重点词汇词组：

For as to the elves, having sought them in vain among foxglove leaves and bells, under mushrooms and beneath the ground-ivy mantling old wall-nooks¹, I² had at length³ made up⁴ my mind⁵ to the sad truth⁶, that they were all gone out of England to some savage country where the woods were wilder and thicker, and the population more scant.

长难句分析

解：1状语＋2主语＋3状语＋4谓语＋5宾语＋6宾补

析：①“For as to the elves … old wall-nooks”可以整合成“I have sought the elves in vain among … ”比较好理解。因为主语和谓语都在后面，所以这里用非谓语动词引导作状语。

②本句后半句是一个同位语从句，先行词为“truth”，“that they were … more scant”用来解释说明“truth”的内容。

as to 至于

eg. I'm not so stupid as to believe that.

我还不至于傻得连那样的话都相信。

【辨析】so as to 以便

in vain 徒然

eg. All our efforts were in vain.

我们的所有努力都付诸东流了。

【相关搭配】

take someone's name in vain 滥用某人名义

labor in vain 徒劳

at length 终于

eg. At length the carriage stopped.

马车终于停了下来。

【辨析】

at length 强调经历一段长时间后终于完成。

at last 多指经主观努力，克服种种困难后才达成目的。

lastly 指连续顺序的最后，通常用来列举。

savage 野蛮的，荒凉的

eg. He has a savage temper.

他性情野蛮。

【近义词】primitive，uncultivated，uncivilized

scant 欠缺的

eg. Japan has scant natural resources.

日本自然资源缺乏。

【近义词】sparse，meagre，deficient

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