Speak Vocabulary List

Speak Vocabulary List:

Choose 15 terms from this list. Give the part of speech and define the word using synonyms. Then, write one paragraph in which you use 10 of the words. This assignment is to be done on one sheet of paper and does not have to be typed.

1st Marking period: (p. 1-46)

1. Demerit (6) - a mark a mark against someone for misconduct

2. inconspicuous (7) - not noticeable; invisible

3. wan (20)- dark; gloomy; pale in color; sickly; unhappy

4. degrading (41)- to bring to low esteem or into disrepute

5. Pseudo (22) - pretend; fake; false

6. errant- straying from the right course

7. Indoctrination: teaching someone to accept an idea or principle without criticism

8. Burrow: a hole or hideout animals use to take shelter; a hideout

9. Sanctuary (9): a sacred place offering refuge or safety

2nd Marking period: (p. 47-92)

1. Demure: shy, modest, coy

2. Refurbished (50): v. to brighten, freshen, or polish up again; renovate

3. Spastic (51) – adj. of, relating to, characterized by, or affected with or as if with spasm

4. Xenophobic (56)- n. unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners

5. bleak- lacking in warmth, life, or kindliness

6. abysmal (89): adj. wretched to the point of despair; immeasurably bad.

7. demure (75) – adj. affectedly modest, reserved, or serious

3rd Marking period: (p. 95-136) 1. Bigoted (117): adj. intolerant of any other beliefs or opinions

2. abysmal- immeasurably low or wretched

3. conundrum (98) – n. a difficult problem; a dilemma

4. imbeciles (103): n. a very foolish or stupid person.

5. Dense (116): adj. slow to understand

6. Asphyxiate (126) – v. to choke or suffocate

7. downtrodden- suffering oppression

8. Imbeciles: a group of stupid or silly people

9. Wistful (129): adj. pensive; thoughtful in a sad way; longing, yearning

4th Marking period: (p. 141 – 198)

1. Tenacious (142) - adj. (1) holding firmly (2) persistent, stubborn.

2. Leper (181): n. a person who is rejected; an outcast

3. Blight- any cause of impairment, destruction, ruin, or frustration

4. Suffragette- An advocate of women's suffrage

5. Maladjusted (177) – adj. badly or unsatisfactorily adjusted, esp. in relationship to one's social circumstances, environment, etc.

6. Devious: not straightforward; shifty or crooked

7. Muse: something or someone that is inspiring to an artist

8. Indentured- a deed or agreement executed in two or more copies with edges correspondingly indented as a means of identification.

9. Homely- lacking in physical attractiveness; not beautiful; unattractive; not having elegance, refinement, or cultivation; proper or suited to the home or to ordinary domestic life; plain; unpretentious

Defined Terms:

 overbearing Eurocentric patriarchs, 49: a patriarch is the male head of a family; Eurocentric is to believe that only ideas/values/people from Europe (even those who settled in America, basically white people) are important; overbearing means to be too pushy, too possessive, or always right  xenophobic, 56: to be afraid of strangers or anything foreign  Hanukkah, 69: an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem  Kwanza, 69: An African-American cultural festival, celebrated from December 26 to January 1.  wombat: burrowing Australian marsupial  Titans, 113: mythical monsters whom Greeks believed to inhabit the earth before human beings came to be  suffragettes, 154:women who fought for the right to vote  self incrimination, 157:giving evidence or testimony that shows one's own guilt  bichon frise, 149: a breed of dog  indentured servitude, 177: servants would bind themselves to an "owner" to work for a period of time until they were freed, generally as a way to finance their voyage to America