VocabularyWeek Four
Welcome, Word Workers!
ADJECTIVES
The part of speech that describes a person, place, thing, or idea
[Esperanza] woke up to Lupe’s whimpering and an atrocious smell. Brown liquid leaked from her diaper (141).
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Synonyms My own sentence
atrociousvery bad;extremely evil or cruel;ugly to look at
The sour milk had an atrocious smell.
Did you see her atrocious dress? I can’t believe she paid for that!
terribleawfulhorrible
Noun => atrocityDef. a cruel actEx. The Holocaust was an atrocity.
There was no relief from the heat in the closed room and soon the air was hazy (149).
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Synonyms My own sentence
hazyunclear, especially because of a mist, cloud, or smoke
unclearmistyfoggycloudy
The teacher’s explanation was hazy.
It was a hazy morning in London, England.
Marta walked into the cabin, her skin covered with an eerie brown chalkiness… (150)
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Synonyms My own sentence
eeriecreepy or unusual in a way that suggests a connection with the supernatural
creepystrangeghostlyscary No one could convince me to go
inside the eerie mansion.
“For those who live here most of their lives, they are naturally immunized. It is hardest on adults who move here and are not accustomed to the agricultural dirt”(156).
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Synonyms My own sentence
immune
Noun => immunityVerb => immunize
safe from disease;not affected by something
Now that I got a shot, I am immune to the flu.
Go ahead and call me names!I am immune to all insults.
protectedsafeuntouchableinvulnerable
• The __________ teacher gave Timmy the worst punishment.
• A. atrocious• B. eerie• C. hazy• D. immune
Check for Understanding
• Timmy had only asked a question to make sense of the teacher’s _______ lesson.
• A. atrocious• B. eerie• C. hazy• D. immune
Check for Understanding
Check for Understanding
• Timmy surely would not be __________ to the tiger’s sharp claws.
• A. atrocious• B. eerie• C. hazy• D. immune
• The __________ classroom was haunted by ghosts of children that had been fed to the tiger.
• A. atrocious• B. eerie• C. hazy• D. immune
Check for Understanding
NOUNS
The part of speech that names a person, place, thing, or idea
[Valley Fever] is a disease of the lungs … some people will have no symptoms at all. Some will feel like they have the flu for a few days. And others, for whatever reason, cannot fight the infection and get very sick (156).
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Synonyms My own sentence
symptoma warning sign of disease, experienced by the patient
Some symptoms of meningitis include a serious headache, a stiff neck, and disliking bright lights.
indicationsign
Some symptoms of a cheating partner include excuses, emotional disconnect, and a need for privacy.
Esperanza stared straight into the alley of light made from the truck’s headlamps, feeling as if she were in a trance (163).
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Synonyms My own sentence
trancea state in which someone is mesmerized and does not respond to world around them
entrance = mesmerize
dazespelldaydream
The snake charmer put the snake into a trance.
“We have heard that they have sent people whose families have lived here for generations, those who are citizens and have never been to Mexico” (171).
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Synonyms My own sentence
generation1. one step in the descent of a family
“People try to put us down… talkin’ ‘bout my generation!”
I am the first generation in my family’s history to be born in the United States.
2. a group of people about the same age, having similar ideas and problems
1. step in family history
2. age group contemporaries
Alfonso and Hortensia offered to help but they had done so much already and they did not have much to spare. Besides, she could not accept their charity forever.
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Synonyms My own sentence
charitymoney, materials, or help given to people in need
an organization that gives money to people in need
aiddonationshelpassistance
aid organization
I gave part of my pay check to a charity that helps kids with cancer.
Adjective => charitable
Check for Understanding
• If Tony dies from the swine flu, he may be the last ______________ of his family.
• A. symptom
• B. trance
• C. generation
• D. charity
Check for Understanding
• One ______________ of the swine flu is growing a snout. (Just kidding!)
• A. symptom
• B. trance
• C. generation
• D. charity
Check for Understanding
• Would you be interested in donating money to a _____________ that helps people who have swine flu?
• A. symptom
• B. trance
• C. generation
• D. charity
Check for Understanding
• When the doctors first saw Tony’s snout, they were stuck in a _______________.
• A. symptom
• B. trance
• C. generation
• D. charity
VERBS
The part of speech that represents an action or state of being
[Esperanza] let the babies have their fill [of [plums] until they started fussing and reaching for their bottles of milk (140).
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Synonyms My own sentence
fussto keep moving or touch something nervously
to worry about detailsfiddle with
fretworry The woman would not stop
fussing about her dress.
As a noun, fuss means commotion
The wind stopped, but the dust still swirled as if propelled by its own power (149).
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Synonyms My own sentence
propelto move or push somebody forward
pushdriveforceboostthrust
propellerThe motor propelled the jet ski.
The teacher propelled the students to success.
It is a lot of strain on the body to cope with so many emotions at a time (163).
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Synonyms My own sentence
copeto deal with a difficult problem
managehandledeal with
To cope with his stress, James took a break from studying and went to the gym to exercise.
[Esperanza] repeated Hortensia’s recipe and as she sat for the second time with her hands smothered, she realized that it wouldn’t matter how much avocado she put on them, they would never look like the hands of a wealthy woman (182).
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Synonyms My own sentence
smotherto cover something with a thick layer of something else
I smothered my pancakes in syrup.
put oncover
Check for Understanding
• For Noah, the most difficult animal to ___________ with was the woodpecker.
• A. fuss
• B. cope
• C. propel
• D. smother
• Maybe Noah should have __________ more about who should be allowed on the ship.
• A. fussed
• B. coped
• C. propelled
• D. smothered
Check for Understanding
• After Noah caught the woodpecker, he ______________ it with a pillow.
• A. fussed
• B. coped
• C. propelled
• D. smothered
Check for Understanding
• Did Noah’s ark even have a motor to ___________ it forward?
• A. fuss
• B. cope
• C. propel
• D. smother
Check for Understanding