Im re-reading the L.O.T.R again, and Tolkien uses a lot of words such as dell, glade, ravine, gully, grove, cornice, gorge, thickets, ridge, clefts etc... Can someone please explain to me what they are, so I can visualise it properly whilst reading the book?
Also, the Barrow-Downs, they were mounds of earth, like mini hills that were tombs, am I correct with this?
Descriptions of scenery sometimes confuses me.
Thanks in advance.
2007-12-29 09:17:07 · 13 answers · asked by ╬ Wrath Of The Tyrant ╬ 6 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
And no smart answers please, thanks to the decent answers below, its clearing things up now.
2007-12-29 09:48:20 · update #1
I dont have a dictionary, isnt it a bit obvious???
2007-12-29 09:50:22 · update #2
I would look them up but i use dial-up to access the internet, and I dont have the patience to wait 2 mins for one page to load!
2007-12-29 12:04:45 · update #3
dell = a wooded area in a valley
glade = a sunlit clearing in a wood
ravine = a steep sided cutting through rock
gully = a small valley often with steep sides
grove = a small orchard ie olive grove
cornice = usually a moulded or carved corner piece to a larger structure
gorge = as in Cheddar Gorge a sheer sided cutting through rock
thickets = shrubby woody areas not very big
ridge = the hill line usually Sharp or craggy
clefts = a small flat area on a rock face
Barrows = as in Long Barrows ,,usually mounds containing a chieftain from pre Roman Britain
2007-12-29 09:25:40 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
You're right about the Barrow-Downs. As for the other terms, gully, dell,and ravine are all small valleys, but with different connotations. A dell is usually small and roundish with pretty vegetation. A gully is narrow and rather bare, possibly the result of erosion. A ravine is somewhere in between those two. A gorge is also an eroded river valley, bigger than a gully--thinkof the Grand Canyon. A glade is an open spot in a forest, and a thicket is the opposite--a spot where the vegetation grows especially thickly. A grove is a small wooded area. A ridge is the backbone of a long, narrow hill or mountain. A cleft is a split place in a large rock. I usually think of a cornice as an architectural term, a horizontal band just under the eaves of a gable. As a natural formation, it would probably be a protruding but narrow shelf or ledge of rock.
BTW, even if you don't have a dictionary in the form of a book, you can look up words online.
2007-12-29 11:01:41 · answer #2 · answered by aida 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
a guley is a gashed out place, usually lower than the surrounding area, cut down by an old river or erosion.
i think a dell is an open place in the woods.
a ravine is like a guley, but bigger, deeper, wider.
a grove is a group of trees.
isn't a cornice a part of a house that extends outward?
that may be wrong.
a gorge is a HUGE ravine ( like at the Grand Canyon.)
At thicket is a mass of trees and usually other plants, difficult to see or walk through.
A ridle is like a mountain top, usually not as tall as a mountain. One mountain could have several ridges on it.
a Cleft is a cut in a stony mountain, like a cave, but less rounded. People could hide in a cleft, but really couldn't live there for days on end.
Barrows are low ridges of earth ( 5 to 10 feet high, rounded), usually with bodies buried in them, but they might not have bodies. they could be ceremonial.
2007-12-29 09:33:00 · answer #3 · answered by nickipettis 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Long barrows were indeed ancient burial mounds....you have given a lot of different words there....they all really meanthe same thing...a ravine, gully and gorge are normally steep sided, thickets have vegetation in them....best to get a dictionary in the shops and then you can look up these words which will all be in a good dictionary....then you will learn what they mean....
2007-12-29 09:22:31 · answer #4 · answered by Knownow't 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
You say you don't have a dictionary, well, I'm sure you can find a decent one in a charity shop. It doesn't have to be a new one, as the words are common usage. Because if you are on dial up you will be wasting time waiting for pages to load, only to find daft answers.
Barrows are earthen mounds used for burial.
There might be an illustrated copy of LOTR in a charity shop as well, as I know some have illustrations. Might be worth a look.
2007-12-30 01:45:13 · answer #5 · answered by i_am_jean_s 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
grove is a bunch of trees usually
thickets are like blackberry bushes
a Gorge is a huge gap in a montain range
a bit like a ravine......a gully is like a dip in the ground sort of like a small version of a valley, I think a glade is like a patch of grass or clearing near a wooded area. I dont know what the others are
2007-12-29 09:27:03 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Harry Potter
2016-04-02 00:40:00 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
since no one can answer these...
a cornice is an overhang, typically seen on mountains (snow)
a gorge is a narrow, steep walled canyon
a ridge is the line mountains or peaks run along, the high crest between two valleys
2007-12-29 09:33:04 · answer #8 · answered by pcolind 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
try using this online dictionary http://dictionary.reference.com/ , ill answer ur questions, those terms describe a geographical location, they describe a place, or they are the characteristics of that area, heck they can be places themselves, dell-small valley, gully-small valley, or narrow valley, cornice-decorative plaster molding, cleft-small identions
hoped I helped, I love LOTR too.
2007-12-29 10:06:39 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Um, a dictionary will answer all of this. They're just nice ways to say common geographical things.
Edit: You obviously have the internet, dictionary.com maybe....
2007-12-29 09:20:39 · answer #10 · answered by xzorion54 5 · 2⤊ 2⤋