Vocabulary
Context and pictures
“The dispossessed party had never
acquiesced in the judgment of the Courts,
and a long series of poaching affrays and
similar scandals had embittered the
relationships between the families for
three generations.”
Not acquiesced
acquiesced
Acquiesced
► Vb.
- agreed or complied without protest
The narrow strip of precipitous
woodland that lay on its outskirt
was not remarkable for
the game it harbored or the
shooting it afforded, but it was the
most jealously
guarded of all its owner's territorial
possessions.”
“
This is the place where the story
takes place: AKA : Setting
Precipitous
► Adj.
– steep or sheer
Interloper
►"
‘Good,’ snarled
Georg, ‘good. We
fight this quarrel out
to the death, you
and I and our
foresters, with no
cursed interlopers to
come between us.’ ”
Interloper- noun- one who interferes in the
affairs of others
Condolences:
Context:“ ‘Your men will find you dead under a
fallen beech tree. For form's sake I shall
send my condolences to your family.’"
► Condolences-
noun- expressions of
sympathy with another in grief
Languor:
► Context:“In
the pain and languor that Ulrich
himself was feeling the old fierce hatred
seemed to be dying down.”
►Languor-
weakness
noun- lack of vigor;
Succor
Context:“In the cold, gloomy forest, with the wind tearing in fitful
gusts through the naked branches and whistling round the treetrunks, they lay and waited for the help that would now bring release
and succor to both parties.”
►Succor-
noun- help; assistance
“The Lottery”
Profusely
► “The
flowers were
blossoming
profusely and the
grass was richly
green.”
► Profusely
- adv. - Plentifully;
copiously. Freely and abundantly.
Boisterous
► “They
tended to gather together quietly for
a while before they broke into boisterous
play.”
► Boisterous
- adj.- Rough and stormy;
violent. Loud, noisy, and lacking in restraint
or discipline.
Lottery
► “The
lottery was
conducted--as were
the square dances,
the teen club, the
Halloween program-by Mr. Summers,
who had time and
energy to devote to
civic activities.”
► Lottery-
noun - any happening or process
that is or appears to be determined by
chance
Civic
► “The
lottery was conducted--as were the
square dances, the teen club, the Halloween
program--by Mr. Summers, who had time
and energy to devote to civic activities.”
► Civic
- adj. - Of, relating to, or belonging to
a city, a citizen, or citizenship.
Jovial
► “He
was a round-faced,
jovial man and he ran the
coal business, and people
were sorry for him, because
he had no children and his
wife was a scold.”
► Jovial
- adj. - Marked by hearty
friendliness and good cheer.
Paraphernalia
► “The
original
paraphernalia
for the lottery
had been lost
long ago…”
- pl.n. -(used with a sing.
or pl. verb) The articles used in a particular
activity; equipment.
► Paraphernalia
“…at one time, some people
remembered, there had been
a recital of some sort,
performed by the official of
the lottery, a perfunctory,
tuneless chant that had been
rattled off duly each year…”
Perfunctory – adj. – performed merely
as a routine duty; hasty and
superficial
Interminably
► “…he
seemed very proper and important as
he talked interminably to Mr. Graves and
the Martins.”
► Interminably
- adv. endlessly. Tiresomely long; tediously.
Defiantly
► “She
hesitated for a minute, looking around
defiantly, and then set her lips and went up
to the box.”
► Defiantly
- adv. - resisting authority or an
opposing force in a bold way.
Beamed
► “…both
beamed and laughed, turning
around to the crowd and holding their slips
of paper above their heads.”
► Beamed
- verb - smiled expansively.
“The Cask of Amontillado”
“At length I would be avenged; this was a point
definitely settled – but the very definitiveness with
which it was resolved precluded the idea of risk.”
Precluded – verb - prevented
“A wrong is
unredressed
when
retribution
overtakes
its
redresser.”
Retribution – noun- payback; punishment
for a misdeed
“I must not only punish but punish
with impunity.”
=
Impunity – noun – freedom from
consequences
“There were no attendants at home;
they had absconded to
make merry
in honour of the time.”
Absconded – verb – left quickly and
secretly and hid.
“I had told them that I
should
not return until
the morning,
and had given them
explicit orders
not to stir from the
house.”
Explicit – adj. – clearly stated
“It was in vain that Fortunato, uplifting
his dull torch, endeavored to pry into
the depth of the recess.”
(in) vain – adj – ineffectual or unsuccessful;
futile
“…he had reached the
extremity of the niche
and
found his progress
arrested by the rock…”
Niche – noun – semicircular arched wall
indentation (as for a statue); a recess in the
wall
“A moment more and I had fettered
him to the granite.”
Fettered – verb – shackled; chained up