Chapter 1—Into the Primitive
Arbors- n. vines
Aristocrat- n. wealthy person
Array- n. an orderly arrangement
Artesian well- n. a well drilled through impermeable layer to reach water capable of rising to the surface by internal hydrostatic pressure
Calamity- n. disaster
Cayuses- n. small Western horses used by cowboys
Conciliated- v. made friends with
Conveyance- n. means of transportation
Culprit- n. a person guilty of a crime
Demesne- n. lands of an estate
Docilely- adv. Yieldingly to treatment or handling
Dominion- n. the exercise of control
Genial- adj. friendly
Impending- v. likely or due to happen
Imperiously- adv. urgently
Incurious- adj. not curious
Insular- adj. Isolated; detached
Kindred- n. family
Latent- adj. present or potential
Legion- n. a large number
Metamorphosed- v. changed or transformed
Paddocks- n. enclosed fields in which horses are exercised
Populous- adj. many people
Primitive- adj. very basic
Progeny- n. children
Prowess- n. superior ability
Revelation- n. something revealed or learned
Ruction- n. quarrel or noisy disturbance
Sated- adj. fully satisfied
Slaver- n. saliva
Soliloquized- v. talked to one’s self
Square-head- n. slang a Scandinavian or a German
Tidewater- n. seacoast
Treachery- n. betrayal
Uncowed- adj. not frightened
Unwonted- adj. unusual
Weazened- adj. wizened; shriveled; withered
Wheedlingly- adv. attempting to persuade
Chapter 2-- The Law of the Club and Fang
Appeasingly /appeasement- adv./n. trying to please
Cadence- n. beat or rhythm of movement
Disconsolate- adj. hopelessly sad
Draft animal- adj./n. an animal used for hauling heavy loads
Fastidiousness- n. carefulness in all details
Gaunt- adj. haggard and emaciated
Ignominiously- adv. shamefully
Introspective- adj. given to private thought
Malignant- adj. actively evil in nature
Malingerer- n. one who pretends to be ill in order to escape work
Placatingly- adv. appeasingly giving in easily
Primordial- adj. primitive
Reproof- n. scold
Retrogression- n. the act of deteriorating
Vicarious- adj. substituted from one thing for another
Chapter 3—The Dominant Primordial Beast
Adversary- n. enemy; opponent
Apex- n. the highest point of something
Climes- n. poetic for climate
Covert- adj. concealed; hidden; disguised
Daunted- adj. made afraid or discouraged
Dubiously- adv. doubtfully
Inexorable- adj. unwilling to give in
Insidious- adj. sly; crafty
Insubordination- n. disobedience
Paradox- n. a situation that seems to have contradictory or inconsistent
qualities
Pre-eminently- adv. dominantly
Wraith- n. ghost
Chapter 4—Who Has Won to Mastership
Lugubriously- adv. very sadly or mournfully
Obdurate- adj. unyielding; stubborn
Chapter 5—The Toil of Trace and Trail
Amenities- n. pleasant qualities
Averred- v. declared
Callous- adj. unfeeling
Chaffering- v. haggling over terms or price
Callowness- n. youth and inexperience; immaturity
Copiously- adv. abundantly
Evinced- v. showed clearly
Fissures- n. narrow cracks
Fraught- adj. accompanied
Innocuously- adv. harmlessly
Irresolutely- adv. lacking a solution
Jaded- adj. worn-out
Manifestly- adv. obviously; revealingly
Perambulating- v. walking
Remonstrance- n. a gesture of protest or scold
Rending- v. violently tearing apart into pieces
Repugnance- n. extreme dislike
Rouse- v. to excite into anger or action
Salient- adj. noticeable; prominent
Slipshod- adj. poorly made; shabby
Slovenly- adv. carelessly
Superfluous- more than is necessary
Wayfarers- n. those who travel
Chapter 6—For the Love of Man
Conjuration- n. making a magic spell
Contagion- n. a disease that can be transmitted
Convalescence- n. gradual return to good health
Extremity- n. dying stage
Grubstaked- v. bought supplies for
Millrace- n. the current of water that drives a mill wheel
Peremptorily- adv. absolutely; without question
Plethoric- adj. too full
Wiliness- n. trickiness
Chapter 7—The Sounding of the Call
Ambuscade- n. place of surprise attack
Belie- v. to tell lies about
Certitude- n. certainty
Cessation- v. ceasing or stopping
Chaff- n. husks of grain that are separated when the grain is beaten
during threshing
Commingled- v. mixed together
Excrescence- n. natural outgrowth
Imperiously- adv. overbearing; arrogant; domineering
Multitudinous- adj. crowded, great numbers
Obliterated- v. wiped out
Palmated- adj. shaped like a hand with the fingers spread
Palpitate- adj. quivering; trembling
Paroxysms- n. outbursts or convulsions
Pell-mell- adv. jumbled or confused
Pertinacity- n. stubbornness; perseverance
Placer- n. a deposit of sand mixed with gold
Ptarmigan- n. a northern or alpine game bird
Rampant- adj. unrestrained; spreading unchecked
Slake- v. to satisfy
Sluice boxes- n. long channels through which water is run, leaving
the gold
Usurp- v. takes control over
Vigor- n. active physical or mental strength
Virility- n. masculine mental or physical strength
Wantonness- n. lack of discipline
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Literary Vocabulary
Allegory: an extended metaphor - the whole poem or story is representative of another idea. Animal Farm is literally about an animal rebellion against their human oppressors on a farm. Allegorically, it is about the Russian Revolution and the rise of Communism in the USSR. An allegory is intended to teach a moral or lesson.
Alliteration: forming word patterns by repeating initial consonant sounds. It depends on sound, not spelling.
Allusion: a brief reference to a person, event or thing religious or historical.
Ambiguity: This is the quality in a piece of writing that makes it possible to interpret it in more than one way.
Analogy: where you explain a complex situation by relating it to a simpler idea.
Antagonist: a character, or characters, in a short story, novel, or play, that gives the Protagonist a challenge.
Apostrophe: directly addressing a person or thing as if it/s/he were really there. (Romeo & Juliet, where Juliet speaks, “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?).
Assonance: the repetition of a stressed vowel sounds (ex: Three/beach; say/played; flame/pain).
Autobiography: literature about a real person and is written by the person the story is about. Example: John wrote a book about his own life.
Biography: a factual piece of literature that is about someone and was written by another person. Example: Janet wrote a book about John's life.
Climax: the high point of a story... when the Protagonist makes his/her decision or faces their challenge
Consonance: the repetition of consonant sounds at the end of words. Ex. Thick stuck gunk, first and last.
Fiction: literature that is not factually true, but may be based on true events.
Hyperbole: exaggeration, either for comic or serious effect. Ex. I cried a river of tears.
Imagery: creating vivid mental pictures through using words that appeal to the senses and emotions.
Inference: making conclusions about a piece of literature when the connection is not provided in a piece of literature.
Metaphor: a comparison that doesn’t use comparison words such as like or as.
Mood: the dominant feeling or atmosphere of a work. Dark, light, happy, sad, are simple moods.
Narrator: the voice that is telling the story in a novel or short story. There are two popular forms of narration:
• First person narrator--the story is told through the eyes of a character.
• Third person--the story is told by a person outside of the story.
Non-Fiction: literature that is true or is based on factual events
Ode: a form of lyric poetry using elaborate vocabulary. It usually focuses on a single object or person.
Onomatopoeia: words that sound like the sound they are describing. Ex. BANG, buzz, pop.
Oxymoron: two opposite or conflicting words, side by side. Example:, Dark day, white night
Parody: using comedy or satire when imitating a well-known, serious work. It is much like re-writing a story with foolish characters and actions similar to the original. Parodies often make fun of the original author’s style, or criticize the authors’ views.
Personification: giving human qualities to a non-human thing or idea. Ex. The angry sky...
Protagonist: the main character of a short story, novel, or play, who is faced with a challenge or a decision to make.
Repetition: the repeating of lines, words, or phrases for emphasis
Rhyme: similar sounding words in the end or within a line.
Satire: makes fun of some part of human nature, customs, or attitudes in order to make a positive change.
Simile: comparison using like or as. Ex. Her hair was like spun gold.
Stress: saying certain syllables or words in a line with more emphasis or volume.
Symbolism: using an image to represent an idea.
• Ex. Storms often symbolize impending disaster
• red rose=love
• dove=peace
• black cat=bad luck
Alliteration: forming word patterns by repeating initial consonant sounds. It depends on sound, not spelling.
Allusion: a brief reference to a person, event or thing religious or historical.
Ambiguity: This is the quality in a piece of writing that makes it possible to interpret it in more than one way.
Analogy: where you explain a complex situation by relating it to a simpler idea.
Antagonist: a character, or characters, in a short story, novel, or play, that gives the Protagonist a challenge.
Apostrophe: directly addressing a person or thing as if it/s/he were really there. (Romeo & Juliet, where Juliet speaks, “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?).
Assonance: the repetition of a stressed vowel sounds (ex: Three/beach; say/played; flame/pain).
Autobiography: literature about a real person and is written by the person the story is about. Example: John wrote a book about his own life.
Biography: a factual piece of literature that is about someone and was written by another person. Example: Janet wrote a book about John's life.
Climax: the high point of a story... when the Protagonist makes his/her decision or faces their challenge
Consonance: the repetition of consonant sounds at the end of words. Ex. Thick stuck gunk, first and last.
Fiction: literature that is not factually true, but may be based on true events.
Hyperbole: exaggeration, either for comic or serious effect. Ex. I cried a river of tears.
Imagery: creating vivid mental pictures through using words that appeal to the senses and emotions.
Inference: making conclusions about a piece of literature when the connection is not provided in a piece of literature.
Metaphor: a comparison that doesn’t use comparison words such as like or as.
Mood: the dominant feeling or atmosphere of a work. Dark, light, happy, sad, are simple moods.
Narrator: the voice that is telling the story in a novel or short story. There are two popular forms of narration:
• First person narrator--the story is told through the eyes of a character.
• Third person--the story is told by a person outside of the story.
Non-Fiction: literature that is true or is based on factual events
Ode: a form of lyric poetry using elaborate vocabulary. It usually focuses on a single object or person.
Onomatopoeia: words that sound like the sound they are describing. Ex. BANG, buzz, pop.
Oxymoron: two opposite or conflicting words, side by side. Example:, Dark day, white night
Parody: using comedy or satire when imitating a well-known, serious work. It is much like re-writing a story with foolish characters and actions similar to the original. Parodies often make fun of the original author’s style, or criticize the authors’ views.
Personification: giving human qualities to a non-human thing or idea. Ex. The angry sky...
Protagonist: the main character of a short story, novel, or play, who is faced with a challenge or a decision to make.
Repetition: the repeating of lines, words, or phrases for emphasis
Rhyme: similar sounding words in the end or within a line.
Satire: makes fun of some part of human nature, customs, or attitudes in order to make a positive change.
Simile: comparison using like or as. Ex. Her hair was like spun gold.
Stress: saying certain syllables or words in a line with more emphasis or volume.
Symbolism: using an image to represent an idea.
• Ex. Storms often symbolize impending disaster
• red rose=love
• dove=peace
• black cat=bad luck
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