The Color of My Words: List 1

by Lynn Joseph
Growing up in the Dominican Republic, Ana Rosa longs to become a writer. When her brother leads a protest against the construction of a hotel on their village's land, Ana Rosa learns about both the power and limitations of words.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2
30 words 1042 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. recite
    repeat aloud from memory
    If I wrote a new poem, I would recite it to her while we dipped our hands into the cool water.
  2. blare
    make a loud noise
    Utter darkness swelled over everything. With the darkness was complete silence as well since the neighbors’ radios could not blare out their loud merengues.
  3. frantic
    marked by uncontrolled excitement or emotion
    It was like a madhouse. Papi and Guario and Roberto and Angela and my little cousins were throwing everything out the front door in their frantic search.
  4. stern
    serious and harsh in manner or behavior
    Then we heard Mami’s voice. “Lunch is ready. Come inside and eat. And stop fussing about that notepad.” The stern sound covered me like night’s sweet darkness.
  5. distract
    draw someone's attention away from something
    It was as if Mami had cooked this special meal on purpose to distract the family. And it worked.
  6. venture
    put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation
    Not even Guario understood, although he tried. He asked me once what I did up there. That was more than anyone else had ventured to inquire.
  7. tormented
    experiencing intense pain especially mental pain
    Sometimes I think that he was tormented by all of us who didn’t particularly care what tomorrow was going to bring.
  8. trudge
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    I could see people trudging along the dusty road from Sosúa, some balancing buckets of water on their heads.
  9. meander
    move or cause to move in a winding or curving course
    I could see the river, meandering over rocks, hungry for rain.
  10. scramble
    climb awkwardly, as if by rushing hastily
    I scrambled down the tree quickly and ran toward my house, shouting “Papi, there’s a monster in the sea!”
  11. hover
    be suspended in the air, as if in defiance of gravity
    It hovered in between heaven and ocean for a few seconds and then fell back into the water with a splash that sprayed salt drops as high as the pearl-pink clouds.
  12. furiously
    in a manner marked by extreme or violent energy
    My heart beat furiously and I steadied myself so I wouldn’t fall down from the tree.
  13. subtle
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
    “We must be subtle about a delicate matter like this,” said Señora Perez. “We must make up a wonderful story about this sea monster, give it a name, make it a friendly monster, and then tell the world. Otherwise all we will do is scare everyone away from this side of the island.”
  14. sprawl
    sit or lie with one's limbs spread out
    Some of the bigger children were sprawled out on a blanket on the floor and the merengue music was a background lullaby for them.
  15. frolic
    play boisterously
    For two weeks our humpback whale jumped and frolicked about in Sosúa Bay until finally heading east to Samaná to join the other three thousand humpbacks that go there every winter.
  16. subside
    wear off or die down
    I open my eyes
    I tremble and slide
    My knees start to buckle
    and my dreams subside.
  17. melancholy
    characterized by or causing or expressing sadness
    We wake up to merengue and go to sleep to sweet salsa. In between we sway and sigh to the melancholy sounds of countryside bachata.
  18. teeter
    move unsteadily, with a rocking motion
    Instead of dancing I would hide behind the wooden table, which teetered under the tremendous weight of Mami’s sancocho and our neighbors’ pots full of arroz con pollo.
  19. ascend
    travel up
    Everyone stared at him as if they couldn’t believe that Señor Hèrnandez was human and not a star that had fallen down and decided to have some fun before ascending back to the sky.
  20. galvanize
    cover with zinc
    Papi snorted out loud. “You hear that, God,” he said, looking up at the galvanized roof of our house. “She doesn’t like to dance.”
  21. wail
    cry weakly or softly
    “I don’t know how, Papi,” I wailed. “It’s not a tree or a flower. It’s like trying to feel the sea. It keeps slipping away.”
  22. persist
    refuse to stop
    “Then listen to the words,” Papi persisted. “You love words; listen and dance to them.”
  23. seep
    pass gradually or leak or as if through small openings
    I could not dance to words any easier than I could to the rhythm that seeped so secretly into everyone but me.
  24. vendor
    someone who exchanges goods or services for money
    At the end of our dance, beach vendors who were packing up for the day stopped and clapped for us.
  25. soot
    black powder formed when fuel such as wood or coal is burned
    My mind, once a pool of words and ideas, was now filled up with images of Angel. My dark eyes trailed him like a line of hot soot wherever he went.
  26. swig
    a large and hurried swallow
    He slapped Papi on the shoulder and took a swig of his rum straight from the bottle.
  27. gale
    a strong wind moving 34–40 knots
    I trembled fiercely as if a hurricane gale was swooshing through my heart.
  28. dashing
    marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners
    His thick dark hair was brushed back and he looked dashing and handsome.
  29. mirage
    optical illusion in which hot air distorts distant objects
    Papi kept wiping his eyes as if he were seeing a mirage.
  30. scoff
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    “You look just like your Mami when I first met her,” he said.
    Mami scoffed, “Ha! I was wearing my wash-day clothes, Papi,” she said.
Created on Mon Jan 20 20:24:35 EST 2020 (updated Wed Jan 29 11:33:57 EST 2020)

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