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Down the Ravine
Down the Ravine

Chapter X

Cover illustration for Down the Ravine
Context Illustration Reading 1/28 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Birt, meanwhile, was trudging along in the woods, hardly seeing where he went, hardly caring.
He had not had even a vague premonition when the tanner told him that he might have the rest of the day off.
He did not now want the holiday which would once have so rejoiced him, and he said as much.
And then the tanner, making the disclosure by degrees, being truly sorry to part with the boy, intimated that he need come back no more.
Birt unharnessed the mule by the sense of touch and the force of habit, for blinding tears intervened between his vision and the rusty old buckles and worn straps of leather.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Down the Ravine

Chapter X

Reading 1/28 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Birt, meanwhile, was trudging along in the woods, hardly seeing where he went, hardly caring.
Line 2
He had not had even a vague premonition when the tanner told him that he might have the rest of the day off.
Line 3
He did not now want the holiday which would once have so rejoiced him, and he said as much.
Line 4
And then the tanner, making the disclosure by degrees, being truly sorry to part with the boy, intimated that he need come back no more.
Line 5
Birt unharnessed the mule by the sense of touch and the force of habit, for blinding tears intervened between his vision and the rusty old buckles and worn straps of leather.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Along preposition US /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading “Birt, meanwhile, was trudging along in the woods, hardly seeing where he went, hardly caring.”

Being auxiliary verb US /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading “And then the tanner, making the disclosure by degrees, being truly sorry to part with the boy, intimated that he need come back no more.”

Between preposition US /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading “Birt unharnessed the mule by the sense of touch and the force of habit, for blinding tears intervened between his vision and the rusty old buckles and worn straps of leather.”

Come noun US /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “And then the tanner, making the disclosure by degrees, being truly sorry to part with the boy, intimated that he need come back no more.”

Even noun US /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He had not had even a vague premonition when the tanner told him that he might have the rest of the day off.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “He had not had even a vague premonition when the tanner told him that he might have the rest of the day off.”

Meanwhile noun US /ˈmeanwhile/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “Birt, meanwhile, was trudging along in the woods, hardly seeing where he went, hardly caring.”

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “He had not had even a vague premonition when the tanner told him that he might have the rest of the day off.”

Need noun US /need/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “And then the tanner, making the disclosure by degrees, being truly sorry to part with the boy, intimated that he need come back no more.”

Once noun US /once/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He did not now want the holiday which would once have so rejoiced him, and he said as much.”

Part noun US /part/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “And then the tanner, making the disclosure by degrees, being truly sorry to part with the boy, intimated that he need come back no more.”

Rest noun US /rest/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He had not had even a vague premonition when the tanner told him that he might have the rest of the day off.”

Seeing noun US /seeing/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Birt, meanwhile, was trudging along in the woods, hardly seeing where he went, hardly caring.”

Told noun US /told/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He had not had even a vague premonition when the tanner told him that he might have the rest of the day off.”

Went noun US /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Birt, meanwhile, was trudging along in the woods, hardly seeing where he went, hardly caring.”

Worn verb US /wɔːrn/

Damaged or thinned by continuous use.

From this reading “Birt unharnessed the mule by the sense of touch and the force of habit, for blinding tears intervened between his vision and the rusty old buckles and worn straps of leather.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “He did not now want the holiday which would once have so rejoiced him, and he said as much.”

All words in this reading · 81

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading He had not had even a vague premonition when the tanner told him that he might have the rest of the day off.

alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading Birt, meanwhile, was trudging along in the woods, hardly seeing where he went, hardly caring.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading He did not now want the holiday which would once have so rejoiced him, and he said as much.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading He did not now want the holiday which would once have so rejoiced him, and he said as much.

back

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And then the tanner, making the disclosure by degrees, being truly sorry to part with the boy, intimated that he need come back no more.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading And then the tanner, making the disclosure by degrees, being truly sorry to part with the boy, intimated that he need come back no more.

betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading Birt unharnessed the mule by the sense of touch and the force of habit, for blinding tears intervened between his vision and the rusty old buckles and worn straps of leather.

Birt

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Birt, meanwhile, was trudging along in the woods, hardly seeing where he went, hardly caring.

blinding

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Birt unharnessed the mule by the sense of touch and the force of habit, for blinding tears intervened between his vision and the rusty old buckles and worn straps of leather.

boy

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And then the tanner, making the disclosure by degrees, being truly sorry to part with the boy, intimated that he need come back no more.

buckles

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Birt unharnessed the mule by the sense of touch and the force of habit, for blinding tears intervened between his vision and the rusty old buckles and worn straps of leather.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading And then the tanner, making the disclosure by degrees, being truly sorry to part with the boy, intimated that he need come back no more.

caring

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Birt, meanwhile, was trudging along in the woods, hardly seeing where he went, hardly caring.

comenounUS /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading And then the tanner, making the disclosure by degrees, being truly sorry to part with the boy, intimated that he need come back no more.

day

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had not had even a vague premonition when the tanner told him that he might have the rest of the day off.

degrees

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And then the tanner, making the disclosure by degrees, being truly sorry to part with the boy, intimated that he need come back no more.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading He did not now want the holiday which would once have so rejoiced him, and he said as much.

disclosure

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And then the tanner, making the disclosure by degrees, being truly sorry to part with the boy, intimated that he need come back no more.

evennounUS /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He had not had even a vague premonition when the tanner told him that he might have the rest of the day off.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Birt unharnessed the mule by the sense of touch and the force of habit, for blinding tears intervened between his vision and the rusty old buckles and worn straps of leather.

force

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Birt unharnessed the mule by the sense of touch and the force of habit, for blinding tears intervened between his vision and the rusty old buckles and worn straps of leather.

habit

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Birt unharnessed the mule by the sense of touch and the force of habit, for blinding tears intervened between his vision and the rusty old buckles and worn straps of leather.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading He had not had even a vague premonition when the tanner told him that he might have the rest of the day off.

hardly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Birt, meanwhile, was trudging along in the woods, hardly seeing where he went, hardly caring.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading He had not had even a vague premonition when the tanner told him that he might have the rest of the day off.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Birt, meanwhile, was trudging along in the woods, hardly seeing where he went, hardly caring.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading He had not had even a vague premonition when the tanner told him that he might have the rest of the day off.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Birt unharnessed the mule by the sense of touch and the force of habit, for blinding tears intervened between his vision and the rusty old buckles and worn straps of leather.

holiday

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He did not now want the holiday which would once have so rejoiced him, and he said as much.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Birt, meanwhile, was trudging along in the woods, hardly seeing where he went, hardly caring.

intervened

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Birt unharnessed the mule by the sense of touch and the force of habit, for blinding tears intervened between his vision and the rusty old buckles and worn straps of leather.

intimated

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And then the tanner, making the disclosure by degrees, being truly sorry to part with the boy, intimated that he need come back no more.

leather

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Birt unharnessed the mule by the sense of touch and the force of habit, for blinding tears intervened between his vision and the rusty old buckles and worn straps of leather.

making

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And then the tanner, making the disclosure by degrees, being truly sorry to part with the boy, intimated that he need come back no more.

meanwhilenounUS /ˈmeanwhile/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading Birt, meanwhile, was trudging along in the woods, hardly seeing where he went, hardly caring.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading He had not had even a vague premonition when the tanner told him that he might have the rest of the day off.

more

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And then the tanner, making the disclosure by degrees, being truly sorry to part with the boy, intimated that he need come back no more.

much

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He did not now want the holiday which would once have so rejoiced him, and he said as much.

mule

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Birt unharnessed the mule by the sense of touch and the force of habit, for blinding tears intervened between his vision and the rusty old buckles and worn straps of leather.

neednounUS /need/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading And then the tanner, making the disclosure by degrees, being truly sorry to part with the boy, intimated that he need come back no more.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading And then the tanner, making the disclosure by degrees, being truly sorry to part with the boy, intimated that he need come back no more.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading He had not had even a vague premonition when the tanner told him that he might have the rest of the day off.

now

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He did not now want the holiday which would once have so rejoiced him, and he said as much.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He had not had even a vague premonition when the tanner told him that he might have the rest of the day off.

off

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had not had even a vague premonition when the tanner told him that he might have the rest of the day off.

old

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Birt unharnessed the mule by the sense of touch and the force of habit, for blinding tears intervened between his vision and the rusty old buckles and worn straps of leather.

once

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He did not now want the holiday which would once have so rejoiced him, and he said as much.

partnounUS /part/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading And then the tanner, making the disclosure by degrees, being truly sorry to part with the boy, intimated that he need come back no more.

premonition

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had not had even a vague premonition when the tanner told him that he might have the rest of the day off.

rejoiced

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He did not now want the holiday which would once have so rejoiced him, and he said as much.

restnounUS /rest/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He had not had even a vague premonition when the tanner told him that he might have the rest of the day off.

rusty

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Birt unharnessed the mule by the sense of touch and the force of habit, for blinding tears intervened between his vision and the rusty old buckles and worn straps of leather.

said

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He did not now want the holiday which would once have so rejoiced him, and he said as much.

seeing

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Birt, meanwhile, was trudging along in the woods, hardly seeing where he went, hardly caring.

sense

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Birt unharnessed the mule by the sense of touch and the force of habit, for blinding tears intervened between his vision and the rusty old buckles and worn straps of leather.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading He did not now want the holiday which would once have so rejoiced him, and he said as much.

sorry

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And then the tanner, making the disclosure by degrees, being truly sorry to part with the boy, intimated that he need come back no more.

straps

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Birt unharnessed the mule by the sense of touch and the force of habit, for blinding tears intervened between his vision and the rusty old buckles and worn straps of leather.

tanner

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had not had even a vague premonition when the tanner told him that he might have the rest of the day off.

tears

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Birt unharnessed the mule by the sense of touch and the force of habit, for blinding tears intervened between his vision and the rusty old buckles and worn straps of leather.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading He had not had even a vague premonition when the tanner told him that he might have the rest of the day off.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Birt, meanwhile, was trudging along in the woods, hardly seeing where he went, hardly caring.

then

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And then the tanner, making the disclosure by degrees, being truly sorry to part with the boy, intimated that he need come back no more.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading And then the tanner, making the disclosure by degrees, being truly sorry to part with the boy, intimated that he need come back no more.

toldnounUS /told/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He had not had even a vague premonition when the tanner told him that he might have the rest of the day off.

touch

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Birt unharnessed the mule by the sense of touch and the force of habit, for blinding tears intervened between his vision and the rusty old buckles and worn straps of leather.

trudging

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Birt, meanwhile, was trudging along in the woods, hardly seeing where he went, hardly caring.

truly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And then the tanner, making the disclosure by degrees, being truly sorry to part with the boy, intimated that he need come back no more.

unharnessed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Birt unharnessed the mule by the sense of touch and the force of habit, for blinding tears intervened between his vision and the rusty old buckles and worn straps of leather.

vague

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had not had even a vague premonition when the tanner told him that he might have the rest of the day off.

vision

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Birt unharnessed the mule by the sense of touch and the force of habit, for blinding tears intervened between his vision and the rusty old buckles and worn straps of leather.

want

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He did not now want the holiday which would once have so rejoiced him, and he said as much.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Birt, meanwhile, was trudging along in the woods, hardly seeing where he went, hardly caring.

wentnounUS /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Birt, meanwhile, was trudging along in the woods, hardly seeing where he went, hardly caring.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading He had not had even a vague premonition when the tanner told him that he might have the rest of the day off.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading Birt, meanwhile, was trudging along in the woods, hardly seeing where he went, hardly caring.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading He did not now want the holiday which would once have so rejoiced him, and he said as much.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading And then the tanner, making the disclosure by degrees, being truly sorry to part with the boy, intimated that he need come back no more.

woods

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Birt, meanwhile, was trudging along in the woods, hardly seeing where he went, hardly caring.

wornverbUS /wɔːrn/

Damaged or thinned by continuous use.

From this reading Birt unharnessed the mule by the sense of touch and the force of habit, for blinding tears intervened between his vision and the rusty old buckles and worn straps of leather.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading He did not now want the holiday which would once have so rejoiced him, and he said as much.