1-page Vocabulary Printables

The story's moral crux: as Phoenix lifts the dropped nickel, 'grace' means effortless ease of movement, a Tier 2 sense distinct from politeness or favor. The homely egg-and-hen simile makes the meaning vivid and re-surfaces the pivotal theft scene.

Marks the story's turning point, when memory and purpose return: 'a flicker and then a flame of comprehension.' A strong Tier 2 word, rich in connotation, and the excerpt re-surfaces the emotional climax for review.

A premier academic word a target-grade student will meet often. The grandson's illness that 'won't heal' gives the stubborn, unyielding sense cleanly, and the word carries useful connotation beyond its plain definition.

High-value Tier 2 word, rich in connotation. Phoenix's silent, withdrawn stillness before the nurse models the grave, serious sense, and the moment rewards close reading of her dignity.

Central to Phoenix's character and a strong Tier 2 word. An old woman 'begging a dignified forgiveness' models the calm, self-possessed sense and gives students a memorable moment to anchor it.

A useful Tier 2 word in a striking image: 'big dead trees' in the 'purple stalks of the withered cotton field.' The surrounding decay makes the lifeless, dried-up sense clear, and the passage is strong for review.

A strong Tier 2 word; the cane's tapping 'like the chirping of a solitary little bird' lets a target-grade student infer the quiet, reflective sense. It recurs later as 'meditating,' reinforcing the word.

Uncommon, vivid Tier 2 word. 'Limber as a buggy whip' hands a target-grade student the flexible, springy sense through a concrete period image, strong for both meaning and connotation work.

The iconic opening portrait: Phoenix walks 'with the balanced heaviness and lightness of a pendulum in a grandfather clock.' A concrete Tier 2 word met in science and literature, and the simile fixes her age and steady rhythm.

A defensible Tier 2 word in a less common adjective sense; ceded its slot to the iconic opening 'pendulum' portrait.

rouse: Strong, portable Tier 2 word. Phoenix's cane switching at the brush 'as if to rouse up any hiding things' shows the stir-into-action sense, with enough difficulty that most students gain something.

windmill: Tender closing image, but the 'paper pinwheel' sense is idiosyncratic and doesn't generalize to academic reading.

radiation: High difficulty, but Welty uses it idiosyncratically for spreading facial lines, which could mislead a student.

furrow: Solid concrete word that recurs, but an ordinary excerpt and only moderate academic value left it just under the line.

scarecrow: Iconic dancing scene, but a common, concrete word whose plain meaning teaches little; its review value can't ride a gloss.

cur: Vivid word carrying clear scorn, but narrow in academic reading, so it yielded to higher-value Tier 2 words.

quivering: Vivid and rich in connotation, but lower difficulty, and it shares its line with 'thicket.'

nary: Adds to the story's regional voice, but a dialect form rare in academic reading.