Vocabulary for The Dragonslayers

astride /&-'strId/

Definition - with one leg on each side, straddle : astride a horse <she rode astride, not sidesaddle>

Page 5 - Grabbing her broom, she leapt astride it and soared into the darkness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

astonishment /&-'stä-nish-m&nt/

Definition - in amazement or wonder, bewilderment, surprised, shocked

Page 15 - Sir Pentamon blinked in astonishment. "A dragon?" he squeaked. Then lowering his voice, he repeated: "A dragon?"

Page 17 - Elizar stared at the king in astonishment. Suddenly his eyes rolled back in his head and his knees buckled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

prevailed or prevail /pri-'vA(&)l/

Definition - to use persuasion successfully, triumph, succeed, overcome, win

Page 33 - The wardrobe had not always been a mess inside, but Willie had long ago trained the woman in charge of cleaning her room not to touch what was in there. It hadn't been easy, but Willie had prevailed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

gallant /'ga-l&nt/

Definition - courageous, fearless, brave, heroic

Pages 44 - 46 - "Not while her back is turned," said Willie grimly, raising her sword once more.

"How gallant," hissed the spider, turning to face Willie again. "And how foolish!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

stalking stalk /stalk/

Definition - to go through (an area) in search of prey or quarry , hunt <stalk the woods for deer>

Page 66 - Brian was stanking nearby. He looked as surprised as she felt ---though whether he recognized her, or was simply surprised t find anyone else stalking the dragon, she could not tell.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

trudged - trudge /'tr&j/

Definition - to walk or march steadily and usually laboriously, walk with heavy steps, stomped <trudged through deep snow>

Page 74 In another part of the forest a new group of questers trudged wearily into a clearing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

destined - destine /'des-t&n/

Definition - determined beforehand, going to happen, fated

Page 87 - Brian nodded. "It's my birthmark. I've always felt my fate must be connected to a dragon somehow. When news of this one reached the court, I was sure I was destined to kill it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

garish /'gar-ish/

Definition - offensively or distressingly bright, flashy, gaudy

Page 100 - A moment later a column of flame shot straight into the air, casting a garish mix of harsh light and deep shadow across the little band as it scrambled to get ready to face the monster's arrival.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

befuddled - befuddle /bi-'f&-d^&l/

Definition - to muddle or stupefy with or as if with drink, confused

Page 117 - "Wait, Father," said Willie. "I have half a kingdom to run now, and I'm going to need some help. Let me, please."

Befuddled, the king turned to the queen. She smiled and nodded.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

genre a kind of literary work

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

fiction - writing that is a work of the imagination and is not necessarily based on fact

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

nonfiction - writing based upon facts and reality

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

poetry - writing in musical form

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

drama - writing having dialogue (conversation) or pantomime (gesturing without speech)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

fairy tales - stories with imaginary characters such as witches, giants and elves, dragons, ogres, or fairies.

Fairy tales. . . .

usually begin with "Once upon a time" and end with "And they lived happily ever after."
have good and evil characters.
have heroes which are often princesses or princes.
generally contain magic.
have a problem and a solution.
have events happening in "threes" or "sevens".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

folktales - a story based on either a real or fictional person.

Folktales . . . .

often begins with "Long, long ago" or something similar.
have main characters with extraordinary abilities such as great strength.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

fables - very short story that makes an educational or cautioning point.

Fables . . . .

often end with, "And the moral of the story is . . ."
use animals as characters that speak and act like humans
have a conflict and a resolution (a problem and a solution)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

myths - a very old story that explains features of the natural world such as why the sun rises each morning, where thunder comes from, or why the ocean has waves.

Myths. . . .

often include gods and goddesses and other supernatural characters who have the power to make unexpected things happen.
try to answer serious questions about how things began or occurred.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

rhyme - words that end with the same sound

Examples

boat moat goat wrote coat tote

Often rhyming words end with the same letter, but not always, as with tote and coat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

alliteration - the repetition of the same sounds or of the same kinds of sounds at the beginning of words

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

author's purpose

Authors write for many reasons. Some of the following are:

to entertain

Entertain means to amuse someone.

fictional stories, comics, poems, jokes, riddles

to inform

Inform means to give someone information about something

news reports, research papers, encyclopedias, school news letters, instructions, pamphlets from health clinics, maps, timelines, schedules, charts, graphs

to persuade

Persuade means to try to convince someone to think the same way you do.

advertisements, newspaper editorials, junk mail, posters

to share feelings

Sharing feelings means to tell the reader what you are thinking.

journals, diaries, letters

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

repetition - repeating words, phrases, and/or sentences. It is used to make a point.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

simile - a figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared using the words like or as

Examples

Princess Wilhelmina was as angry as a hornet.
Sir Pentamon was coward like a first time batter at the plate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

metaphor - comparison of one thing to another without the use of like or as.

Examples

Elizar became a raging tiger when faced by the dragon.
During the night the forest was a dark, frightening battlefield.