To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird Vocabulary

2/21 • “She was only another lady in the neighborhood but a relatively benign presence….[W]e could play on her lawn” (42). • “Miss Maudie’sbenevolence extended to Jem and Dill…[E]very time she baked she made a big cake and three little ones” (43).

Root: BEN=good • benign (adjective)= harmless • benevolence (noun)= goodwill; desire to do good to/for others (other words from root: beneficial, beneficiary, benefit, benefactor)

BEN=GOOD • Although pit bulls have a bad reputation, most of them are benign and sweet and love to cuddle. • Her benevolence was shown when she volunteered to help clean the park even though she would not receive community service credit for her actions. -NAME SOME PEOPLE/THINGS THAT ARE BENIGN -NAME A PERSON WHO SHOWS BENEVOLENCE

2/26 • “The night-crawlers had retired…and the darkness was desolate with the barking of distant dogs” (57). • “Dill and I were halfway to the shelter of the schoolyard’s solitary oak…” (53).

Root: Soli=One • desolate (adjective)= without people; empty; abandoned; destroyed • solitary (adjective)= alone; isolated (other words from root: solo, soliloquy, solitude, sole)

SOLI=One • On a Saturday night, the hallways of Penncrest are desolate. • After he broke up with his girlfriend, Bob took a solitary walk on the beach. -NAME SOME PLACES THAT ARE DESOLATE -NAME A TIME WHEN SOMEONE WOULD BE SOLITARY

2/28 Both sentences refer to the Radley family and their house • “The chinaberry trees were malignant, hovering, alive” • “Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom”

Mal=bad • Malignant: causing harm; harmful; cancerous • Malevolent: evil Other words from root “MAL”=malodor, malicious, maltreatment, malefactor

MAL=BAD • We were happy to hear the tumor was not malignant. • Because he assigns a lot of homework and gives impossible tests, students view Mr. Hanrahan as malevolent when he is just trying to be a good teacher. • Name some things malignant to one’s health • Name a malevolent cartoon character

3/4 • “I was proceeding on the dim theory, aside from the innate attractiveness of such words, that if Atticus had discovered I had picked them up at school, he wouldn’t make me go” (79). • “I guess it ain’t your fault if Uncle Atticus is a nigger-lover besides, but I’m here to tell you it certainly does mortify the rest of the family-” (83).

Root: NAT=to be from • innate (adjective)= to be born with, natural (other words from root: natal, native, natural, renaissance)

Root: MORT=MORTAL, Death • mortify (verb)= embarrass, humiliate (other words from root: mortal, immortal, mortality, mortician, mortuary )

MORT=Death, NAT=To Be From • Kayla was mortified when her mom took her phone and read all her text messages! • Some athletes have an innate ability to jump high and run fast! • -NAME A TIME YOU (OR A FRIEND) FELT MORTIFIED • -NAME A PERSON WHO HAS AN INNATE TALENT

3-5 Her use of bathroom invective leaves nothing to the imagination, but she doesn’t know the meaning of half of what she says—she asked me what a whore lady was” “Did you tell her?” “No, I told her (a story) about Lord Melbourne (instead).” “When a child asks you something, answer him. They can spot an evasion quicker than adults and evasion simply muddles ‘em.”

Vas/vad=to go/walk“e” (prefix)=out or without • evasion (noun): avoidance; the act of dodging others or an issue evade (verb): to avoid or dodge; to cleverly escape • other words with “vas/vad”: invade, invasion, invasive, • other words with prefix “e”:exit, eject, emit, explode, emigrate

Vas/vad=to go/walk“e” (prefix)=out or without • Lying is simply an evasion of the truth. • To evade the enemy army, the troops trudged through the swamp rather than walk through the woods where the enemy lay hiding. • Name something you have tried to evade

3/7 • “Jem became vaguely articulate: “ ‘d you see him, Scout? ‘d you see him just standin’ there? …’n’ all of a sudden he just relaxed all over, an’ it looked like that gun was a part of him…” (97).

Root: VAG=to Wander • vague (adjective)= to be unclear, not detailed (other words from root: vagabond, vagrant)

Vag= To Wander • Mrs. Kirk’s directions for the paper were very vague. They were: “Write a paper about a topic.” • After Jessica got home at 2 AM and her mom asked her where she was, Jessica gave the vague response, “I was…out…somewhere.” • NAME A TIME WHERE YOU WERE CONFUSED BY VAGUE DIRECTIONS • NAME A TIME WHEN SOMEONE GAVE YOU A VAGUE EXPLANATION

To Kill a Mockingbird