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

Chapter I

Cover illustration for The Stillwater Tragedy
Context Illustration Reading 1/87 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
It is close upon daybreak.
The great wall of pines and hemlocks that keep off the west wind from Stillwater stretches black and indeterminate against the sky.
At intervals a dull, metallic sound, like the guttural twang of a violin string, rises form the frog-invested swamp skirting the highway.
Suddenly the birds stir in their nests over there in the woodland, and break into that wild jargoning chorus with which they herald the advent of a new day.
In the apple-orchards and among the plum-trees of the few gardens in Stillwater, the wrens and the robins and the blue-jays catch up the crystal crescendo, and what a melodious racket they make of it with their fifes and flutes and flageolets!
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Stillwater Tragedy

Chapter I

Reading 1/87 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
It is close upon daybreak.
Line 2
The great wall of pines and hemlocks that keep off the west wind from Stillwater stretches black and indeterminate against the sky.
Line 3
At intervals a dull, metallic sound, like the guttural twang of a violin string, rises form the frog-invested swamp skirting the highway.
Line 4
Suddenly the birds stir in their nests over there in the woodland, and break into that wild jargoning chorus with which they herald the advent of a new day.
Line 5
In the apple-orchards and among the plum-trees of the few gardens in Stillwater, the wrens and the robins and the blue-jays catch up the crystal crescendo, and what a melodious racket they make of it with their fifes and flutes and flageolets!

Learner Dictionary

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

Against preposition US /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading “The great wall of pines and hemlocks that keep off the west wind from Stillwater stretches black and indeterminate against the sky.”

Among preposition US /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading “In the apple-orchards and among the plum-trees of the few gardens in Stillwater, the wrens and the robins and the blue-jays catch up the crystal crescendo, and what a melodious racket they make of it with their fifes and flutes and flageolets!”

Chorus noun US /ˈkɔrəs/

a group singing together

From this reading “Suddenly the birds stir in their nests over there in the woodland, and break into that wild jargoning chorus with which they herald the advent of a new day.”

Great noun US /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The great wall of pines and hemlocks that keep off the west wind from Stillwater stretches black and indeterminate against the sky.”

Make noun US /make/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “In the apple-orchards and among the plum-trees of the few gardens in Stillwater, the wrens and the robins and the blue-jays catch up the crystal crescendo, and what a melodious racket they make of it with their fifes and flutes and flageolets!”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “Suddenly the birds stir in their nests over there in the woodland, and break into that wild jargoning chorus with which they herald the advent of a new day.”

Suddenly noun US /ˈsuddenly/

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

From this reading “Suddenly the birds stir in their nests over there in the woodland, and break into that wild jargoning chorus with which they herald the advent of a new day.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “It is close upon daybreak.”

Wind noun US /wind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The great wall of pines and hemlocks that keep off the west wind from Stillwater stretches black and indeterminate against the sky.”

All words in this reading · 81

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 At intervals a dull, metallic sound, like the guttural twang of a violin string, rises form the frog-invested swamp skirting the highway.

advent

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

From this reading Suddenly the birds stir in their nests over there in the woodland, and break into that wild jargoning chorus with which they herald the advent of a new day.

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading The great wall of pines and hemlocks that keep off the west wind from Stillwater stretches black and indeterminate against the sky.

amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading In the apple-orchards and among the plum-trees of the few gardens in Stillwater, the wrens and the robins and the blue-jays catch up the crystal crescendo, and what a melodious racket they make of it with their fifes and flutes and flageolets!

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The great wall of pines and hemlocks that keep off the west wind from Stillwater stretches black and indeterminate against the sky.

apple-orchards

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

From this reading In the apple-orchards and among the plum-trees of the few gardens in Stillwater, the wrens and the robins and the blue-jays catch up the crystal crescendo, and what a melodious racket they make of it with their fifes and flutes and flageolets!

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At intervals a dull, metallic sound, like the guttural twang of a violin string, rises form the frog-invested swamp skirting the highway.

birds

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

From this reading Suddenly the birds stir in their nests over there in the woodland, and break into that wild jargoning chorus with which they herald the advent of a new day.

black

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

From this reading The great wall of pines and hemlocks that keep off the west wind from Stillwater stretches black and indeterminate against the sky.

blue-jays

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

From this reading In the apple-orchards and among the plum-trees of the few gardens in Stillwater, the wrens and the robins and the blue-jays catch up the crystal crescendo, and what a melodious racket they make of it with their fifes and flutes and flageolets!

break

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

From this reading Suddenly the birds stir in their nests over there in the woodland, and break into that wild jargoning chorus with which they herald the advent of a new day.

catch

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

From this reading In the apple-orchards and among the plum-trees of the few gardens in Stillwater, the wrens and the robins and the blue-jays catch up the crystal crescendo, and what a melodious racket they make of it with their fifes and flutes and flageolets!

chorusnounUS /ˈkɔrəs/

a group singing together

From this reading Suddenly the birds stir in their nests over there in the woodland, and break into that wild jargoning chorus with which they herald the advent of a new day.

close

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

From this reading It is close upon daybreak.

crescendo

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

From this reading In the apple-orchards and among the plum-trees of the few gardens in Stillwater, the wrens and the robins and the blue-jays catch up the crystal crescendo, and what a melodious racket they make of it with their fifes and flutes and flageolets!

crystal

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

From this reading In the apple-orchards and among the plum-trees of the few gardens in Stillwater, the wrens and the robins and the blue-jays catch up the crystal crescendo, and what a melodious racket they make of it with their fifes and flutes and flageolets!

day

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

From this reading Suddenly the birds stir in their nests over there in the woodland, and break into that wild jargoning chorus with which they herald the advent of a new day.

daybreak

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

From this reading It is close upon daybreak.

dull

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

From this reading At intervals a dull, metallic sound, like the guttural twang of a violin string, rises form the frog-invested swamp skirting the highway.

few

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

From this reading In the apple-orchards and among the plum-trees of the few gardens in Stillwater, the wrens and the robins and the blue-jays catch up the crystal crescendo, and what a melodious racket they make of it with their fifes and flutes and flageolets!

fifes

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

From this reading In the apple-orchards and among the plum-trees of the few gardens in Stillwater, the wrens and the robins and the blue-jays catch up the crystal crescendo, and what a melodious racket they make of it with their fifes and flutes and flageolets!

flageolets

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

From this reading In the apple-orchards and among the plum-trees of the few gardens in Stillwater, the wrens and the robins and the blue-jays catch up the crystal crescendo, and what a melodious racket they make of it with their fifes and flutes and flageolets!

flutes

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

From this reading In the apple-orchards and among the plum-trees of the few gardens in Stillwater, the wrens and the robins and the blue-jays catch up the crystal crescendo, and what a melodious racket they make of it with their fifes and flutes and flageolets!

form

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

From this reading At intervals a dull, metallic sound, like the guttural twang of a violin string, rises form the frog-invested swamp skirting the highway.

frog-invested

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

From this reading At intervals a dull, metallic sound, like the guttural twang of a violin string, rises form the frog-invested swamp skirting the highway.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The great wall of pines and hemlocks that keep off the west wind from Stillwater stretches black and indeterminate against the sky.

gardens

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

From this reading In the apple-orchards and among the plum-trees of the few gardens in Stillwater, the wrens and the robins and the blue-jays catch up the crystal crescendo, and what a melodious racket they make of it with their fifes and flutes and flageolets!

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The great wall of pines and hemlocks that keep off the west wind from Stillwater stretches black and indeterminate against the sky.

guttural

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

From this reading At intervals a dull, metallic sound, like the guttural twang of a violin string, rises form the frog-invested swamp skirting the highway.

hemlocks

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

From this reading The great wall of pines and hemlocks that keep off the west wind from Stillwater stretches black and indeterminate against the sky.

herald

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

From this reading Suddenly the birds stir in their nests over there in the woodland, and break into that wild jargoning chorus with which they herald the advent of a new day.

highway

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

From this reading At intervals a dull, metallic sound, like the guttural twang of a violin string, rises form the frog-invested swamp skirting the highway.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Suddenly the birds stir in their nests over there in the woodland, and break into that wild jargoning chorus with which they herald the advent of a new day.

indeterminate

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

From this reading The great wall of pines and hemlocks that keep off the west wind from Stillwater stretches black and indeterminate against the sky.

intervals

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

From this reading At intervals a dull, metallic sound, like the guttural twang of a violin string, rises form the frog-invested swamp skirting the highway.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Suddenly the birds stir in their nests over there in the woodland, and break into that wild jargoning chorus with which they herald the advent of a new day.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading It is close upon daybreak.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It is close upon daybreak.

jargoning

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

From this reading Suddenly the birds stir in their nests over there in the woodland, and break into that wild jargoning chorus with which they herald the advent of a new day.

keep

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

From this reading The great wall of pines and hemlocks that keep off the west wind from Stillwater stretches black and indeterminate against the sky.

like

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

From this reading At intervals a dull, metallic sound, like the guttural twang of a violin string, rises form the frog-invested swamp skirting the highway.

makenounUS /make/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading In the apple-orchards and among the plum-trees of the few gardens in Stillwater, the wrens and the robins and the blue-jays catch up the crystal crescendo, and what a melodious racket they make of it with their fifes and flutes and flageolets!

melodious

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

From this reading In the apple-orchards and among the plum-trees of the few gardens in Stillwater, the wrens and the robins and the blue-jays catch up the crystal crescendo, and what a melodious racket they make of it with their fifes and flutes and flageolets!

metallic

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

From this reading At intervals a dull, metallic sound, like the guttural twang of a violin string, rises form the frog-invested swamp skirting the highway.

nests

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

From this reading Suddenly the birds stir in their nests over there in the woodland, and break into that wild jargoning chorus with which they herald the advent of a new day.

new

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

From this reading Suddenly the birds stir in their nests over there in the woodland, and break into that wild jargoning chorus with which they herald the advent of a new day.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The great wall of pines and hemlocks that keep off the west wind from Stillwater stretches black and indeterminate against the sky.

off

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

From this reading The great wall of pines and hemlocks that keep off the west wind from Stillwater stretches black and indeterminate against the sky.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Suddenly the birds stir in their nests over there in the woodland, and break into that wild jargoning chorus with which they herald the advent of a new day.

pines

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

From this reading The great wall of pines and hemlocks that keep off the west wind from Stillwater stretches black and indeterminate against the sky.

plum-trees

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

From this reading In the apple-orchards and among the plum-trees of the few gardens in Stillwater, the wrens and the robins and the blue-jays catch up the crystal crescendo, and what a melodious racket they make of it with their fifes and flutes and flageolets!

racket

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

From this reading In the apple-orchards and among the plum-trees of the few gardens in Stillwater, the wrens and the robins and the blue-jays catch up the crystal crescendo, and what a melodious racket they make of it with their fifes and flutes and flageolets!

rises

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

From this reading At intervals a dull, metallic sound, like the guttural twang of a violin string, rises form the frog-invested swamp skirting the highway.

robins

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

From this reading In the apple-orchards and among the plum-trees of the few gardens in Stillwater, the wrens and the robins and the blue-jays catch up the crystal crescendo, and what a melodious racket they make of it with their fifes and flutes and flageolets!

skirting

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

From this reading At intervals a dull, metallic sound, like the guttural twang of a violin string, rises form the frog-invested swamp skirting the highway.

sky

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

From this reading The great wall of pines and hemlocks that keep off the west wind from Stillwater stretches black and indeterminate against the sky.

sound

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

From this reading At intervals a dull, metallic sound, like the guttural twang of a violin string, rises form the frog-invested swamp skirting the highway.

Stillwater

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

From this reading The great wall of pines and hemlocks that keep off the west wind from Stillwater stretches black and indeterminate against the sky.

stir

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

From this reading Suddenly the birds stir in their nests over there in the woodland, and break into that wild jargoning chorus with which they herald the advent of a new day.

stretches

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

From this reading The great wall of pines and hemlocks that keep off the west wind from Stillwater stretches black and indeterminate against the sky.

string

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

From this reading At intervals a dull, metallic sound, like the guttural twang of a violin string, rises form the frog-invested swamp skirting the highway.

SuddenlynounUS /ˈsuddenly/

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

From this reading Suddenly the birds stir in their nests over there in the woodland, and break into that wild jargoning chorus with which they herald the advent of a new day.

swamp

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

From this reading At intervals a dull, metallic sound, like the guttural twang of a violin string, rises form the frog-invested swamp skirting the highway.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The great wall of pines and hemlocks that keep off the west wind from Stillwater stretches black and indeterminate against the sky.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The great wall of pines and hemlocks that keep off the west wind from Stillwater stretches black and indeterminate against the sky.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Suddenly the birds stir in their nests over there in the woodland, and break into that wild jargoning chorus with which they herald the advent of a new day.

there

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

From this reading Suddenly the birds stir in their nests over there in the woodland, and break into that wild jargoning chorus with which they herald the advent of a new day.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading Suddenly the birds stir in their nests over there in the woodland, and break into that wild jargoning chorus with which they herald the advent of a new day.

twang

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

From this reading At intervals a dull, metallic sound, like the guttural twang of a violin string, rises form the frog-invested swamp skirting the highway.

up

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

From this reading In the apple-orchards and among the plum-trees of the few gardens in Stillwater, the wrens and the robins and the blue-jays catch up the crystal crescendo, and what a melodious racket they make of it with their fifes and flutes and flageolets!

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading It is close upon daybreak.

violin

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

From this reading At intervals a dull, metallic sound, like the guttural twang of a violin string, rises form the frog-invested swamp skirting the highway.

wall

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

From this reading The great wall of pines and hemlocks that keep off the west wind from Stillwater stretches black and indeterminate against the sky.

west

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

From this reading The great wall of pines and hemlocks that keep off the west wind from Stillwater stretches black and indeterminate against the sky.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading In the apple-orchards and among the plum-trees of the few gardens in Stillwater, the wrens and the robins and the blue-jays catch up the crystal crescendo, and what a melodious racket they make of it with their fifes and flutes and flageolets!

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading Suddenly the birds stir in their nests over there in the woodland, and break into that wild jargoning chorus with which they herald the advent of a new day.

wild

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

From this reading Suddenly the birds stir in their nests over there in the woodland, and break into that wild jargoning chorus with which they herald the advent of a new day.

windnounUS /wind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The great wall of pines and hemlocks that keep off the west wind from Stillwater stretches black and indeterminate against the sky.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Suddenly the birds stir in their nests over there in the woodland, and break into that wild jargoning chorus with which they herald the advent of a new day.

woodland

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

From this reading Suddenly the birds stir in their nests over there in the woodland, and break into that wild jargoning chorus with which they herald the advent of a new day.

wrens

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

From this reading In the apple-orchards and among the plum-trees of the few gardens in Stillwater, the wrens and the robins and the blue-jays catch up the crystal crescendo, and what a melodious racket they make of it with their fifes and flutes and flageolets!