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"Hi, I'm Etta Molly Gee, Professor of Library Science at Vocabulary
University. We welcome you to our "classic text" site where vocabulary has been
pulled from many recommended texts. I have suggestions for your FAQ: How can you, as
a teacher, student and/or life-long learner use the V.U. classic texts vocabulary
lists?
(Tip 1) Individually or as a group, choose words that are unknown to
you from the list. To help memorize, look up and write down the definition, part of
speech and use the new word in a sentence of more than 6 words.
(Tip 2) Write a
story, postcard, letter or journal entry using 15-25 words in context.
(Tip 3) Working individually or in a group, pair synonyms and/or antonyms.
Determine how many words are adjectives, nouns and verbs.
Remember, vocabulary
mastery comes from encountering new words in assigned reading, in studying vocabulary
word lists and using words in context."
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| A recommended book, The Mayor of
Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy, gives the student the opportunity to learn SAT-College
Prep vocabulary in context. We have selected 63 words along with a sentence that
will help your comprehension skills and encourage further study. (Teachers: If
you have a vocabulary list for this book (or for others) that you would share with us,
email Jan
and Carey Cook. We will post it and give you attribution if you wish! Thanks for
helping us!!!)
The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy. 63 Words with
definitions AND a contextual sentence!
clad - dressed,covered.
The mountain-top was clad in snow.
hoar - white with age.
The old man's thick hair was hoar. That old joke is
really hoary.
swarthy - dark.
His complexion is more swarthy than his brother's.
fustian - fabric of linen and cotton.
I don't have anything made of fustian -
who does, these days?
rush - straw.
She had enough rush to make one small mat.
crutch - cross-piece.
The crutch of the hay-knife made it stronger and easier to
use.
wimble - a tool to twist ropes together.
It was easier to tie the cornstalks
together with a wimble than by hand.
bonds - ties.
The alumni have many bonds to their school. The dentist is going to do
some bonding to my teeth.
aperture - opening.
The aperture of the bag was so small I couldn't get my shoes in.
desultory - wiithout purpose.
He flipped through the dictionary in a desultory
manner.
shamble - shuffle.
The old man's gait was more of a shamble than a march.
dogged - stubborn.
The child was dogged in his refusal to wash his face.
cynical - doubting the opinion of others.
Her cynical point of view made he
unpopular with her classmates.
reciprocity - give and take.
"You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" is an
example of reciprocity. My friend made me a beautiful birthday cake and I would like to
reciprocate when her birthday comes.
intercourse - conversation.
The intercourse at the table was all in Spanish and I
couldn't take part.
irksome - annoying.
The buzzing of the flies is really irksome. It really irks me
when someone gets my name wrong
taciturnity - sullen silence.
The taciturnity at their dinner table was embarrassing
to me. Even after the principal scolded, the boy remained taciturn
mobility - motion.
With the advent of the automobile the mobility of the population
increased. The actress had a very mobile face, showing anger, happpiness, fear with
equal conviction
apathetic - indifferent.
Even the appproach of Christmas left the child apathetic.
When it comes to bowling, I'm afraid I feel nothing but apathy.
nimbus - halo.
The clouds made a nimbus around the top of the pine tree.
dingy - dull.
His shoes were old and dingy. The new teacher was shocked by the
dinginess of the schoolroom.
extraneous - external, not connected.
His comments were extraneous to the rest of
the conversation
trite - very ordinary.
Her description of happiness was really trite.
sundry - various.
She has sundry creams and powders for her complexion. The old
Woolworth stores carried many sundries.
phlegmatically - indifferent, unemotional.
The old man regarded the dog
phlegmatically.
broadsheet - a large sheet of paper.
My grandmother remembers when stores put out
their advertisements on a broadsheet.
hurdle - a crude enclosure for sheep.
He moved the hurdle from the meadow to a spot
under the trees, put a thatched roof on it and it became his house
superciliousness - acting superior.
I couldn't bear his air of superciliousness. The
more embarrassed she got, the more supercilious she became.
frivolous - fun-loving.
The girls kept on giggling and acting in a frivolous manner.
The newcomer enjoyed the frivolity of the party.
contingent - group.
A large contingent of children was in the march.
journeymen - semi-skilled laborers.
Even after several years of learning, they were
still journeymen.
congenial - agreeable.
I found his company very congenial.
thimble-riggers - people who run a game which is a scam.
Thimble-riggers are still
plentiful today, but they don't use thimbles any more.
nick-nack - collectible.
Ladies buy special shelves for their knick-knacks
down - open space on top of a hill.
The sheep grazed on the down.
ochreous - brownish yellow.
The ochreous leaves piled up in the wind. Maybe this
ocher tie will look nice with my brown suit.
furmity - wheat boiled in milk.
Furmity might be a grandmother of cream of wheat.
(The ingredients are given later in the chapter.)
deterrent - preventing.
The motorcycle cop was a deterrent to the speeding traffic.
Don't let me deter you from your homework.
cursory - casual.
In just a cursory glance he could tell we were losing the game
mincing -making very small.
She had big feet, but a mincing gait. The mother minced
the baby's food.
concoction - mixture.
The sstew we had for dinner was a strange concoction of
vegetables, fish and meat. The doctor asked the pharmacist to concoct a new prescription
for his patient.
maelstrom - violent storm.
The boat sank in a maelstrom off the coast of Africa.
prattle - chatter.
I wish the women wouldn't prattle so much.
ruminating - meditating.
The outlaw sat ruminating on his chances of escaping the
country. When the cow ruminates she is chewing her cud.
contemplative - thoughtful.
There was a contemplative silence after the minister
spoke. My father wouldn't contemplate buying a new car.
penuriousness - poverty.
The family was in the greatest penuriousness I have seen
yet. It seems the foundation has become quite penurious with its grants.
fuddled - confused.
"Fuddled" is a pretty-old fashioned word.
intrepid - fearless.
He was an intrepid hunter, but his friend faced the legion
with much trepidation.
toper - drinker, especially liquor.
The toper eventually lands up on skid row.
buxom - plump.
It is no longer stylish to be buxom.
staylace - the lace for a corset.
Since the invention of the zipper the staylace
manfacturers have gone out of business.
voluminous - very many, large.
That teacher gives voluminous amounts of homework.
The dirty look he gave me spoke volumes.
affirmation - agreement.
He nodded in affirmation of my request. I affirm that I
will be there at 10 o'clock.
tantalizing - tempting.
The smell of the pie was so tantalizing I had to eat a
piece. He became a thief because he was so tantalized by the hope of wealth.
lurid - ghastly, horrible.
His Halloween costume was truly lurid.
blandly - without emotion.
Thoug he was very angry, he replied blandly. Her point of
view is too bland to be interesting.
stolid - dull.
His stolid response made me wonder if he knew he was in danger.
abjure - renounce.
Society is willing to abjure a traitor.
comely - attractive.
It was not a beautiful baby, but very comely.
vagaries - foolish notions.
The latest of her vagaries is that she must always
dress in pink.
maid - little girl.
Maid has a different meaning today.
countenanced - watched, permitted.
He was displeased with the performance he
countenanced. Your behavior is unacceptable, I will not countenance it
indefensible - inexcusable.
Your manners are absolutely indefensible.
Thank you to Paul Kalkstein, high school English teacher at Phillips Academy
in Andover, MA for being our teacher contributor for The Mayor of Casterbridge.
(Teachers: If you have a vocabulary list for this book (or for others) that you would
share with us, email Jan and Carey Cook. We will post it and give you attribution if you
wish! Thanks for helping us!!!) Vocabulary University® has provided
vocabulary lists for the following 125 classic books:
| 125 Recommended
High School/Junior High Reading,
Books A to I: | 125 Recommended High
School/Junior High Reading,
Books J to Z: |
If there are other recommended books that you would like to see or contribute
vocabulary,
-- email your book ideas here. |
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