steepness.
destroyed or killed
From this reading We were nerved to the descent by what we had gone through and by our joy at finding a way out.
gullynounUS /ˈɡʌli/
deep ditch cut by running water (especially after a prolonged downpour)
From this reading It was night and nothing, but we found a narrow gully on the other side, five or six feet broad, two or three thousand feet down, and an appalling steepness.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading We were nerved to the descent by what we had gone through and by our joy at finding a way out.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I took the lead, clutched the rock wall for support, and began to slip downward, tentatively and cautiously.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was night and nothing, but we found a narrow gully on the other side, five or six feet broad, two or three thousand feet down, and an appalling steepness.
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading We were nerved to the descent by what we had gone through and by our joy at finding a way out.
take somebody somewhere
From this reading I took the lead, clutched the rock wall for support, and began to slip downward, tentatively and cautiously.
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading This gully was all loose stones and boulders which the slightest touch sent clattering or thundering to the bottom.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading It was night and nothing, but we found a narrow gully on the other side, five or six feet broad, two or three thousand feet down, and an appalling steepness.
nerved
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We were nerved to the descent by what we had gone through and by our joy at finding a way out.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading It was night and nothing, but we found a narrow gully on the other side, five or six feet broad, two or three thousand feet down, and an appalling steepness.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading It was night and nothing, but we found a narrow gully on the other side, five or six feet broad, two or three thousand feet down, and an appalling steepness.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It was night and nothing, but we found a narrow gully on the other side, five or six feet broad, two or three thousand feet down, and an appalling steepness.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading It was night and nothing, but we found a narrow gully on the other side, five or six feet broad, two or three thousand feet down, and an appalling steepness.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading It was night and nothing, but we found a narrow gully on the other side, five or six feet broad, two or three thousand feet down, and an appalling steepness.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading We were nerved to the descent by what we had gone through and by our joy at finding a way out.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading We were nerved to the descent by what we had gone through and by our joy at finding a way out.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading I took the lead, clutched the rock wall for support, and began to slip downward, tentatively and cautiously.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading This gully was all loose stones and boulders which the slightest touch sent clattering or thundering to the bottom.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading It was night and nothing, but we found a narrow gully on the other side, five or six feet broad, two or three thousand feet down, and an appalling steepness.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading It was night and nothing, but we found a narrow gully on the other side, five or six feet broad, two or three thousand feet down, and an appalling steepness.
superlative of “slight” — (quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none or (with “a”) at least some
From this reading This gully was all loose stones and boulders which the slightest touch sent clattering or thundering to the bottom.
move stealthily
From this reading I took the lead, clutched the rock wall for support, and began to slip downward, tentatively and cautiously.
steepnessnounUS /ˈstiːpnəs/
the property possessed by a slope that is very steep
From this reading It was night and nothing, but we found a narrow gully on the other side, five or six feet broad, two or three thousand feet down, and an appalling steepness.
plural of “stone” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading This gully was all loose stones and boulders which the slightest touch sent clattering or thundering to the bottom.
the activity of providing for or maintaining by supplying with money or necessities
From this reading I took the lead, clutched the rock wall for support, and began to slip downward, tentatively and cautiously.
tentativelyadverbUS /ˈtentətɪvli/
in a tentative manner
From this reading I took the lead, clutched the rock wall for support, and began to slip downward, tentatively and cautiously.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was night and nothing, but we found a narrow gully on the other side, five or six feet broad, two or three thousand feet down, and an appalling steepness.
in or at that place or location
From this reading And there was a way down.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This gully was all loose stones and boulders which the slightest touch sent clattering or thundering to the bottom.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading It was night and nothing, but we found a narrow gully on the other side, five or six feet broad, two or three thousand feet down, and an appalling steepness.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading It was night and nothing, but we found a narrow gully on the other side, five or six feet broad, two or three thousand feet down, and an appalling steepness.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading We were nerved to the descent by what we had gone through and by our joy at finding a way out.
thunderingadjectiveUS /ˈθʌndərɪŋ/
sounding like thunder
From this reading This gully was all loose stones and boulders which the slightest touch sent clattering or thundering to the bottom.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading This gully was all loose stones and boulders which the slightest touch sent clattering or thundering to the bottom.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading I took the lead, clutched the rock wall for support, and began to slip downward, tentatively and cautiously.
make physical contact with, come in contact with
From this reading This gully was all loose stones and boulders which the slightest touch sent clattering or thundering to the bottom.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading It was night and nothing, but we found a narrow gully on the other side, five or six feet broad, two or three thousand feet down, and an appalling steepness.
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading I took the lead, clutched the rock wall for support, and began to slip downward, tentatively and cautiously.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And there was a way down.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading And there was a way down.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading It was night and nothing, but we found a narrow gully on the other side, five or six feet broad, two or three thousand feet down, and an appalling steepness.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We were nerved to the descent by what we had gone through and by our joy at finding a way out.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading We were nerved to the descent by what we had gone through and by our joy at finding a way out.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading This gully was all loose stones and boulders which the slightest touch sent clattering or thundering to the bottom.
