altitude: Slide 2 chasm: Slide 3 miscreant: Slide 4 proprietor: Slide 5 waylay: Slide 6 dismember: Slide 7 pallet: Slide 8 sentry: Slide 9 recede: Slide 10

altitude: Slide 2chasm: Slide 3miscreant: Slide 4proprietor: Slide 5waylay: Slide 6dismember: Slide 7pallet: Slide 8sentry: Slide 9recede: Slide 10plunder: Slide 11hew: Slide 12lament: Slide 13circuitous: Slide 14mirth: Slide 15fluster: Slide 16

wield: Slide 17prosperous: Slide 18nimble: Slide 19inquisitive: Slide 20flexible: Slide 21siege: Slide 22infuriate: Slide 23amble: Slide 24glower: Slide 25

Welcome to Decent Exposure, Middle School Volume III

Altitude: height, usually measured ingreat distances from sea level

altitude

Homer Hickham, October Sky

of five miles.

It had been designed to reach an altitude.

Henry H. Neff, The Maelstrom

The balloon was losing

altitude.

Rick Riordan, The Titan’s Curse

slowing down and dropping

As we got closer to Washington, Blackjack started altitude

Wes Moore, The Other Wes Moore

sickness kept me from

the top.

Unfortunately,

Any form of the word altitude will appear once in every 937 pages of text.

Chasm: deep gapSynonyms: abyss, ravine, crevasse

chasm.

C. S. Lewis, The Silver Chair

dark, narrow

She found herself to her horror sliding down into a

chasm.

Christopher Paolini , Eldest

whirling

A glorious rainbow emerged from the mist over the chasm.

Homer Hickham, October Sky

There was nothing beneath us but a dark chasm.

Rick Riordan, Sea of Monsters

It had a rope bridge across a

Any form of the word chasm will appear once in every 1,078 pages of text.

Miscreant- evildoer

miscreants

Henry H Neff, The Maelstrom

You tell those fidgeting that they will

stand in place all morning until it pleases me to

acknowledge them.

miscreant.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tender is the Night

We have arrested the

miscreants

Henry H Neff, The Last Battle

are strengthened by their friends.

We must attack now, before yonder miscreant

lurked in them, presently to be

E. M. Forster, A Passage to India

detected by the activities of the law?

WhatAny form of miscreant will appear once in every 2,945 pages of text

Proprietor: owner of a business, usually a store, inn, or restaurant

Related words: property, proprietary

proprietor

W. William Winoker, The Perfect Game

of the bodega laid out an

assortment of peppers on the counter for Cesar

The

to make his selection.

proprietor,

Alexc Pate, Amistad

The Willow House is a fine inn, and Mr. Barsed, its

sets out an excellent meal for its guests.

proprietor

Cormac McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses

came over to take their order. The proprietors

William P. Young, The Shack

had kindly offered them a

complimentary room, and as he moved a few of his

The

things into it his exhaustion began to get the better

of him.

Any form of the word proprietors will appear once in every 308 pages of text.

Waylay: to intercept someone by ambush and hold them against their will, usually for a criminal purposeForms: noun: 00 Verb: waylay, waylays, waylaying, waylaid

waylaid

Christopher Paolini, Eldest

him in an alley.

As Roran hurried from one chore to another, Katrinawaylaid

Alexc Pate, Amistad

They were not

state.

by pirates or enemies of

waylaid

Jodi Picoult, Nineteen Minutes

Just outside the double doors of the courtroom, he

was by the Houghtons.

waylaying,

Thief indeed! What of our claim for

wounding, and orc-dragging us through Rohan? Any form of the word waylay will appear once in every 3,728 pages of text.

Dismember: to take apart, usually referring to a human or animal

Synonym: disassembleAntonym: assembleForms: noun: dismemberment verb: dismember, dismembers dismembered, dismembering

dismembered,

Jodi Picoult, Change of Heart

As I approached the barn, I heard the most unholy

sounds– like cats being calves being

slaughtered.

dismembered

Yan Martel, Life of Pi

His butchered,

the boat.

body lay on the floor of dismemberment.

Sara Gruen, Water for Elephants

It’s a violent

dismembered

James Patterson, The Angel Experiment

One of the hawks had a partially

gopher in its mouth. Any form of the word dismember will appear once in every 8,347 pages of text.

Pallet: a small, low, portable platform,usually used for transporting items

pallet.

Christopher Paollini, Brisingr

She’s having difficulty balancing on the

pallet.

Alexs Pate, Amistad

Thompson’s gavel slammed down on the wooden

pallet.

James Bradley, Flags of our Fathers

Finally Lieutenant Pennel was loaded with some

other wounded boys onto a long

pallet.

Grace MacGowan Cooke, The Power and the Glory

The ailing woman turned restlessly on her

Any form of the word pallet will appear once in every 3,091 pages of text.

Sentry: soldier who guards an entrance

Synonym: sentinel

sentry

Mark Helprin, A Soldier in the Great War

at the gate and one on the ramparts. I want onesentry

Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls

was standing, his back toward them, at The

the far end of the bridge.sentry.

Stephenie Meyer, The Host

He mostly slept in the van during the day and then sat

up at night, acting assentries.

Christopher Paolini, Eragon

The headed through the hills, avoiding the tops for

of being spotted by

Any form of the word sentry will appear once in every pages of text.

Recede: to move to a more distant point; to withdraw; to lessenSynonyms: retire, retreatAntonyms: intensify, aggress, approach

Forms: noun: recession verb: recede, recedes, receded, receding adjective: recessive adverb: 00

receding

John Steinbeck, The Pearl

He could smell the sharp odor of exposed kelp from

the tide.

receded

Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting

Her mother’s voice, the feel of home,

for a moment, and her thoughts turned forward.

receded

Rick Riordan, The Sea of Monsters

Their voices down the corridor. receded

Sara Dessen, Just Listen

Owen began to turn down the volume, and the static

above us us bit by bit.

Any form of the word recede will appear once in every 303 pages of text.

Plunder: raid and steal, esp. from a villageSynonyms: pillage, sack, ravageAntonyms: restore, rehabilitate

Forms: Noun: plunder Verb: plunder, plunders,plundered, plundering

Adjective: 00 Adverb: 00

plunderer

Henry H. Neff, The Fiend and the Forge

of their fleets.

Others curse him as the

plundering.Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five

He was arrested for

plundering

David Almond, Skellig

They’ll dream about vicious children

the nest. plunder

Allan Stratton, Chandra’s Wars

far from even the nearest safari camp.

the wild with child slaves and

After weeks of marches and raids, he’s escaped into

Any form of the word “plunder” will appear once in every 380 pages of text.

Hew: to strike forcibly with an axe or sword; to conform (to)

Synonyms: hack, chop

Forms: Noun: 00 Verb: hew, hews, hewn, hewed hewing

Adjective: hewn Adverb: 00

hewnJ. R. R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

off.head was

At least his hand still clasped the Red Arrow, but his hewed

J. R. R. Tolkien, The Two Towers

at them with his sword.In a fury he -hewn

Libba Bray, Sweet Far Thing

maypole has been erected on A rough-

a gentle slope further on.hewn

Yann Martel, Life of Pi

to pieces practically while they were still flopping about.

As for fish, they were

Any form of the word “hew” will appear once in every 1,257 pages of text.

lament: to feel or express sorrow or regretSynonyms: mourn, grieveAntonyms: rejoice, congratulate,

celebrateForms: Noun: lament, lamentation Verb: lament, laments, lamented, lamenting Adjective: lamentable Adv: lamentably

lamented

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude

to Ursula.

“We’ll never bet anywhere,” he lamented.

Chaim Potok, The Chosen

I could’ve been ready.

“You could’ve told me,” Schwartzielamentation

George Orwell, Animal Farm

went up.A cry oflament

John Steinbeck, The Pearl

for the dead of the family.formal

She, being the nearest woman relative, raised a

Any form of the word “lament” will appear once in every 265 pages of text.

Circuitous: in a circular or indirect patternSynonym: indirect, roundaboutAntonym: direct

Forms: Noun: circuit, circuitry Verb: 00 Adjective: circuitous Adverb: circuitously

circuitous

Roger Zelazny, Nine Princes in Amber

how long it will take me.route, so I don’t know

I’ll be coming by a rather

circuitous

Robert Ludlum, The Bourne Ultimatum

route.there by an extremely

Wherever he was being taken, he was being driven

circuitous

Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games

route back, when the first

it will require miles of travel away from the inferno

I’ve just decided to try and loop back around, although

and then a very

fireball blasts into the rock about two feet from my head.

circuitous

Stephenie Meyer, Twilight

measures, listening to your words in Jessica’s mind…

I wasn’t used to having to go to such

her mind isn’t very original, and it was annoying to

have to stoop to that.

Any form of the word “circuitous” will appear once in every 3,708 pages of text.

Mirth: joySynonyms: merriment, revelry, celebration

Antonyms: mournfulness, grief, lamentationForms: Noun: mirth Verb: 00 Adjective: mirthful Adverb: mirthfully

mirth,

William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

for we have friends that purpose merriment.

I would entreat you rather to put on your boldest suit ofmirth

Christopher Paolini, Brisingr

was like water falling on crystal.

The sound of her mirth,

Robert Cormier, After the First Death

without depth, just an arrangement of flesh.

…but a smile without

mirth.

J.K. Rowling, HP and the Chamber of Secrets

as Percy Weasley did his best to disperse the crowd,

got up, his feet numb from the weight of the dwarf,

Trying valiantly to laugh along with everyone else, he

some of whom were crying with

Any form of the word “mirth” will appear once in every 467 pages of text.

Fluster: confuse, throw off-guardSynonyms: discombobulate, bewilder,

disconcert, agitateAntonyms: soothe, reassure, calm

Forms: Noun: 00 Verb: fluster, flusters, flustered,flustering

Adjective: 00 Adverb: 00

flustered,

Sara Dessen , Just Listenand I just kept walking.

She saw me, and I got all flustered.Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Spendid Suns

His questions left Laila

flustered.

Terry Pratchett, Nation

“Er…what?” said Daphne,

flusteredNora Roberts, Summer Pleasures

again.

He looked at her until she was baffled and

Any form of the word “fluster” will appear once in every 4,805 pages of text.

Wield: to exercise power over something or someone; to use an instrument skillfullyForms: Noun: 00 Verb: wield, wields, wielded

wielding Adjective: unwieldy (awkward) Adverb: 00

wield

J. R. R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

blade, and I do not fear eitherI can ride and

pain or death.

wielded

Henry H. Neff, The Second Siege

by you.

No broken blade will harm me, not even one

wielding

Sara Shepard, Pretty Little Liars

sticks like swords.

Suddenly, they burst into the creek,

wielding

Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games

a knife.

He jumps up, kicking his chair ten feet behind him and

Any form of the word “wield” will appear once in every 798 pages of text.

Prosperous: successful and/or fortunate, esp.financiallySynonyms: affluent, wealthyAntonyms: impoverished, unfortunate

Forms: Noun: prosperity Verb: prosper, prospers,prospered, prospering

Adjective: prosperous Adverb: prosperously

prosperous,

Tim O’Brien, The Things They Carried

with neat houses and all the sanitary conveniences.

It was a nice little town, very

Any form of the word “prosperous” will appear once in every 159 pages of text.

Nimble: flexible, adaptable, quickSynonyms: lithe, agileAntonyms: stiff, inflexible, rigid

Forms: Noun: nimbleness Verb: 00 Adjective: nimble Adverb: nimbly

nimble

Cornelis Funke, Inkheart

hands as our light-fingered friend.

I don’t have such nimble

Yann Martel , Life of Pi

than a hook.

Fingers, though blunt, were far more nimble

Neal Stephenson, Snow Crashas a quark.

A Metaverse vehicle can be fast andnimble

Henry H. Neff, The Second Siege

movements.cloth with fast,

She was sitting at a loom, weaving cream-colored

Any form of the word “nimble” will appear once in every 956 pages of text.

Inquisitive:

tending to ask questions; tending to explore and findanswers

Synonyms: curious, questioning, interested Antonyms: uninterested, uncurious, apathetic

Forms: Noun: inquisitiveness Verb: inquire, inquires, inquired, inquiring

Adjective: inquisitive Adverb: inquisitively

Tracy Kidder, Strength in What Remains

confused and more

To explain would have only left his classmate more

inquisitive.

inquisitive

William Winokur, The Perfect Game

response.“What?” came the

inquisitive

C.S. Lewis, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

and excited as well.

Lucy felt a little frightened, but she felt very

inquisitive.

C. S. Lewis, The Silver Chair

But she felt a little

“Stay here, I vote,” said Jill. “I’d much rather not see it.

Any form of the word “inquire” will appear once in every 52 pages of text.

Any form of the word “flexible” will appear once in every 447 pages of text.

Flexible: bendable

Synonyms: agile, lithe, nimble, easygoing,adaptable

Antonyms: rigid, inflexible

Forms: Noun: flexibility Verb: flex, flexes,flexed, flexing

Adjective: flexible Adverb: flexibly: Related words: besieged

flexible David Almond, Skelligthey were.

I touched the baby’s shoulder blades, felt how tiny and

flexible. Cassandra Clare, City of Bones

We Shadowhunters live by a code, and that code isn’t

flexible

Christopher Paolilni, Eldest

or springy enough to make a bow.Horn isn’t

flexible

Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games

rubber soleThese have a narrow

with threads though.

Any form of the word “siege” will appear once in every 305 pages of text.

Siege: attack and takeover of a specific city or townRelated word: besieged (to feel attacked) :

siege. Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind

Vicksburg had fallen, fallen after a long and bitter siege,”

Nicholas Sparks, The Guardian

as Jim so kindly used to put it.

“It was frazzled and puffed out,” under siege

David Eggers, Zeitoun

at any moment.

Others were on guard, as if expecting a

siege. Libba Bray, Sweet Far Thing

am under

I have been home less than a minute, and already I

Any form of the word “infuriate” will appear once in every 1,544 pages of text.

: Infuriate: to cause extreme anger; to make furious

Synonyms: enrage Antonyms: sedate, please, calm, satisfy

Forms: Noun: 00 Verb: infuriate, infuriates, infuriated, infuriating

Adjective: 00 Adverb: infuriatingly Related words: fury, furious

infuriated

Daniel Keyes, Flowers for Algernon

It me to think that not too long ago, I like

this boy, had foolishly played the clown.

infuriating,

Henry H. Neff, The Fiend and the Forge

but in his condition,The gesture was

there was little Max could do.

infuriating

Charlotte Perkins Gillman, The Yellow Wallpaper

and enough, but the wallpaper was

The color is hideous enough, and unreliable enough,

torturous.

infuriates

Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, Book #3

him.

I jab at him with my elbow, but this only

Any form of the word “amble” will appear once in every 1,731 pages of text.

Amble: to walk at a leisurely pace Synonyms: stroll, saunter Antonyms: march, stride

Forms: Noun:00 Verb: amble, ambles, ambled, ambling

Adjective: 00 Adverb: 00 Related words: perambulator, ambulance,

ambulate

ambled

Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever

past me, yawning widely.

I walked back to the door, stepping aside as Monicaambling

Olive Ann Burns, Cold Sassy Tree

on towards the house.We both laughed,ambling

Henry H. Neff, The Maelstrom

Toby was toward it on weary legs.ambling

J.K. Rowling, HP and the Sorcerer’s Stone

up to them.

A toothless old man came

Glower: frown menacingly, make a mean andthreatening face

Synonyms: frown, sneer Antonyms: smile, grin, beam

Forms: Noun:00 Verb:glower, glowers, glowered, glowering

Adjective: 00 Adverb: 00

The word “glower” will appear once in every 3,404 pages of text.

glowering,

Nicholas Kristof, Half the Sky

and the tension rises.

The adults stoop as well, some

glowered

Stephenie Meyer, New Moonat Edward again.

Jacob’s eyes sparked with hate as he

glowering

Rick Riordan, The Titan’s Curse

at me while he sharpened his

And Ares, well, he sat on his chrome-and-leather

knife.

throne, glowering

Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis

at him and…shouted his sister,

shaking her fist.