Michelle Dupray

10-29-09

Cry, The Beloved Country Vocabulary

1. Mute (adjective) - refraining from speech or temporarily speechless; not
expressed in speech; characterized by an absence of sound; quiet.
a. Sentence: “Then she sat down at his table, and put her
head on it, and was silent, with the patient suffering of
black women, with the suffering of oxen, with the suffering
of any that are mute.” (page 40)
b. My sentence: The class was mute while they worked.

2. Gravely (adjective) – giving cause for alarm; seriously

a. Sentence: “Msimangu said gravely, yes, she is very
sick.” (page 53)
b. My sentence: The man spoke gravely to his son.

3. Articulately (adjective) – having the ability to speak fluently or

coherently
a. Sentence: “Inarticulately he strokes her face, his
heart filled with pity.” (page 61)
b. My sentence: She spoke the foreign language
articulately.

4. Reconciled (verbs) – restore friendly relations between

a. Sentence: “And thus reconciled, they sat hand in
hand.” (page 61)
b. My sentence: My friend and I reconciled last time we
saw each other.

5. Stipend (noun) – a fixed regular sum paid as salary or allowance

a. Sentence: “To save ten pounds from a stipend of
eight months takes much patience and time…” (page 64)
b. My sentence: At the end of the week, she receives her
stipend.

6. Irresolute (adjective) – showing or feeling hesitancy; uncertain

a. Sentence: “…but most of them walked resolutely, as
indeed they had been doing now these past few weeks.” (page 81)
b. My sentence: He was irresolute about going with his
friends to the movies tomorrow night.

7. Corrugated (adjective) – shaped into alternate ridges or grooves

 a. Sentence: “There is corrugated iron at the
Reformatory, they use it to cover the bricks.” (page 88)
b. My sentence: The hill was corrugated.

8. Travail (noun) – painful or laborious effort

a. Sentence: “God save this piece of Africa that is my
own, delivered in travail from my body….” (page 90)
b. My sentence: Working on the backyard was a
travailing effort.

9. Obscure (adjective) – not discovered or known about; uncertain

a. Sentence: “…with a purpose obscure to the adult
mind, but completely absorbing.” (page 93)
b. My sentence: The reason behind the kind man’s
actions was obscure to the people.

10. Desolate (adjective) – deserted of people and in a state of bleak

emptiness
a. Sentence: “And then in one fraction of time the hills
with deep melodious names stood out waste and desolate beneath
the pitiless sun, the streams ceased to run, the cattle moved thin and
listless over the red and rootless earth.” (page 93)
b. My sentence: The town was very desolate.

11. Muse (verb) – be absorbed in thought

a. Sentence: His voice would falter and die away, and he
would fall silent and muse.” (page 93)
b. My sentence: The woman was musing while working.

12. Dubious (adjective) – hesitating or doubting

13. Tenaciously (adjective) - not readily letting go of, giving up, or

separated from an object that one holds, a position, or a principle

14. Ruefully (adjective) – expressing sorrow or regret, esp. in a

slightly humorous way

15. Apprehension (noun) – anxiety or fear that something bad will

happen
16. Prodigal (adjective) – spending money or resources freely and
recklessly; wastefully extravagant

17. Reproachfully (adjective) – expressing disapproval or

disappointment

18. Congenial (adjective) – pleasant because of a personality,

qualities, or interests that are the same as one’s own

19. Innumerable (adjective) – too many to be counted

20. Quaintness (adjective) – attractively unusual or old-fashioned

21. Repression (verb) – subdue (someone or something) by force

22. Reverie (noun) – a state of being pleasantly lost in one’s

thoughts; a daydream

23. Expedient (adjective) – convenient or practical, although possibly

immoral or improper

24. Prestige (noun) - widespread respect and admiration felt for

someone or something on the basis of a perception of their
achievements or quality

25. Scrupulous (adjective) – diligent, thorough, extremely attentive

to detail

26. Renounce (verb) – formally declare abandonment (claim, right,

possession)

27. Profoundly (adjective) – very great, intense

28. Humility (noun) – a modest or low view of one’s importance;

humbleness

29. Transmuted (verb) – in form, nature, or substance