THE TELL-TALE HEART
Vocabulary (Part One and Two)
8th Grade Literature
ACUTE
adjective (adj.) - sharp
An acute pain in his side made him fall to the ground
groaning.
VEXED
verb (v.) - disturbed
The sound of him chewing his food vexed her until
she got up and moved seats.
SAGACITY
noun (n.) - intelligence and good judgment
Carol showed sagacity by not driving on the icy
roads.
REFRAINED
verb (v.) - held back
I wanted to slam the door in his face, but I refrained
from doing so.
WARY
adjective (adj.) - cautious
Dave grew wary of the man, not trusting what he was
saying.
SUAVITY
noun (n.) - smooth manner
Gary’s suavity made him seem cool and confident
under pressure.
AUDACITY
noun (n.) - boldness
Heather had the audacity to show up at the party
with Jen’s ex-boyfriend.
VEHEMENTLY
adverb (adv.) - forcefully
Grace vehemently denied being at the party when her
parents asked.
GESTICULATIONS
noun (n.) - energetic gestures
From across the room, Kevin’s gesticulations made it
obvious he was excited about the game.
DERISION
noun (n.) - ridicule
The president of the drama club faced derision from
the members over the new play to be performed.