Walking Dictionary Session 1
MASTERY WORDS
1) Sporadically
Def: In an irregular or unpredictable manner
In-text: “Then he became extremely inconsistent, sometimes not only supporting the cover-up of Stalin’s crimes, but sporadically whitewashing the man he had called a murderer” (Solzhenitsyn x).
Stand alone: He sporadically changed his mind over the matter.
OWN: Natasha sporadically changed her mind about what food she wanted to eat.
2) Commiseration
Def: Feeling of sympathy or sorrow for the misfortune of others
In-text: “'You shouldn’t have shown your pride so much,' he said, shaking his head in commiseration” (Solzhenitsyn 49).
Stand alone: She looked at the homeless girl with commiseration.
OWN : My very cute dog Natsu grew sick, and late at night my sister and I would only watch in commiseration as he threw up.
3) Ingenuous
Def: Lacking in sophistication or wordiness
In-text: “He smiled ingenuously, revealing the gaps in his teeth, the result of a touch of scurvy at Ust-Izhma in 1943” (Solzhenitsyn 13).
Stand alone: Sam's ingenuous nature made him an easy target for a con artist.
OWN: The person before me talked ingenuously about her school.
4) Bedraggled
Def: Limp, untidy, and soiled
In-text: “...a bedraggled scrap of cloth had been sewn on them, just above the left knee, with a faded black number...” (Solzhenitsyn 8).
Stand alone: Jessica's bedraggled hair made heads turn as she passed by.
OWN: The hard barn-workers carried bedraggled towels that had worn out over the years.
5) Toady
Def: A person who tries to please someone to gain an advantage
In-text: “...on a marble staircase covered with a red carpet that recalled a toadying version of the red banner” (Solzhenitsyn vii).
Stand alone: His toady behavior towards his boss had gained him an advantage in the office.
OWN: My toady-behaving dog got more treats by being cute.
6) Chagrin
Def: Strong feelings of embarrassment
In-text: "‘What for, citizen* chief?’ asked Shukhov with more chagrin than he felt in his voice” (Solzhenitsyn 8).
Stand alone: She showed chagrin as she tripped her way onto the stage.
OWN: I felt chargin when I saw my face in the pictures that were taken during a roller coaster ride.
7) Hitch
Def: To hook or entangle
In-text: “He hitched up his trousers” (Solzhenitsyn 8).
Stand alone: Before we climb , we make sure to hitch our ropes tight.
OWN: The employee hitched our seat-belts before the roller coaster took off.
8) Boisterous
Def: Full of rough and exuberant animal spirits
In-text: “'... each small annexment, petty consequence, attends the boisterous ruin'” (Hamlet: 3.3).
Stand alone: After finding out that Andrew had been accept to college, his mother was boisterous.
OWN: The woman next to me was very boisterous.
9) Infringe
Def: Advance beyond the usual limit
In-text: “If you suffer, it must not be the murder, theft, or sorcery, nor for infringing the rights of others” (Solzhenitsyn 25).
Stand alone: He infringed their copyright.
OWN : The man was infringing the rules of the airplane and blasting his music.
10) Amble
Def: Walk leisurely
In-text:
Stand alone: Amber ambled across the beach.
OWN: I took much of my time in Tokyo ambling through the city streets with my sister.
11) Confiscate
Def: Take temporary possession of a security by legal authority
In-text: ”They confiscate slippers too if they find them in daytime” (Solzhenitsyn 165).
Stand alone: The police department confiscated his items.
OWN: The security confiscated my phone .
12) Thrifty
Def: Mindful of the future in spending money
In-text: “And there lay a small piece of broken hacksaw blade, the tiny length of steel that he’d picked up in his thriftiness at the building site without any intention of bringing it to camp” (Solzhenitsyn 123).
Stand alone: Ingrid was thrifty in spending her money.
OWN: Although I bought a lot of things with my otoshidama money, my sister was very thrifty with hers.
13) Beseech
Def: Ask for or request earnestly
In-text: “'I beseech you, remember'” (Hamlet: 5.2).
Stand alone: The worker beseeched for a raise.
OWN: The man beside me beseeched for a large coffee.
14) Vantage
Def: Place or situation affording some benefit
In-text: 'I have some rights of memory in this kingdom, which now to claim my vantage doth invite me'” (Hamlet: 5.2).
Stand alone: Her store location gave her vantage of getting more customers.
OWN: Crowds of people were at every vantage point.
15) Amalgamate
Def: To bring or combine together or with something else
In-text: “It’d been amalgamated with neighboring farms - that’d happened before, too, but afterward they’d reduced it to its former condition” (Solzhenitsyn 39).
Stand alone: Can we amalgamate these ingredients with fruits?
OWN: We amalgamate the chicken and the spices in the soup to make the delicious thai curry my sister and I wanted to make.
16) Salvation
Def: A means of preserving from harm or unpleasantness
In-text: ”Let your work warm you up, that was your only salvation” (Solzhenitsyn 6).
Stand alone: The Salvation army is looking for donated clothing.
OWN: My only salvation was to protect my dog Natsu from harm.
17) Doff
Def: Remove
In-text:
Stand alone: He doffed the sweater.
OWN: My mom doffed the heavy jacket she was wearing the whole day.
18) Heave
Def: Lift or elevate
In-text: “The prisoners heaved forward with a buzz of excitement” (Solzhenitsyn 119).
Stand alone: She heaved the box above her head.
OWN: My grandma wanted me to heave the heavy boxes to the upper shelf.
19) Resentful
Def: Full of or marked by indignant ill will
In-text: “Had Shukhov been punished for something he deserved he wouldn’t have felt so resentful” (Solzhenitsyn 8).
Stand alone: The lies Tom told everyone made people resentful towards him.
OWN: I was resentful about crossing the huge crosswalk in Tokyo after bumping into three people head on before.
20) Shrill
Def: Having or emitting a high-pitched and sharp tone or tones
In-text: “From the direction of the main thoroughfare an excavator squealed shrilly” (Solzhenitsyn 143).
Stand alone: Her singing voice was shrilling.
OWN: At Tokyo Disneyland, all the princesses voices were shrilling.