Important Vocabulary Chapters 1-3
Here you'll find twenty vocabulary words from the first three chapters of our novel. These words were picked for various reasons, either their unfamiliarity or their role in comprehending the text. Review these words at your pace, then look to the next few posts for a couple different games I've developed to help you remember this vocab!
1. Defer
- Definition: hold back to a later time
- Sentence: "You dipped into the muddy waters of the Harlem River and shouted 'taste and see' that we Black folk be good at fanning hope and stoking the fires of dreams deferred"
- Synonyms: delay, shelf, stall, postpone, hold up, set aside
- Definition: hold back to a later time
- Sentence: "You dipped into the muddy waters of the Harlem River and shouted 'taste and see' that we Black folk be good at fanning hope and stoking the fires of dreams deferred"
- Synonyms: delay, shelf, stall, postpone, hold up, set aside
2. Venture
- Definition: proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible danger
- Sentence:
- You made sure
the world heard
about the beauty of
maple sugar children, and the
artfully tattooed backs of Black
sailors venturing out
to foreign places.
- Synonyms: endeavor, adventure, go
- You made sure
the world heard
about the beauty of
maple sugar children, and the
artfully tattooed backs of Black
sailors venturing out
to foreign places.
3. Innocent
- Definition: the state of being pure from sin or moral wrongs
- Sentence: "It's too late to worry about my innocence since fear is here"
- Synonyms: pure, blameless, young, harmless, honest, clean, good, guiltless
4. Seep
- Definition: pass gradually or leak through small openings
- Sentence: "When that boy dyed his hair, I b'lieve some of that bleach must've seeped right into his brain"
- Synonyms: drain, flow, leak, soak, trickle, drip, bleed, ooze
5. Censor
- Definition: forbid the public distribution of
- Sentence: "Why hasn't somebody censored death?"
- Synonyms: forbid, ban, selectively remove, delete, restrict, edit, black out
6. Brutality
- Definition: the trait of extreme cruelty
- Sentence:
- "But first, say no to coke, and smoke
say no to police brutality and causing fatality"
- Synonyms: cruel, savage, barbarism, inhuman, atrocity, ruthless
- "But first, say no to coke, and smoke
say no to police brutality and causing fatality"
7. Commence
- Definition: the trait of extreme cruelty
- Sentence:
- "But first, say no to coke, and smoke
say no to police brutality and causing fatality"
- Synonyms: cruel, savage, barbarism, inhuman, atrocity, ruthless
- "But first, say no to coke, and smoke
say no to police brutality and causing fatality"
8. Gawk
- Definition: look with amazement
- Sentence: "Still, I’d rather not have kids gawking at me all period, so I park myself in the back of the room and wait for Mr. Ward to call our English class to attention.
- Synonyms: stare, glare, eyeball, gaze, inspect
9. Souvenir
- Definition: an item that reminds of past events or places
- Sentence: "I caught a quick glance in the chilly glow of the refrigerator before she had a chance to hide the latest souvenir her boyfriend gave her.
- Synonyms: gift, memento, trophy, reminder, token, keepsake
10. Confining
- Definition: restricting the scope or freedom of action
- Sentence: "Why make it easy for you to choose whether I am Zorro or el bandito when I am neither. Your categories are too confining."
- Synonyms: restricting, narrow, imprisoning, restraining
11. Tirade
- Definition: a long, angry speech of criticism
- Sentence: "He’ll launch into a tirade on you in a minute.
- Synonyms: rant, lecture, outburst, denunciation, condemnation, berate
12. Sculpt
- Definition: create by shaping stone or wood or another material
- Sentence: "If I stood on tiptoe reached up and sculpted mountains from clouds would you laugh out loud?"
- Synonyms: create, model, make, design, carve, forge, build, erect
13. Limelight
- Definition: a focus of public attention
- Sentence: "I guess she's not exactly used to the limelight"
- Synonyms: attention, spotlight, public eye, exposure, hype, fame
14. Confide
- Definition: reveal in private or tell confidentially
- Sentence: "I woke up this morning exhausted from hiding the me of me so I stand here confiding there's more to Devon than jump shot and rim."
- Synonyms: admit, confess, disclose, reveal, suggest, whisper, tell, entrust
15. Disguise
- Definition: attire that helps conceals the wearer's identity
- Sentence: "I dare you to peep behind these eyes, discover the poet in tough-guy disguise."
- Synonyms: cloak, veil, costume, camouflage, charade, concealment, cover-up, front
16. Despise
- Definition: look down on with contempt
- Sentence: "He couldn't wait to get back to his precious mountains! And this is the man you love? But Berto, who puts food in your mouth, him you despise"
- Synonyms: hate, loathe, dislike, detest, reject, scorn
17. Churn
- Definition: agitate to mix something
- Sentence: "Our twin hearts beat like congas, the rhythm churning our blood to salsa"
- Synonyms: beat, mix up, toss, stir up, swirl
18. Clique
- Definition: an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose
- Sentence: "We kind of have our own little clique now"
- Synonyms: circle, gang, club, crew, posse, pack, group
19. Accentuate
- Definition: stress or single out as important
- Sentence: "That's why I got to show it off, wear clothes that accentuate the postive"
- Synonyms: emphasize, highlight, point to, accent, feature, focus attention on
20. Voluptuous
- Definition: having large and pleasing curves (typically in regards to a woman's body)
- Sentence: "With her chalk, she can outline a fine and voluptuous shape"
- Synonyms: thic [sic* for slang], delightful, attractive, sexy, curvy
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