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"Charlotte's Web": Chapter One

Here is a list of twenty vocabulary words from the first chapter of E.B. White's classic children's novel "Charlotte's Web."
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Full list of words from this list:

  1. shriek
    utter a shrill cry
    "Do away with it?" shrieked Fern.
  2. sob
    weep convulsively
    "Please don't kill it!" she sobbed.
  3. litter
    the group of offspring born to an animal at one time
    "Fern," said Mr. Arable, "I know more about raising a litter of pigs than you do.
  4. injustice
    the practice of being unfair
    "This is the most terrible case of injustice I ever heard of."
  5. approach
    move towards
    As she approached her chair, the carton wobbled, and there was a scratching noise.
  6. whisper
    speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
    "Oh," she whispered.
  7. absolutely
    totally and definitely; without question
    He's absolutely perfect."
  8. perfect
    being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
    He's absolutely perfect."
  9. demand
    request urgently and forcefully
    "What's that?" he demanded.
  10. miserable
    very unhappy
    "You call that miserable thing a pig?
  11. specimen
    an example regarded as typical of its class
    That's a fine specimen of a pig -- it's no bigger than a white rat."
  12. distribute
    give to several people
    "No, I only distribute pigs to early risers," said Mr. Arable.
  13. nevertheless
    despite anything to the contrary
    A small one, to be sure, but nevertheless a pig.
  14. promptly
    with little or no delay
    It just shows what can happen if a person gets out of bed promptly.
  15. appetite
    a feeling of craving something
    The pig, although tiny, had a good appetite and caught on quickly.
  16. blissful
    completely happy and contented
    She just sat and stared out of the window, thinking what a blissful world it was and how lucky she was to have entire charge of a pig.
  17. entire
    constituting the full quantity or extent; complete
    She just sat and stared out of the window, thinking what a blissful world it was and how lucky she was to have entire charge of a pig.
  18. select
    pick out or choose from a number of alternatives
    By the time the bus reached school, Fern had named her pet, selecting the most beautiful name she could think of.
  19. pupil
    a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution
    The pupils giggled.
  20. giggle
    laugh nervously
    The pupils giggled.
Created on Sat Jan 28 08:49:59 EST 2012 (updated Sat Jan 28 08:53:32 EST 2012)

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