Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush: Chapters 14–17

by Virginia Hamilton
At first sight on an Ohio street corner, almost-fifteen-year-old Teresa "Tree" Pratt falls in love with Brother Rush, before she realizes he is a ghost who has appeared to show her the past.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–8, Chapters 9–13, Chapters 14–17
30 words 9 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. content
    satisfied or showing satisfaction with things as they are
    Tree was happy. Dab seemed more content than ever before.
  2. masonry
    structure built of stone or brick
    They were heading for a gigantic masonry tower that supported a whole span of cables.
  3. plush
    characterized by extravagance and softness
    She could see plush upholstery.
  4. impulse
    a sudden desire
    It didn't seem right to be silly without Dab.
    On a sudden impulse, she hurried to Dab's room.
  5. hamper
    a basket usually with a cover
    She walked to the bathroom, depositing the dirty clothes in the hamper, watching her feet.
  6. snag
    catch or cause to catch on something sharp that is sticking out
    Staring at the table, she saw scenes of the past in her mind. She caught and held the one of the car crash, when she had escaped through the trunk. When Ken, her father, had lived and Brother had died. Thoughts snagged on the way Rush fell from the car.
  7. substance
    the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists
    She had caved in on herself, as though all her substance were gone.
  8. stunted
    inferior in size or quality
    He was really tiny. Stunted tiny and skinny legs.
  9. drone
    talk in a monotonous voice
    "Me and Silversmith start our own catering service," Vy droned on.
  10. subsidize
    support, as through grants or other funds
    I pay two hundred a month subsidized rent on this place and a hundred fifty on the business storefront.
  11. subside
    wear off or die down
    Her tears were subsiding. She was moaning a little, but the tears had run out.
  12. incredulous
    not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
    "You mean you gone do it all?" Tree asked, incredulous.
  13. manicure
    trim carefully and neatly
    Tree thought of funeral homes as places you went by on your way somewhere else. She never thought she would ever have to go inside one. She had passed them on the bus sometimes, riding with Dab and M'Vy, peering out the window at the manicured lawns.
  14. immaculate
    completely neat and clean
    She stood at the foot of wide cement steps that were covered in immaculate green outdoor carpet.
  15. colonnade
    structure consisting of a row of evenly spaced columns
    The steps led to a sweeping colonnade with tall white columns.
  16. stately
    refined or imposing in manner or appearance
    The home looked richer and more stately than any church Tree could have imagined.
  17. cloying
    overly sweet
    There was a cloying scent of flowers everywhere.
  18. sanctity
    the quality of being holy
    "M'Vy!" Tree whispered, feeling the sanctity of the moment. "It's all just beautiful!"
  19. behold
    see with attention
    Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
  20. hearse
    a vehicle for carrying a coffin to a church or a cemetery
    They saw the silver hearse pull away. It held the casket and the flowers.
  21. ward off
    repel or turn away
    Her shoulders were hunched high, as if to ward off blows.
  22. regard
    look at attentively
    "How you feelin?'' he asked.
    She regarded him a long moment.
  23. lapse
    pass into a specified state or condition
    They lapsed into silence.
  24. intone
    recite musically; recite as a chant or a psalm
    When they were all there, the minister intoned the Twenty-third Psalm.
  25. plaintively
    in a manner expressing sorrow
    "Can't I even say what I want?" Tree asked plaintively.
  26. critical
    marked by a tendency to find and call attention to flaws
    M'Vy stared down her nose at Don, mildly critical.
  27. conspirator
    a member of a plot to carry out some harmful or illegal act
    She and Don were like conspirators against their parents.
  28. wistfully
    in a pensively sad manner
    He smiled at her kind of wistfully.
  29. saunter
    walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
    Tree sauntered down the hall, then paused and turned around.
  30. scalloped
    decorated with a margin or border of semicircles
    She found M'Vy finishing up one of her and Dab's favorite dishes—scalloped potatoes.
Created on Sun May 12 11:04:32 EDT 2024 (updated Sun May 12 18:08:22 EDT 2024)

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