used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was a lovely morning when they left London.
abodenounUS /əˈboʊd/
any address at which you dwell more than temporarily
From this reading They had been for some time in the abode of the hills, but those they were passing through, though not without wonder and strange interest, were but an inferior clan, neither lofty nor lovely.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading The trains did not then travel so fast as now, and it was late in the afternoon when they reached the station at which they must leave the railway for the road.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading They had been for some time in the abode of the hills, but those they were passing through, though not without wonder and strange interest, were but an inferior clan, neither lofty nor lovely.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The trains did not then travel so fast as now, and it was late in the afternoon when they reached the station at which they must leave the railway for the road.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The trains did not then travel so fast as now, and it was late in the afternoon when they reached the station at which they must leave the railway for the road.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The trains did not then travel so fast as now, and it was late in the afternoon when they reached the station at which they must leave the railway for the road.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading They had been for some time in the abode of the hills, but those they were passing through, though not without wonder and strange interest, were but an inferior clan, neither lofty nor lovely.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before that the weather had changed, or they had changed their weather, for the sky was one mass of cloud, and rain was falling persistently.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading They had been for some time in the abode of the hills, but those they were passing through, though not without wonder and strange interest, were but an inferior clan, neither lofty nor lovely.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading Before that the weather had changed, or they had changed their weather, for the sky was one mass of cloud, and rain was falling persistently.
clannounUS /klæn/
group of people related by blood or marriage
From this reading They had been for some time in the abode of the hills, but those they were passing through, though not without wonder and strange interest, were but an inferior clan, neither lofty nor lovely.
make overcast or cloudy
From this reading Before that the weather had changed, or they had changed their weather, for the sky was one mass of cloud, and rain was falling persistently.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The trains did not then travel so fast as now, and it was late in the afternoon when they reached the station at which they must leave the railway for the road.
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading Before that the weather had changed, or they had changed their weather, for the sky was one mass of cloud, and rain was falling persistently.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading The trains did not then travel so fast as now, and it was late in the afternoon when they reached the station at which they must leave the railway for the road.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The trains did not then travel so fast as now, and it was late in the afternoon when they reached the station at which they must leave the railway for the road.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Before that the weather had changed, or they had changed their weather, for the sky was one mass of cloud, and rain was falling persistently.
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading They had been for some time in the abode of the hills, but those they were passing through, though not without wonder and strange interest, were but an inferior clan, neither lofty nor lovely.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The trains did not then travel so fast as now, and it was late in the afternoon when they reached the station at which they must leave the railway for the road.
inferioradjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈfɪriər/
of or characteristic of low rank or importance
From this reading They had been for some time in the abode of the hills, but those they were passing through, though not without wonder and strange interest, were but an inferior clan, neither lofty nor lovely.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading They had been for some time in the abode of the hills, but those they were passing through, though not without wonder and strange interest, were but an inferior clan, neither lofty nor lovely.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a lovely morning when they left London.
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading THE JOURNEY.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading The trains did not then travel so fast as now, and it was late in the afternoon when they reached the station at which they must leave the railway for the road.
go away from a place
From this reading The trains did not then travel so fast as now, and it was late in the afternoon when they reached the station at which they must leave the railway for the road.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading It was a lovely morning when they left London.
loftyadjectiveUS /ˈlɔːfti/
of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style
From this reading They had been for some time in the abode of the hills, but those they were passing through, though not without wonder and strange interest, were but an inferior clan, neither lofty nor lovely.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading It was a lovely morning when they left London.
appealing to the emotions as well as the eye
From this reading It was a lovely morning when they left London.
the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field
From this reading Before that the weather had changed, or they had changed their weather, for the sky was one mass of cloud, and rain was falling persistently.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading It was a lovely morning when they left London.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading The trains did not then travel so fast as now, and it was late in the afternoon when they reached the station at which they must leave the railway for the road.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading They had been for some time in the abode of the hills, but those they were passing through, though not without wonder and strange interest, were but an inferior clan, neither lofty nor lovely.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading They had been for some time in the abode of the hills, but those they were passing through, though not without wonder and strange interest, were but an inferior clan, neither lofty nor lovely.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The trains did not then travel so fast as now, and it was late in the afternoon when they reached the station at which they must leave the railway for the road.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The trains did not then travel so fast as now, and it was late in the afternoon when they reached the station at which they must leave the railway for the road.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Before that the weather had changed, or they had changed their weather, for the sky was one mass of cloud, and rain was falling persistently.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Before that the weather had changed, or they had changed their weather, for the sky was one mass of cloud, and rain was falling persistently.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Before that the weather had changed, or they had changed their weather, for the sky was one mass of cloud, and rain was falling persistently.
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading They had been for some time in the abode of the hills, but those they were passing through, though not without wonder and strange interest, were but an inferior clan, neither lofty nor lovely.
persistentlyadverbUS /pərˈsɪstəntli/
in a persistent manner
From this reading Before that the weather had changed, or they had changed their weather, for the sky was one mass of cloud, and rain was falling persistently.
railwaynounUS /ˈreɪlweɪ/
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading The trains did not then travel so fast as now, and it was late in the afternoon when they reached the station at which they must leave the railway for the road.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading Before that the weather had changed, or they had changed their weather, for the sky was one mass of cloud, and rain was falling persistently.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading The trains did not then travel so fast as now, and it was late in the afternoon when they reached the station at which they must leave the railway for the road.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading The trains did not then travel so fast as now, and it was late in the afternoon when they reached the station at which they must leave the railway for the road.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading Before that the weather had changed, or they had changed their weather, for the sky was one mass of cloud, and rain was falling persistently.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The trains did not then travel so fast as now, and it was late in the afternoon when they reached the station at which they must leave the railway for the road.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading They had been for some time in the abode of the hills, but those they were passing through, though not without wonder and strange interest, were but an inferior clan, neither lofty nor lovely.
a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose
From this reading The trains did not then travel so fast as now, and it was late in the afternoon when they reached the station at which they must leave the railway for the road.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading They had been for some time in the abode of the hills, but those they were passing through, though not without wonder and strange interest, were but an inferior clan, neither lofty nor lovely.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Before that the weather had changed, or they had changed their weather, for the sky was one mass of cloud, and rain was falling persistently.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE JOURNEY.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Before that the weather had changed, or they had changed their weather, for the sky was one mass of cloud, and rain was falling persistently.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading The trains did not then travel so fast as now, and it was late in the afternoon when they reached the station at which they must leave the railway for the road.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was a lovely morning when they left London.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading They had been for some time in the abode of the hills, but those they were passing through, though not without wonder and strange interest, were but an inferior clan, neither lofty nor lovely.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading They had been for some time in the abode of the hills, but those they were passing through, though not without wonder and strange interest, were but an inferior clan, neither lofty nor lovely.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading They had been for some time in the abode of the hills, but those they were passing through, though not without wonder and strange interest, were but an inferior clan, neither lofty nor lovely.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading They had been for some time in the abode of the hills, but those they were passing through, though not without wonder and strange interest, were but an inferior clan, neither lofty nor lovely.
trainsnounUS /treɪnz/
plural of “train” — public transport provided by a line of railway cars coupled together and drawn by a locomotive
From this reading The trains did not then travel so fast as now, and it was late in the afternoon when they reached the station at which they must leave the railway for the road.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The trains did not then travel so fast as now, and it was late in the afternoon when they reached the station at which they must leave the railway for the road.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a lovely morning when they left London.
the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
From this reading Before that the weather had changed, or they had changed their weather, for the sky was one mass of cloud, and rain was falling persistently.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They had been for some time in the abode of the hills, but those they were passing through, though not without wonder and strange interest, were but an inferior clan, neither lofty nor lovely.
at the time that
From this reading It was a lovely morning when they left London.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The trains did not then travel so fast as now, and it was late in the afternoon when they reached the station at which they must leave the railway for the road.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading They had been for some time in the abode of the hills, but those they were passing through, though not without wonder and strange interest, were but an inferior clan, neither lofty nor lovely.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading They had been for some time in the abode of the hills, but those they were passing through, though not without wonder and strange interest, were but an inferior clan, neither lofty nor lovely.
