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Far from the Madding Crowd
Far from the Madding Crowd

Chapter XXVIII · On Casterbridge Highway

On Casterbridge Highway, section 1: For a considerable time the woman walked on. Her steps became feebler, and she strained her eyes to look afar upon the naked road, now indistinct amid the penumbræ of night. At len
Context Illustration Reading 1/85 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
For a considerable time the woman walked on.
Her steps became feebler, and she strained her eyes to look afar upon the naked road, now indistinct amid the penumbræ of night.
At length her onward walk dwindled to the merest totter, and she opened a gate within which was a haystack.
Underneath this she sat down and presently slept.
[Illustration: SHE OPENED A GATE WITHIN WHICH WAS A HAYSTACK.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Far from the Madding Crowd

Chapter XXVIII · On Casterbridge Highway

Reading 1/85 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
For a considerable time the woman walked on.
Line 2
Her steps became feebler, and she strained her eyes to look afar upon the naked road, now indistinct amid the penumbræ of night.
Line 3
At length her onward walk dwindled to the merest totter, and she opened a gate within which was a haystack.
Line 4
Underneath this she sat down and presently slept.
Line 5
[Illustration: SHE OPENED A GATE WITHIN WHICH WAS A HAYSTACK.

Learner Dictionary

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

Amid preposition US /əˈmɪd/

in the middle of; surrounded by

From this reading “Her steps became feebler, and she strained her eyes to look afar upon the naked road, now indistinct amid the penumbræ of night.”

Length noun US /leŋθ/

a period of time or extent

From this reading “At length her onward walk dwindled to the merest totter, and she opened a gate within which was a haystack.”

Look noun US /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Her steps became feebler, and she strained her eyes to look afar upon the naked road, now indistinct amid the penumbræ of night.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “For a considerable time the woman walked on.”

Underneath preposition US /ˌʌndərˈniːθ/

directly under, often hidden by what is above

From this reading “Underneath this she sat down and presently slept.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “Her steps became feebler, and she strained her eyes to look afar upon the naked road, now indistinct amid the penumbræ of night.”

Within preposition US /wɪˈðɪn/

inside; before a period of time has passed

From this reading “At length her onward walk dwindled to the merest totter, and she opened a gate within which was a haystack.”

All words in this reading · 48

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 For a considerable time the woman walked on.

afar

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

From this reading Her steps became feebler, and she strained her eyes to look afar upon the naked road, now indistinct amid the penumbræ of night.

amidprepositionUS /əˈmɪd/

in the middle of; surrounded by

From this reading Her steps became feebler, and she strained her eyes to look afar upon the naked road, now indistinct amid the penumbræ of night.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Her steps became feebler, and she strained her eyes to look afar upon the naked road, now indistinct amid the penumbræ of night.

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At length her onward walk dwindled to the merest totter, and she opened a gate within which was a haystack.

became

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

From this reading Her steps became feebler, and she strained her eyes to look afar upon the naked road, now indistinct amid the penumbræ of night.

considerable

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

From this reading For a considerable time the woman walked on.

down

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

From this reading Underneath this she sat down and presently slept.

dwindled

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

From this reading At length her onward walk dwindled to the merest totter, and she opened a gate within which was a haystack.

eyes

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

From this reading Her steps became feebler, and she strained her eyes to look afar upon the naked road, now indistinct amid the penumbræ of night.

feebler

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

From this reading Her steps became feebler, and she strained her eyes to look afar upon the naked road, now indistinct amid the penumbræ of night.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For a considerable time the woman walked on.

gate

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

From this reading At length her onward walk dwindled to the merest totter, and she opened a gate within which was a haystack.

haystack

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

From this reading At length her onward walk dwindled to the merest totter, and she opened a gate within which was a haystack.

HerdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Her steps became feebler, and she strained her eyes to look afar upon the naked road, now indistinct amid the penumbræ of night.

Illustration

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

From this reading [Illustration: SHE OPENED A GATE WITHIN WHICH WAS A HAYSTACK.

indistinct

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

From this reading Her steps became feebler, and she strained her eyes to look afar upon the naked road, now indistinct amid the penumbræ of night.

lengthnounUS /leŋθ/

a period of time or extent

From this reading At length her onward walk dwindled to the merest totter, and she opened a gate within which was a haystack.

looknounUS /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Her steps became feebler, and she strained her eyes to look afar upon the naked road, now indistinct amid the penumbræ of night.

merest

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

From this reading At length her onward walk dwindled to the merest totter, and she opened a gate within which was a haystack.

naked

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

From this reading Her steps became feebler, and she strained her eyes to look afar upon the naked road, now indistinct amid the penumbræ of night.

night

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

From this reading Her steps became feebler, and she strained her eyes to look afar upon the naked road, now indistinct amid the penumbræ of night.

now

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

From this reading Her steps became feebler, and she strained her eyes to look afar upon the naked road, now indistinct amid the penumbræ of night.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Her steps became feebler, and she strained her eyes to look afar upon the naked road, now indistinct amid the penumbræ of night.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading For a considerable time the woman walked on.

onward

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

From this reading At length her onward walk dwindled to the merest totter, and she opened a gate within which was a haystack.

opened

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

From this reading At length her onward walk dwindled to the merest totter, and she opened a gate within which was a haystack.

penumbræ

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

From this reading Her steps became feebler, and she strained her eyes to look afar upon the naked road, now indistinct amid the penumbræ of night.

presently

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

From this reading Underneath this she sat down and presently slept.

road

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

From this reading Her steps became feebler, and she strained her eyes to look afar upon the naked road, now indistinct amid the penumbræ of night.

sat

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

From this reading Underneath this she sat down and presently slept.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Her steps became feebler, and she strained her eyes to look afar upon the naked road, now indistinct amid the penumbræ of night.

slept

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

From this reading Underneath this she sat down and presently slept.

steps

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

From this reading Her steps became feebler, and she strained her eyes to look afar upon the naked road, now indistinct amid the penumbræ of night.

strained

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

From this reading Her steps became feebler, and she strained her eyes to look afar upon the naked road, now indistinct amid the penumbræ of night.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading For a considerable time the woman walked on.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading Underneath this she sat down and presently slept.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading For a considerable time the woman walked on.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Her steps became feebler, and she strained her eyes to look afar upon the naked road, now indistinct amid the penumbræ of night.

totter

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

From this reading At length her onward walk dwindled to the merest totter, and she opened a gate within which was a haystack.

UnderneathprepositionUS /ˌʌndərˈniːθ/

directly under, often hidden by what is above

From this reading Underneath this she sat down and presently slept.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Her steps became feebler, and she strained her eyes to look afar upon the naked road, now indistinct amid the penumbræ of night.

walk

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

From this reading At length her onward walk dwindled to the merest totter, and she opened a gate within which was a haystack.

walked

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

From this reading For a considerable time the woman walked on.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading At length her onward walk dwindled to the merest totter, and she opened a gate within which was a haystack.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading At length her onward walk dwindled to the merest totter, and she opened a gate within which was a haystack.

withinprepositionUS /wɪˈðɪn/

inside; before a period of time has passed

From this reading At length her onward walk dwindled to the merest totter, and she opened a gate within which was a haystack.

woman

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

From this reading For a considerable time the woman walked on.