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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 In the heart of the forest land in which Hilda’s abode was situated, a gloomy pool reflected upon its stagnant waters the still shadows of the autumnal foliage.
abode
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From this reading In the heart of the forest land in which Hilda’s abode was situated, a gloomy pool reflected upon its stagnant waters the still shadows of the autumnal foliage.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
age
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From this reading The trees thus assumed all manner of crooked, deformed, fantastic shapes--all betokening age, and all decay--all, in despite of the noiseless solitude around, proclaiming the waste and ravages of man.
all
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From this reading The trees thus assumed all manner of crooked, deformed, fantastic shapes--all betokening age, and all decay--all, in despite of the noiseless solitude around, proclaiming the waste and ravages of man.
ancientadjectiveUS /ˈeɪn.ʃənt/
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
antiquity
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From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
antlers
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From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading The trees thus assumed all manner of crooked, deformed, fantastic shapes--all betokening age, and all decay--all, in despite of the noiseless solitude around, proclaiming the waste and ravages of man.
AsconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
assumed
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From this reading The trees thus assumed all manner of crooked, deformed, fantastic shapes--all betokening age, and all decay--all, in despite of the noiseless solitude around, proclaiming the waste and ravages of man.
autumnal
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From this reading In the heart of the forest land in which Hilda’s abode was situated, a gloomy pool reflected upon its stagnant waters the still shadows of the autumnal foliage.
axe
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From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
bat
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
beeches
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From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
betokening
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From this reading The trees thus assumed all manner of crooked, deformed, fantastic shapes--all betokening age, and all decay--all, in despite of the noiseless solitude around, proclaiming the waste and ravages of man.
boles
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From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
boughs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
branchlets
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
brightest
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From this reading The time was that of the first watches of night, when the autumnal moon was brightest and broadest.
broadest
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From this reading The time was that of the first watches of night, when the autumnal moon was brightest and broadest.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
canker-stains
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From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
centred
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From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
chase
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From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
common
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From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
conies
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From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
couch
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From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
covered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
crooked
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From this reading The trees thus assumed all manner of crooked, deformed, fantastic shapes--all betokening age, and all decay--all, in despite of the noiseless solitude around, proclaiming the waste and ravages of man.
decay
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From this reading The trees thus assumed all manner of crooked, deformed, fantastic shapes--all betokening age, and all decay--all, in despite of the noiseless solitude around, proclaiming the waste and ravages of man.
deer
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
deformed
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From this reading The trees thus assumed all manner of crooked, deformed, fantastic shapes--all betokening age, and all decay--all, in despite of the noiseless solitude around, proclaiming the waste and ravages of man.
despiteprepositionUS /dɪˈspaɪt/
although something is true; in spite of
From this reading The trees thus assumed all manner of crooked, deformed, fantastic shapes--all betokening age, and all decay--all, in despite of the noiseless solitude around, proclaiming the waste and ravages of man.
distorted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
dwarfed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
eitherdeterminerUS /ˈiːðər/
one or the other of two
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
fantastic
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From this reading The trees thus assumed all manner of crooked, deformed, fantastic shapes--all betokening age, and all decay--all, in despite of the noiseless solitude around, proclaiming the waste and ravages of man.
feeble
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From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
feed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
fern
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
firstnounUS /first/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The time was that of the first watches of night, when the autumnal moon was brightest and broadest.
foliage
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From this reading In the heart of the forest land in which Hilda’s abode was situated, a gloomy pool reflected upon its stagnant waters the still shadows of the autumnal foliage.
forest
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the heart of the forest land in which Hilda’s abode was situated, a gloomy pool reflected upon its stagnant waters the still shadows of the autumnal foliage.
forests
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
forth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
girth
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From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
glades
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
gloomy
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From this reading In the heart of the forest land in which Hilda’s abode was situated, a gloomy pool reflected upon its stagnant waters the still shadows of the autumnal foliage.
gnarled
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From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
hares
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
heart
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the heart of the forest land in which Hilda’s abode was situated, a gloomy pool reflected upon its stagnant waters the still shadows of the autumnal foliage.
height
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
Hilda's
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From this reading In the heart of the forest land in which Hilda’s abode was situated, a gloomy pool reflected upon its stagnant waters the still shadows of the autumnal foliage.
hollow
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
InprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the heart of the forest land in which Hilda’s abode was situated, a gloomy pool reflected upon its stagnant waters the still shadows of the autumnal foliage.
innumerable
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading In the heart of the forest land in which Hilda’s abode was situated, a gloomy pool reflected upon its stagnant waters the still shadows of the autumnal foliage.
ivy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
land
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the heart of the forest land in which Hilda’s abode was situated, a gloomy pool reflected upon its stagnant waters the still shadows of the autumnal foliage.
lifenounUS /life/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
limb
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
lingering
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
loppings
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
low
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From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
made
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From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
man
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The trees thus assumed all manner of crooked, deformed, fantastic shapes--all betokening age, and all decay--all, in despite of the noiseless solitude around, proclaiming the waste and ravages of man.
manner
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The trees thus assumed all manner of crooked, deformed, fantastic shapes--all betokening age, and all decay--all, in despite of the noiseless solitude around, proclaiming the waste and ravages of man.
men's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
moon
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The time was that of the first watches of night, when the autumnal moon was brightest and broadest.
mosses
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From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
most
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
moth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
moving
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
mutilatedadjectiveUS /ˈmjuːtəleɪtɪd/
badly damaged or missing part of the body
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
nearer
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
neighbourhood
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
night
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The time was that of the first watches of night, when the autumnal moon was brightest and broadest.
noiseless
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The trees thus assumed all manner of crooked, deformed, fantastic shapes--all betokening age, and all decay--all, in despite of the noiseless solitude around, proclaiming the waste and ravages of man.
now
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
oaks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In the heart of the forest land in which Hilda’s abode was situated, a gloomy pool reflected upon its stagnant waters the still shadows of the autumnal foliage.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
opposite
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
pollard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
pool
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the heart of the forest land in which Hilda’s abode was situated, a gloomy pool reflected upon its stagnant waters the still shadows of the autumnal foliage.
proclaiming
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From this reading The trees thus assumed all manner of crooked, deformed, fantastic shapes--all betokening age, and all decay--all, in despite of the noiseless solitude around, proclaiming the waste and ravages of man.
put
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
ravages
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The trees thus assumed all manner of crooked, deformed, fantastic shapes--all betokening age, and all decay--all, in despite of the noiseless solitude around, proclaiming the waste and ravages of man.
reflected
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the heart of the forest land in which Hilda’s abode was situated, a gloomy pool reflected upon its stagnant waters the still shadows of the autumnal foliage.
remote
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
repeatednounUS /repeated/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
restlessly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
see
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
shadows
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the heart of the forest land in which Hilda’s abode was situated, a gloomy pool reflected upon its stagnant waters the still shadows of the autumnal foliage.
shapes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The trees thus assumed all manner of crooked, deformed, fantastic shapes--all betokening age, and all decay--all, in despite of the noiseless solitude around, proclaiming the waste and ravages of man.
side
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
situated
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the heart of the forest land in which Hilda’s abode was situated, a gloomy pool reflected upon its stagnant waters the still shadows of the autumnal foliage.
solitary
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
solitude
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The trees thus assumed all manner of crooked, deformed, fantastic shapes--all betokening age, and all decay--all, in despite of the noiseless solitude around, proclaiming the waste and ravages of man.
some
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
spared
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
spoke
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
sport
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
sprang
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
stagnant
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the heart of the forest land in which Hilda’s abode was situated, a gloomy pool reflected upon its stagnant waters the still shadows of the autumnal foliage.
stealing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
stillnounUS /still/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading In the heart of the forest land in which Hilda’s abode was situated, a gloomy pool reflected upon its stagnant waters the still shadows of the autumnal foliage.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The time was that of the first watches of night, when the autumnal moon was brightest and broadest.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In the heart of the forest land in which Hilda’s abode was situated, a gloomy pool reflected upon its stagnant waters the still shadows of the autumnal foliage.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
then
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
thinadjectiveUS /θɪn/
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
throughnounUS /ˈthrough/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
thus
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The trees thus assumed all manner of crooked, deformed, fantastic shapes--all betokening age, and all decay--all, in despite of the noiseless solitude around, proclaiming the waste and ravages of man.
timenounUS /time/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The time was that of the first watches of night, when the autumnal moon was brightest and broadest.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
trees
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
trunks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading In the heart of the forest land in which Hilda’s abode was situated, a gloomy pool reflected upon its stagnant waters the still shadows of the autumnal foliage.
vast
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
wants
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In the heart of the forest land in which Hilda’s abode was situated, a gloomy pool reflected upon its stagnant waters the still shadows of the autumnal foliage.
wastenounUS /weɪst/
an empty, uncultivated area of land
From this reading The trees thus assumed all manner of crooked, deformed, fantastic shapes--all betokening age, and all decay--all, in despite of the noiseless solitude around, proclaiming the waste and ravages of man.
watches
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The time was that of the first watches of night, when the autumnal moon was brightest and broadest.
waters
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the heart of the forest land in which Hilda’s abode was situated, a gloomy pool reflected upon its stagnant waters the still shadows of the autumnal foliage.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
wheelingnounUS /ˈwheeling/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
whenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading The time was that of the first watches of night, when the autumnal moon was brightest and broadest.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading In the heart of the forest land in which Hilda’s abode was situated, a gloomy pool reflected upon its stagnant waters the still shadows of the autumnal foliage.
whitening
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
woodman's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
wreaths
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As is common in ancient forests in the neighbourhood of men’s wants, the trees were dwarfed in height by repeated loppings, and the boughs sprang from the hollow, gnarled boles of pollard oaks and beeches; the trunks, vast in girth, and covered with mosses and whitening canker-stains, or wreaths of ivy, spoke of the most remote antiquity: but the boughs which their lingering and mutilated life put forth, were either thin and feeble with innumerable branchlets, or were centred on some solitary distorted limb which the woodman’s axe had spared.
YoupronounUS /juː/
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You might see, on the opposite side of the pool, the antlers of the deer every now and then, moving restlessly above the fern in which they had made their couch; and, through the nearer glades, the hares and conies stealing forth to sport or to feed; or the bat wheeling low, in chase of the forest moth.
