Vocabulary in Practice and Context

Eva had to come clean.  There was no way around it.  Blaming Grant Rice for the crime would have been reprehensible.  Even though she and Grant had always been aloof towards each other, she knew it was the brave decision.  Kicking the door of the apartment and throwing a hissy fit, Eva’s mom saw that she was filled with apprehension about the life-changing decision only she could make. 

On the day of the trial, Eva sat in the witness chair.  The air was so tense it could have been cut with a knife.  “What did you see next?”  Everyone—the lawyers, the witnesses, the jury—waited for her words raptly.  She looked here.  Then she looked there.  She averted her eyes from everyone. 

“Paco did it.”

            The next day, Eva hurried to school.  Unlucky for her, the gang was waiting for her.  Filled with scorn for her betrayal, they jumped her.  As they trapped her against the fence, Eva cowered away from their kicks and punches.  They told her that they disowned her, as did her dad.  He was so crestfallen with her decision to betray their race that he didn’t want to speak to her anymore.

            Soon after, Eva stayed after school to talk to Miss Gruwell.  Miss Gruwell was happy and receptive towards Eva—especially because she had done the right thing.  When Sindy came in, she offered to share her makeup with Eva.  Miss Gruwell, entranced by the scene unfolding before her, was content to see the girls reverently regarding each other’s race and color. They sure had come a long way!

1.      Reprehensible: adjective; deserving of scolding.  Curley’s attack of Lennie when he wasn’t even paying attention is an action for which he should be admonished.  Antonyms include admired, honored.

2.      Receptive: adjective; approachable and friendly.  Lucky for George and Lennie, Candy was receptive to their arrival.  The boss, on the other hand, was a bit hostile to their late arrival.  Antonyms: hostile, aggressive.

3.      Entranced: adjective; spellbound, deep in thought.  Lennie was entranced by dreams of the farm when Curley brutally attacked him.  Rapt is a synonym.

4.      Raptly: see: entranced.  While George crunched the numbers for the purchase of the farm, Candy watched raptly. 

5.      Reverently: adverb; respectfully.  Related words include revere.  A reverend (pastor of a church) is someone who should be treated reverently for his moral code of conduct.      

6.      Cower: verb; to shrink and shy away from.  If an animal is from an abusive background, it may cower when you raise your hand to pet it.  In fear, it cowers away from you…even if you don’t plan on hurting it.

7.      Aloof: adjective; distant and unfriendly.  An aloof person will most often keep to themselves and avoid conversations.  Antonyms: friendly.

8.      Apprehension: noun; worry, dread, concern.  This is a strange noun because it is abstract.  You approach new situations with apprehension; you are filled with apprehension.  People’s faces can also have a look of apprehension if they are fearful.

9.      Scorn: noun; ridicule, contempt.  Antonym: admiration.  Most of the ranch hands treat Crooks with scorn because of his color.

10.  Avert: verb; turn away from, avoid.  We sometimes get caught in a lie.  When approached with the truth, a liar may avert their eyes and avoid making eye contact because they know they were wrong.

11.  Crestfallen: adjective; depressed and disappointed.  Anytime Lennie does something wrong and George threatens to take away his future rabbits, Lennie becomes crestfallen.

 

“I’m going to the store with Paco and there’s nothing you can do about it,” retorted Eva, storming out of her house after a fight with her mother, unaware of the vicious attack soon to follow.  Night had fallen quickly and now, quick pick-pocketers and sluggish beggars lined the streets as if they were watching a parade…It was no time to be out in Long Beach. 

“BAM BAM BAM!”  Gunshots echoed through the store, penetrating the tension between Eva and Sindy.  Witnessing such a tragedy, the girls contorted their faces at the sight of a blood-soaked floor, surrounding an innocent man dressed in a mottled sweatshirt and baggy sweat pants.  Surprised and bewildered by the shooting, Eva scuttled to the safety of her car, like a bird to its nest.  “The sight of that much blood can make even the strongest and vicious individuals quiver with nausea and fright,” Eva whimpered to herself.

Although skeptical at first, it was a pleasant surprise for Eva to discover that Miss Gruwell would be there to console her in the end.  What a relief!

1.      Scuttle: (verb) To run with quick steps.  Synonyms for scuttle include scurry, dash, and scamper. 

2.      Quiver: (verb) To tremble and shake with slight, quick motion.  When you are cold, you shiver and you quiver, almost like you are vibrating.

3.      Vicious: (adjective) describes someone as being cruel, fierce, and violent.  A synonym for vicious is evil and is used to describe a person.  However, vicious can also describe something that is unpleasant.  For instance, I have a vicious headache that won’t go away!  Or, my vicious plan will get everyone in trouble.  It means unpleasant and cruel.

4.      Sluggish: (adjective) To move slowly or have very little motion.  A snail moves in a sluggish manner.  Or, the students are sluggish after the long weekend—it is taking them forever to walk from class to class! 

5.      Console: (verb) To comfort, cheer up, soothe, and calm.  When you console someone, you lesson their sadness or disappointment.  Miss Gruwell tries to console Eva, or make her feel better, after Eva stormed in the classroom and yelled at Miss Gruwell about the death of Anne Frank.  When a person is consoled, they will mollify their feelings, anger, or uneasiness.

6.      Contort: (verb) To twist or bend out of shape.  If there is a bad smell, many will contort their faces because they are turned off by the smell.   

7.      Mottled: (adjective) Spotted or blotched in coloring.  Synonyms include blotchy, speckled, and spotty.  When a leaf begins to change colors, it doesn’t happen over night.  Rather, yellow spots will appear on the green leaf.  The mottled tree is changing colors—it is spotty.  Eventually, those yellow spots will cover the entire leaf.  

8.      Retort: (verb) To reply angrily.  To respond to a comment in a sharp or angry way.  When you are using dialogue and describing an argument between two people, you can write, “That is not what I said,” Justin retorted.  Use retort in place of yell or snapped. 

9.      Bewilder: (verb) To confuse or puzzle someone.  For instance, it bewildered me that students only socialized with their own racial group in Freedom Writers.  I didn’t get it at first.  Therefore, it bewildered me.