used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading They passed behind the house and, taking a narrow pathway, skirted the hill.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading All about were the dark forms of hills, and the lake lay like ink in the hollow of the land.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Their boots struck against loose stones and scattered them, and their going made a great noise in the gloom.
AlexandernounUS /ˌæləɡˈzændər/
European herb somewhat resembling celery widely naturalized in Britain coastal regions and often cultivated as a potherb
From this reading "She's daft," said Alexander suddenly; and when he had no answer, he went on: "Do you not think she's daft yourself?"
(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 All about were the dark forms of hills, and the lake lay like ink in the hollow of the land.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They passed behind the house and, taking a narrow pathway, skirted the hill.
react verbally
From this reading "She's daft," said Alexander suddenly; and when he had no answer, he went on: "Do you not think she's daft yourself?"
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading They passed behind the house and, taking a narrow pathway, skirted the hill.
plural of “boot” — footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg
From this reading Their boots struck against loose stones and scattered them, and their going made a great noise in the gloom.
breatheverbUS /briːð/
draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs
From this reading The larches were sighing very gently--moved, it seemed, of their own will; for the wind did no more than breathe in sleep.
daftadjectiveUS /dæft/
informal or slang terms for mentally irregular
From this reading "She's daft," said Alexander suddenly; and when he had no answer, he went on: "Do you not think she's daft yourself?"
absence of light or illumination
From this reading All about were the dark forms of hills, and the lake lay like ink in the hollow of the land.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The larches were sighing very gently--moved, it seemed, of their own will; for the wind did no more than breathe in sleep.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "She's daft," said Alexander suddenly; and when he had no answer, he went on: "Do you not think she's daft yourself?"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The larches were sighing very gently--moved, it seemed, of their own will; for the wind did no more than breathe in sleep.
plural of “form” — the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading All about were the dark forms of hills, and the lake lay like ink in the hollow of the land.
in a gradual manner
From this reading The larches were sighing very gently--moved, it seemed, of their own will; for the wind did no more than breathe in sleep.
a state of partial or total darkness
From this reading Their boots struck against loose stones and scattered them, and their going made a great noise in the gloom.
the act of departing
From this reading Their boots struck against loose stones and scattered them, and their going made a great noise in the gloom.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Their boots struck against loose stones and scattered them, and their going made a great noise in the gloom.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "She's daft," said Alexander suddenly; and when he had no answer, he went on: "Do you not think she's daft yourself?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "She's daft," said Alexander suddenly; and when he had no answer, he went on: "Do you not think she's daft yourself?"
a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading They passed behind the house and, taking a narrow pathway, skirted the hill.
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading All about were the dark forms of hills, and the lake lay like ink in the hollow of the land.
not solid; having a space or gap or cavity
From this reading All about were the dark forms of hills, and the lake lay like ink in the hollow of the land.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading They passed behind the house and, taking a narrow pathway, skirted the hill.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Their boots struck against loose stones and scattered them, and their going made a great noise in the gloom.
inknounUS /ɪŋk/
a liquid used for printing or writing or drawing
From this reading All about were the dark forms of hills, and the lake lay like ink in the hollow of the land.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The larches were sighing very gently--moved, it seemed, of their own will; for the wind did no more than breathe in sleep.
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading All about were the dark forms of hills, and the lake lay like ink in the hollow of the land.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading All about were the dark forms of hills, and the lake lay like ink in the hollow of the land.
larches
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The larches were sighing very gently--moved, it seemed, of their own will; for the wind did no more than breathe in sleep.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading All about were the dark forms of hills, and the lake lay like ink in the hollow of the land.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading All about were the dark forms of hills, and the lake lay like ink in the hollow of the land.
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading Their boots struck against loose stones and scattered them, and their going made a great noise in the gloom.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Their boots struck against loose stones and scattered them, and their going made a great noise in the gloom.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The larches were sighing very gently--moved, it seemed, of their own will; for the wind did no more than breathe in sleep.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading The larches were sighing very gently--moved, it seemed, of their own will; for the wind did no more than breathe in sleep.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading They passed behind the house and, taking a narrow pathway, skirted the hill.
not any; not one
From this reading The larches were sighing very gently--moved, it seemed, of their own will; for the wind did no more than breathe in sleep.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading Their boots struck against loose stones and scattered them, and their going made a great noise in the gloom.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "She's daft," said Alexander suddenly; and when he had no answer, he went on: "Do you not think she's daft yourself?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading All about were the dark forms of hills, and the lake lay like ink in the hollow of the land.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "She's daft," said Alexander suddenly; and when he had no answer, he went on: "Do you not think she's daft yourself?"
have ownership or possession of
From this reading The larches were sighing very gently--moved, it seemed, of their own will; for the wind did no more than breathe in sleep.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading They passed behind the house and, taking a narrow pathway, skirted the hill.
pathwaynounUS /ˈpæθweɪ/
a bundle of myelinated nerve fibers following a path through the brain
From this reading They passed behind the house and, taking a narrow pathway, skirted the hill.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "She's daft," said Alexander suddenly; and when he had no answer, he went on: "Do you not think she's daft yourself?"
occurring or distributed over widely spaced and irregular intervals in time or space
From this reading Their boots struck against loose stones and scattered them, and their going made a great noise in the gloom.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The larches were sighing very gently--moved, it seemed, of their own will; for the wind did no more than breathe in sleep.
She's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She's daft," said Alexander suddenly; and when he had no answer, he went on: "Do you not think she's daft yourself?"
sighingverbUS /ˈsaɪɪŋ/
-ing form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading The larches were sighing very gently--moved, it seemed, of their own will; for the wind did no more than breathe in sleep.
skirtedverbUS /ˈskɜːrtɪd/
past form of “skirt” — avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues)
From this reading They passed behind the house and, taking a narrow pathway, skirted the hill.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading The larches were sighing very gently--moved, it seemed, of their own will; for the wind did no more than breathe in sleep.
plural of “stone” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading Their boots struck against loose stones and scattered them, and their going made a great noise in the gloom.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading Their boots struck against loose stones and scattered them, and their going made a great noise in the gloom.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading "She's daft," said Alexander suddenly; and when he had no answer, he went on: "Do you not think she's daft yourself?"
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading They passed behind the house and, taking a narrow pathway, skirted the hill.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The larches were sighing very gently--moved, it seemed, of their own will; for the wind did no more than breathe in sleep.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They passed behind the house and, taking a narrow pathway, skirted the hill.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Their boots struck against loose stones and scattered them, and their going made a great noise in the gloom.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Their boots struck against loose stones and scattered them, and their going made a great noise in the gloom.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They passed behind the house and, taking a narrow pathway, skirted the hill.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "She's daft," said Alexander suddenly; and when he had no answer, he went on: "Do you not think she's daft yourself?"
precisely as stated
From this reading The larches were sighing very gently--moved, it seemed, of their own will; for the wind did no more than breathe in sleep.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "She's daft," said Alexander suddenly; and when he had no answer, he went on: "Do you not think she's daft yourself?"
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading All about were the dark forms of hills, and the lake lay like ink in the hollow of the land.
at the time that
From this reading "She's daft," said Alexander suddenly; and when he had no answer, he went on: "Do you not think she's daft yourself?"
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading The larches were sighing very gently--moved, it seemed, of their own will; for the wind did no more than breathe in sleep.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading The larches were sighing very gently--moved, it seemed, of their own will; for the wind did no more than breathe in sleep.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "She's daft," said Alexander suddenly; and when he had no answer, he went on: "Do you not think she's daft yourself?"
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading "She's daft," said Alexander suddenly; and when he had no answer, he went on: "Do you not think she's daft yourself?"
