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The Man Whom the Trees Loved
The Man Whom the Trees Loved

Chapter I

Cover illustration for The Man Whom the Trees Loved
Context Illustration Reading 1/84 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
He painted trees as by some special divining instinct of their essential qualities.
He understood them.
He knew why in an oak forest, for instance, each individual was utterly distinct from its fellows, and why no two beeches in the whole world were alike.
People asked him down to paint a favorite lime or silver birch, for he caught the individuality of a tree as some catch the individuality of a horse.
How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.
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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.

The Man Whom the Trees Loved

Chapter I

Reading 1/84 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
He painted trees as by some special divining instinct of their essential qualities.
Line 2
He understood them.
Line 3
He knew why in an oak forest, for instance, each individual was utterly distinct from its fellows, and why no two beeches in the whole world were alike.
Line 4
People asked him down to paint a favorite lime or silver birch, for he caught the individuality of a tree as some catch the individuality of a horse.
Line 5
How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.

Learner Dictionary

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

Asked noun US /asked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “People asked him down to paint a favorite lime or silver birch, for he caught the individuality of a tree as some catch the individuality of a horse.”

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.”

Never noun US /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.”

Silver noun US /silver/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “People asked him down to paint a favorite lime or silver birch, for he caught the individuality of a tree as some catch the individuality of a horse.”

Something pronoun US /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading “How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.”

While conjunction US /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading “How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.”

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 People asked him down to paint a favorite lime or silver birch, for he caught the individuality of a tree as some catch the individuality of a horse.

alike

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

From this reading He knew why in an oak forest, for instance, each individual was utterly distinct from its fellows, and why no two beeches in the whole world were alike.

almost

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

From this reading How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading He knew why in an oak forest, for instance, each individual was utterly distinct from its fellows, and why no two beeches in the whole world were alike.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He knew why in an oak forest, for instance, each individual was utterly distinct from its fellows, and why no two beeches in the whole world were alike.

approach

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

From this reading How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading He painted trees as by some special divining instinct of their essential qualities.

askednounUS /asked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading People asked him down to paint a favorite lime or silver birch, for he caught the individuality of a tree as some catch the individuality of a horse.

beeches

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

From this reading He knew why in an oak forest, for instance, each individual was utterly distinct from its fellows, and why no two beeches in the whole world were alike.

birch

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

From this reading People asked him down to paint a favorite lime or silver birch, for he caught the individuality of a tree as some catch the individuality of a horse.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading He painted trees as by some special divining instinct of their essential qualities.

catch

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

From this reading People asked him down to paint a favorite lime or silver birch, for he caught the individuality of a tree as some catch the individuality of a horse.

caught

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

From this reading People asked him down to paint a favorite lime or silver birch, for he caught the individuality of a tree as some catch the individuality of a horse.

distinct

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

From this reading He knew why in an oak forest, for instance, each individual was utterly distinct from its fellows, and why no two beeches in the whole world were alike.

divining

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

From this reading He painted trees as by some special divining instinct of their essential qualities.

down

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

From this reading People asked him down to paint a favorite lime or silver birch, for he caught the individuality of a tree as some catch the individuality of a horse.

drawing

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

From this reading How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading He knew why in an oak forest, for instance, each individual was utterly distinct from its fellows, and why no two beeches in the whole world were alike.

essential

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

From this reading He painted trees as by some special divining instinct of their essential qualities.

favorite

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

From this reading People asked him down to paint a favorite lime or silver birch, for he caught the individuality of a tree as some catch the individuality of a horse.

fellows

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

From this reading He knew why in an oak forest, for instance, each individual was utterly distinct from its fellows, and why no two beeches in the whole world were alike.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading He knew why in an oak forest, for instance, each individual was utterly distinct from its fellows, and why no two beeches in the whole world were alike.

forest

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

From this reading He knew why in an oak forest, for instance, each individual was utterly distinct from its fellows, and why no two beeches in the whole world were alike.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading He knew why in an oak forest, for instance, each individual was utterly distinct from its fellows, and why no two beeches in the whole world were alike.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He painted trees as by some special divining instinct of their essential qualities.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading People asked him down to paint a favorite lime or silver birch, for he caught the individuality of a tree as some catch the individuality of a horse.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.

horse

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

From this reading People asked him down to paint a favorite lime or silver birch, for he caught the individuality of a tree as some catch the individuality of a horse.

How

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

From this reading How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading He knew why in an oak forest, for instance, each individual was utterly distinct from its fellows, and why no two beeches in the whole world were alike.

inaccurate

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

From this reading How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.

individual

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

From this reading He knew why in an oak forest, for instance, each individual was utterly distinct from its fellows, and why no two beeches in the whole world were alike.

individuality

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

From this reading People asked him down to paint a favorite lime or silver birch, for he caught the individuality of a tree as some catch the individuality of a horse.

instance

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

From this reading He knew why in an oak forest, for instance, each individual was utterly distinct from its fellows, and why no two beeches in the whole world were alike.

instinct

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

From this reading He painted trees as by some special divining instinct of their essential qualities.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading He knew why in an oak forest, for instance, each individual was utterly distinct from its fellows, and why no two beeches in the whole world were alike.

knew

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

From this reading He knew why in an oak forest, for instance, each individual was utterly distinct from its fellows, and why no two beeches in the whole world were alike.

lessons

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

From this reading How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.

lime

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

From this reading People asked him down to paint a favorite lime or silver birch, for he caught the individuality of a tree as some catch the individuality of a horse.

ludicrous

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

From this reading How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.

managed

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

From this reading How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.

nevernounUS /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading He knew why in an oak forest, for instance, each individual was utterly distinct from its fellows, and why no two beeches in the whole world were alike.

oak

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

From this reading He knew why in an oak forest, for instance, each individual was utterly distinct from its fellows, and why no two beeches in the whole world were alike.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He painted trees as by some special divining instinct of their essential qualities.

often

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

From this reading How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading People asked him down to paint a favorite lime or silver birch, for he caught the individuality of a tree as some catch the individuality of a horse.

paint

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

From this reading People asked him down to paint a favorite lime or silver birch, for he caught the individuality of a tree as some catch the individuality of a horse.

painted

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

From this reading He painted trees as by some special divining instinct of their essential qualities.

painting

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

From this reading How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.

People

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

From this reading People asked him down to paint a favorite lime or silver birch, for he caught the individuality of a tree as some catch the individuality of a horse.

perception

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

From this reading How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.

Personality

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

From this reading How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.

puzzle

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

From this reading How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.

qualities

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

From this reading He painted trees as by some special divining instinct of their essential qualities.

rendering

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

From this reading How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.

silver

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

From this reading People asked him down to paint a favorite lime or silver birch, for he caught the individuality of a tree as some catch the individuality of a horse.

some

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

From this reading He painted trees as by some special divining instinct of their essential qualities.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.

special

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

From this reading He painted trees as by some special divining instinct of their essential qualities.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading He knew why in an oak forest, for instance, each individual was utterly distinct from its fellows, and why no two beeches in the whole world were alike.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading He painted trees as by some special divining instinct of their essential qualities.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading He understood them.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading People asked him down to paint a favorite lime or silver birch, for he caught the individuality of a tree as some catch the individuality of a horse.

tree

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

From this reading People asked him down to paint a favorite lime or silver birch, for he caught the individuality of a tree as some catch the individuality of a horse.

trees

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

From this reading He painted trees as by some special divining instinct of their essential qualities.

true

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

From this reading How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.

two

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

From this reading He knew why in an oak forest, for instance, each individual was utterly distinct from its fellows, and why no two beeches in the whole world were alike.

understood

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

From this reading He understood them.

utterly

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

From this reading He knew why in an oak forest, for instance, each individual was utterly distinct from its fellows, and why no two beeches in the whole world were alike.

vivid

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

From this reading How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading He knew why in an oak forest, for instance, each individual was utterly distinct from its fellows, and why no two beeches in the whole world were alike.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading He knew why in an oak forest, for instance, each individual was utterly distinct from its fellows, and why no two beeches in the whole world were alike.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.

whole

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

From this reading He knew why in an oak forest, for instance, each individual was utterly distinct from its fellows, and why no two beeches in the whole world were alike.

why

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

From this reading He knew why in an oak forest, for instance, each individual was utterly distinct from its fellows, and why no two beeches in the whole world were alike.

wildly

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

From this reading How he managed it was something of a puzzle, for he never had painting lessons, his drawing was often wildly inaccurate, and, while his perception of a Tree Personality was true and vivid, his rendering of it might almost approach the ludicrous.

world

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

From this reading He knew why in an oak forest, for instance, each individual was utterly distinct from its fellows, and why no two beeches in the whole world were alike.