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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 At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
adjoining
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From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
air
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From this reading The odor of autumn, the sad odor of bare, moist lands, of fallen leaves, of dead grass made the stagnant evening air more thick and heavy.
all
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From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
alreadynounUS /already/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The odor of autumn, the sad odor of bare, moist lands, of fallen leaves, of dead grass made the stagnant evening air more thick and heavy.
Angelus
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From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
apart
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From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
apple-gardens
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
autumn
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The odor of autumn, the sad odor of bare, moist lands, of fallen leaves, of dead grass made the stagnant evening air more thick and heavy.
back
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From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
bare
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The odor of autumn, the sad odor of bare, moist lands, of fallen leaves, of dead grass made the stagnant evening air more thick and heavy.
bending
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From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
boy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
branches
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
brown
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The humid gray sky seemed to weigh down on the vast brown plain.
call
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
clothes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
colza
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
continuous
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
deadnounUS /dead/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The odor of autumn, the sad odor of bare, moist lands, of fallen leaves, of dead grass made the stagnant evening air more thick and heavy.
down
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The humid gray sky seemed to weigh down on the vast brown plain.
dress
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From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
drove
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
earth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
evening
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The odor of autumn, the sad odor of bare, moist lands, of fallen leaves, of dead grass made the stagnant evening air more thick and heavy.
fall
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
fallen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The odor of autumn, the sad odor of bare, moist lands, of fallen leaves, of dead grass made the stagnant evening air more thick and heavy.
farmhouses
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
fields
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
five
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
formed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
grass
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The odor of autumn, the sad odor of bare, moist lands, of fallen leaves, of dead grass made the stagnant evening air more thick and heavy.
gray
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The humid gray sky seemed to weigh down on the vast brown plain.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
heap
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
heavy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The odor of autumn, the sad odor of bare, moist lands, of fallen leaves, of dead grass made the stagnant evening air more thick and heavy.
herenounUS /here/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
hole
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
humid
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The humid gray sky seemed to weigh down on the vast brown plain.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
just
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
lands
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The odor of autumn, the sad odor of bare, moist lands, of fallen leaves, of dead grass made the stagnant evening air more thick and heavy.
leaflessadjectiveUS /ˈliːfləs/
having no leaves, usually because of the season
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
leaves
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The odor of autumn, the sad odor of bare, moist lands, of fallen leaves, of dead grass made the stagnant evening air more thick and heavy.
legs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
letauxiliary verbUS /let/
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
littlenounUS /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
made
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The odor of autumn, the sad odor of bare, moist lands, of fallen leaves, of dead grass made the stagnant evening air more thick and heavy.
moist
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The odor of autumn, the sad odor of bare, moist lands, of fallen leaves, of dead grass made the stagnant evening air more thick and heavy.
more
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The odor of autumn, the sad odor of bare, moist lands, of fallen leaves, of dead grass made the stagnant evening air more thick and heavy.
mounds
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
movement
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
now
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
odor
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The odor of autumn, the sad odor of bare, moist lands, of fallen leaves, of dead grass made the stagnant evening air more thick and heavy.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The odor of autumn, the sad odor of bare, moist lands, of fallen leaves, of dead grass made the stagnant evening air more thick and heavy.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The humid gray sky seemed to weigh down on the vast brown plain.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
patted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
peasants
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
placed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
plain
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The humid gray sky seemed to weigh down on the vast brown plain.
plant
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
planting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
playing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
plough
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
potato
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
protected
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
road
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
roofs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
sad
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The odor of autumn, the sad odor of bare, moist lands, of fallen leaves, of dead grass made the stagnant evening air more thick and heavy.
sank
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
scattered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
seated
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
seemednounUS /seemed/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The humid gray sky seemed to weigh down on the vast brown plain.
sharp
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
side
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
sky
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The humid gray sky seemed to weigh down on the vast brown plain.
slips
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
slow
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
small
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
stagnant
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The odor of autumn, the sad odor of bare, moist lands, of fallen leaves, of dead grass made the stagnant evening air more thick and heavy.
stakes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
stillnounUS /still/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
stroke
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
thatched
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The humid gray sky seemed to weigh down on the vast brown plain.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
then
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
there
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
thick
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The odor of autumn, the sad odor of bare, moist lands, of fallen leaves, of dead grass made the stagnant evening air more thick and heavy.
throughnounUS /ˈthrough/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
thus
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The humid gray sky seemed to weigh down on the vast brown plain.
trees
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
turned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
vast
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The humid gray sky seemed to weigh down on the vast brown plain.
very
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
visible
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
waiting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
weigh
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The humid gray sky seemed to weigh down on the vast brown plain.
wentnounUS /went/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
whilstconjunctionUS /waɪlst/
an old and formal word for “while”
From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
whosedeterminerUS /huːz/
belonging to which person
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
windnounUS /wind/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
withered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
women
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the side of the road, on a heap of clothes, a very small boy seated with his legs apart was playing with a potato, which he now and then let fall on his dress, whilst five women were bending down planting slips of colza in the adjoining plain.
wooden
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With a slow, continuous movement, all along the mounds of earth which the plough had just turned up, they drove in sharp wooden stakes and in the hole thus formed placed the plant, already a little withered, which sank on one side; then they patted down the earth and went on with their work.
work
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The peasants were still at work, scattered through the fields, waiting for the stroke of the Angelus to call them back to the farmhouses, whose thatched roofs were visible here and there through the branches of the leafless trees which protected the apple-gardens against the wind.
