--- title: The Wind in the Willows, chapter II, part 3: The Open Road (life on the road, and a motor-car) — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «The Wind in the Willows, chapter II, part 3: The Open Road (life on the road, and a motor-car)», a lesson of the books course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: First they must catch the old grey horse, who was never asked and would much --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/) [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 3: The Open Road (life on the road, and a motor-car) Lesson 31 of the books course of Mova's primary school: 32 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/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/0/) — First they must catch the old grey horse, who was never asked and would much rather stay in his field. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/2/) — O my!» from the hedges. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/3/) — That night, on a lonely common under the stars, Toad boasts: «This is the real life for a gentleman! - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/4/) — Talk about your old river!» The Rat says quietly that he doesn't talk about his river — but he thinks about it all the time. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/5/) — The Mole squeezes his paw in the dark and offers to run home with him at dawn. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/6/) — No, says the Rat — he must stick by Toad till it's over; it won't take long. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/7/) — Next morning Toad sleeps and sleeps, while the Rat and the Mole do all the work, the Mole walking miles for milk and eggs Toad forgot. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/8/) — Toad strolls out fresh and says how easy life is now! - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/9/) — The next day they make him work — and suddenly he's much less keen, and has to be dragged out of his bunk. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/10/) — On the third afternoon they come out on their first high-road. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/13/) — «It was a golden afternoon. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/14/) — The smell of the dust they kicked up was rich and satisfying»; rabbits in the hedgerows «held up their fore-paws, and said, "O my! - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/15/) — They camped «on a remote common far from habitations» (a common = open land anyone may use; habitations = houses). - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/16/) — Toad: «Well, good night, you fellows! - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/17/) — This is the real life for a gentleman! - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/18/) — Talk about your old river!» - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/19/) — The Rat: «I don't talk about my river ... - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/20/) — You know I don't, Toad. - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/21/) — But I think about it ... - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/22/) — I think about it—all the time!» — he is homesick. - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/23/) — The Mole: «Shall we run away to-morrow morning, quite early—very early—and go back to our dear old hole on the river?» - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/24/) — The Rat: «No, no, we'll see it out ... - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/25/) — I ought to stick by Toad till this trip is ended. - [26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/26/) — It wouldn't be safe for him to be left to himself. - [27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/27/) — It won't take very long. - [28](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/28/) — His fads never do.» - [29](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/29/) — «The end was indeed nearer than even the Rat suspected.» — the writer warns us something is coming. - [30](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/30/) — Next morning Toad «slept very soundly, and no amount of shaking could rouse him»; the Mole «trudged off to the nearest village, a long way off, for milk and eggs and various necessaries the Toad had, of course, forgotten». - [31](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/31/) — Toad appeared «fresh and gay, remarking what a pleasant easy life it was», after «the cares and worries and fatigues of housekeeping at home» (gay here = cheerful, its old meaning). - [34](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/34/) — The car came first as «a faint warning hum; like the drone of a distant bee», then «a small cloud of dust, with a dark centre of energy», and «a faint "Poop-poop!" wailed like an uneasy animal in pain». - [36](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/36/) — Old words: «trudging» = walking heavily; «necessaries» = things you need; «turned in» = went to bed; «whence» = from where; «fleet and unforeseen» = fast and unexpected; «after-career» = the rest of his life. - [37](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/31-willows-ch2-part3-poop-poop/37/) — Talk in this lesson: «yeah nah» = no; «sweet as» = great; «toque» (Canada) = woolly hat; «mid» = only so-so; «howay» (North East England) = come on; «servo» (Australia) = petrol station. - ← previous: [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/) - next →: [The Wind in the Willows, chapter II, part 4: The Open Road (the wreck of the cart, and Toad's new craze)](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/32-willows-ch2-part4-the-wreck-and-the-new-craze/) - ↑ back to [Books](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/)