used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He began by setting sail in a favourable wind, but his bad luck followed him even on the sea.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading The Prince was fortunate enough to be able to lay hold of a floating spar, and contrived to keep himself afloat; and, after a long struggle with the winds and waves, he was cast upon a strange island.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He had scarcely lost sight of the land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of beating about, the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on which it dashed itself to bits.
afloatadjectiveUS /əˈfloʊt/
aimlessly drifting
From this reading The Prince was fortunate enough to be able to lay hold of a floating spar, and contrived to keep himself afloat; and, after a long struggle with the winds and waves, he was cast upon a strange island.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading He had scarcely lost sight of the land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of beating about, the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on which it dashed itself to bits.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had scarcely lost sight of the land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of beating about, the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on which it dashed itself to bits.
inflected form of “arise” — come into existence; take on form or shape
From this reading He had scarcely lost sight of the land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of beating about, the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on which it dashed itself to bits.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading He began by setting sail in a favourable wind, but his bad luck followed him even on the sea.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The Prince was fortunate enough to be able to lay hold of a floating spar, and contrived to keep himself afloat; and, after a long struggle with the winds and waves, he was cast upon a strange island.
the act of overcoming or outdoing
From this reading He had scarcely lost sight of the land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of beating about, the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on which it dashed itself to bits.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He began by setting sail in a favourable wind, but his bad luck followed him even on the sea.
bitsnounUS /bɪts/
plural of “bit” — a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading He had scarcely lost sight of the land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of beating about, the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on which it dashed itself to bits.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He began by setting sail in a favourable wind, but his bad luck followed him even on the sea.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He began by setting sail in a favourable wind, but his bad luck followed him even on the sea.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading However, he resolved to seek the whole world through till he came to the right place.
put or send forth
From this reading The Prince was fortunate enough to be able to lay hold of a floating spar, and contrived to keep himself afloat; and, after a long struggle with the winds and waves, he was cast upon a strange island.
charmedadjectiveUS /tʃɑːrmd/
strongly attracted
From this reading But what was his surprise, on reaching the shore, to hear sounds of the most heartrending distress, mingled with the sweetest songs which had ever charmed him!
contrivedadjectiveUS /kənˈtraɪvd/
showing effects of planning or manipulation
From this reading The Prince was fortunate enough to be able to lay hold of a floating spar, and contrived to keep himself afloat; and, after a long struggle with the winds and waves, he was cast upon a strange island.
having gaps or spaces
From this reading He had scarcely lost sight of the land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of beating about, the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on which it dashed itself to bits.
psychological suffering
From this reading But what was his surprise, on reaching the shore, to hear sounds of the most heartrending distress, mingled with the sweetest songs which had ever charmed him!
compelled forcibly by an outside agency
From this reading He had scarcely lost sight of the land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of beating about, the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on which it dashed itself to bits.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading The Prince was fortunate enough to be able to lay hold of a floating spar, and contrived to keep himself afloat; and, after a long struggle with the winds and waves, he was cast upon a strange island.
divisible by two
From this reading He began by setting sail in a favourable wind, but his bad luck followed him even on the sea.
at any time
From this reading But what was his surprise, on reaching the shore, to hear sounds of the most heartrending distress, mingled with the sweetest songs which had ever charmed him!
favourableadjective
encouraging or approving or pleasing
From this reading He began by setting sail in a favourable wind, but his bad luck followed him even on the sea.
floatingadjectiveUS /ˈfloʊtɪŋ/
borne up by or suspended in a liquid
From this reading The Prince was fortunate enough to be able to lay hold of a floating spar, and contrived to keep himself afloat; and, after a long struggle with the winds and waves, he was cast upon a strange island.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading He began by setting sail in a favourable wind, but his bad luck followed him even on the sea.
having unexpected good fortune
From this reading The Prince was fortunate enough to be able to lay hold of a floating spar, and contrived to keep himself afloat; and, after a long struggle with the winds and waves, he was cast upon a strange island.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had scarcely lost sight of the land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of beating about, the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on which it dashed itself to bits.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading However, he resolved to seek the whole world through till he came to the right place.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading But what was his surprise, on reaching the shore, to hear sounds of the most heartrending distress, mingled with the sweetest songs which had ever charmed him!
heartrendingadjective
causing or marked by grief or anguish
From this reading But what was his surprise, on reaching the shore, to hear sounds of the most heartrending distress, mingled with the sweetest songs which had ever charmed him!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He began by setting sail in a favourable wind, but his bad luck followed him even on the sea.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The Prince was fortunate enough to be able to lay hold of a floating spar, and contrived to keep himself afloat; and, after a long struggle with the winds and waves, he was cast upon a strange island.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He began by setting sail in a favourable wind, but his bad luck followed him even on the sea.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading The Prince was fortunate enough to be able to lay hold of a floating spar, and contrived to keep himself afloat; and, after a long struggle with the winds and waves, he was cast upon a strange island.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading He had scarcely lost sight of the land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of beating about, the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on which it dashed itself to bits.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading However, he resolved to seek the whole world through till he came to the right place.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He began by setting sail in a favourable wind, but his bad luck followed him even on the sea.
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading The Prince was fortunate enough to be able to lay hold of a floating spar, and contrived to keep himself afloat; and, after a long struggle with the winds and waves, he was cast upon a strange island.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He had scarcely lost sight of the land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of beating about, the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on which it dashed itself to bits.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading He had scarcely lost sight of the land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of beating about, the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on which it dashed itself to bits.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading The Prince was fortunate enough to be able to lay hold of a floating spar, and contrived to keep himself afloat; and, after a long struggle with the winds and waves, he was cast upon a strange island.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading He had scarcely lost sight of the land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of beating about, the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on which it dashed itself to bits.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The Prince was fortunate enough to be able to lay hold of a floating spar, and contrived to keep himself afloat; and, after a long struggle with the winds and waves, he was cast upon a strange island.
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 The Prince was fortunate enough to be able to lay hold of a floating spar, and contrived to keep himself afloat; and, after a long struggle with the winds and waves, he was cast upon a strange island.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading He had scarcely lost sight of the land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of beating about, the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on which it dashed itself to bits.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading He began by setting sail in a favourable wind, but his bad luck followed him even on the sea.
past form of “mingle” — to bring or combine together or with something else
From this reading But what was his surprise, on reaching the shore, to hear sounds of the most heartrending distress, mingled with the sweetest songs which had ever charmed him!
used to form the superlative
From this reading But what was his surprise, on reaching the shore, to hear sounds of the most heartrending distress, mingled with the sweetest songs which had ever charmed him!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had scarcely lost sight of the land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of beating about, the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on which it dashed itself to bits.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He began by setting sail in a favourable wind, but his bad luck followed him even on the sea.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading However, he resolved to seek the whole world through till he came to the right place.
a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)
From this reading The Prince was fortunate enough to be able to lay hold of a floating spar, and contrived to keep himself afloat; and, after a long struggle with the winds and waves, he was cast upon a strange island.
the act of physically reaching or thrusting out
From this reading But what was his surprise, on reaching the shore, to hear sounds of the most heartrending distress, mingled with the sweetest songs which had ever charmed him!
determined
From this reading However, he resolved to seek the whole world through till he came to the right place.
precisely, exactly
From this reading However, he resolved to seek the whole world through till he came to the right place.
plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading He had scarcely lost sight of the land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of beating about, the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on which it dashed itself to bits.
traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading He began by setting sail in a favourable wind, but his bad luck followed him even on the sea.
only a very short time before
From this reading He had scarcely lost sight of the land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of beating about, the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on which it dashed itself to bits.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading He began by setting sail in a favourable wind, but his bad luck followed him even on the sea.
try to get or reach
From this reading However, he resolved to seek the whole world through till he came to the right place.
the context and environment in which something is set
From this reading He began by setting sail in a favourable wind, but his bad luck followed him even on the sea.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading He had scarcely lost sight of the land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of beating about, the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on which it dashed itself to bits.
the land along the edge of a body of water
From this reading But what was his surprise, on reaching the shore, to hear sounds of the most heartrending distress, mingled with the sweetest songs which had ever charmed him!
an instance of visual perception
From this reading He had scarcely lost sight of the land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of beating about, the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on which it dashed itself to bits.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading He had scarcely lost sight of the land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of beating about, the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on which it dashed itself to bits.
plural of “song” — a short musical composition with words
From this reading But what was his surprise, on reaching the shore, to hear sounds of the most heartrending distress, mingled with the sweetest songs which had ever charmed him!
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading But what was his surprise, on reaching the shore, to hear sounds of the most heartrending distress, mingled with the sweetest songs which had ever charmed him!
sparverbUS /spɑːr/
furnish with spars
From this reading The Prince was fortunate enough to be able to lay hold of a floating spar, and contrived to keep himself afloat; and, after a long struggle with the winds and waves, he was cast upon a strange island.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading He had scarcely lost sight of the land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of beating about, the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on which it dashed itself to bits.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading The Prince was fortunate enough to be able to lay hold of a floating spar, and contrived to keep himself afloat; and, after a long struggle with the winds and waves, he was cast upon a strange island.
make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading The Prince was fortunate enough to be able to lay hold of a floating spar, and contrived to keep himself afloat; and, after a long struggle with the winds and waves, he was cast upon a strange island.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading But what was his surprise, on reaching the shore, to hear sounds of the most heartrending distress, mingled with the sweetest songs which had ever charmed him!
sweetestadjectiveUS /ˈswiːtəst/
superlative of “sweet” — having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading But what was his surprise, on reaching the shore, to hear sounds of the most heartrending distress, mingled with the sweetest songs which had ever charmed him!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading However, he resolved to seek the whole world through till he came to the right place.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading However, he resolved to seek the whole world through till he came to the right place.
up to a particular time
From this reading However, he resolved to seek the whole world through till he came to the right place.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading However, he resolved to seek the whole world through till he came to the right place.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The Prince was fortunate enough to be able to lay hold of a floating spar, and contrived to keep himself afloat; and, after a long struggle with the winds and waves, he was cast upon a strange island.
a tube in which a body fluid circulates
From this reading He had scarcely lost sight of the land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of beating about, the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on which it dashed itself to bits.
acting with or marked by or resulting from great force or energy or emotional intensity
From this reading He had scarcely lost sight of the land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of beating about, the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on which it dashed itself to bits.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He had scarcely lost sight of the land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of beating about, the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on which it dashed itself to bits.
plural of “wave” — one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
From this reading The Prince was fortunate enough to be able to lay hold of a floating spar, and contrived to keep himself afloat; and, after a long struggle with the winds and waves, he was cast upon a strange island.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But what was his surprise, on reaching the shore, to hear sounds of the most heartrending distress, mingled with the sweetest songs which had ever charmed him!
at the time that
From this reading He had scarcely lost sight of the land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of beating about, the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on which it dashed itself to bits.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He had scarcely lost sight of the land when a violent storm arose, and after several hours of beating about, the vessel was driven on to some rocks, on which it dashed itself to bits.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading However, he resolved to seek the whole world through till he came to the right place.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading He began by setting sail in a favourable wind, but his bad luck followed him even on the sea.
plural of “wind” — air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading The Prince was fortunate enough to be able to lay hold of a floating spar, and contrived to keep himself afloat; and, after a long struggle with the winds and waves, he was cast upon a strange island.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The Prince was fortunate enough to be able to lay hold of a floating spar, and contrived to keep himself afloat; and, after a long struggle with the winds and waves, he was cast upon a strange island.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading However, he resolved to seek the whole world through till he came to the right place.
