Name _________________________________
Date ________________
ELA 8/Short Story Unit
Period ______
Short Story Unit Vocabulary
Short Stories – Part 1
“Priscilla & the Wimps”
Vocabulary Words
1. Subtle
“Monk’s threads were more …
subtle. A pile-lined suede battle
jacket with lizard-skin flaps over
tailored Levis and a pair of ostrichskin boots, brass-toed and suitable
for kicking people around.”
2. Malnutrition
“Speaking of lunch, there were a
few cases of malnutrition among
the newer kids. The ones who
were a little slow handing over a
cut of their lunch money were
therefore barred from the
cafeteria.”
3. Lacerations
“Practically every guy in school
could show you his scars. Fang
marks from the Cobras you might
say. And they were all highly
visible in the shower room: lumps,
lacerations, blue bruises, you
name it.”
4. Bionic
“Priscilla was, hands down, the
largest student in our particular
institution of learning. I’m not
talking fat, I’m talking big. Even
beautiful, in a bionic way.”
Actual Definition
(adj.) fine or delicate in meaning or intent; difficult to perceive or
understand, doesn’t stand out.
5. Pun
“Priscilla was sort of above
everything, if you’ll pardon a pun.
And very calm, as only the very
big can be.”
(n.) the humorous use of a word or phrase to emphasize its different
meanings; a play on words
*Note-Peck is being sarcastic in his use of the word.
(n.) lack of proper nutrition; inadequate or unbalanced nutrition
(n.) a rough, jagged tear of the skin
(adj.) having superhuman strength or capacity
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“The Lottery”
Vocabulary Words
6. Boisterous
“School was recently over for the
summer, and the feeling of liberty
sat uneasily on most of them; they
tended to gather together quietly
for a while before they broke into
boisterous play.”
Actual Definition
(adj.) rough and noisy, rowdy
7. Reprimand
(n.) a severe criticism by one in authority
“Their talk was still of the
classroom and the teacher, of
books and reprimands.”
8. Jovial
(adj.) one who is joyous and happy
“He was a round-faced, jovial man
and he ran the coal business, and
people were very sorry for him
because he had no children and his
wife was a scold.”
9. Paraphernalia
(n.) belongings, equipment, objects
“The original paraphernalia for
the lottery had been lost long ago,
and the black box now resting on
the stool had been put into use
even before Old Man Warner, the
oldest man in town, was born.”
10. Perfunctory
(adj.) performed out of routine
“There was the proper swearing-in
of Mr. Summers by the postmaster,
as the official of the lottery; at one
time, some people remembered
there had been a recital of some
sort, performed by the official of
the lottery, a perfunctory, tuneless
chant that had been rattled off duly
each year.”
11. Interminably
(adj.) unending, having no limits
“He seemed very proper and
important as he talked
interminably to Mr. Graves and
the Martins.”
12. Disengaged
“A man disengaged himself from
the crowd and came forward.”
(v.) to free oneself; step forward
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13. Petulantly
“‘There’s always been a lottery,’
he added petulantly.”
(adj.) moved to or showing sudden, impatient irritation, especially
over some trifling annoyance
14. Daintily
(adj.) delicately, with great care
“Nancy was twelve, and her school
friends breathed heavily as she
went forward switching her skirt,
and took a slip daintily from the
box.”
15. Defiantly
(adj.) one who resists authority or an opposing force
“She hesitated for a minute,
looking around defiantly and then
set her lips and went up to the
box.”
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Name _________________________________
Date ________________
ELA 8/Short Story Unit
Period ______
Short Story Unit Vocabulary
Short Stories – Part 2
“A Retrieved Reformation”
Vocabulary Words
16. Retrieved
After being arrested, Jimmy had to
work hard to retrieve the good
reputation that he was known for in
the past.
17. Reformation
After being arrested and spending 20
years in prison, Vito underwent a
major reformation and later became
an honest man.
18. Assiduously
“A guard came to the prison shoeshop, where Jimmy Valentine was
assiduously stitching uppers, and
escorted him to the front office.”
19. Alibi
“Was it because you wouldn't prove
an alibi for fear of compromising
somebody in extremely high-toned
society? Or was it simply a case of a
mean old jury that had it in for you?”
20. Virtuous
“‘Me?’ said Jimmy, still blankly
virtuous. ‘Why, warden, I never was
in Springfield in my life!’”
21. Compulsory
“He had on a suit of the villainously
fitting, ready-made clothes and a pair
of the stiff, squeaky shoes that the
state furnishes to its discharged
compulsory guests.”
22. Balked
“But we had that protest from
Springfield to buck against, and the
governor nearly balked. Feeling all
right?”
23. Genially
“‘Got anything on?’ asked Mike
Dolan, genially.
‘Me?’ said Jimmy, in a puzzled tone.”
Actual Definition
(v.) to return or bring back to a former state
(n.) the act of improving or bettering oneself
(adv.) carefully and busily
(n.) an excuse given to avoid blame
(adj.) one who behaves morally and does the right thing
(adj.) required, mandatory
(v.) to stop short and refuse to proceed
(adv.) warmly and pleasantly cheerful
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24. Retribution
“Long jumps, quick get-aways, no
confederates, and a taste for good
society—these ways had helped Mr.
Valentine to become noted as a
successful dodger of retribution.”
25. Elusive
“It was given out that Ben Price had
taken up the trail of the elusive
cracksman, and other people with
burglar-proof safes felt more at ease.”
(n.) a punishment deserved for wrongdoing; revenge
(adj) tricky or puzzling, mysterious
“After Twenty Years”
Vocabulary Words
26. Nigh
“The time was barely 10 o’clock at
night, but chilly gusts of wind with
a taste of rain in them had well
nigh depeopled the streets.”
27. Intricate
“Trying doors as he went, twirling
his club with many intricate and
artful movements, turning now and
then to cast his watchful eye
adown the pacific thoroughfare,
the officer, with his stalwart form
and slight swagger, made a fine
picture of a guardian of the peace.”
28. Stalwart
“Trying doors as he went, twirling
his club with many intricate and
artful movements, turning now and
then to cast his watchful eye
adown the pacific thoroughfare,
the officer, with his stalwart form
and slight swagger, made a fine
picture of a guardian of the peace.”
29. Staunchest
“But I know Jimmy will meet me
here if he’s alive, for he always
was the truest, staunchest old
chap in the world.”
Actual Definition
(adv.) nearly, almost
(adj.) complex, complicated or detailed; difficult to understand, work
or make
(adj.) strong and brave
(adj.) firm, loyal
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Name _________________________________
Date ________________
ELA 8/Short Story Unit
Period ______
Short Story Unit Vocabulary
Short Stories – Part 3
“The necklace”
Vocabulary Words
30. Prospects
“With no dowry, no prospects, no
way of any kind of being met,
understood, loved, and married by
a man both prosperous and
famous, she was finally married to
a minor clerk in the Ministry of
Education.”
31. Incessantly
“She grieved incessantly, feeling
that she had been born for all the
little niceties and luxuries of
living.”
32. Vexation
“And she would weep for days on
end from vexation, regret, despair,
and anguish.”
33. Pauper
“‘I’ll look like a pauper: I’d
almost rather not go to that party.’”
34. Adulation
“She danced madly, wildly, drunk
with pleasure; giving no thought to
anything in the triumph of her
beauty, the pride of her success, in
a kind of happy cloud composed of
all the adulation, of all the
admiring glances, of all the
awakened longings, of a sense of
complete victory that is so sweet to
a woman’s heart.”
35. Disconsolate
“They walked toward the Seine,
disconsolate and shivering.”
36. Aghast
“They looked at each other aghast.
Finally Loisel got dressed again.
‘I’ll retrace our steps on foot,’ he
said, ‘to see if I can find it.’”
Actual Definition
(n.) chances or possibilities, especially for financial success
(adv.) without interruption; continuously
(n.) irritation; annoyance
(n.) a poor person, especially one who depends on public charity
(n.) excessive praise or flattery
(adj.) extremely depressed or dejected
(adj.) filled with shock or horror
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37. Gamut
(n.) an entire range or series
“He signed notes, made ruinous
deals, did business with loan
sharks, ran the whole gamut of
moneylenders.”
38. Privations
(n.) the lack of a basic necessity or a comfort of life
“He compromised the rest of his
life, risked his signature without
knowing if he’d be able to honor
it, and then, terrified by the
outlook for the future, by the
blackness of despair about the
close around him, by the prospect
of all the privations of the body
and tortures of the spirit, he went
to claim the new necklace with the
thirty-six thousand francs which he
placed on the counter of the
shopkeeper.”
“the story of an hour”
Vocabulary Words
39. Afflicted
“Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was
afflicted with heart trouble, great
care was taken to break to her as
gently as possible the news of her
husband’s death.”
40. Veiled
“It was her sister Josephine who
told her, in broken sentences;
veiled hints…”
41. Concealing
“…veiled hints that revealed in
half concealing.”
42. Hastened
“He had hastened to forestall any
less careful, less tender friend in
bearing the sad message.”
43. Forestall
“He had hastened to forestall any
less careful, less tender friend in
bearing the sad message.”
44. Aquiver
“Should could see…the tops of
trees that were all aquiver with the
new spring life.”
Actual Definition
(v.) to trouble greatly
(adj.) masked, disguised
(v.) to hide, to keep secret
(v.) to move or act quickly
(v.) to prevent, to act beforehand
(adj.) in a state of lively movement
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45. Bespoke
“She was young, with a fair, calm
face, whose lines bespoke
repression and even a certain
strength.”
46. Repression
“She was young, with a fair, calm
face, whose lines bespoke
repression and even a certain
strength.”
47. Yonder
“Her gaze was fixed away off
yonder on one of those patches of
blue sky.”
48. Tumultuously
“Now her bosom rose and fell
tumultuously.”
49. Vacant
“The vacant stare and the look of
terror that had followed it went
from her eyes.”
50. Exalted
“A clear and exalted perception
enabled her to dismiss the
suggestion as trivial.”
51. Save
“…the face that had never looked
save with love upon her.”
52. Impose
“…men and women believe they
have a right to impose a private
will upon a fellow-creature.”
52. Imploring
“Josephine was kneeling before
the closed door with her lips to the
keyhole, imploring for
admission.”
54. Elixir
“She was drinking in a very elixir
of life through that window.”
55. Importunities
“She arose at length and opened
the door to her sister’s
importunities.”
56. Unwittingly
“There was a feverish triumph in
her eyes, and she carried herself
unwittingly like a goddess of
Victory.”
(V.) to show, to indicate
(n.) the state of holding back
(adj.) being the more distant or farther
(adj.) highly agitated
(adj.) empty, void, lack of expression or thought
(adj.) raised or elevated
(prep.) except
(v.) to force upon others
(V.) to beg urgently
(n.) a liquid solution believed to be a cure for illness and to prolong
life
(adj.) urgent demands
(adj.) unknowingly, unintentionally
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57. Descended
“She clasped her sister’s waist, and
together they descended the
stairs.”
(v.) to pass from a higher to a lower place
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