EVERYDAY USE BY ALICE WALKER Vocabulary List Vocabulary

“EVERYDAY USE” BY ALICE WALKER Vocabulary List

Vocabulary from “Everyday Use, ” by Alice Walker ◦ merciless – showing no compassion or forgiveness ◦ hesitation – the action of pausing or hesitating before saying or doing something ◦ tacky – showing poor taste and quality (lacking in quality or refinement) ◦ ignorant – lacking knowledge or awareness; uneducated or unsophisticated ◦ furtive – attempting to avoid notice or attention; secretive ◦ envy – unhappy longing caused by someone else’s possessions, qualities or fortunes ◦ doctrine – a belief or set of beliefs held by a specific group or organization ◦ rifling – searching through something in a hurried way ◦ concentration – a focusing of attention or mental effort

Vocabulary from “Everyday Use, ” by Alice Walker, cont’d ◦ irregular – not even or balanced in shape or arrangement, or occurrence ◦ paisley – a design pattern of curved, feather-shaped figures ◦ totter – move in a feeble or unsteady way ◦ glisten – to shine with a sparkling light ◦ pity – a feeling of sorrow and compassion in response to the suffering of others ◦ concentration – a close gathering of people or things (within a focused area) ◦ determined – being committed to a firm decision ◦ confront – to meet someone or something (face to face) in a determined way ◦ awe – a feeling of great respect, usually mixed with fear or surprise

Choose the best word to complete the sentence. When the new girl walked into the room, he was so struck by how beautiful she was that he had to fight not to just sit there and stare at her. Instead, because he didn’t want to seem like a creeper, he would steal a ______ glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye whenever he was sure she wasn’t looking his way. doctrine; furtive; tacky; hesitation; ignorant; merciless; envy

Choose the best word to complete the sentence. He had hoped for at least a little compassion from his teacher. After all, it was his senior year, and he needed this class to graduate. She was ______ , however; for every one of his missing assignments, there was an ominous zero in the gradebook. He knew now that he would fail the quarter. doctrine; furtive; tacky; hesitation; ignorant; merciless; envy

Choose the best word to complete the sentence. Being ______ of the full weight of a Harley was his first mistake. He’d never ridden such a massive bike, but he was full of confidence. He slung his leg over and plopped down in the saddle, kicked the stand away, and promptly fell over onto the pavement, bike, rider, and all. doctrine; furtive; tacky; hesitation; ignorant; merciless; envy

Choose the best word to complete the sentence. I can appreciate anyone’s personal sense of style. I mean, hey, to each his own, right? But in a neighborhood of red brick houses with coordinating colors of shingles, doors, and trim, it was hard to excuse the _______ appearance of the one with the brick painted pink with a door in bright orange. doctrine; furtive; tacky; hesitation; ignorant; merciless; envy

Choose the best word to complete the sentence. No disagreement was tolerated within the group. If you did not conform to the strict ______ of their political perspectives, you’d be seen as an outsider and expelled from any future associations with its members. doctrine; furtive; tacky; hesitation; ignorant; merciless; envy

Choose the best word to complete the sentence. We thought we’d finally convinced him to enter the haunted house with us as we approached the broken door together. As it creaked open on its rusty hinges, however, that moment of _______ before we entered was too much for him. The next thing we knew, he had jumped off the porch screaming and was running down the sidewalk to the car. doctrine; furtive; tacky; hesitation; ignorant; merciless; envy

“EVERYDAY USE” BY ALICE WALKER Vocabulary Review

Choose the best word to complete the sentence. She’d been looking forward to Comic. Con for months. Chadwick Boseman, a. k. a. Black Panther, was going to be there, and she desperately wanted his autograph. When the day came, however, and she was finally in front of him in the autograph line with the photo she wanted him to sign, she was in such ______ that she just stood there with her mouth hanging open until someone stepped in front of her and she missed her chance. pity; rifling; concentration; paisley; awe; irregular; envy

Choose the best word to complete the sentence. He was a skilled footballer and his coach knew it. With a parttime job and family obligations, however, it was difficult for him to make a commitment to the team. Sometimes he’d show up for practice and sometimes he wouldn’t, or couldn’t. In the end, his attendance was so ______ that the coach had no choice but to cut him from team. pity; rifling; concentration; paisley; awe; irregular; envy

Choose the best word to complete the sentence. Her focus is incredible! She can be sitting in a room with the T. V. on, while someone is playing music on their phone and others are having a conversation, and she will never look up from her book. Her ______ is so intense that she seems to be able to block out any potential distractions. I wish I could read like that! pity; rifling; concentration; paisley; awe; irregular; envy

Choose the best word to complete the sentence. His grandfather definitely had his own sense of style, if that’s what you’d call it. On any formal occasion, a nice dinner in a nice restaurant or a jazz concert at the Jacksonville Theater, he always wore the same broad-striped shirt, a tie with a purple _______ pattern, and a navy-blue jacket from his fraternity days long ago. pity; rifling; concentration; paisley; awe; irregular; envy

Choose the best word to complete the sentence. The essay was due today, and he’d completely forgotten about it. He knew it was a risky, even stupid, thing to do, but he decided to take the chance. When the teacher had her back turned for a moment, he stepped up to the desk and began ______ through the folder of papers to find one he could write his name on (after erasing the name of the true author). Then the teacher turned around and caught him in the act. pity; rifling; concentration; paisley; awe; irregular; envy

Choose the best word to complete the sentence. She could never be happy with what she had. She was attractive, but she was always thinking about how someone else was more so. She was bright and funny and had plenty of friends, but she always worried about how someone else seemed smarter, funnier, or more popular. I could never figure out why she was filled with such ______ of others when she actually had so much going for her. pity; rifling; concentration; paisley; awe; irregular; envy

“EVERYDAY USE” BY ALICE WALKER Vocabulary Review

Choose the best word to complete the sentence. In addition to the performers, there were local vendors at the venue as well, giving away free samples from their regular menus, so that there was a ______ of students at every booth and not just in front of the stage. pity; totter; concentration; glisten; determined; confront; furtive

Choose the best word to complete the sentence. She loved walking through the orchard in the early morning, when the dew on the ripening fruit would ______ in the rays of the sunrise and make each apple look fresh-washed and sparkling, desirable enough to tempt eve in her garden. pity; totter; concentration; glisten; determined; confront; furtive

Choose the best word to complete the sentence. His GPA seemed to be stuck at a 2. 9 through all his high school years, from his freshman year to now. This year, his senior year, he was ______ to finally break that elusive goal and break over the threshold of a 3. 0, and he wasn’t going to let all the distractions of the year stop him. pity; totter; concentration; glisten; determined; confront; furtive

Choose the best word to complete the sentence. It is probably one of the most precious experiences of any parent, that moment when a child finally lets go of whatever is supporting her to ______ over to the waiting arms of her mother. Not much in the role of parenthood can beat that moment of trust and self-discovery for a parent and child. It’s the beginning of a whole new world. pity; totter; concentration; glisten; determined; confront; furtive

Choose the best word to complete the sentence. He knew he shouldn’t have done it, but her phone was just lying there when it buzzed, face down, on the counter. She was out of the room, so he picked it up to check the message for her. That’s when he saw the rather lengthy conversation between her and another guy, somebody from work. Now he just needed to decide whether he should ignore it or actually ______ her with what he suspected. pity; totter; concentration; glisten; determined; confront; furtive

Choose the best word to complete the sentence. As a member of the Humane Society club at AC she was looking forward to volunteering at the pet adoption event at the fair grounds next weekend. Still, she was also a bit worried about the experience. Every sad-faced dog there would desperately need a loving home to go to. She was a little afraid that her ______ for all those lonely pups would be too much for her and she’d come home with a car-full of new canine additions to her family. pity; totter; concentration; glisten; determined; confront; furtive