The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Vocabulary

The Lottery - Vocabulary profusely – (adv.) made or done freely and in great amount The flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green. lottery – (noun) a process that is or appears to be determined by chance The whole lottery took less than two hours. boisterous – (adj.) rough and noisy; rowdy They tended to gather together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous play. reprimands - (noun) to express sharp, stern disapproval especially a formal one by a person in authority Their talk was still of the classroom and the teacher, of books and reprimands. paraphernalia – (noun) all the items necessary for a particular activity The original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago. tradition – (noun) the handing down of beliefs and customs from generation to generation, especially by practice No one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box. ritual – (noun) an established procedure for a religious or other public ceremony. Years and years ago this part of the ritual had been allowed to lapse. petulantly – (adv.) showing sudden, impatient irritation, especially over some annoyance There's always been a lottery," he added petulantly.