Week 19 Vocabulary From The Secret Life of Bees

 The teacher tried to coax her students to do more work by offering them extra credit.  There was a big welt on her forehead after she walked into the wall.

 Coax – V- to persuade  Welt – N - a bump on the skin caused by a whip, scratch or blow

 She had to straighten her hair because if she didn’t she’d have a big cowlick curling up above her eyes.  The mason lay the massive brick fence in only two days.

 Cowlick – N - a tuft of hair growing in a different direction from the rest  mason- N- someone who makes things out of stone

 He had an aptitude for music, and taught himself guitar by ear.  She wasn’t paying attention and nearly gouged her eyes out with her pen as she gesticulated wildly with her hands.

 aptitude – N - a natural talent or ability  gouge – V -to roughly cut out

 She couldn’t believe she was seeing a bona fide rattlesnake, alive and in person.  Her mother kept vigil at her sick daughter’s bedside, waiting and praying for her to get better.

 bona fide – ADJ- authentic  vigil – N - time spent watching or praying through the night

 That girl is a delinquent, always shoplifting and assaulting others.  The problem was so miniscule, no one bothered to fix it, but eventually the little, ignored problem became more egregious.

 delinquent – N -a person who has broken the law  miniscule – ADJ – Very Small

 Before desegregation, there were separate schools for black and white children.  The noise of the cicada at night did not help my insomnia.

 Desegregation – N - To become open to members of all races or ethnic groups.  Cicada – N- an insect in which the male produces a shrill sound by means of vibrating membranes on the underside of the abdomen.

 The girl was ornery, always picking on the little kids.  The girl was an imbecile; she didn’t know anything about the world.  The boys caroused through the neighborhood so loudly, that the neighbors called the police and they were arrested for disturbing the peace.

 Ornery – ADJ – mean spirited  Imbecile – N – an idiot  Carouse – V – to be rowdy, loud and merry (often used to describe drunk people).

 Coax – V- to persuade  Welt – N - a bump on the skin caused by a whip, scratch or blow  Cowlick – N - a tuft of hair growing in a different direction from the rest  mason- N- someone who makes things out of stone  aptitude – N - a natural talent or ability  gouge – V -to roughly cut out  bona fide – ADJ- authentic  vigil – N - time spent watching or praying through the night  delinquent – N -a person who has broken the law  miniscule – ADJ – Very Small  Desegregation – N - To become open to members of all races or ethnic groups.  Cicada – N- an insect in which the male produces a shrill sound by means of vibrating membranes on the underside of the abdomen.  Ornery – ADJ – mean spirited  Imbecile – N – an idiot  Carouse – V – to be rowdy, loud and merry (often used to describe drunk people).