VocabularyA Lesson Before Dying List Four

Timidly

Adverb In a shy or bashful manner Quietly, with a lack of self-confidence

Timmy wasn’t sure if he was doing the math problem correctly, so he timidly answered the question aloud in front of the entire class.

Maneuver

Noun, Verb Highly coordinated movements

In order to get a clear shot at the robber, the policemen had to maneuver into position past the stand of trees.

Privilege

Noun A special advantage not enjoyed by everyone

If you are very snooty, you probably don’t allow just anyone the privilege of being your friend.

My dad always tells me that driving my car is a privilege, and not a right, and that he can take it away from me at any time.

Refrain

Verb When you have a sudden impulse to do something,

and you have stopped yourself from doing it To resist doing something

One of my classmates burped in our quiet classroom, and it was hard for the rest of us to refrain from laughing.

Stagger

Verb To walk unsteadily or with great difficulty To waver To overcome with shock

I was walking to my car and I saw a man stagger out of a bar, looking like he was about to fall over sideways. I was willing to bet that he had a few too many drinks that night.

Content

Adjective Satisfied or happy with things as they are

I have learned to be content no matter the circumstances, because there is always something good to be found in each situation.

Clasp

Verb, Noun To hold tightly A fastener

Her necklace fell off and was lost forever on the ground when the clasp broke.

When I asked students to turn in their cell phones, they all clasped onto them tightly, not wanting to be without them for a couple of hours.

Emphasis

Noun Main focus

Today in practice our emphasis is going to be on serving, because we missed five serves in our game last week, and we definitely need to improve on that skill.

Tone

Noun The author’s attitude toward his subject

EX: Positive

Negative

Humorous

Sarcastic

Nervous

Excited

Frail

Adjective Physically weak Delicate and fragile

My grandmother’s favorite vase is too frail to use for football practice – something my brother learned the hard way.

Grudgingly

Adverb In a reluctant manner Feeling resentful and annoyed while doing

something, probably because you’ve been made to do it The man behind the counter at the deli glared at me and

handed me my sandwich grudgingly. I had to wonder what I did to make him so grouchy and mad at me.

Humanitarianism

Noun The promotion of human welfare and the

advancement of social reforms The mayor gives a humanitarianism award each year to the

person who has done the most to help the residents of the city.

Connotation

Noun The implied or suggested meaning of a word

EX: Positive – words that make people feel good

Negative – words that provoke a negative emotional response

Neutral – words that cause no emotional reaction at all

A political boss might not want to be called “boss” because of the negative connotations associated with the word.

The word “home” evokes a different response from someone who came from a happy childhood and home than that evoked in someone who had an unhappy home life.

Relent

Verb To give in, to influence or pressure To let up, soften, yield, or give in

Being unwilling to relent is a good qualification for a sales person, because they will often keep bugging you until they’ve made the sale.

Humiliate

Verb To make some feel ashamed or stupid, often publicly

I was humiliated to learn that I had gone the entire school day with my zipper down, and no one had told me.

Wager

Verb To bet

I’ll wager twenty dollars that the Dallas Cowboys lose to the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday.

Peer

Verb To look searchingly

We peered into the back of the shop to see whether a salesman was around.

Precede

Verb To come before

A short speech will precede the dinner.

When marching into the room, the younger kids precede the older ones.

Waver

Verb To move back and forth To show indecision

I continued to waver on my decision about what to do on Friday night – meet my friends for dinner, or stay home with my family? One minute I wanted to go out with my friends, and the next I wanted to spend a quiet night at home.

Cynical

Adjective Believing the worst about people Seeing the bad in every situation

If you think public officials are nothing but a bunch of greedy buffoons, then you have a cynical attitude about politics.