Anderson's "Speak" Vocab: Not All Context is Created Equal

We've selected a set of vocabulary lists drawn from Laurie Halse Anderson's classic young adult novel Speak as our List of the Week.

Not only do we recommend learning the words on this list — they're just the kind you need to read and write fluently, not to mention perform well on standardized tests like the SAT — we urge you to focus on the example sentences we've pulled from Anderson's text. Not all context examples are created equal, and Anderson's are special. Here's why:

First, Anderson's diction is inventive, precise, fluent, and evocative. Her sentences are well crafted. (If you like them, check out more Anderson vocabulary with four lists from her historical novel Chains.)

Second, Speak is set in high school, an environment that's so familiar, the unfamiliar words pop out all the more. This applies on a literal level, as when the narrator of Speak observes that:

Ms. Connors did not win a lacrosse scholarship by being demure or hesitant.

Principal Principal spots another errant student in the hall.

It also applies on the level of tone and mood. High school familiars will recognize the deadpan irony of Anderson's disaffected narrator as easily as the routine of changing classes and lockers: 

[In the context of picking a new mascot for the school] I think Overbearing Eurocentric Patriarchs would be perfect, but I don’t suggest it.

To see more examples like the ones we've pulled out above, check out our bank of Anderson lists:

• Vocabulary from Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak: First Marking Period, Second Marking Period, Third Marking Period, and Fourth Marking Period.
• Vocabulary from Laurie Halse Anderson's Chains: Chapters 1-11, Chapters 12-22, Chapters 23-33, Chapters 34-45.

Teachers: Looking for more literature-based Vocabulary Lists? Find them here and check back often. Our curriculum development team adds new lists every week. Or get started on making your own lists with a short video "Vocabulary Lists Made Quick and Easy" and blog post "Six Steps to Better List Making."