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adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
adorned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading A spendthrift fay had passed along, scattering flowers, colours, scents, with a reckless hand.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.
away
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From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
barley
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
bird
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
branches
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.
breeze
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From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
broom
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From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
clear
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From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
cliffs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
cloths
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
clumps
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
coloursnounUS /ˈcolours/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading A spendthrift fay had passed along, scattering flowers, colours, scents, with a reckless hand.
decked
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.
die
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From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
distance
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some meadows in the distance, pranked with ranunculuses, looked like stretches of green water reflecting a starry sky.
drowned
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From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
drunk
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From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.
edges
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
fay
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A spendthrift fay had passed along, scattering flowers, colours, scents, with a reckless hand.
fields
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
flowering
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
flowers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A spendthrift fay had passed along, scattering flowers, colours, scents, with a reckless hand.
forbidding
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
fragrance
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
garlands
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.
gleamed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
gold
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
grass
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
green
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some meadows in the distance, pranked with ranunculuses, looked like stretches of green water reflecting a starry sky.
greenish
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.
hand
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A spendthrift fay had passed along, scattering flowers, colours, scents, with a reckless hand.
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
Isalle
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
lay
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
like
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
liquid
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
loftiest
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
lookednounUS /looked/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Some meadows in the distance, pranked with ranunculuses, looked like stretches of green water reflecting a starry sky.
Maymodal verbUS /meɪ/
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
meadows
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some meadows in the distance, pranked with ranunculuses, looked like stretches of green water reflecting a starry sky.
molten
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
month
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
narcissuses
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
note
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
nuggets
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
occasionally
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
old
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
out
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
pagan
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.
passednounUS /passed/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading A spendthrift fay had passed along, scattering flowers, colours, scents, with a reckless hand.
peeping
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
pierce
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
pranked
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some meadows in the distance, pranked with ranunculuses, looked like stretches of green water reflecting a starry sky.
ranunculuses
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some meadows in the distance, pranked with ranunculuses, looked like stretches of green water reflecting a starry sky.
ravine
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
reckless
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A spendthrift fay had passed along, scattering flowers, colours, scents, with a reckless hand.
reflecting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some meadows in the distance, pranked with ranunculuses, looked like stretches of green water reflecting a starry sky.
rippled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
rugged
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
scattering
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A spendthrift fay had passed along, scattering flowers, colours, scents, with a reckless hand.
scents
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.
see
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
shrubs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
silencenounUS /ˈsaɪ.ləns/
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
sky
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some meadows in the distance, pranked with ranunculuses, looked like stretches of green water reflecting a starry sky.
smiling
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
some
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.
spendthrift
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A spendthrift fay had passed along, scattering flowers, colours, scents, with a reckless hand.
starry
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some meadows in the distance, pranked with ranunculuses, looked like stretches of green water reflecting a starry sky.
stretches
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some meadows in the distance, pranked with ranunculuses, looked like stretches of green water reflecting a starry sky.
sun
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
sunlight
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.
sweet
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.
tall
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
then
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/
in spite of the fact that
From this reading It was as though some old pagan, drunk with sunlight and sweet scents, had decked himself out in branches and garlands.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
usually
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
valley
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
very
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
water
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some meadows in the distance, pranked with ranunculuses, looked like stretches of green water reflecting a starry sky.
whatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
wild
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading It was the month of May, and the wild valley of the Isalle, usually so forbidding and rugged, lay smiling in the sun, adorned with tall grass and clumps of flowering shrubs and fields of barley, which rippled in the breeze like cloths of greenish gold.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The clear, liquid note of a wild bird would occasionally pierce the silence of the valley, then die away, drowned in the fragrance of the narcissuses and flowering broom, which gleamed like nuggets of molten gold on the very edges of the loftiest cliffs, as though peeping over to see what lay in the ravine below.