Walking Dictionary; Mastery words
1. Ramshackle - in deplorable condition.
Novel sentence: "It is one of the town's two 'apartment houses', the second being a ramshackle mansion known, because a good part of the local school's faculty lives there, as the Teacherage" (Capote 1).
Stand alone sentence: The ramshackle boat fell apart in the storm.
2. Dire - fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless.
Novel sentence: "After rain, or when snowfalls thaw, the streets, unnamed, unshaded, unpaved, turn from the thickest dust into the direst mud" (Capote 1).
Stand alone sentence: The hospital is in dire need of medical supplies.
3. Meager - deficient in amount or quality or extent.
Novel sentence: "Up on the highway, there are two filling stations, one of which doubles as a meagrely supplied grocery store, while the other does extra duty as a cafe-…" (Capote 2).
Stand alone sentence: The meager ammunition we had played a major factor in our territorial loss.
4. Consolidated - joined together into a whole.
Novel sentence: "Unless you include, ...that the parents who send their children to this modern and ably staffed 'consolidated' school - the grades go from kindergarten to senior high,…" (Capote 2).
Stand alone sentence: The group consolidated with our union increasing our reputation.
5. Beneficence - the quality of being kind or helpful or generous.
Novel sentence: "However, the last seven years have been years of droughtless beneficence" (Capote 2).
Stand alone sentence: Beneficent individuals are always welcomed.
6. Keen - intense or sharp.
Novel sentence: "… a Sunday morning, certain foreign sounds impinged on the normal nightly Holcomb noises - on the keening hysteria of coyotes …” (Capote 3).
Stand alone sentence: She gave him a keen look, passing down the stairs without replying.
7. Impinge - advance beyond the usual limit.
Novel sentence: "… a Sunday morning, certain foreign sounds impinged on the normal nightly Holcomb noises…” (Capote 3).
Stand alone sentence: As he spoke, he leaned closer and closer to her, seeming in his eagerness almost to impinge upon her.
8. Gratitude - a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation.
Novel sentence: “… recite a blessing of unmarred gratitude” (Capote 5).
Stand alone sentence: He deserves gratitude for the invaluable contribution he has made.
9. Consent - give an affirmative reply to; respond favorably to.
Novel sentence: “But weakened by the genial events of the evening, he had consented.”(Capote 6).
Stand alone sentence: Without the patient's consent the doctor wouldn't operate.
10. Intermittently - something that starts, then stops, then starts up again.
Novel sentence: "As for the interior,…, there were spongy displays of liver-colorer carpet intermittently abolishing the glare of varnished, resounding floors;..." (Capote 7).
Stand alone sentence: We made only intermittent progress on the project.
11. Mercy - a disposition to be kind and forgiving.
Novel sentence: "A friend - an old pioneer rancher, Mr. Lynn Russell - had once told him, 'You've got no mercy. I swear, Herb, if you caught a hired man drinking, out he'd go. And you wouldn't care if his family was starving'" (Capote 8).
Stand alone sentence: I'm begging you for mercy.
12. Premises - land and the buildings on it.
Novel sentence: "As Mr. Clutter contemplated this superior specimen of the season, he was joined by a part-collie mongrel...adjacent to one of three barns on the premises" (Capote 9).
Stand alone sentence: He was evicted from the premises.
13. Scant - less than the correct or legal or full amount often deliberately so.
Novel sentence: “…though one would not have suspected it from the scant contents of the livestock corral, which was reserved for ailing steers, a few milking cows, Nancy’s cats, Babe, the family favourite…” (Capote 10).
Stand alone sentence: There was a scant amount of food left at the party after the basketball players left.
14. Contrive - make or work out a plan for; devise.
Novel sentence: "The little collection of fruit-bearers growing by the river was his attempt to contrive, rain or no, a path of the paradise, the green, apple-scented Eden, he envisioned" (Capote 11).
Stand alone sentence: Stop continuing to contrive ways to have others do your homework for you.
15. Conceive - have the idea for.
Novel sentence: "Around the corner, in his room at the hotel where he was staying, were hundreds more like it... for the young man was an incessant conceiver of voyages" (Capote 12).
Stand alone sentence: She cannot conceive why her boyfriend left her.
16. Mesmerize - attract strongly, as if with a magnet.
Novel sentence: "Singing, and the thought of doing so in front of an audience, was another mesmeric way of whittling hours" (Capote 14).
Stand alone sentence: The little girl is mesmerized/fascinated by the dancer's skill.
17. Literal - limited to the explicit meaning of a word or text.
Novel sentence: “Of course, Dick was very literal-minded; very - he had no understanding of music, poetry …” (Capote 14).
Stand alone sentence: A literal translation from the Spanish.
18. Invulnerable - immune to attack; impregnable.
Novel sentence: "for it made Dick seem, compared to himself, so authentically tough, invulnerable, ’totally masculine" (Capote 15).
Stand alone sentence: The alloy
Novel sentence: "It is one of the town's two 'apartment houses', the second being a ramshackle mansion known, because a good part of the local school's faculty lives there, as the Teacherage" (Capote 1).
Stand alone sentence: The ramshackle boat fell apart in the storm.
2. Dire - fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless.
Novel sentence: "After rain, or when snowfalls thaw, the streets, unnamed, unshaded, unpaved, turn from the thickest dust into the direst mud" (Capote 1).
Stand alone sentence: The hospital is in dire need of medical supplies.
3. Meager - deficient in amount or quality or extent.
Novel sentence: "Up on the highway, there are two filling stations, one of which doubles as a meagrely supplied grocery store, while the other does extra duty as a cafe-…" (Capote 2).
Stand alone sentence: The meager ammunition we had played a major factor in our territorial loss.
4. Consolidated - joined together into a whole.
Novel sentence: "Unless you include, ...that the parents who send their children to this modern and ably staffed 'consolidated' school - the grades go from kindergarten to senior high,…" (Capote 2).
Stand alone sentence: The group consolidated with our union increasing our reputation.
5. Beneficence - the quality of being kind or helpful or generous.
Novel sentence: "However, the last seven years have been years of droughtless beneficence" (Capote 2).
Stand alone sentence: Beneficent individuals are always welcomed.
6. Keen - intense or sharp.
Novel sentence: "… a Sunday morning, certain foreign sounds impinged on the normal nightly Holcomb noises - on the keening hysteria of coyotes …” (Capote 3).
Stand alone sentence: She gave him a keen look, passing down the stairs without replying.
7. Impinge - advance beyond the usual limit.
Novel sentence: "… a Sunday morning, certain foreign sounds impinged on the normal nightly Holcomb noises…” (Capote 3).
Stand alone sentence: As he spoke, he leaned closer and closer to her, seeming in his eagerness almost to impinge upon her.
8. Gratitude - a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation.
Novel sentence: “… recite a blessing of unmarred gratitude” (Capote 5).
Stand alone sentence: He deserves gratitude for the invaluable contribution he has made.
9. Consent - give an affirmative reply to; respond favorably to.
Novel sentence: “But weakened by the genial events of the evening, he had consented.”(Capote 6).
Stand alone sentence: Without the patient's consent the doctor wouldn't operate.
10. Intermittently - something that starts, then stops, then starts up again.
Novel sentence: "As for the interior,…, there were spongy displays of liver-colorer carpet intermittently abolishing the glare of varnished, resounding floors;..." (Capote 7).
Stand alone sentence: We made only intermittent progress on the project.
11. Mercy - a disposition to be kind and forgiving.
Novel sentence: "A friend - an old pioneer rancher, Mr. Lynn Russell - had once told him, 'You've got no mercy. I swear, Herb, if you caught a hired man drinking, out he'd go. And you wouldn't care if his family was starving'" (Capote 8).
Stand alone sentence: I'm begging you for mercy.
12. Premises - land and the buildings on it.
Novel sentence: "As Mr. Clutter contemplated this superior specimen of the season, he was joined by a part-collie mongrel...adjacent to one of three barns on the premises" (Capote 9).
Stand alone sentence: He was evicted from the premises.
13. Scant - less than the correct or legal or full amount often deliberately so.
Novel sentence: “…though one would not have suspected it from the scant contents of the livestock corral, which was reserved for ailing steers, a few milking cows, Nancy’s cats, Babe, the family favourite…” (Capote 10).
Stand alone sentence: There was a scant amount of food left at the party after the basketball players left.
14. Contrive - make or work out a plan for; devise.
Novel sentence: "The little collection of fruit-bearers growing by the river was his attempt to contrive, rain or no, a path of the paradise, the green, apple-scented Eden, he envisioned" (Capote 11).
Stand alone sentence: Stop continuing to contrive ways to have others do your homework for you.
15. Conceive - have the idea for.
Novel sentence: "Around the corner, in his room at the hotel where he was staying, were hundreds more like it... for the young man was an incessant conceiver of voyages" (Capote 12).
Stand alone sentence: She cannot conceive why her boyfriend left her.
16. Mesmerize - attract strongly, as if with a magnet.
Novel sentence: "Singing, and the thought of doing so in front of an audience, was another mesmeric way of whittling hours" (Capote 14).
Stand alone sentence: The little girl is mesmerized/fascinated by the dancer's skill.
17. Literal - limited to the explicit meaning of a word or text.
Novel sentence: “Of course, Dick was very literal-minded; very - he had no understanding of music, poetry …” (Capote 14).
Stand alone sentence: A literal translation from the Spanish.
18. Invulnerable - immune to attack; impregnable.
Novel sentence: "for it made Dick seem, compared to himself, so authentically tough, invulnerable, ’totally masculine" (Capote 15).
Stand alone sentence: The alloy