“The Necklace” By Guy de Maupassant Vocabulary

DOWRY The money, goods, or estate that a wife brings to her husband at the time of their marriage. In exchange for marrying his oldest daughter, the farmer paid a dowry of $1000.

CLERK A person employed in an office to keep records, file, type, or perform other general office tasks The clerk refused to accept my paperwork because it did not have the proper signatures.

POISE A dignified, self-confident manner or bearing; composure; self-possession Even though she had made a grave mistake, her natural poise allowed her to remain calm.

NIBBLE To bite off small bits To eat or chew in small bites The child nibbled at the chicken on his plate but refused to eat his vegetables.

OUTBURST A suddent and violent release or outpouring A sudden spell of activity, energy, etc. His outburst during the president’s speech caused him to be removed from the conference room.

STUNNED To deprive of consciousness or strength by or as if by a blow, fall, etc. To astonish; astound; amaze We were stunned that such a small girl was able to lift such a heavy sofa!

PAUPER A person without any means of support, especially a poor person who depends on aid from public welfare funds or charity A very poor person The movie star went from being rich and famous to pratically becoming a pauper after the failure of her most recent films.

SUPERB Admirably fine or excellent; extremely good Sumptuous; rich; grand The bed at our hotel was very comfortable and the food in the restaurant was superb!

DOZE (DOZING) To sleep lightly or fitfully To fall into a light sleep unintentionally Michael drank three cups of coffee to keep himself from dozing off during the meeting.

SHABBY (SHABBINESS) Worn down by wear, use, etc. Showing signs of wear or neglect My car was brand new when I bought it in 1990, but today it looks quite shabby.

WEARILY (WEARY) Physically or mentally exhausted by hard work, exertion, strain, etc. The weary travelers decided to stop and rest under a tree, having walked almost the entire day.

INHERIT (INHERITED) To take or receive property, a right, a title, or something similar by succession or through a will When my grandmother died, I inherited all of her jewelry.

DESPAIR Loss of hope; hopelessness To lose, give up, or be without hope Our despair turned to joy when it was reported that everyone had survived the accident!

NEEDY In a condition of not having enough or being in poverty; extremely poor We did a collection of food and clothing to support the needy in our community.

LOAN (LOANED) A grant of the temporary use of something Something given for a certain period of time on the condition of being returned My mother loaned me $100 to buy school supplies, but I have to pay her back when I get my next paycheck.