--- title: The Wind in the Willows, chapter I, part 4: The River Bank (the Mole grabs the oars, the boat goes over, and a friendship begins) — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «The Wind in the Willows, chapter I, part 4: The River Bank (the Mole grabs the oars, the boat goes over, and a friendship begins)», a lesson of the books course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: Rowing home in the evening sun, the Rat is --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/) / [Books](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/) / The Wind in the Willows, chapter I, pa… # The Wind in the Willows, chapter I, part 4: The River Bank (the Mole grabs the oars, the boat goes over, and a friendship begins) Lesson 28 of the books course of Mova's primary school: 31 sentences, each with its syntax tree and pragmatics. The lessons are written for Mova, and their agreed trees are part of Mova corpus 0.4 (CC BY-SA 4.0). How Mova does on its tests: [the lesson at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/0/) — Rowing home in the evening sun, the Rat is murmuring poetry to himself. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/1/) — The Mole, full of lunch and pride, thinks rowing looks easy. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/3/) — But the Mole gets jealous, jumps up, grabs the oars — and knocks the Rat off his seat, legs in the air for the second time that day. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/4/) — The Mole digs at the water, misses it completely, flips over onto the Rat, grabs the side — and Sploosh! - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/5/) — The boat turns over. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/6/) — The water is freezing; the Mole sinks, comes up spluttering, sinks again — until a firm paw grabs his neck. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/7/) — The Rat is laughing as he pushes him to shore with the oars under his arms. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/8/) — The Mole has to trot up and down to dry himself while the Rat rescues the boat and dives for the picnic basket. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/10/) — The Rat just says «What's a little wet to a Water Rat?» and invites him to come and live with him, and promises to teach him to row and swim. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/11/) — The Mole is so touched he cries a little, and the Rat kindly looks the other way. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/12/) — At home there's a warm fire, a dressing-gown and slippers, river stories till supper, and the best bedroom with the River lapping at the window. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/13/) — That was only the first of many happy summer days. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/14/) — The Mole learns to row and swim, and, with his ear to the reeds, begins to hear what the wind is whispering in them — the «wind in the willows» of the book's title. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/16/) — Please, I want to row, now!» — «Not yet, my young friend ... wait till you've had a few lessons. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/17/) — It's not so easy as it looks.» - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/19/) — «Stop it, you silly ass!» cried the Rat. - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/20/) — «You can't do it! - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/21/) — You'll have us over!» - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/22/) — The Mole «missed the surface altogether»; he grabbed the side of the boat, «and the next moment—Sploosh! - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/24/) — «a firm paw gripped him by the back of his neck. - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/25/) — It was the Rat, and he was evidently laughing—the Mole could feel him laughing, right down his arm and through his paw». - [27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/27/) — «Trot up and down the towing-path as hard as you can, till you're warm and dry again, while I dive for the luncheon-basket.» (a towing-path is a path along a river where horses once pulled boats) - [28](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/28/) — The Mole's apology: «I am very sorry indeed for my foolish and ungrateful conduct ... - [30](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/30/) — The Rat: «That's all right, bless you! - [31](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/31/) — What's a little wet to a Water Rat? ... - [32](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/32/) — I really think you had better come and stop with me for a little time ... - [33](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/33/) — And I'll teach you to row, and to swim». («stop with me» = stay with me) - [34](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/34/) — The Mole «had to brush away a tear or two with the back of his paw. - [35](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/35/) — But the Rat kindly looked in another direction». - [38](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/38/) — The chapter ends: «with his ear to the reed-stems he caught, at intervals, something of what the wind went whispering so constantly among them.» - [40](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/40/) — Talk in this lesson: «nesh» (North / Midlands England) = feels the cold easily; «our kid» = my brother or sister; «salty» = bitter, annoyed; «chur» (New Zealand) = thanks; «dreich» (Scotland) = grey and wet; «I'm dead» = that's so funny. - ← previous: [The Wind in the Willows, chapter I, part 3: The River Bank (the Otter, a glimpse of Badger, and Toad in his new boat)](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/27-willows-ch1-part3-otter-badger-and-toad/) - next →: [The Wind in the Willows, chapter II, part 1: The Open Road (the Ducks' Ditty, and a visit to Toad Hall)](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/) - ↑ back to [Books](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/)