Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Battling the Clouds
Battling the Clouds

Chapter II

Cover illustration for Battling the Clouds
Context Illustration Reading 1/36 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Bill, driving the little car which he had named the Swallow, reached the quarters at the School of Fire in a rising cloud of dust.
The wind had risen suddenly and the fine sand whipped around the long board buildings, driving in through every crack and crevice.
All the rest of the afternoon it blew, and at six o'clock, when the Major came in, he was coated with the fine yellow dust.
By nine o'clock, when Bill went to bed, a small gale was singing around, and about one o'clock he was awakened by the scream of the wind.
It shrieked and howled, and the quarters rattled and quivered.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Battling the Clouds

Chapter II

Reading 1/36 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Bill, driving the little car which he had named the Swallow, reached the quarters at the School of Fire in a rising cloud of dust.
Line 2
The wind had risen suddenly and the fine sand whipped around the long board buildings, driving in through every crack and crevice.
Line 3
All the rest of the afternoon it blew, and at six o'clock, when the Major came in, he was coated with the fine yellow dust.
Line 4
By nine o'clock, when Bill went to bed, a small gale was singing around, and about one o'clock he was awakened by the scream of the wind.
Line 5
It shrieked and howled, and the quarters rattled and quivered.

Learner Dictionary

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

About preposition US /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “By nine o'clock, when Bill went to bed, a small gale was singing around, and about one o'clock he was awakened by the scream of the wind.”

Afternoon noun US /ˈafternoon/

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

From this reading “All the rest of the afternoon it blew, and at six o'clock, when the Major came in, he was coated with the fine yellow dust.”

Around preposition US /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading “The wind had risen suddenly and the fine sand whipped around the long board buildings, driving in through every crack and crevice.”

Every determiner US /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “The wind had risen suddenly and the fine sand whipped around the long board buildings, driving in through every crack and crevice.”

Fine noun US /fine/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The wind had risen suddenly and the fine sand whipped around the long board buildings, driving in through every crack and crevice.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Bill, driving the little car which he had named the Swallow, reached the quarters at the School of Fire in a rising cloud of dust.”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The wind had risen suddenly and the fine sand whipped around the long board buildings, driving in through every crack and crevice.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “By nine o'clock, when Bill went to bed, a small gale was singing around, and about one o'clock he was awakened by the scream of the wind.”

Rest noun US /rest/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “All the rest of the afternoon it blew, and at six o'clock, when the Major came in, he was coated with the fine yellow dust.”

Suddenly noun US /ˈsuddenly/

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

From this reading “The wind had risen suddenly and the fine sand whipped around the long board buildings, driving in through every crack and crevice.”

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading “The wind had risen suddenly and the fine sand whipped around the long board buildings, driving in through every crack and crevice.”

Went noun US /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “By nine o'clock, when Bill went to bed, a small gale was singing around, and about one o'clock he was awakened by the scream of the wind.”

Whipped noun US /ˈwhipped/

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

From this reading “The wind had risen suddenly and the fine sand whipped around the long board buildings, driving in through every crack and crevice.”

Wind noun US /wind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The wind had risen suddenly and the fine sand whipped around the long board buildings, driving in through every crack and crevice.”

All words in this reading · 66

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 Bill, driving the little car which he had named the Swallow, reached the quarters at the School of Fire in a rising cloud of dust.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading By nine o'clock, when Bill went to bed, a small gale was singing around, and about one o'clock he was awakened by the scream of the wind.

afternoonnounUS /ˈafternoon/

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

From this reading All the rest of the afternoon it blew, and at six o'clock, when the Major came in, he was coated with the fine yellow dust.

All

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

From this reading All the rest of the afternoon it blew, and at six o'clock, when the Major came in, he was coated with the fine yellow dust.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The wind had risen suddenly and the fine sand whipped around the long board buildings, driving in through every crack and crevice.

aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading The wind had risen suddenly and the fine sand whipped around the long board buildings, driving in through every crack and crevice.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Bill, driving the little car which he had named the Swallow, reached the quarters at the School of Fire in a rising cloud of dust.

awakened

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

From this reading By nine o'clock, when Bill went to bed, a small gale was singing around, and about one o'clock he was awakened by the scream of the wind.

bed

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

From this reading By nine o'clock, when Bill went to bed, a small gale was singing around, and about one o'clock he was awakened by the scream of the wind.

Bill

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

From this reading Bill, driving the little car which he had named the Swallow, reached the quarters at the School of Fire in a rising cloud of dust.

blew

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

From this reading All the rest of the afternoon it blew, and at six o'clock, when the Major came in, he was coated with the fine yellow dust.

board

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

From this reading The wind had risen suddenly and the fine sand whipped around the long board buildings, driving in through every crack and crevice.

buildings

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

From this reading The wind had risen suddenly and the fine sand whipped around the long board buildings, driving in through every crack and crevice.

ByprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading By nine o'clock, when Bill went to bed, a small gale was singing around, and about one o'clock he was awakened by the scream of the wind.

came

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

From this reading All the rest of the afternoon it blew, and at six o'clock, when the Major came in, he was coated with the fine yellow dust.

car

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

From this reading Bill, driving the little car which he had named the Swallow, reached the quarters at the School of Fire in a rising cloud of dust.

cloud

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

From this reading Bill, driving the little car which he had named the Swallow, reached the quarters at the School of Fire in a rising cloud of dust.

coated

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

From this reading All the rest of the afternoon it blew, and at six o'clock, when the Major came in, he was coated with the fine yellow dust.

crack

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

From this reading The wind had risen suddenly and the fine sand whipped around the long board buildings, driving in through every crack and crevice.

crevice

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

From this reading The wind had risen suddenly and the fine sand whipped around the long board buildings, driving in through every crack and crevice.

driving

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

From this reading Bill, driving the little car which he had named the Swallow, reached the quarters at the School of Fire in a rising cloud of dust.

dust

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

From this reading Bill, driving the little car which he had named the Swallow, reached the quarters at the School of Fire in a rising cloud of dust.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading The wind had risen suddenly and the fine sand whipped around the long board buildings, driving in through every crack and crevice.

finenounUS /fine/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The wind had risen suddenly and the fine sand whipped around the long board buildings, driving in through every crack and crevice.

Fire

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

From this reading Bill, driving the little car which he had named the Swallow, reached the quarters at the School of Fire in a rising cloud of dust.

gale

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

From this reading By nine o'clock, when Bill went to bed, a small gale was singing around, and about one o'clock he was awakened by the scream of the wind.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Bill, driving the little car which he had named the Swallow, reached the quarters at the School of Fire in a rising cloud of dust.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Bill, driving the little car which he had named the Swallow, reached the quarters at the School of Fire in a rising cloud of dust.

howled

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

From this reading It shrieked and howled, and the quarters rattled and quivered.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Bill, driving the little car which he had named the Swallow, reached the quarters at the School of Fire in a rising cloud of dust.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading All the rest of the afternoon it blew, and at six o'clock, when the Major came in, he was coated with the fine yellow dust.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Bill, driving the little car which he had named the Swallow, reached the quarters at the School of Fire in a rising cloud of dust.

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The wind had risen suddenly and the fine sand whipped around the long board buildings, driving in through every crack and crevice.

Major

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

From this reading All the rest of the afternoon it blew, and at six o'clock, when the Major came in, he was coated with the fine yellow dust.

named

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

From this reading Bill, driving the little car which he had named the Swallow, reached the quarters at the School of Fire in a rising cloud of dust.

nine

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

From this reading By nine o'clock, when Bill went to bed, a small gale was singing around, and about one o'clock he was awakened by the scream of the wind.

o'clock

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

From this reading All the rest of the afternoon it blew, and at six o'clock, when the Major came in, he was coated with the fine yellow dust.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Bill, driving the little car which he had named the Swallow, reached the quarters at the School of Fire in a rising cloud of dust.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading By nine o'clock, when Bill went to bed, a small gale was singing around, and about one o'clock he was awakened by the scream of the wind.

quarters

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

From this reading Bill, driving the little car which he had named the Swallow, reached the quarters at the School of Fire in a rising cloud of dust.

quivered

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

From this reading It shrieked and howled, and the quarters rattled and quivered.

rattled

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

From this reading It shrieked and howled, and the quarters rattled and quivered.

reached

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

From this reading Bill, driving the little car which he had named the Swallow, reached the quarters at the School of Fire in a rising cloud of dust.

restnounUS /rest/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading All the rest of the afternoon it blew, and at six o'clock, when the Major came in, he was coated with the fine yellow dust.

risen

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

From this reading The wind had risen suddenly and the fine sand whipped around the long board buildings, driving in through every crack and crevice.

rising

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

From this reading Bill, driving the little car which he had named the Swallow, reached the quarters at the School of Fire in a rising cloud of dust.

sand

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

From this reading The wind had risen suddenly and the fine sand whipped around the long board buildings, driving in through every crack and crevice.

School

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

From this reading Bill, driving the little car which he had named the Swallow, reached the quarters at the School of Fire in a rising cloud of dust.

scream

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

From this reading By nine o'clock, when Bill went to bed, a small gale was singing around, and about one o'clock he was awakened by the scream of the wind.

shrieked

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

From this reading It shrieked and howled, and the quarters rattled and quivered.

singing

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

From this reading By nine o'clock, when Bill went to bed, a small gale was singing around, and about one o'clock he was awakened by the scream of the wind.

six

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

From this reading All the rest of the afternoon it blew, and at six o'clock, when the Major came in, he was coated with the fine yellow dust.

small

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

From this reading By nine o'clock, when Bill went to bed, a small gale was singing around, and about one o'clock he was awakened by the scream of the wind.

suddenlynounUS /ˈsuddenly/

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

From this reading The wind had risen suddenly and the fine sand whipped around the long board buildings, driving in through every crack and crevice.

Swallow

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

From this reading Bill, driving the little car which he had named the Swallow, reached the quarters at the School of Fire in a rising cloud of dust.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Bill, driving the little car which he had named the Swallow, reached the quarters at the School of Fire in a rising cloud of dust.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading The wind had risen suddenly and the fine sand whipped around the long board buildings, driving in through every crack and crevice.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading By nine o'clock, when Bill went to bed, a small gale was singing around, and about one o'clock he was awakened by the scream of the wind.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading All the rest of the afternoon it blew, and at six o'clock, when the Major came in, he was coated with the fine yellow dust.

wentnounUS /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading By nine o'clock, when Bill went to bed, a small gale was singing around, and about one o'clock he was awakened by the scream of the wind.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading All the rest of the afternoon it blew, and at six o'clock, when the Major came in, he was coated with the fine yellow dust.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading Bill, driving the little car which he had named the Swallow, reached the quarters at the School of Fire in a rising cloud of dust.

whippednounUS /ˈwhipped/

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

From this reading The wind had risen suddenly and the fine sand whipped around the long board buildings, driving in through every crack and crevice.

windnounUS /wind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The wind had risen suddenly and the fine sand whipped around the long board buildings, driving in through every crack and crevice.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading All the rest of the afternoon it blew, and at six o'clock, when the Major came in, he was coated with the fine yellow dust.

yellow

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

From this reading All the rest of the afternoon it blew, and at six o'clock, when the Major came in, he was coated with the fine yellow dust.