Narrative Writing Vocabulary 8 th Grade Writing

Epoch (noun) The beginning of a distinctive period of time in history or someone’s life. It is a period of time with important events and changes. Example: The Civil Rights Movement was an important epoch in American history.

Belated (adjective) Used to describe when something is late or overdue. Example: Her birthday was four days ago, so I wished her a happy belated birthday.

Perpetually (adverb) Perpetually is used to describe when an event happens continuously, without interruption, or repeatedly. Example: The clock was perpetually ticking, even if it felt slow at times.

Sporadically (adverb) Sporadically is used to describe when an event happens randomly or not continuously. This is the opposite of perpetually. Example: It would rain sporadically throughout the day, and the students could never predict if they needed an umbrella.

Tepidly (adverb) Tepidly is used to describe when someone does something without emotion or enthusiasm. Example: On Thursday, the students tepidly took their pencils out as they prepared for their quiz.

Flummoxed (adjective) Flummoxed is used to describe when a person is bewildered or perplexed. This can be used for confused as well. Example: The outburst from her friend left her angry and flummoxed.

Jovial (adjective) Jovial is used to describe someone who is happy or friendly. Example: Meghan was known for always being jovial during the holidays.

Mortified (adjective) Mortified is another word for embarrassed. It is often used as a stronger word than embarrassed. Example: The singer was mortified when he forgot the words in the middle of a song during his concert.

Vigilant (adjective) Vigilant is used to describe someone who is alert and watching for danger. Example: After she almost crashed, she was vigilant for the remainder of the drive home.

Enraptured (adjective) Enraptured is used to describe someone who is pleasantly interested or charmed by someone or something. Example: The young child was enraptured by watching the dog run around the yard.

Vocabulary: Week 2 8 th Grade Writing

Vex (verb) To make someone feel annoyed, frustrated, or worried, especially about small things. Example: He was vexed that his friend had three more followers on Instagram than he did.

Stifle (verb) To restrain or stop yourself from acting on an emotion Example: The doctor stifled his urge to sneeze during the surgery.

Audacity (noun) Rude or disrespectful behavior Example: The customer had the audacity to leave without tipping his waitress.

Vehemently (adverb) To say or do something with intense or extreme emotions (usually negative emotions) Example: The lawyer vehemently defended her client in the tense courtroom.

Sinister (adjective) To be threatening, ominous, or seeming to be evil Example: The haunted house looked sinister on the dark, stormy night.

Tentatively (adjective) To do something or plan for something without certainty Example: The boy couldn’t swim, so he tentatively dipped his foot in the water.

Hamper (verb) To hold back, hinder, or delay/stop something from happening Example: The rain hampered their work of building the house.

Covert (adjective) To be concealed, secret, or disguised Example: The police often send in covert teams to investigate difficult crimes.

Labyrinth (noun) A complicated or confusing maze Example: The new city was like a labyrinth to the family who just moved there.

Plausible (adjective) Describes something that is believable, possible, or likely Example: It was plausible that they could make it to New York City in less than three hours.

Vocabulary: Week 3 8 th Grade Writing

Placid (adjective) To be quiet or calm Example: The family cat is pretty placid most of the time.

Abrasive (adjective) To be unpleasant or rough Example: He often seems abrasive to people who first meet him.

Nuance (noun) A subtle difference in meanings, expressions, or sounds Example: Artists can see the small nuances in colors as they mix small amounts of white to make them lighter.

Tangent (noun) Going off on a tangent refers to switching topics (often without meaning to) and discussing that instead Example: My friends and I used to get our band director to go off on tangents to avoid playing difficult songs.

Billowing (verb) To fill with air and swell outward Example: The flag was billowing in the wind.

Reprehensible (adjective) To be shameful or disgraceful Example: The actions of the Nazis were reprehensible.

Blatant (adjective) Obvious, undisguised, or open (typically it is negative) Example: The politicians were questioned after telling blatant lies.

Ensconce (verb) To cover or shelter; to settle in Example: She ensconced herself in a comfortable chair to read in.

Abstain (verb) To voluntarily stop oneself from doing something Example: They abstained from eating sweets on Mondays.

Plethora (noun) A lot of something or an excess of something Example: There was a plethora books in the new library.

Vocabulary: Week 4 8 th Grade Writing

Obscure (adjective) Not well-known; difficult to understand She knew many obscure facts about African Grey Parrots.

Poised (adjective) Having a graceful and elegant manner; being self- assured Michelle Obama is always poised and ready to discuss politics.

Thwart (verb) To prevent someone from accomplishing something; to stop something from happening His injury thwarted his chance at making it to the Olympics.

Adamant (adjective) Refusing to change one’s mind; determined He was adamant that aliens had tried abducting him.

Adversity (noun) Hardship or difficulty; suffering The people of New Orleans suffered much adversity after Hurricane Katrina.

Lavish (adjective) Luxurious; expensive; grand They walked through the lavish house and admired the art on the walls.

Deference (noun) Courteous regard for others’ feelings; respect The young writers met the famous author with deference as she autographed their books.

Affable (adjective) Friendly; good-natured; easy to talk to The soccer coach was known for being kind and affable.

Postulate (verb) To suggest an idea or theory, especially to start a conversation She postulated that students study better without electronic distractions.

Tranquil (adjective) Calm; serene; placid The forest was tranquil throughout the night.