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

Chapter VIII

Cover illustration for Cattle
Context Illustration Reading 1/21 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Never had the ranch house seemed so large or so empty.
A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.
The days were gradually shortening and when the light faded about ten o'clock darkness closed silently in upon the hill country.
Though the days were sunny the nights were very quiet and somewhat chilly.
Nettie Day knelt by her window.
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.

Cattle

Chapter VIII

Reading 1/21 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Never had the ranch house seemed so large or so empty.
Line 2
A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.
Line 3
The days were gradually shortening and when the light faded about ten o'clock darkness closed silently in upon the hill country.
Line 4
Though the days were sunny the nights were very quiet and somewhat chilly.
Line 5
Nettie Day knelt by her window.

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 “A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.”

Again noun US /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.”

Chilly adjective US /ˈtʃɪli/

unpleasantly cold

From this reading “Though the days were sunny the nights were very quiet and somewhat chilly.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.”

Never noun US /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Never had the ranch house seemed so large or so empty.”

Nights noun US /naɪts/

Periods of darkness between sunset and sunrise.

From this reading “Though the days were sunny the nights were very quiet and somewhat chilly.”

Once noun US /once/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Never had the ranch house seemed so large or so empty.”

Terrible noun US /ˈterrible/

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

From this reading “A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.”

Though conjunction US /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading “Though the days were sunny the nights were very quiet and somewhat chilly.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “The days were gradually shortening and when the light faded about ten o'clock darkness closed silently in upon the hill country.”

All words in this reading · 63

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 A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.

againnounUS /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.

brothers

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

From this reading A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Nettie Day knelt by her window.

chillyadjectiveUS /ˈtʃɪli/

unpleasantly cold

From this reading Though the days were sunny the nights were very quiet and somewhat chilly.

closed

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

From this reading The days were gradually shortening and when the light faded about ten o'clock darkness closed silently in upon the hill country.

country

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

From this reading A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.

darkness

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

From this reading The days were gradually shortening and when the light faded about ten o'clock darkness closed silently in upon the hill country.

Day

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

From this reading Nettie Day knelt by her window.

days

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

From this reading The days were gradually shortening and when the light faded about ten o'clock darkness closed silently in upon the hill country.

empty

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

From this reading Never had the ranch house seemed so large or so empty.

faded

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

From this reading The days were gradually shortening and when the light faded about ten o'clock darkness closed silently in upon the hill country.

girl

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

From this reading A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.

gradually

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

From this reading The days were gradually shortening and when the light faded about ten o'clock darkness closed silently in upon the hill country.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Never had the ranch house seemed so large or so empty.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.

hill

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

From this reading The days were gradually shortening and when the light faded about ten o'clock darkness closed silently in upon the hill country.

homesickness

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

From this reading A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.

house

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

From this reading Never had the ranch house seemed so large or so empty.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The days were gradually shortening and when the light faded about ten o'clock darkness closed silently in upon the hill country.

knelt

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

From this reading Nettie Day knelt by her window.

large

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

From this reading Never had the ranch house seemed so large or so empty.

light

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

From this reading The days were gradually shortening and when the light faded about ten o'clock darkness closed silently in upon the hill country.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.

lonely

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

From this reading A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.

longing

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

From this reading A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.

Nettie

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

From this reading Nettie Day knelt by her window.

NevernounUS /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Never had the ranch house seemed so large or so empty.

nightsnounUS /naɪts/

Periods of darkness between sunset and sunrise.

From this reading Though the days were sunny the nights were very quiet and somewhat chilly.

now

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

From this reading A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.

o'clock

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

From this reading The days were gradually shortening and when the light faded about ten o'clock darkness closed silently in upon the hill country.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.

once

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

From this reading A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Never had the ranch house seemed so large or so empty.

overwhelmed

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

From this reading A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.

quiet

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

From this reading Though the days were sunny the nights were very quiet and somewhat chilly.

ranch

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

From this reading Never had the ranch house seemed so large or so empty.

scattered

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

From this reading A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.

see

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

From this reading A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Never had the ranch house seemed so large or so empty.

shortening

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

From this reading The days were gradually shortening and when the light faded about ten o'clock darkness closed silently in upon the hill country.

silently

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

From this reading The days were gradually shortening and when the light faded about ten o'clock darkness closed silently in upon the hill country.

sisters

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

From this reading A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Never had the ranch house seemed so large or so empty.

somewhat

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

From this reading Though the days were sunny the nights were very quiet and somewhat chilly.

sunny

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

From this reading Though the days were sunny the nights were very quiet and somewhat chilly.

ten

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

From this reading The days were gradually shortening and when the light faded about ten o'clock darkness closed silently in upon the hill country.

terriblenounUS /ˈterrible/

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

From this reading A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Never had the ranch house seemed so large or so empty.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.

ThoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading Though the days were sunny the nights were very quiet and somewhat chilly.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading The days were gradually shortening and when the light faded about ten o'clock darkness closed silently in upon the hill country.

very

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

From this reading Though the days were sunny the nights were very quiet and somewhat chilly.

wave

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

From this reading A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading The days were gradually shortening and when the light faded about ten o'clock darkness closed silently in upon the hill country.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading The days were gradually shortening and when the light faded about ten o'clock darkness closed silently in upon the hill country.

widely

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

From this reading A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.

window

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

From this reading Nettie Day knelt by her window.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading A wave of homesickness overwhelmed the lonely girl, a terrible longing to see her little brothers and sisters, now so widely scattered about the country, and be with them once again.