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The Ranch at the Wolverine
The Ranch at the Wolverine

Chapter VII

Cover illustration for The Ranch at the Wolverine
Context Illustration Reading 1/38 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
WARD HUNTS WOLVES The fate of the four heifer calves became permanently wrapped in the blank fog of mystery.
Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.
Charlie Fox insisted upon keeping to the theory that they had merely strayed.
Marthy grumbled sometimes over the loss, and Ward--well, Ward did not put in an appearance again that fall or winter and so did not hear of the incident.
November brought a long, tiresome storm of snow and sleet and chill winds, which even the beasts would not face, except when they were forced.
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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.

The Ranch at the Wolverine

Chapter VII

Reading 1/38 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
WARD HUNTS WOLVES The fate of the four heifer calves became permanently wrapped in the blank fog of mystery.
Line 2
Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.
Line 3
Charlie Fox insisted upon keeping to the theory that they had merely strayed.
Line 4
Marthy grumbled sometimes over the loss, and Ward--well, Ward did not put in an appearance again that fall or winter and so did not hear of the incident.
Line 5
November brought a long, tiresome storm of snow and sleet and chill winds, which even the beasts would not face, except when they were forced.

Learner Dictionary

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

Again noun US /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Marthy grumbled sometimes over the loss, and Ward--well, Ward did not put in an appearance again that fall or winter and so did not hear of the incident.”

Appearance noun US /ˈappearance/

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

From this reading “Marthy grumbled sometimes over the loss, and Ward--well, Ward did not put in an appearance again that fall or winter and so did not hear of the incident.”

Brought noun US /ˈbrought/

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

From this reading “November brought a long, tiresome storm of snow and sleet and chill winds, which even the beasts would not face, except when they were forced.”

Even noun US /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “November brought a long, tiresome storm of snow and sleet and chill winds, which even the beasts would not face, except when they were forced.”

Except preposition US /ɪkˈsept/

apart from; not including

From this reading “November brought a long, tiresome storm of snow and sleet and chill winds, which even the beasts would not face, except when they were forced.”

Good noun US /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.”

Hear noun US /hear/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Marthy grumbled sometimes over the loss, and Ward--well, Ward did not put in an appearance again that fall or winter and so did not hear of the incident.”

Insisted verb US /ɪnˈsɪstɪd/

demanded something firmly

From this reading “Charlie Fox insisted upon keeping to the theory that they had merely strayed.”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “November brought a long, tiresome storm of snow and sleet and chill winds, which even the beasts would not face, except when they were forced.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.”

Sometimes noun US /sometimes/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Marthy grumbled sometimes over the loss, and Ward--well, Ward did not put in an appearance again that fall or winter and so did not hear of the incident.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “Charlie Fox insisted upon keeping to the theory that they had merely strayed.”

Well noun US /well/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Marthy grumbled sometimes over the loss, and Ward--well, Ward did not put in an appearance again that fall or winter and so did not hear of the incident.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “November brought a long, tiresome storm of snow and sleet and chill winds, which even the beasts would not face, except when they were forced.”

All words in this reading · 87

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 Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.

againnounUS /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Marthy grumbled sometimes over the loss, and Ward--well, Ward did not put in an appearance again that fall or winter and so did not hear of the incident.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Marthy grumbled sometimes over the loss, and Ward--well, Ward did not put in an appearance again that fall or winter and so did not hear of the incident.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.

appearancenounUS /ˈappearance/

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

From this reading Marthy grumbled sometimes over the loss, and Ward--well, Ward did not put in an appearance again that fall or winter and so did not hear of the incident.

beasts

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

From this reading November brought a long, tiresome storm of snow and sleet and chill winds, which even the beasts would not face, except when they were forced.

became

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

From this reading WARD HUNTS WOLVES The fate of the four heifer calves became permanently wrapped in the blank fog of mystery.

Billy

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

From this reading Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.

blank

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

From this reading WARD HUNTS WOLVES The fate of the four heifer calves became permanently wrapped in the blank fog of mystery.

broughtnounUS /ˈbrought/

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

From this reading November brought a long, tiresome storm of snow and sleet and chill winds, which even the beasts would not face, except when they were forced.

calves

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

From this reading WARD HUNTS WOLVES The fate of the four heifer calves became permanently wrapped in the blank fog of mystery.

Charlie

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

From this reading Charlie Fox insisted upon keeping to the theory that they had merely strayed.

chill

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

From this reading November brought a long, tiresome storm of snow and sleet and chill winds, which even the beasts would not face, except when they were forced.

deal

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

From this reading Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading Marthy grumbled sometimes over the loss, and Ward--well, Ward did not put in an appearance again that fall or winter and so did not hear of the incident.

disappearance

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

From this reading Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.

dreaming

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

From this reading Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.

evennounUS /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading November brought a long, tiresome storm of snow and sleet and chill winds, which even the beasts would not face, except when they were forced.

exceptprepositionUS /ɪkˈsept/

apart from; not including

From this reading November brought a long, tiresome storm of snow and sleet and chill winds, which even the beasts would not face, except when they were forced.

face

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

From this reading November brought a long, tiresome storm of snow and sleet and chill winds, which even the beasts would not face, except when they were forced.

fall

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

From this reading Marthy grumbled sometimes over the loss, and Ward--well, Ward did not put in an appearance again that fall or winter and so did not hear of the incident.

fate

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

From this reading WARD HUNTS WOLVES The fate of the four heifer calves became permanently wrapped in the blank fog of mystery.

fog

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

From this reading WARD HUNTS WOLVES The fate of the four heifer calves became permanently wrapped in the blank fog of mystery.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.

forced

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

From this reading November brought a long, tiresome storm of snow and sleet and chill winds, which even the beasts would not face, except when they were forced.

four

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

From this reading WARD HUNTS WOLVES The fate of the four heifer calves became permanently wrapped in the blank fog of mystery.

Fox

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

From this reading Charlie Fox insisted upon keeping to the theory that they had merely strayed.

given

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

From this reading Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.

goodnounUS /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.

grumbled

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

From this reading Marthy grumbled sometimes over the loss, and Ward--well, Ward did not put in an appearance again that fall or winter and so did not hear of the incident.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Charlie Fox insisted upon keeping to the theory that they had merely strayed.

hearnounUS /hear/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Marthy grumbled sometimes over the loss, and Ward--well, Ward did not put in an appearance again that fall or winter and so did not hear of the incident.

heifer

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

From this reading WARD HUNTS WOLVES The fate of the four heifer calves became permanently wrapped in the blank fog of mystery.

heretofore

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

From this reading Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.

hills

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

From this reading Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.

HUNTS

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

From this reading WARD HUNTS WOLVES The fate of the four heifer calves became permanently wrapped in the blank fog of mystery.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading WARD HUNTS WOLVES The fate of the four heifer calves became permanently wrapped in the blank fog of mystery.

incident

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

From this reading Marthy grumbled sometimes over the loss, and Ward--well, Ward did not put in an appearance again that fall or winter and so did not hear of the incident.

insistedverbUS /ɪnˈsɪstɪd/

demanded something firmly

From this reading Charlie Fox insisted upon keeping to the theory that they had merely strayed.

keeping

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

From this reading Charlie Fox insisted upon keeping to the theory that they had merely strayed.

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading November brought a long, tiresome storm of snow and sleet and chill winds, which even the beasts would not face, except when they were forced.

loss

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

From this reading Marthy grumbled sometimes over the loss, and Ward--well, Ward did not put in an appearance again that fall or winter and so did not hear of the incident.

Louise

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

From this reading Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.

Marthy

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

From this reading Marthy grumbled sometimes over the loss, and Ward--well, Ward did not put in an appearance again that fall or winter and so did not hear of the incident.

merely

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

From this reading Charlie Fox insisted upon keeping to the theory that they had merely strayed.

mystery

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

From this reading WARD HUNTS WOLVES The fate of the four heifer calves became permanently wrapped in the blank fog of mystery.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Marthy grumbled sometimes over the loss, and Ward--well, Ward did not put in an appearance again that fall or winter and so did not hear of the incident.

November

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

From this reading November brought a long, tiresome storm of snow and sleet and chill winds, which even the beasts would not face, except when they were forced.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading WARD HUNTS WOLVES The fate of the four heifer calves became permanently wrapped in the blank fog of mystery.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Marthy grumbled sometimes over the loss, and Ward--well, Ward did not put in an appearance again that fall or winter and so did not hear of the incident.

out

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

From this reading Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.

permanently

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

From this reading WARD HUNTS WOLVES The fate of the four heifer calves became permanently wrapped in the blank fog of mystery.

put

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

From this reading Marthy grumbled sometimes over the loss, and Ward--well, Ward did not put in an appearance again that fall or winter and so did not hear of the incident.

riddle

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

From this reading Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.

rode

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

From this reading Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.

sleet

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

From this reading November brought a long, tiresome storm of snow and sleet and chill winds, which even the beasts would not face, except when they were forced.

snow

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

From this reading November brought a long, tiresome storm of snow and sleet and chill winds, which even the beasts would not face, except when they were forced.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Marthy grumbled sometimes over the loss, and Ward--well, Ward did not put in an appearance again that fall or winter and so did not hear of the incident.

solve

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

From this reading Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.

sometimes

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

From this reading Marthy grumbled sometimes over the loss, and Ward--well, Ward did not put in an appearance again that fall or winter and so did not hear of the incident.

spent

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

From this reading Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.

storm

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

From this reading November brought a long, tiresome storm of snow and sleet and chill winds, which even the beasts would not face, except when they were forced.

strayed

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

From this reading Charlie Fox insisted upon keeping to the theory that they had merely strayed.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Charlie Fox insisted upon keeping to the theory that they had merely strayed.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading WARD HUNTS WOLVES The fate of the four heifer calves became permanently wrapped in the blank fog of mystery.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.

theory

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

From this reading Charlie Fox insisted upon keeping to the theory that they had merely strayed.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Charlie Fox insisted upon keeping to the theory that they had merely strayed.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.

tiresome

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

From this reading November brought a long, tiresome storm of snow and sleet and chill winds, which even the beasts would not face, except when they were forced.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.

trying

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

From this reading Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Charlie Fox insisted upon keeping to the theory that they had merely strayed.

WARD

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

From this reading WARD HUNTS WOLVES The fate of the four heifer calves became permanently wrapped in the blank fog of mystery.

watched

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

From this reading Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.

well

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

From this reading Marthy grumbled sometimes over the loss, and Ward--well, Ward did not put in an appearance again that fall or winter and so did not hear of the incident.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading November brought a long, tiresome storm of snow and sleet and chill winds, which even the beasts would not face, except when they were forced.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Billy Louise watched for them when she rode out in the hills, and spent a good deal of time heretofore given over to dreaming in trying to solve the riddle of their disappearance.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading November brought a long, tiresome storm of snow and sleet and chill winds, which even the beasts would not face, except when they were forced.

winds

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

From this reading November brought a long, tiresome storm of snow and sleet and chill winds, which even the beasts would not face, except when they were forced.

winter

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

From this reading Marthy grumbled sometimes over the loss, and Ward--well, Ward did not put in an appearance again that fall or winter and so did not hear of the incident.

WOLVES

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

From this reading WARD HUNTS WOLVES The fate of the four heifer calves became permanently wrapped in the blank fog of mystery.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading November brought a long, tiresome storm of snow and sleet and chill winds, which even the beasts would not face, except when they were forced.

wrapped

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

From this reading WARD HUNTS WOLVES The fate of the four heifer calves became permanently wrapped in the blank fog of mystery.