Spring Sowing Section 2 Working in the field

Spring Sowing Section 2: Working in the field Para 21~31

Summary Martin’s grandfather came to see them sowing in the field. The sowing sight strikes a chord in his heart, he remembered his experience working in the field.

Grammatical Analysis Martin’s Grandfather, almost bent double over his thick stick, stopped in the land outside the field and groaning loudly, he leaned over the fence. Figure of speech: Exaggeration Double: adverb of degree To fold something in half

Grammatical Analysis “ God bless the work, ” he called wheezily. Wheezily: adv. with a wheeze e. g. Harry and Ron seized him under the armpits and pulled him out, while a suit of armor at the top of the stairs creaked and clanked, laughing wheezily. Wheezy: adj. 1. having a tone of a reed instrument 2. relating to breathing with a whistling sound e. g. Her sisters giggled in their room. They dangled pants and panties from their windows, hooting in high voices when boys stopped on the street below. wheezy

Grammatical Analysis “ God bless the work, ” he called wheezily Wheeze: n. 1. breathing with a husky or whistling sound 2. (Briticism) a clever or amusing scheme or trick v. breathe with difficulty e. g. 1. The old organ wheezed. ( vi. ) 2. The old man coughed badly and wheezed out a few words . ( vt. )

Grammatical Analysis “ Ha!” muttered the old man to himself. Mutter: v. 1. To speak in a low voice, especially because you are annoyed about something or you do not want people to hear you e. g. Elsa muttered something I couldn’t catch and walked off. Mutter to oneself: “ I never want to come here again, ” he muttered to himself. [+about] What are you two muttering about? 2. To complain about something or express doubts about it, but without saying clearly and openly what you think [+about] Some senators muttered darkly about the threat to national security.

Grammatical Analysis It was fifty years since he had begun with his Mary, full of hope and pride, and the merciless soil had hugged them to its bosom ever since, each spring without rest. Merciless: adj. having or showing no mercy e. g. 1. Just months before, he'd been diagnosed with Leukemia, a thing that seemed intent on doing what it came to do in a quick and merciless manner Synonym: cruel Root: mercy (n. ) Figure of speech: Personification

Grammatical Analysis And they paid no heed to him. Pay need to=pay attention to 关于pay 的短语 Pay back 偿还 报答 Pay dirt 丰富的矿藏 Pay off 还清 Pay out 付钱 Pay one’s respects 拜访

Grammatical Analysis “Ah, ” grumbled the old man, “in my young days, when men worked from morning till night tasting food…. . grumble 1 to complain about st/sb in a bad-tempered way Grumble at sb about sth Synonym: complain 2 to make a deep continuous sound Synonym: rumble e. g. 1 She is always grumbling to me about how badly she is treated at work. 2 Thunder grumbled in the distance .

Grammatical Analysis The breed is getting weaker. So it is. breed=generation The younger generation become more weaker in spring sowing.

Grammatical Analysis Then he began to cough in his chest and hobbled away to another field where his son Michael was working. Hobble 1 v. To walk with difficulty, especially because your feet or legs hurt Synonym limp 2 hobble sth to make it more difficult for sb to do sth or for sth to happen

Questions and Answers Why did the author insert the progress of Martin’s grandfather to see the spring sowing in this part? 2. “Martin’s grandfather, almost bent double over his thick stick. ” How do you understand this sentence and the function of it in this part?