Keeping Pace: Chapters 14–19

by Laurie Morrison
In this novel, eighth grader Gracie gets beat by her former friend and rival at an important goal, and she decides to spend the summer after her middle school graduation training for a half-marathon to get back at him.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1-7, Chapters 8-13, Chapters 14-19, Chapters 20-26, Chapters 27-34
15 words 24 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. profound
    showing intellectual penetration or emotional depth
    I list everything I can come up with, but none of it is surprising or profound.
  2. prompt
    urge, encourage, or motivate someone to act
    “And last but not least?” Erica prompts me.
  3. perfectionist
    one displeased by anything that does not meet high standards
    Mom says, “You can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good,” because she thinks I’m too much of a perfectionist.
  4. advisory
    an announcement that usually warns the public of some threat
    There’s a heat advisory today, and it’s already oven-level hot.
  5. oppress
    come down on or keep down by unjust use of one's authority
    “Sure. Except it also means ‘destroyer’ and ‘he who oppresses.’
  6. giddy
    exultantly proud and joyful; in high spirits
    She isn’t anywhere near as giddy as she was when she told me about their first kiss.
  7. complement
    make perfect or supply what is wanting
    I was only planning to get a trim, but she and Avery think I should go shoulder-length and get side bangs, which would complement my face shape.
  8. gush
    praise enthusiastically
    But Avery, Mom, Aunt Jen, and everyone else at the salon all gush over it.
  9. imprecise
    not sharply exact or accurate
    Nice. It’s a nothing word. My fourth-grade teacher wouldn’t let us use it in our writing assignments because it’s so imprecise.
  10. feedback
    response to an inquiry or experiment
    Here I am, thinking all this running and question-ramping means something. But Jonah’s going behind my back to get feedback on his writing from my dad?
  11. stammer
    speak haltingly
    “Whoa...what?” she stammers, then grins.
  12. despise
    look down on with disdain or disgust
    “Well, I’m sorry I don’t understand your super important connection with this boy you’ve spent two years insisting you despise! Maybe if you ever talked to me, I’d know what’s going on.”
  13. cohort
    a company of companions or supporters
    “They want people to form ‘a cohort for change’ and keep working together after everyone goes to different colleges.”
  14. hassle
    annoying inconvenience, trouble, or disturbance
    “I convinced some of the neighbors to set out a bucket of food scraps every Saturday, and I’ll pick up their buckets and take care of composting their stuff at Dr. P’s. No charge to them, and no hassle.”
  15. barge
    push one's way
    “Also—Jonah freaked out after Avery barged in,” I blurt.
Created on Tue Dec 30 07:03:56 EST 2025 (updated Tue Feb 17 15:40:01 EST 2026)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.