The journey-comprehension

Listen to the text ‘the journey’. Click the ‘play’ button to listen.

After spending a leisurely Sunday at home, the very thought of returning to work on Monday is tiring.

‘Leisurely’ means ‘done without hurrying’.

In the above lines, the word ‘very’ is an adjective. It means ‘exact or particular’.

So, the sentence can be rewritten as: ‘the particular thought of returning to work on Monday is tiring’.

Lethargy creeps in if the holiday continues over an extended period.

Lethargy = the state of having no energy or interest.

Lethargy = laziness

Lethargic = lazy

Lethargic x energetic

Lethargy x energy

‘Creeps in’ means ‘develops slowly’.

Ours is a hilly terrain, without any motorable roads – and there is no certainty that we are ever going to have any roads.

‘Hilly terrain’ refers to a ‘hilly area’.

‘Without any motorable roads’ means ‘without roads where motor vehicles can go’

Finally, my father came up with a solution. ‘Don’t worry. I myself will see you off at Dirang.’ I protested.

Phrasal verb: see sb off

Meaning : to go to a station, an airport, etc. to say goodbye to somebody who is starting a journey

Example sentences:

They have gone to the airport to see their son off.

My parents saw me off at the airport.

The word ‘protest’ means ‘to disagree’

The author protested against ‘his father’s decision to carry the luggage’.

How could I allow my old father to carry my trunk? What would people think? What would they say? But I failed to dissuade him.

The word ‘dissuade’ is the antonym of ‘persuade’.

Persuade = to convince somebody to do something by giving good reasons.

Dissuade = to convince somebody not to do something by giving good reasons

Here, the author failed to convince his father not to carry the luggage.

As I had to a bit of catching up, I walked fast. Three kilometres down the road, I caught up with my father.

‘catching up’ means ‘the act of trying to reach someone who is ahead of you.’

Here, the father had left for Dirang before. The author started late. In order to reach his father, he walked fast.

Having walked fast, I was tired. Moreover, I had to cross two hills on the way up to the spot. I quickly sat down on a rock. My father laughed at my plight.

Plight = difficult and sad situation

‘The author getting tired easily’ was the difficult and sad situation for him.”

Wetting his lips with his tongue, he said in a matter-of-fact-manner, ‘I am thirsty’.

‘in a matter-of-fact-manner’ means ‘without showing any emotion’.

We were walking up a narrow hilly road, and neither of us uttered a word as if we were strangers who spoke different languages.

uttered = said

Neither of us uttered a word = None of us said a word.

                                                              Not even one of us said a word.

                                                                 (They did not say anything.)

From time to time it crossed my mind that it was improper for him to let father carry the luggage.

Cross your mind (Idiom) = to come into your mind.

It crossed my mind = it came into my mind

Here, the thought that came into the author’s mind was ‘that it was improper for him to let father carry the luggage’.

Father was used to carrying luggage anyway.

‘be used to something/doing something’ = ‘be familiar with something’ or ‘have the experience of doing something’

Here, the author’s father had the experience of carrying luggage.

I looked at father’s bare feet. Never having worn shoes, his feet had developed cracks and somehow resembled those of an elephant.

‘bare feet’ = ‘feet which are not covered’

Resembled = looked like

His father’s feet looked like the feet of an elephant.

I noticed this for the first time. I noticed that the road was uneven.  I didn’t have to since I was wearing a pair of hunting boots.

The phrase ‘I didn’t have to’ actually means ‘I didn’t have to notice if the road was uneven’.