Vocabulary journal

1) Acute: The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe; “Above all was the sense of hearing acute.”
Meaning: Pointed; sharp
Ex) I had a very acute sense for listening to people conversations.

2) Foresight: The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe; “You should have seen […] with what foresight […] I went to work.”
Meaning: The act or capacity of foreseeing, of looking forward.
Ex) I had the foresight to plan my travel in advance.

3) Latch: The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe; “I turned the latch of his door […] oh so gently!”
Meaning: A catch for fastening the door, lid, shutter, etc.
Ex) I silently pushed the latch of his door so he wouldn’t hear me.

4) Sagacity: The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe; “Never before that night had I felt the extent […] of my sagacity.”
Meaning: The possession of exceptional judgment and perceptiveness.
Ex) My parents were proud of the sagacity I showed them.

5) Deed: The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe; “I could scarcely contain my feeling […] of my secrets deeds or thoughts.”
Meaning: Anything done; an act. An exploit, a notable achivement.
Ex) my most amazing deed was to save my brother’s life.

6) Hearkening: The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe; “He was still sitting up in bed listening – just as I have done night after night, hearkening to the death watched in the wall.”
Meaning: Listening with intent.
Ex) He was quiet, not making a sound, hearkening for the unsupportable fly.

7) Groan: The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe; “Presently I heard a slight groan […] of mortal terror.”
Meaning: To utter a low, prolonged sound of or as of pain, sorrow, etc.
Ex) The boy groan seeing his dog hit by a car.

8) Stealthily: The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe; “So I opened it – you cannot imagine how stealthily […] and fell full upon the vulture eye.
Meaning: Moving or acting secretly.
Ex) I stealthily walked toward my sister to scare her good.

9) Burst: The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe; “I thought the heart must burst.”
Meaning: To break open or come apart suddenly and violently.
Ex) The girl was about to burst when her mother managed to calm her down.

10) Concealment: The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe; “If still you think me mad, you will think no longer when […] I took for the concealment of the body.”
Meaning: To hide, secrete; keep from sight, discovery or knowledge.
Ex) The murderer was very organized for the concealment of his victim body.

11) Suavity: The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe; “There entered three men, who introduced themselves, with perfect suavity, as officers of the police.”
Meaning: Diplomatic, politically correct.
Ex) Suavity is important for political person.

12) Vehemently: The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe; “I talked more quickly- more vehemently; but noise steadily increased.”
Meaning: Acting with great force or energy; energetic; violent; furious.
Ex) The robber start running more vehemently when to police officers released their dogs.

13) Forestall: The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin; “ He had only taken to time to assure himself […] to forestall any less careful […] bearing the sad message.”
Meaning: To hinder, prevent or guard against by taking preventive measures.
Ex) Jimmy forestall what he had to say to his mother to keep her from having a sudden heart attack.

14) Wept (Weep): The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin; “She wept at once […] in her sister’s arms.”
Meaning: To manifest grief or other strong emotion by shedding tears.
Ex) I wept of joy when my parents told me we were leaving for Europe for the summer.

15) Acquiver: The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin; “She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all acquiver with the new spring life.”
Meaning: That trembles or quivers.
Ex) My cats is acquiver from the sight or dogs.

16) Wares: The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin; “In the street below a peddler was crying his wares.”
Meaning: Products that are bought and sold in businesses.
Ex) The fishermen presented their ware next to their boats.

17) Bespoke: The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin; “She was young, with a faire calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength.”
Meaning: Indicate, show
Ex) Claudia face bespoke her happy thoughts.

18) Elusive: The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin; “She did not know; it was to subtle and elusive to name.”
Meaning: Hard to understand
Ex) The reaction of my dad was to elusive to describe.

19) Scent: The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin; “But she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air.”
Meaning: An odor, pleasant or unpleasant.
Ex) The scent that comes out of this bathroom is horrible.

20) Bosom: The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin; “Now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously.”
Meaning: A person’s chest, which contains emotions
Ex) The wife bosom lightered at the sight of her husband.

21) Warmth: The Lottery, Shirley Jackson; “ The morning of June 27th was a clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full summer day.”
Meaning: The state or quality of being warm.
Ex) Most people prefer summer to winter because of the warmth.

22) Boisterous: The Lottery, Shirley Jackson; “School was recently over for the summer […] they tended to gather together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous play […] of books and reprimands.”
Meaning: Cheerfully loud
Ex) When John and Alex play together, we always end up hearing boisterous shouts.

23) Clung (Cling): The Lottery, Shirley Jackson; “The girls stood aside […] the very small children rolled in the dust or clung to the hands of their older brothers or sisters.”
Meaning: To hold fast, to keep close.
Ex) The boat clung to the coast.

24) Grasping (Grasp): The Lottery, Shirley Jackson; “Bobby Martin ducked under his mother’s grasping hand and ran, laughing, back to the pile of stones.”
Meaning: To seize hold of firmly with the hand.
Ex) My sister ran away grasping my hand so I would follow her.

25) Scold: The Lottery, Shirley Jackson; “[…] people were sorry for him, because he had no children and his wife was a scold.”
Meaning: A woman who habitually displays noisy or abusive behavior.
Ex) We are now use to be humiliated by my grandmother who is a scold.

26) Stool: The Lottery, Shirley Jackson; “The postmaster, Mr. Graves, followed him, carrying a three-legged stool.”
Meaning: A backless and armless seat.
Ex) A stool was placed beside her bed for her little lantern.

27) Paraphernalia: The Lottery, Shirley Jackson; “The original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago […]”
Meaning: equipment, accessory
Ex) Lot’s of paraphernalia were placed in honor of Nathalie 59th anniversary.

28) Shabbier: The Lottery, Shirley Jackson; “The black box grew shabbier each year […]”
Meaning: Looking badly worn.
Ex) The itinerants clothes grew shabbier every year.

29) Veldtland; The Veldt, Ray Bradbury; “Now the hidden odorophonics were beginning to blow a wind of odor at the two people in the middle of the baked veldtland.”
Meaning: A grassland of southern Africa.
Ex) My aunt who travels a lot in Africa went a few time to the veldtland.

30) Jaunt; The Veldt, Ray Bradbury; “[…] but for yourself when you felt like a quick jaunt to a foreign land […]”
Meaning: A short trip for pleasure
Ex) A jaunt would be perfect to forget what happened.