Paper Towns: Part 1

by John Green
When his old friend (and crush) Margo disappears, Quentin tries to find out what happened to her by following the clues she left behind.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Here are links to our lists for other books by John Green: Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Will Grayson, Will Grayson, The Fault in Our Stars, Turtles All the Way Down
35 words 1618 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. inaudible
    impossible to hear; imperceptible by the ear
    We were safely inside, everyone else’s conversations making ours inaudible.
  2. morosely
    in a sullen, moody manner
    “Radar is going to prom,” he said morosely.
  3. speculation
    continuous contemplation on a subject of a deep nature
    Radar never told us anything about his love life, but this did not dissuade us from frequent speculation.
  4. implausibility
    the quality of provoking disbelief
    Despite its medical implausibility, this story had haunted Ben ever since.
  5. reverence
    a feeling of profound respect for someone or something
    Margo Roth Spiegelman, whose six-syllable name was often spoken in its entirety with a kind of quiet reverence.
  6. inevitably
    in such a manner as could not be otherwise
    The stories, when they were shared, inevitably ended with, I mean, can you believe it?
  7. sympathetic
    expressing compassion or friendly fellow feelings
    Radar put the handheld away finally and nodded sympathetically.
  8. hypothetical
    based primarily on surmise rather than adequate evidence
    “Getting you a date to prom is so hard that the hypothetical idea itself is actually used to cut diamonds,” I added.
  9. diplomacy
    negotiation between nations
    Ben, getting you a date to prom is so hard that the American government believes the problem cannot be solved with diplomacy, but will instead require force.
  10. muster
    summon up, call forth, or bring together
    "Chuck,” I answered, as friendly as I could muster.
  11. edict
    a formal or authoritative proclamation
    Chuck hadn’t given us any serious trouble in a couple years—someone in cool kid land laid down the edict that we were to be left alone.
  12. contemplate
    think intently and at length, as for spiritual purposes
    Maybe because I spoke and maybe not, he slammed his hands against the lockers on either side of me and then leaned in close enough for me to contemplate his toothpaste brand.
  13. adjacent
    having a common boundary or edge
    The classrooms were adjacent; we walked toward them together, the three of us in a row, trusting that the tide of classmates would part enough to let us by, and it did.
  14. prosperous
    marked by peace and success
    We were in the business of mutual amusement, and we were reasonably prosperous.
  15. elective
    a course that the student can select from among alternatives
    I headed off to government, Ben to an elective about video game design.
  16. radiate
    experience well-being or happiness, as from good health
    I watched clocks through two more classes, and then finally the relief radiated out of my chest when I was finished—the end of each day like a dry run for our graduation less than a month away.
  17. marvel
    be amazed at
    They marveled at what a wonderful job they’d done raising me.
  18. sublimate
    direct energy or urges into useful activities
    “Oh, don’t blame me,” my dad said. “You’re just sublimating your own frustration with my income.”
  19. analysis
    a set of therapeutic techniques for examining someone's mind
    “Isn’t that snap analysis a tad passive-aggressive?” my mother asked.
  20. aggression
    a disposition to behave forcefully and energetically
    “Aren’t rhetorical accusations of passive aggression inherently passive-aggressive?” my dad responded, and they went on like that for a while.
  21. dubiously
    in a doubtful manner
    “Uh-huh,” I answered dubiously
  22. ilk
    a kind of person
    I’d always figured it was Margo who had stopped Chuck Parson and his ilk from screwing with us.
  23. smirk
    smile in a mocking or condescending way
    I tried to blink away the awe, but she saw the way I was looking at her and smirked at me.
  24. soliloquy
    speech you make to yourself
    Margo managed to speak in her usual manic soliloquy without answering my question.
  25. sidle
    move sideways
    Then she sidled up to me
  26. taut
    pulled or drawn tight
    I could feel each of her fingers taut against my hip bone, and she added, “And my lover.”
  27. cadence
    a recurrent rhythmical series
    Margo put her feet up on the dashboard and wiggled her toes to the cadence of her speaking.
  28. discernible
    capable of being perceived clearly
    She always talked like that, with this discernible rhythm, like she was reciting poetry.
  29. labyrinth
    complex system of paths in which it is easy to get lost
    I turned on the lights and, driving forward now, began to navigate the suburban labyrinth back toward the interstate.
  30. lament
    regret strongly
    But I certainly wasn’t going to lament his suffering.
  31. solemnly
    in a serious and dignified manner
    She nodded her head solemnly, and I nodded back, and then she let go of my hand.
  32. brackish
    slightly salty
    And I didn’t think about the alligators or the disgusting layer of brackish algae.
  33. demure
    shy or modest, often in a playful or provocative way
    “Yessir,” Margo said demurely, and with that the man walked off into the darkness.
  34. appraise
    consider in a comprehensive way
    She turned her head and appraised the SeaWorld we could see.
  35. oblivious
    lacking conscious awareness of
    The Chrysler’s seats were going to be a little bit wet when Mom drove to work, but I held out hope that she wouldn’t notice, since she was pretty oblivious.
Created on Wed Jul 29 15:59:16 EDT 2015 (updated Tue Apr 17 09:51:17 EDT 2018)

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