“The Scarlet Ibis” and “The Slipover Sweater” Vocabulary
1. SULLENLY: adv. resentfully; gloomily
•“ ‘I won’t touch it,’ he said sullenly” (Hurst 346).
• The boy had a sullen (adj.) look about him; his head was always hanging,
and his eyes were sad.
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2. IMMINENT: adj. near; about to happen
 “With success so imminent, we decided not to tell anyone until he could
actually walk” (Hurst 349).
 With her vital signs weakening at a quick rate, her death was imminent.
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3. INFALLIBILITY: n. inability to make a mistake
 “Once I had succeeded in teaching Doodle to walk, I believed in my own
infallibility and I prepared a terrific development program for him,
unknown to Mama and Daddy of course” (Hurst 349).
 With 10 all-conference players on the team, many people are saying
that the Falcons will be infallible (adj.) this season.
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4. BLIGHTED: adj. suffering from conditions that destroy or prevent
growth.
 “That summer, the summer of 1918, was blighted” (Hurst 349).
 Extravagance was the blight (n.) of the family; they went on expensive
vacations and fell into credit card debt.
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5. REITERATED: v. repeated
 “’I certainly did,’ Doodle reiterated, scowling at me over the top of his
iced tea glass, and we were quiet again“(Hurst 351).
 My father has reiterated to me several times that money does not grow
on trees.
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6. CEASED: v. to cause to come to an end, especially gradually
 “I just protected Grace as any boy would protect a girl he had once
loved but had ceased to love since he had found another girl…” (Stuart
151).
 The charity shop was forced to cease its selling when they had no more
used clothing donations.
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7. GORGE: n. a narrow passage through land
 “We stopped at our place on the cliffs and looked down at the swirling
waters in the gorge” (Stuart 152).
 When Peeta was injured in The Hunger Games, he and Katniss hid in a
river gorge so that he could heal before their opponents found them.
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8. BATTERED: adj. to subject to strong, overwhelming, or repeated attack
 “And I knew she had the durability and the toughness of a stormbattered mountain oak” (Stuart 155).
 Sammy’s opponent battered (v.) her with lots of evidence when she
showed up to her debate ill-prepared.
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9. DESPONDENT: adj. feeling or showing extreme discouragement
or depression
 “After the snow had melted from the mountain, I grew more
despondent” (Stuart 156).
 After living and playing together for over 10 years, Pickles the cat
became despondent after her best friend Pebbles died.
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10. JUTTED: v., adj. to extend out, up, or forward
 “She was as solid as the jutted cliffs, I thought, and as durable as the
mountain oaks” (Stuart 158).
 Backpacks jutted everywhere between rows in the cramped room,
causing the teacher to trip while checking in homework.
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