used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A SURPRISE THAT BRINGS SUSPICION David sprang to his feet and moved towards the door.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Neither he nor the girl said or thought for an instant it might be the missing man, because they knew the dog would not have growled in that case.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A SURPRISE THAT BRINGS SUSPICION David sprang to his feet and moved towards the door.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Neither he nor the girl said or thought for an instant it might be the missing man, because they knew the dog would not have growled in that case.
for the reason that
From this reading Neither he nor the girl said or thought for an instant it might be the missing man, because they knew the dog would not have growled in that case.
third-person singular of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading A SURPRISE THAT BRINGS SUSPICION David sprang to his feet and moved towards the door.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading David gripped Robin by the skin of his neck.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading In a few seconds the crunch of snowshoes came to their ears, and then there was a heavy knock on the door.
an occurrence of something
From this reading Neither he nor the girl said or thought for an instant it might be the missing man, because they knew the dog would not have growled in that case.
crunchverbUS /krʌntʃ/
make a crushing noise
From this reading In a few seconds the crunch of snowshoes came to their ears, and then there was a heavy knock on the door.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading A SURPRISE THAT BRINGS SUSPICION David sprang to his feet and moved towards the door.
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading Neither he nor the girl said or thought for an instant it might be the missing man, because they knew the dog would not have growled in that case.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading A SURPRISE THAT BRINGS SUSPICION David sprang to his feet and moved towards the door.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading In a few seconds the crunch of snowshoes came to their ears, and then there was a heavy knock on the door.
one or the other of two
From this reading It was either a stranger or someone Robin was not fond of.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading A SURPRISE THAT BRINGS SUSPICION David sprang to his feet and moved towards the door.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading In a few seconds the crunch of snowshoes came to their ears, and then there was a heavy knock on the door.
having or displaying warmth or affection
From this reading It was either a stranger or someone Robin was not fond of.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Neither he nor the girl said or thought for an instant it might be the missing man, because they knew the dog would not have growled in that case.
a young female
From this reading Neither he nor the girl said or thought for an instant it might be the missing man, because they knew the dog would not have growled in that case.
grippedverbUS /ɡrɪpt/
inflected form of “grip” — hold fast or firmly
From this reading David gripped Robin by the skin of his neck.
growledverbUS /ɡraʊld/
past form of “growl” — to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
From this reading Neither he nor the girl said or thought for an instant it might be the missing man, because they knew the dog would not have growled in that case.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Neither he nor the girl said or thought for an instant it might be the missing man, because they knew the dog would not have growled in that case.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Neither he nor the girl said or thought for an instant it might be the missing man, because they knew the dog would not have growled in that case.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading In a few seconds the crunch of snowshoes came to their ears, and then there was a heavy knock on the door.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A SURPRISE THAT BRINGS SUSPICION David sprang to his feet and moved towards the door.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Neither he nor the girl said or thought for an instant it might be the missing man, because they knew the dog would not have growled in that case.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading Neither he nor the girl said or thought for an instant it might be the missing man, because they knew the dog would not have growled in that case.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Neither he nor the girl said or thought for an instant it might be the missing man, because they knew the dog would not have growled in that case.
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 Neither he nor the girl said or thought for an instant it might be the missing man, because they knew the dog would not have growled in that case.
deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading In a few seconds the crunch of snowshoes came to their ears, and then there was a heavy knock on the door.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Neither he nor the girl said or thought for an instant it might be the missing man, because they knew the dog would not have growled in that case.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Neither he nor the girl said or thought for an instant it might be the missing man, because they knew the dog would not have growled in that case.
missingadjectiveUS /ˈmɪsɪŋ/
not able to be found
From this reading Neither he nor the girl said or thought for an instant it might be the missing man, because they knew the dog would not have growled in that case.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading A SURPRISE THAT BRINGS SUSPICION David sprang to his feet and moved towards the door.
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading David gripped Robin by the skin of his neck.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading Neither he nor the girl said or thought for an instant it might be the missing man, because they knew the dog would not have growled in that case.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading Neither he nor the girl said or thought for an instant it might be the missing man, because they knew the dog would not have growled in that case.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Neither he nor the girl said or thought for an instant it might be the missing man, because they knew the dog would not have growled in that case.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was either a stranger or someone Robin was not fond of.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading In a few seconds the crunch of snowshoes came to their ears, and then there was a heavy knock on the door.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Neither he nor the girl said or thought for an instant it might be the missing man, because they knew the dog would not have growled in that case.
small Old World songbird with a reddish breast
From this reading It was either a stranger or someone Robin was not fond of.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Neither he nor the girl said or thought for an instant it might be the missing man, because they knew the dog would not have growled in that case.
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading In a few seconds the crunch of snowshoes came to their ears, and then there was a heavy knock on the door.
a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch
From this reading David gripped Robin by the skin of his neck.
snowshoesnounUS /ˈsnoʊʃuːz/
plural of “snowshoe” — a device to help you walk on deep snow; a lightweight frame shaped like a racquet is strengthened with cross pieces and contains a network of thongs; one is worn on each foot
From this reading In a few seconds the crunch of snowshoes came to their ears, and then there was a heavy knock on the door.
a person, without saying who
From this reading It was either a stranger or someone Robin was not fond of.
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading A SURPRISE THAT BRINGS SUSPICION David sprang to his feet and moved towards the door.
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading It was either a stranger or someone Robin was not fond of.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading A SURPRISE THAT BRINGS SUSPICION David sprang to his feet and moved towards the door.
an impression that something might be the case
From this reading A SURPRISE THAT BRINGS SUSPICION David sprang to his feet and moved towards the door.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A SURPRISE THAT BRINGS SUSPICION David sprang to his feet and moved towards the door.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A SURPRISE THAT BRINGS SUSPICION David sprang to his feet and moved towards the door.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading In a few seconds the crunch of snowshoes came to their ears, and then there was a heavy knock on the door.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading In a few seconds the crunch of snowshoes came to their ears, and then there was a heavy knock on the door.
in or at that place or location
From this reading In a few seconds the crunch of snowshoes came to their ears, and then there was a heavy knock on the door.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Neither he nor the girl said or thought for an instant it might be the missing man, because they knew the dog would not have growled in that case.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Neither he nor the girl said or thought for an instant it might be the missing man, because they knew the dog would not have growled in that case.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A SURPRISE THAT BRINGS SUSPICION David sprang to his feet and moved towards the door.
in the direction of
From this reading A SURPRISE THAT BRINGS SUSPICION David sprang to his feet and moved towards the door.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was either a stranger or someone Robin was not fond of.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Neither he nor the girl said or thought for an instant it might be the missing man, because they knew the dog would not have growled in that case.
