used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading An escarpment of grass banks guards a hollow like a shallow crater on the very summit.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading ON THE DOWNS They went up by the steep chalk road which skirts the park wall to the top of the conical hill above the race-course.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading They rode round it upon the rim, now facing the black slope of Charlton Forest across the valley to the north, now looking out over the plain and Chichester.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An escarpment of grass banks guards a hollow like a shallow crater on the very summit.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They rode round it upon the rim, now facing the black slope of Charlton Forest across the valley to the north, now looking out over the plain and Chichester.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Thirty miles away above the sea the chalk cliffs of the Isle of Wight gleamed under their thatch of dark turf.
English botanist who accompanied Captain Cook on his first voyage to the Pacific Ocean (1743-1820)
From this reading An escarpment of grass banks guards a hollow like a shallow crater on the very summit.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading They rode round it upon the rim, now facing the black slope of Charlton Forest across the valley to the north, now looking out over the plain and Chichester.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading ON THE DOWNS They went up by the steep chalk road which skirts the park wall to the top of the conical hill above the race-course.
chalknounUS /tʃɔːk/
A soft white limestone used for marking doors, stone walls, and slate.
From this reading ON THE DOWNS They went up by the steep chalk road which skirts the park wall to the top of the conical hill above the race-course.
Charlton
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They rode round it upon the rim, now facing the black slope of Charlton Forest across the valley to the north, now looking out over the plain and Chichester.
Chichester
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They rode round it upon the rim, now facing the black slope of Charlton Forest across the valley to the north, now looking out over the plain and Chichester.
cliffsnounUS /klɪfs/
plural of “cliff” — a steep high face of rock
From this reading Thirty miles away above the sea the chalk cliffs of the Isle of Wight gleamed under their thatch of dark turf.
conicaladjectiveUS /ˈkɑːnɪkəl/
relating to or resembling a cone
From this reading ON THE DOWNS They went up by the steep chalk road which skirts the park wall to the top of the conical hill above the race-course.
craternounUS /ˈkreɪtər/
a bowl-shaped geological formation at the top of a volcano
From this reading An escarpment of grass banks guards a hollow like a shallow crater on the very summit.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Thirty miles away above the sea the chalk cliffs of the Isle of Wight gleamed under their thatch of dark turf.
DOWNSnounUS /daʊnz/
plural of “down” — soft fine feathers
From this reading ON THE DOWNS They went up by the steep chalk road which skirts the park wall to the top of the conical hill above the race-course.
escarpmentnounUS /eˈskɑːrpmənt/
a long steep slope or cliff at the edge of a plateau or ridge; usually formed by erosion
From this reading An escarpment of grass banks guards a hollow like a shallow crater on the very summit.
facingnounUS /ˈfeɪsɪŋ/
a lining applied to the edge of a garment for ornamentation or strengthening
From this reading They rode round it upon the rim, now facing the black slope of Charlton Forest across the valley to the north, now looking out over the plain and Chichester.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading They rode round it upon the rim, now facing the black slope of Charlton Forest across the valley to the north, now looking out over the plain and Chichester.
gleamedverbUS /ɡliːmd/
past form of “gleam” — be shiny, as if wet
From this reading Thirty miles away above the sea the chalk cliffs of the Isle of Wight gleamed under their thatch of dark turf.
shoot down, of birds
From this reading An escarpment of grass banks guards a hollow like a shallow crater on the very summit.
guardsnounUS /ɡɑːrdz/
plural of “guard” — a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading An escarpment of grass banks guards a hollow like a shallow crater on the very summit.
a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading ON THE DOWNS They went up by the steep chalk road which skirts the park wall to the top of the conical hill above the race-course.
not solid; having a space or gap or cavity
From this reading An escarpment of grass banks guards a hollow like a shallow crater on the very summit.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was not yet nine in the morning.
IslenounUS /aɪl/
a small island
From this reading Thirty miles away above the sea the chalk cliffs of the Isle of Wight gleamed under their thatch of dark turf.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading They rode round it upon the rim, now facing the black slope of Charlton Forest across the valley to the north, now looking out over the plain and Chichester.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading An escarpment of grass banks guards a hollow like a shallow crater on the very summit.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading They rode round it upon the rim, now facing the black slope of Charlton Forest across the valley to the north, now looking out over the plain and Chichester.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading Thirty miles away above the sea the chalk cliffs of the Isle of Wight gleamed under their thatch of dark turf.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading It was not yet nine in the morning.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading It was not yet nine in the morning.
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading They rode round it upon the rim, now facing the black slope of Charlton Forest across the valley to the north, now looking out over the plain and Chichester.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was not yet nine in the morning.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading They rode round it upon the rim, now facing the black slope of Charlton Forest across the valley to the north, now looking out over the plain and Chichester.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ON THE DOWNS They went up by the steep chalk road which skirts the park wall to the top of the conical hill above the race-course.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading ON THE DOWNS They went up by the steep chalk road which skirts the park wall to the top of the conical hill above the race-course.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading They rode round it upon the rim, now facing the black slope of Charlton Forest across the valley to the north, now looking out over the plain and Chichester.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading They rode round it upon the rim, now facing the black slope of Charlton Forest across the valley to the north, now looking out over the plain and Chichester.
a large area of land preserved in its natural state as public property
From this reading ON THE DOWNS They went up by the steep chalk road which skirts the park wall to the top of the conical hill above the race-course.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading They rode round it upon the rim, now facing the black slope of Charlton Forest across the valley to the north, now looking out over the plain and Chichester.
race-course
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ON THE DOWNS They went up by the steep chalk road which skirts the park wall to the top of the conical hill above the race-course.
rimnounUS /rɪm/
the shape of a raised edge of a more or less circular object
From this reading They rode round it upon the rim, now facing the black slope of Charlton Forest across the valley to the north, now looking out over the plain and Chichester.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading ON THE DOWNS They went up by the steep chalk road which skirts the park wall to the top of the conical hill above the race-course.
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading They rode round it upon the rim, now facing the black slope of Charlton Forest across the valley to the north, now looking out over the plain and Chichester.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading They rode round it upon the rim, now facing the black slope of Charlton Forest across the valley to the north, now looking out over the plain and Chichester.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading Thirty miles away above the sea the chalk cliffs of the Isle of Wight gleamed under their thatch of dark turf.
shallowadjectiveUS /ˈʃæloʊ/
lacking physical depth; having little spatial extension downward or inward from an outer surface or backward or outward from a center
From this reading An escarpment of grass banks guards a hollow like a shallow crater on the very summit.
skirtsnounUS /skɜːrts/
plural of “skirt” — cloth covering that forms the part of a garment below the waist
From this reading ON THE DOWNS They went up by the steep chalk road which skirts the park wall to the top of the conical hill above the race-course.
an elevated geological formation
From this reading They rode round it upon the rim, now facing the black slope of Charlton Forest across the valley to the north, now looking out over the plain and Chichester.
steepadjectiveUS /stiːp/
having a sharp inclination
From this reading ON THE DOWNS They went up by the steep chalk road which skirts the park wall to the top of the conical hill above the race-course.
summitnounUS /ˈsʌmət/
the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
From this reading An escarpment of grass banks guards a hollow like a shallow crater on the very summit.
thatchnounUS /θætʃ/
hair resembling thatched roofing material
From this reading Thirty miles away above the sea the chalk cliffs of the Isle of Wight gleamed under their thatch of dark turf.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ON THE DOWNS They went up by the steep chalk road which skirts the park wall to the top of the conical hill above the race-course.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Thirty miles away above the sea the chalk cliffs of the Isle of Wight gleamed under their thatch of dark turf.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading ON THE DOWNS They went up by the steep chalk road which skirts the park wall to the top of the conical hill above the race-course.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three
From this reading Thirty miles away above the sea the chalk cliffs of the Isle of Wight gleamed under their thatch of dark turf.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading ON THE DOWNS They went up by the steep chalk road which skirts the park wall to the top of the conical hill above the race-course.
the upper part of anything
From this reading ON THE DOWNS They went up by the steep chalk road which skirts the park wall to the top of the conical hill above the race-course.
turfnounUS /tɜːrf/
surface layer of ground containing a mat of grass and grass roots
From this reading Thirty miles away above the sea the chalk cliffs of the Isle of Wight gleamed under their thatch of dark turf.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Thirty miles away above the sea the chalk cliffs of the Isle of Wight gleamed under their thatch of dark turf.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading ON THE DOWNS They went up by the steep chalk road which skirts the park wall to the top of the conical hill above the race-course.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading They rode round it upon the rim, now facing the black slope of Charlton Forest across the valley to the north, now looking out over the plain and Chichester.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading They rode round it upon the rim, now facing the black slope of Charlton Forest across the valley to the north, now looking out over the plain and Chichester.
precisely as stated
From this reading An escarpment of grass banks guards a hollow like a shallow crater on the very summit.
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 ON THE DOWNS They went up by the steep chalk road which skirts the park wall to the top of the conical hill above the race-course.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was not yet nine in the morning.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading ON THE DOWNS They went up by the steep chalk road which skirts the park wall to the top of the conical hill above the race-course.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading ON THE DOWNS They went up by the steep chalk road which skirts the park wall to the top of the conical hill above the race-course.
WightnounUS /waɪt/
a human being; “wight” is an archaic term
From this reading Thirty miles away above the sea the chalk cliffs of the Isle of Wight gleamed under their thatch of dark turf.
but in spite of that
From this reading It was not yet nine in the morning.
