Vocabulary – Test 4

pleaded – (verb) – to argue or try and persuade someone for or against something; beg

“When the family returned home, William could not stop talking about hot air balloons. He pleaded with his dad to take him up in one.” Geraldine Haggard “Up Up and Away!” page 240

steadied- (verb)- not moving; stable; firm in position

“As they landed the crew steadied the balloon and basket and helped the passengers.”

Geraldine Haggard “Up Up and Away!” page 240

seldom- (adjective)- rare, unusual; not often

“Balloons seldom land where they are launched.”

Geraldine Haggard “Up Up and Away” page 240

intrigued- (verb)- fascinated, curious, highly interested in something

“Getting the balloon ready to fly intrigued William.”

Geraldine Haggard “Up Up and Away!” page 240

scrawny- (adjective)- boney, skinny, being very thin

“When hearing the words ‘malnourished child’ people think of the television pictures of scrawny bodies with swollen bellies of children in faraway places…” (Developing Readers, 2009)

swollen- (adjective)- enlarged or puffed up, bloated

“When hearing the words ‘malnourished child’ people think of the television pictures of scrawny bodies with swollen bellies of children in faraway places…” (Developing Readers, 2009)

preventable- adjective- to keep from occurring, to stop

“Causing over 400,000 deaths each year, poor diet combined with a lack of physical activity are second only to tobacco use as the number one cause of preventable death in the United States”, (Developing Readers, 2009).

risk- (noun)- chance of injury; dangerous chance

“Unhealthy eating can raise blood pressure and cholesterol and increase the risk of osteoporosis”, (Developing Readers, 2009).

aroma- (noun)- a pleasant smell or odor

“Vanilla beans must be cured to develop flavor and aroma.” (Haggard, Geraldine, pg 261)

shriveled- (verb)- to wrinkle from being hot, cold or dry

“Continue steps 2 and 3 for several months until the beans are dark brown and shriveled.” Haggard, Geraldine, pg 262)

scanning- (verb)- to look over quickly

“After scanning the sheet, Dad suggested that Juan do most of his research on the Internet.” (Haggard, Geraldine, page 270)

resemble- (adjective)- similar; looks like

“Pods, or fruits, are over a foot long and resemble a football.” (Haggard, Geraldine, pg. 271)

overrun- verb- to spread over

“Yet, over time, people came to refer to the sawmill as ‘Sutter’s Folly’ as the land of John Sutter was overrun with prospectors.” (Bial, Raymond. Page 295)

independence- noun- freedom from the control, influence, support or help of others

“Loading all of their possessions in Conestoga wagons with billowing canvas tops, settlers seeking independence moved westward to homestead farms, stake a mining claim or set up storekeeping in a new town.” (Bial, Raymond. Page 296)

vacant- adjective- not occupied

“With a large number of vacant cabins it contained several empty buildings and quite a large hotel, closed and silent.” (Bial, Raymond. Page 300)

scrawled- verb- wrote or drew poorly or carelessly

“In ghost town cemeteries, names of the dead were sometimes scrawled on rough boards.” (Bial, Raymond. Page 301)

wincing – (verb) – to tense up or flinch from pain or an uncomfortable feeling

“I found a pair of old vinyl slippers in the closet that were sort of like gymnastic shoes. I pushed my feet into them, tugging and wincing because they were too small.” The Gymnast by Gary Soto p.148

skidded – (verb)- to slip sideways while still moving

“A friend skidded to a stop on his bike, one cheek fat with sunflower seeds.” The Gymnast by Gary Soto p.148

hesitation – (noun) – the act of pausing, or stopping for a second

“I dipped my hands in flour to keep them dry and went back outside to do cartwheels and finally, after much hesitation, a back flip that nearly cost me my life…” The Gymnast by Gary Soto p.148

throbbing – (adjective) – describes when something feels like it’s beating fast

“I gave up on Chinese checkers and returned home, my feet throbbing.” The Gymnast by Gary Soto p.151