WORD LISTS

"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 16–19

Thu Feb 14 14:32:48 EST 2013
By Vocabulary.com (NY)Visual Thesaurus Moderator
In this classic coming-of-age story, Scout Finch recounts her childhood in Maycomb, Alabama. When Scout's father is appointed to defend a black man in a high-profile trial, racial tensions in the small town come to a head.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–11, Chapters 12–15, Chapters 16–19, Chapters 20–25, Chapters 26–31

Here is a link to our lists for Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
despise
"He despises Negroes, won't have one near him."
quote
I guess that the foot-washers thought that the Devil was quoting Scripture for his own purposes, as the driver speeded his mules.
formidable
Why they objected to Miss Maudie's yard was a mystery, heightened in my mind because for someone who spent all the daylight hours outdoors, Miss Maudie's command of Scripture was formidable.
elucidate
We asked Miss Maudie to elucidate: she said Miss Stephanie seemed to know so much about the case she might as well be called on to testify.
affluent
The more affluent chased their food with drugstore Coca-Cola in bulb-shaped soda glasses.
convene
He was from Abbottsville; we saw him only when court convened, and that rarely, for court was of no special interest to Jem and me.
scrutiny
The jury, thinking themselves under close scrutiny, paid attention; so did the witnesses, thinking likewise.
". . . in your own words, Mr. Tate," Mr. Gilmer was saying.
turbulent
With his infinite capacity for calming turbulent seas, he could make a rape case as dry as a sermon.
devoid
Here Judge Taylor glanced sharply at the witness and must have decided his speculations devoid of evil intent, for he subsided sleepily.
distracted
I was too distracted about Mayella to run after him.
descent
The witness made a hasty descent from the stand and ran smack into Atticus, who had risen to question him.
ambidextrous
"About your writing with your left hand, are you ambidextrous, Mr. Ewell?"
contorted
Mayella's face contorted, and I was afraid that she would cry again.
courteous
"We've done business in this court for years and years, and Mr. Finch is always courteous to everybody.
contrary
"Atticus, let's get on with these proceedings, and let the record show that the witness has not been sassed, her views to the contrary."
hostility
Mayella's hostility, which had subsided to grudging neutrality, flared again.
involuntary
He did not see her involuntary jump, but it seemed to me that he knew she had moved.
detached
Atticus's voice had lost its comfortableness; he was speaking in his arid, detached professional voice.
recollect
"No, I don't recollect if he hit me.
smother
Even the babies were still, and I suddenly wondered if they had been smothered at their mothers' breasts.
exodus
As a rule, a recess meant a general exodus, but today people weren't moving.
volition
He seemed to be a respectable Negro, and a respectable Negro would never go up into somebody's yard of his own volition.
expunge
Judge Taylor told the reporter to expunge anything he happened to have written down after Mr. Finch if you were a nigger like me you'd be seared too, and told the jury to disregard the interruption.
conscience
"If you had a clear conscience, why were you scared?"
grope
"He's not an example, Dill, he's… I was trying to grope in my memory for a sharp phrase of Miss Maudie Atkinson's.

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