--- title: The Wind in the Willows, chapter II, part 1: The Open Road (the Ducks' Ditty, and a visit to Toad Hall) — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «The Wind in the Willows, chapter II, part 1: The Open Road (the Ducks' Ditty, and a visit to Toad Hall)», a lesson of the books course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: One bright summer morning the Rat has been swimming with the ducks, --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/) [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 II, p… # The Wind in the Willows, chapter II, part 1: The Open Road (the Ducks' Ditty, and a visit to Toad Hall) Lesson 29 of the books course of Mova's primary school: 30 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/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/0/) — One bright summer morning the Rat has been swimming with the ducks, tickling their necks whenever they stand on their heads underwater, until they beg him to go away. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/1/) — So he sits on the bank and makes up a little song about them, «Ducks' Ditty». - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/2/) — The Mole, who is honest and no poet, says he doesn't think much of it. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/3/) — The ducks don't either, laughs the Rat — they say it's nonsense to sit on banks making poems about other people. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/4/) — Then the Mole asks the favour he's been waiting to ask: will the Rat take him to meet Mr. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/5/) — Of course! says the Rat. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/6/) — Toad is always glad to see you and always sorry when you go. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/7/) — He's kind and good-natured — though perhaps not very clever, and rather boastful and conceited. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/8/) — Round a bend they see Toad Hall: a grand old red-brick house with lawns down to the water. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/9/) — Toad is rich, the Rat says, and it's one of the nicest houses around — though they never tell Toad that. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/10/) — In the big boat-house all the fine boats hang up unused, and the place feels deserted. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/11/) — The Rat understands at once: Toad is done with boating. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/12/) — What is his new craze? - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/14/) — The Rat had been «swimming in the river, in company with his friends the ducks»; when the ducks stood on their heads he would «dive down and tickle their necks, just under where their chins would be if ducks had chins». - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/17/) — More of the song: «Slushy green undergrowth Where the roach swim— Here we keep our larder, Cool and full and dim.» (roach = a small river fish; larder = food store) and «Everyone for what he likes! - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/18/) — We like to be Heads down, tails up, Dabbling free!» - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/19/) — The last verse: «High in the blue above Swifts whirl and call— We are down a-dabbling Uptails all!» So «Up tails all!» comes twice: at the end of the first verse and as the very last line. - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/21/) — The Rat says the ducks ask why fellows can't «do what they like when they like and as they like, instead of other fellows sitting on banks and watching them all the time and making remarks and poetry». - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/22/) — The Mole agrees «So it is, so it is» — «No, it isn't!» cries the Rat — «Well then, it isn't, it isn't,» says the Mole soothingly: he changes his mind at once to keep the peace. - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/23/) — The Rat on Toad: «Always good-tempered, always glad to see you, always sorry when you go!» and «So simple, so good-natured, and so affectionate. - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/24/) — Perhaps he's not very clever ... and it may be that he is both boastful and conceited.» - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/25/) — The Rat says any time is a good time to call on Toad. - [26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/26/) — Conceited = thinks too much of himself; boastful = always showing off about what he has or does. - [28](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/28/) — A notice-board says «Private. - [29](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/29/) — No landing allowed»; there are stables and a very old banqueting-hall (a big dining hall for feasts). - [31](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/31/) — In the boat-house the boats were «slung from the cross beams or hauled up on a slip, but none in the water» (the Mole, who can row now, had shipped his sculls as they glided in); «Boating is played out. - [32](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/32/) — He's tired of it, and done with it. - [33](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/33/) — I wonder what new fad he has taken up now?» (a fad = a short-lived craze). - [34](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/34/) — Old words: «implored» = begged; «heartiness» = warm eagerness; «make his acquaintance» = meet him; «mellowed» = softened and warm-coloured with age; «shipped his sculls» = pulled the oars into the boat. - [35](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/29-willows-ch2-part1-ducks-ditty-and-toad-hall/35/) — Talk in this lesson: «it's giving» = it looks like, it feels like; «wicked» (New England) = very; «heaps» (Australia, NZ) = lots; «bostin'» (Black Country) = brilliant; «lekker» (South Africa) = great; «rad» (old US) = cool. - ← previous: [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)](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/) - next →: [The Wind in the Willows, chapter II, part 2: The Open Road (Toad's canary-coloured caravan)](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/30-willows-ch2-part2-the-canary-coloured-cart/) - ↑ back to [Books](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/)