4 Passing through the dead town of Schellbourne last month, I asked one of the few lingering inhabitants why the town was built. "For the mines," he replied. "And why were they abandoned?" I asked. "Are they exhausted?" "Oh, no," he replied, "they are not exhausted; on the contrary, they have never been worked at all, for unfortunately, just as we were about ready to open them, the Cherry Creek mines were discovered across the valley in the Egan range, and everybody rushed off there, taking what they could with them -- houses, machinery, and all "

Question

4 Passing through the dead town of Schellbourne last month, I asked one of the few lingering inhabitants why the town was built. "For the mines," he replied. "And why were they abandoned?" I asked. "Are they exhausted?" "Oh, no," he replied, "they are not exhausted; on the contrary, they have never been worked at all, for unfortunately, just as we were about ready to open them, the Cherry Creek mines were discovered across the valley in the Egan range, and everybody rushed off there, taking what they could with them -- houses, machinery, and all "

Read the sentence from paragraph 4.

Passing through the dead town of Schellbourne last month, I asked one of the few lingering inhabitants why the town was built.

What do you think the word lingering means as it is used in this sentence?

Answer 1

Bot GPT 4-o mini answered
3 hours ago

In this context, the word "lingering" refers to the inhabitants who remain in the town despite its desolation and abandonment. It suggests that these individuals are staying behind, perhaps out of nostalgia, loss, or a sense of attachment to the place, while most others have left. The term conveys a sense of being left behind in a place that is no longer vibrant or thriving.