“The Scarlet Ibis” and “The Slipover Sweater”Vocabulary

1. SULLENLY: adv. resentfully; gloomily

•“ ‘I won’t touch it,’ he said sullenly” (Hurst 346).

•The boy had a sullen (adj.) look about him; his head was always hanging, and his eyes were sad.

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2. IMMINENT: adj. near; about to happen

  • “With success so imminent, we decided not to tell anyone until he could actually walk” (Hurst 349).
  • With her vital signs weakening at a quick rate, her death was imminent.

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3. INFALLIBILITY: n. inability to make a mistake

  • “Once I had succeeded in teaching Doodle to walk, I believed in my own infallibility and I prepared a terrific development program for him, unknown to Mama and Daddy of course” (Hurst 349).
  • With 10 all-conference players on the team, many people are saying that the Falcons will be infallible (adj.) this season.

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4. BLIGHTED:adj. suffering from conditions that destroy or prevent growth.

  • “That summer, the summer of 1918, was blighted” (Hurst 349).
  • Extravagance was the blight (n.) of the family; they went on expensive vacations and fell into credit card debt.

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5. REITERATED: v. repeated

  • “’I certainly did,’ Doodle reiterated, scowling at me over the top of his iced tea glass, and we were quiet again“(Hurst 351).
  • My father has reiterated to me several times that money does not grow on trees.

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6. CEASED: v. to cause to come to an end, especially gradually

  • “I just protected Grace as any boy would protect a girl he had once loved but had ceased to love since he had found another girl…” (Stuart 151).
  • The charity shop was forced to cease its selling when they had no more used clothing donations.

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7. GORGE: n. a narrow passage through land

  • “We stopped at our place on the cliffs and looked down at the swirling waters in the gorge”(Stuart 152).
  • When Peeta was injured in The Hunger Games, he and Katniss hid in a river gorge so that he could heal before their opponents found them.

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8. BATTERED: adj. to subject to strong, overwhelming, or repeated attack

  • “And I knew she had the durability and the toughness of a storm-battered mountain oak”(Stuart 155).
  • Sammy’s opponent battered (v.) her with lots of evidence when she showed up to her debate ill-prepared.

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9. DESPONDENT: adj. feeling or showing extreme discouragement or depression

  • “After the snow had melted from the mountain, I grew more despondent”(Stuart 156).
  • After living and playing together for over 10 years, Pickles the cat became despondent after her best friend Pebbles died.

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10. JUTTED: v., adj. to extend out, up, or forward

  • “She was as solid as the jutted cliffs, I thought, and as durable as the mountain oaks” (Stuart 158).
  • Backpacks jutted everywhere between rows in the cramped room, causing the teacher to trip while checking in homework.

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