used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Suddenly there was a noise in the porch and a loud cry from the child.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes, and crossly demanded what his wife was making all that noise about.
(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 He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes, and crossly demanded what his wife was making all that noise about.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The child was crooning happily in the morning sunlight, dabbing on the mats at the play of light and shadow.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The child was crooning happily in the morning sunlight, dabbing on the mats at the play of light and shadow.
boarnounUS /bɔːr/
Old World wild swine having a narrow body and prominent tusks from which most domestic swine come; introduced in United States
From this reading The mother ran out from the kitchen to the spot, only just in time to see the boar disappearing through the gate with her child in its clutch.
a young person of either sex
From this reading The child was crooning happily in the morning sunlight, dabbing on the mats at the play of light and shadow.
clutchnounUS /klʌtʃ/
the act of grasping
From this reading The mother ran out from the kitchen to the spot, only just in time to see the boar disappearing through the gate with her child in its clutch.
crooningnounUS /ˈkruːnɪŋ/
singing in a soft low tone
From this reading The child was crooning happily in the morning sunlight, dabbing on the mats at the play of light and shadow.
crosslyadverb
in an ill-natured manner
From this reading He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes, and crossly demanded what his wife was making all that noise about.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading Suddenly there was a noise in the porch and a loud cry from the child.
dabbingverbUS /ˈdæbɪŋ/
inflected form of “dab” — apply (usually a liquid) to a surface
From this reading The child was crooning happily in the morning sunlight, dabbing on the mats at the play of light and shadow.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes, and crossly demanded what his wife was making all that noise about.
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading She flung out her hands with a loud cry of despair and rushed into the inner room where her husband was still sleeping soundly.
disappearingnounUS /ˌdɪsəˈpɪrɪŋ/
the act of leaving secretly or without explanation
From this reading The mother ran out from the kitchen to the spot, only just in time to see the boar disappearing through the gate with her child in its clutch.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes, and crossly demanded what his wife was making all that noise about.
inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness
From this reading She flung out her hands with a loud cry of despair and rushed into the inner room where her husband was still sleeping soundly.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Suddenly there was a noise in the porch and a loud cry from the child.
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
From this reading The mother ran out from the kitchen to the spot, only just in time to see the boar disappearing through the gate with her child in its clutch.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading She flung out her hands with a loud cry of despair and rushed into the inner room where her husband was still sleeping soundly.
happilyadverbUS /ˈhæpəli/
in a joyous manner
From this reading The child was crooning happily in the morning sunlight, dabbing on the mats at the play of light and shadow.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes, and crossly demanded what his wife was making all that noise about.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The mother ran out from the kitchen to the spot, only just in time to see the boar disappearing through the gate with her child in its clutch.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes, and crossly demanded what his wife was making all that noise about.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading She flung out her hands with a loud cry of despair and rushed into the inner room where her husband was still sleeping soundly.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The child was crooning happily in the morning sunlight, dabbing on the mats at the play of light and shadow.
located inward
From this reading She flung out her hands with a loud cry of despair and rushed into the inner room where her husband was still sleeping soundly.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading She flung out her hands with a loud cry of despair and rushed into the inner room where her husband was still sleeping soundly.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The mother ran out from the kitchen to the spot, only just in time to see the boar disappearing through the gate with her child in its clutch.
and nothing more
From this reading The mother ran out from the kitchen to the spot, only just in time to see the boar disappearing through the gate with her child in its clutch.
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading The mother ran out from the kitchen to the spot, only just in time to see the boar disappearing through the gate with her child in its clutch.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading The child was crooning happily in the morning sunlight, dabbing on the mats at the play of light and shadow.
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading Suddenly there was a noise in the porch and a loud cry from the child.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes, and crossly demanded what his wife was making all that noise about.
matsnounUS /mæts/
plural of “mat” — a thick flat pad used as a floor covering
From this reading The child was crooning happily in the morning sunlight, dabbing on the mats at the play of light and shadow.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The child was crooning happily in the morning sunlight, dabbing on the mats at the play of light and shadow.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading The mother ran out from the kitchen to the spot, only just in time to see the boar disappearing through the gate with her child in its clutch.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading Suddenly there was a noise in the porch and a loud cry from the child.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The child was crooning happily in the morning sunlight, dabbing on the mats at the play of light and shadow.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The child was crooning happily in the morning sunlight, dabbing on the mats at the play of light and shadow.
and nothing more
From this reading The mother ran out from the kitchen to the spot, only just in time to see the boar disappearing through the gate with her child in its clutch.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The mother ran out from the kitchen to the spot, only just in time to see the boar disappearing through the gate with her child in its clutch.
participate in games or sport
From this reading The child was crooning happily in the morning sunlight, dabbing on the mats at the play of light and shadow.
porchnounUS /pɔːrtʃ/
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading Suddenly there was a noise in the porch and a loud cry from the child.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading The mother ran out from the kitchen to the spot, only just in time to see the boar disappearing through the gate with her child in its clutch.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading She flung out her hands with a loud cry of despair and rushed into the inner room where her husband was still sleeping soundly.
rubbedverbUS /rʌbd/
inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure
From this reading He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes, and crossly demanded what his wife was making all that noise about.
done under pressure
From this reading She flung out her hands with a loud cry of despair and rushed into the inner room where her husband was still sleeping soundly.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes, and crossly demanded what his wife was making all that noise about.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading The mother ran out from the kitchen to the spot, only just in time to see the boar disappearing through the gate with her child in its clutch.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading The child was crooning happily in the morning sunlight, dabbing on the mats at the play of light and shadow.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She flung out her hands with a loud cry of despair and rushed into the inner room where her husband was still sleeping soundly.
the state of being asleep
From this reading She flung out her hands with a loud cry of despair and rushed into the inner room where her husband was still sleeping soundly.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes, and crossly demanded what his wife was making all that noise about.
soundlyadverbUS /ˈsaʊndli/
deeply or completely
From this reading She flung out her hands with a loud cry of despair and rushed into the inner room where her husband was still sleeping soundly.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading The mother ran out from the kitchen to the spot, only just in time to see the boar disappearing through the gate with her child in its clutch.
not in physical motion
From this reading She flung out her hands with a loud cry of despair and rushed into the inner room where her husband was still sleeping soundly.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Suddenly there was a noise in the porch and a loud cry from the child.
the rays of the sun
From this reading The child was crooning happily in the morning sunlight, dabbing on the mats at the play of light and shadow.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes, and crossly demanded what his wife was making all that noise about.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The child was crooning happily in the morning sunlight, dabbing on the mats at the play of light and shadow.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Suddenly there was a noise in the porch and a loud cry from the child.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The mother ran out from the kitchen to the spot, only just in time to see the boar disappearing through the gate with her child in its clutch.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading The mother ran out from the kitchen to the spot, only just in time to see the boar disappearing through the gate with her child in its clutch.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The mother ran out from the kitchen to the spot, only just in time to see the boar disappearing through the gate with her child in its clutch.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes, and crossly demanded what his wife was making all that noise about.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The child was crooning happily in the morning sunlight, dabbing on the mats at the play of light and shadow.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes, and crossly demanded what his wife was making all that noise about.
in or at the place that
From this reading She flung out her hands with a loud cry of despair and rushed into the inner room where her husband was still sleeping soundly.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes, and crossly demanded what his wife was making all that noise about.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The mother ran out from the kitchen to the spot, only just in time to see the boar disappearing through the gate with her child in its clutch.
