used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading About a month ago I sailed from Havana, bound to London, with a cargo of rum, tobacco and sweetmeats.
AboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading About a month ago I sailed from Havana, bound to London, with a cargo of rum, tobacco and sweetmeats.
in the past
From this reading About a month ago I sailed from Havana, bound to London, with a cargo of rum, tobacco and sweetmeats.
(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 A sail had been following us all day long.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading About a month ago I sailed from Havana, bound to London, with a cargo of rum, tobacco and sweetmeats.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading A sail had been following us all day long.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading We did not know she was following us, nor could we make out by our best glass what she was.
confined by bonds
From this reading About a month ago I sailed from Havana, bound to London, with a cargo of rum, tobacco and sweetmeats.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading We did not know she was following us, nor could we make out by our best glass what she was.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The weather was fine, and we had a good voyage until we came within four or five days’ sail of port.
cargonounUS /ˈkɑːrɡoʊ/
goods carried by a large vehicle
From this reading About a month ago I sailed from Havana, bound to London, with a cargo of rum, tobacco and sweetmeats.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading We did not know she was following us, nor could we make out by our best glass what she was.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading A sail had been following us all day long.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading The weather was fine, and we had a good voyage until we came within four or five days’ sail of port.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading We did not know she was following us, nor could we make out by our best glass what she was.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading The weather was fine, and we had a good voyage until we came within four or five days’ sail of port.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading The weather was fine, and we had a good voyage until we came within four or five days’ sail of port.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading A sail had been following us all day long.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading The weather was fine, and we had a good voyage until we came within four or five days’ sail of port.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading About a month ago I sailed from Havana, bound to London, with a cargo of rum, tobacco and sweetmeats.
a young female
From this reading “I will tell you, my girl, though I hate to talk of it.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading We did not know she was following us, nor could we make out by our best glass what she was.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading The weather was fine, and we had a good voyage until we came within four or five days’ sail of port.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The weather was fine, and we had a good voyage until we came within four or five days’ sail of port.
the emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action
From this reading “I will tell you, my girl, though I hate to talk of it.
HavananounUS /həˈvænə/
the capital and largest city of Cuba; located in western Cuba; one of the oldest cities in the Americas
From this reading About a month ago I sailed from Havana, bound to London, with a cargo of rum, tobacco and sweetmeats.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I will tell you, my girl, though I hate to talk of it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I will tell you, my girl, though I hate to talk of it.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading We did not know she was following us, nor could we make out by our best glass what she was.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading About a month ago I sailed from Havana, bound to London, with a cargo of rum, tobacco and sweetmeats.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading A sail had been following us all day long.
engage in
From this reading We did not know she was following us, nor could we make out by our best glass what she was.
one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading About a month ago I sailed from Havana, bound to London, with a cargo of rum, tobacco and sweetmeats.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “I will tell you, my girl, though I hate to talk of it.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading We did not know she was following us, nor could we make out by our best glass what she was.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading We did not know she was following us, nor could we make out by our best glass what she was.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I will tell you, my girl, though I hate to talk of it.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The weather was fine, and we had a good voyage until we came within four or five days’ sail of port.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading We did not know she was following us, nor could we make out by our best glass what she was.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading We did not know she was following us, nor could we make out by our best glass what she was.
a place (seaport or airport) where people and merchandise can enter or leave a country
From this reading The weather was fine, and we had a good voyage until we came within four or five days’ sail of port.
rumnounUS /rʌm/
liquor distilled from fermented molasses
From this reading About a month ago I sailed from Havana, bound to London, with a cargo of rum, tobacco and sweetmeats.
traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading The weather was fine, and we had a good voyage until we came within four or five days’ sail of port.
past form of “sail” — traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading About a month ago I sailed from Havana, bound to London, with a cargo of rum, tobacco and sweetmeats.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading We did not know she was following us, nor could we make out by our best glass what she was.
sweetmeats
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading About a month ago I sailed from Havana, bound to London, with a cargo of rum, tobacco and sweetmeats.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading “I will tell you, my girl, though I hate to talk of it.
express in words
From this reading “I will tell you, my girl, though I hate to talk of it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The weather was fine, and we had a good voyage until we came within four or five days’ sail of port.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading “I will tell you, my girl, though I hate to talk of it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I will tell you, my girl, though I hate to talk of it.
tobacconounUS /təˈbækoʊ/
leaves of the tobacco plant dried and prepared for smoking or ingestion
From this reading About a month ago I sailed from Havana, bound to London, with a cargo of rum, tobacco and sweetmeats.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading The weather was fine, and we had a good voyage until we came within four or five days’ sail of port.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A sail had been following us all day long.
an act of traveling by water
From this reading The weather was fine, and we had a good voyage until we came within four or five days’ sail of port.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The weather was fine, and we had a good voyage until we came within four or five days’ sail of port.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading The weather was fine, and we had a good voyage until we came within four or five days’ sail of port.
the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
From this reading The weather was fine, and we had a good voyage until we came within four or five days’ sail of port.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading We did not know she was following us, nor could we make out by our best glass what she was.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “I will tell you, my girl, though I hate to talk of it.
in the company of; together with
From this reading About a month ago I sailed from Havana, bound to London, with a cargo of rum, tobacco and sweetmeats.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading The weather was fine, and we had a good voyage until we came within four or five days’ sail of port.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I will tell you, my girl, though I hate to talk of it.
