Vocabulary 1A9th Grade Literature and Composition

Rank

• n.

• official status within an organization.

• A four star general is the highest rank in the U.S. Army.

Billowed

• v. (past)

• swell with air; move in a curling mass.

• The flag billowed on the flagpole in front of Metter High School.

Vortex

• n.

• overwhelming whirlpool.

• All the dust on the carpet was sucked into the vortex of the vacuum cleaner.

Infallibility

• n.

• The inability to be wrong.

• Our leaders should be strong, compassionate, and trustworthy, but they are not infallible.

Reiterated

• v. (past)

• repeated.

• The lawyer reiterated the question to the scared witness, but the witness just cried and shook her head.

Armada

• n.

• fleet, usually ships.

• A whole armada of ships, ready to attack, sailed up menacingly beside the pirate ship.

Solder

• v.

• join together, usually metal.

• When soldering metal pipe together, you should wear safety glasses and work on a nonflammable surface.

Evanesce

• v.

• slowly, gradually vanish.

• My sister’s anger evanesced when I told her we were having chocolate ice cream after dinner.

Vermilion

• n.

• bright red.

• The volcano spurted out vermilion lava and bits of rock debris.

Infer

• v.

• indicate something.

• I inferred from Charlotte’s huge smile and laughter that she liked my Christmas present.

Tone

• n.

• author’s voice.

• The mood of the zombie movie, Shaun of the Dead, is dark, but the filmmaker’s tone is actually funny, as he makes the main character navigate the zombie apocalypse.

Diction

• n.

• author’s word choice.

• The diction in a typical text passage will be a lot different than the diction in a formal letter to your boss.