used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He was a beaten man, and slow as another to own it to himself.
(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 Now he swore that he and he alone would unravel the mystery of his father's fate; now the sense of his own impotence appalled him; but at last the bitter fact of his defeat came home to him in all its nakedness.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading Now he swore that he and he alone would unravel the mystery of his father's fate; now the sense of his own impotence appalled him; but at last the bitter fact of his defeat came home to him in all its nakedness.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Harry drifted through the fog, the sport of misery and rage.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading He was a beaten man, and slow as another to own it to himself.
appalledadjectiveUS /əˈpɔːld/
struck with fear, dread, or consternation
From this reading Now he swore that he and he alone would unravel the mystery of his father's fate; now the sense of his own impotence appalled him; but at last the bitter fact of his defeat came home to him in all its nakedness.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He was a beaten man, and slow as another to own it to himself.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Now he swore that he and he alone would unravel the mystery of his father's fate; now the sense of his own impotence appalled him; but at last the bitter fact of his defeat came home to him in all its nakedness.
formed or made thin by hammering
From this reading He was a beaten man, and slow as another to own it to himself.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Yes, he had been beaten by a readier and a keener wit, and the most plausible tongue a villain ever wagged.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading THE END OF THE BEGINNING.
marked by strong resentment or cynicism
From this reading Now he swore that he and he alone would unravel the mystery of his father's fate; now the sense of his own impotence appalled him; but at last the bitter fact of his defeat came home to him in all its nakedness.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Now he swore that he and he alone would unravel the mystery of his father's fate; now the sense of his own impotence appalled him; but at last the bitter fact of his defeat came home to him in all its nakedness.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Yes, he had been beaten by a readier and a keener wit, and the most plausible tongue a villain ever wagged.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Now he swore that he and he alone would unravel the mystery of his father's fate; now the sense of his own impotence appalled him; but at last the bitter fact of his defeat came home to him in all its nakedness.
defeatnounUS /dɪˈfiːt/
an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest
From this reading Now he swore that he and he alone would unravel the mystery of his father's fate; now the sense of his own impotence appalled him; but at last the bitter fact of his defeat came home to him in all its nakedness.
driftedverbUS /ˈdrɪftəd/
past form of “drift” — be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading Harry drifted through the fog, the sport of misery and rage.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading THE END OF THE BEGINNING.
at any time
From this reading Yes, he had been beaten by a readier and a keener wit, and the most plausible tongue a villain ever wagged.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading Now he swore that he and he alone would unravel the mystery of his father's fate; now the sense of his own impotence appalled him; but at last the bitter fact of his defeat came home to him in all its nakedness.
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading Now he swore that he and he alone would unravel the mystery of his father's fate; now the sense of his own impotence appalled him; but at last the bitter fact of his defeat came home to him in all its nakedness.
father'snounUS /ˈfɑːðərz/
possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Now he swore that he and he alone would unravel the mystery of his father's fate; now the sense of his own impotence appalled him; but at last the bitter fact of his defeat came home to him in all its nakedness.
fognounUS /fɑːɡ/
droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground
From this reading Harry drifted through the fog, the sport of misery and rage.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Yes, he had been beaten by a readier and a keener wit, and the most plausible tongue a villain ever wagged.
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading Harry drifted through the fog, the sport of misery and rage.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was a beaten man, and slow as another to own it to himself.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Now he swore that he and he alone would unravel the mystery of his father's fate; now the sense of his own impotence appalled him; but at last the bitter fact of his defeat came home to him in all its nakedness.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He was a beaten man, and slow as another to own it to himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Now he swore that he and he alone would unravel the mystery of his father's fate; now the sense of his own impotence appalled him; but at last the bitter fact of his defeat came home to him in all its nakedness.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Now he swore that he and he alone would unravel the mystery of his father's fate; now the sense of his own impotence appalled him; but at last the bitter fact of his defeat came home to him in all its nakedness.
impotencenounUS /ˈɪmpətəns/
the quality of lacking strength or power; being weak and feeble
From this reading Now he swore that he and he alone would unravel the mystery of his father's fate; now the sense of his own impotence appalled him; but at last the bitter fact of his defeat came home to him in all its nakedness.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Now he swore that he and he alone would unravel the mystery of his father's fate; now the sense of his own impotence appalled him; but at last the bitter fact of his defeat came home to him in all its nakedness.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He was a beaten man, and slow as another to own it to himself.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Now he swore that he and he alone would unravel the mystery of his father's fate; now the sense of his own impotence appalled him; but at last the bitter fact of his defeat came home to him in all its nakedness.
keeneradjectiveUS /ˈkiːnər/
comparative of “keen” — having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading Yes, he had been beaten by a readier and a keener wit, and the most plausible tongue a villain ever wagged.
immediately past
From this reading Now he swore that he and he alone would unravel the mystery of his father's fate; now the sense of his own impotence appalled him; but at last the bitter fact of his defeat came home to him in all its nakedness.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He was a beaten man, and slow as another to own it to himself.
a state of ill-being due to affliction or misfortune
From this reading Harry drifted through the fog, the sport of misery and rage.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Yes, he had been beaten by a readier and a keener wit, and the most plausible tongue a villain ever wagged.
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading Now he swore that he and he alone would unravel the mystery of his father's fate; now the sense of his own impotence appalled him; but at last the bitter fact of his defeat came home to him in all its nakedness.
nakednessnoun
the state of being without clothing or covering of any kind
From this reading Now he swore that he and he alone would unravel the mystery of his father's fate; now the sense of his own impotence appalled him; but at last the bitter fact of his defeat came home to him in all its nakedness.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now he swore that he and he alone would unravel the mystery of his father's fate; now the sense of his own impotence appalled him; but at last the bitter fact of his defeat came home to him in all its nakedness.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE END OF THE BEGINNING.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading He was a beaten man, and slow as another to own it to himself.
plausibleadjectiveUS /ˈplɔːzəbəl/
apparently reasonable and credible, and therefore convincing
From this reading Yes, he had been beaten by a readier and a keener wit, and the most plausible tongue a villain ever wagged.
a feeling of intense anger
From this reading Harry drifted through the fog, the sport of misery and rage.
readieradjectiveUS /ˈrediər/
comparative of “ready” — completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading Yes, he had been beaten by a readier and a keener wit, and the most plausible tongue a villain ever wagged.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading Now he swore that he and he alone would unravel the mystery of his father's fate; now the sense of his own impotence appalled him; but at last the bitter fact of his defeat came home to him in all its nakedness.
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading He was a beaten man, and slow as another to own it to himself.
an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition
From this reading Harry drifted through the fog, the sport of misery and rage.
sworeverbUS /swɔːr/
inflected form of “swear” — utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading Now he swore that he and he alone would unravel the mystery of his father's fate; now the sense of his own impotence appalled him; but at last the bitter fact of his defeat came home to him in all its nakedness.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Now he swore that he and he alone would unravel the mystery of his father's fate; now the sense of his own impotence appalled him; but at last the bitter fact of his defeat came home to him in all its nakedness.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE END OF THE BEGINNING.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Harry drifted through the fog, the sport of misery and rage.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He was a beaten man, and slow as another to own it to himself.
a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity
From this reading Yes, he had been beaten by a readier and a keener wit, and the most plausible tongue a villain ever wagged.
unravelverbUS /ənˈrævəl/
become or cause to become undone by separating the fibers or threads of
From this reading Now he swore that he and he alone would unravel the mystery of his father's fate; now the sense of his own impotence appalled him; but at last the bitter fact of his defeat came home to him in all its nakedness.
villainnounUS /ˈvɪlən/
a wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately
From this reading Yes, he had been beaten by a readier and a keener wit, and the most plausible tongue a villain ever wagged.
waggedverbUS /wæɡd/
inflected form of “wag” — move from side to side
From this reading Yes, he had been beaten by a readier and a keener wit, and the most plausible tongue a villain ever wagged.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was a beaten man, and slow as another to own it to himself.
a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter
From this reading Yes, he had been beaten by a readier and a keener wit, and the most plausible tongue a villain ever wagged.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Now he swore that he and he alone would unravel the mystery of his father's fate; now the sense of his own impotence appalled him; but at last the bitter fact of his defeat came home to him in all its nakedness.
an affirmative
From this reading Yes, he had been beaten by a readier and a keener wit, and the most plausible tongue a villain ever wagged.
