A Monster Calls: "The Second Tale"–"The Third Tale"

by Patrick Ness
As Conor struggles to deal with his mother's terminal illness, he encounters a monster who demands that Conor tell him a truthful story.

This list covers The Second Tale–The Third Tale.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4

Here is a link to our lists for The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness.
15 words 603 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. apothecary
    a health professional who prepares and dispenses drugs
    But the name was well-earned, because apothecaries were ancient, dealing in the old ways of medicine, too. Of herbs and barks, of concoctions brewed from berries and leaves.
  2. concoction
    an occurrence of an unusual mixture
    But the name was well-earned, because apothecaries were ancient, dealing in the old ways of medicine, too. Of herbs and barks, of concoctions brewed from berries and leaves.
  3. ailment
    an often persistent bodily disorder or disease
    It can cure almost any ailment man suffers from, mixed and treated by the right apothecary.
  4. enlightened
    having knowledge and spiritual insight
    Now, the parson was an enlightened man, and a kind one. He wanted the very best for his congregation, to take them out of the dark ages of superstition and witchery.
  5. congregation
    group that habitually attends a particular place of worship
    Now, the parson was an enlightened man, and a kind one. He wanted the very best for his congregation, to take them out of the dark ages of superstition and witchery.
  6. demolish
    destroy completely
    A giant monstrous arm swung back and demolished the walls to the parson’s bedrooms.
  7. frenzy
    state of violent mental agitation
    He was yelling as he did it, so loud he couldn’t hear himself think, disappearing into the frenzy of destruction, just mindlessly smashing and smashing and smashing.
  8. strew
    spread by scattering
    Every wooden leg was broken, the upholstery ripped to shreds, hunks of stuffing strewn across the floor, along with the remains of the clock, flung from the wall and broken to almost unrecognizable bits.
  9. reflex
    an automatic instinctive unlearned reaction to a stimulus
    “What the—?” she said, stopping herself by reflex from saying hell in front of Conor.
  10. anticipation
    expecting with confidence of fulfillment
    Then he saw them. Harry and Sully and Anton, walking toward him diagonally across the yard, Harry’s eyes on him, unsmiling but alert, his cronies looking happy in anticipation.
  11. ebb
    fall away or decline
    He still felt like he wasn’t breathing, but the tension started to ebb a little, letting go of his stomach.
  12. suppress
    control and refrain from showing
    Conor couldn’t quite suppress a small smile.
  13. tersely
    in a short and concise manner
    “Much the same,” she said, tersely, keeping her eyes firmly on the road.
  14. verge
    the limit beyond which something happens or changes
    She didn’t answer this one for so long, he thought she wasn’t going to and was on the verge of asking again when she said, “It’s too soon to tell.”
  15. swan
    move about aimlessly or without any destination
    “Who everyone’s sorry for because of his mum. Who swans around school acting like he’s so different, like no one knows his suffering.”
Created on Tue Jan 15 09:15:03 EST 2019 (updated Fri Jul 18 11:28:00 EDT 2025)

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