Mystery & Suspense Unit

We are finishing the unit before Christmas break so all stories are due on Friday. We will have our vocabulary test on Thursday. Be sure to have your teacher conferences before you hand in your assignments for each story.

December vocabulary

Omission (n) someone or something that has been left out or excluded : there are glaring omissions in the report; the action of excluding or leaving out someone or something : the omission of recent publications from his bibliography.

Cunning (adj.) having or showing skill in achieving one's ends by deceit or evasion : a cunning look came into his eyes.

Infinite (adj.) limitless or endless in space, extent, or size; impossible to measure or calculate : the infinite mercy of God | the infinite number of stars in the universe; very great in amount or degree : he bathed the wound with infinite care.

Confound (v) cause surprise or confusion in (someone), esp. by acting against their expectations : the inflation figure confounded economic analysts.

Diminutive (adj.) extremely or unusually small

Perusal (n) the action of reading or examining something

Vacuously (adj.) having or showing a lack of thought or intelligence; mindless

Provocation (n) action or speech that makes someone annoyed or angry, esp. deliberately : you should remain calm and not respond to provocation | he burst into tears at the slightest provocation.

Compulsive (adj.) resulting from or relating to an irresistible urge, esp. one that is against one's conscious wishes : compulsive eating; (of a person) acting as a result of such an urge : a compulsive liar.

Morsel (n) a small piece or amount of food; a mouthful : Julie pushed a last morsel of toast into her mouth | figurative real estate agents think the mansion will be a very tasty morsel for an international company; a small piece or amount : reporters do their best to ferret out every morsel of information.

Mandatory (adj.) required by law or rules; compulsory : wearing helmets was made mandatory for cyclists; of or conveying a command : he did not want the guidelines to be mandatory.

Convoluted (adj.) (esp. of an argument, story, or sentence) extremely complex and difficult to follow : its convoluted narrative encompasses all manner of digressions.

Rigours (n) the quality of being extremely thorough, exhaustive, or accurate : his analysis is lacking in rigor; severity or strictness : the full rigor of the law; ( rigors) demanding, difficult, or extreme conditions : the rigors of a harsh winter.

Flank (n) the side of a person's or animal's body between the ribs and the hip : leaning against his horse's flanks; the side of something

Assignments- December 4th

We are working on our Mystery and Suspense unit. Students have been given a handout of notes for this section which is to be used for each of the stories for this section. Since class discussions have not been going well, we have changed the format of the unit. Students will read each story on their own and complete a point form plot outline and pre-write for their reader response. Students are to have a conference with me about this information and then write a reader response which is handed in for marks.

We are still going over vocabulary each day and will have our next quiz on December 18th.

New Unit

The comparative essay for the two poems, If and Courage is the last assignment for the unit. We are starting our new unit on Mystery and Suspense.

This unit is we examine the elements of fiction through several short stories. During the first three, we will complete the plot line together as a class. For the remainder two stories, you will be required to state the elements on your own.

Assignment update

Book reviews are due today, unless you have made other arrangements with me.

Next week
Monday & Tuesday - no school
Wednesday - comparative essay begin draft
Thursday - comparative essay revision
Friday - vocabulary test & comparative essay due

Book Review

Students have been given 10 minutes per class to read a novel relating to our theme (Courage and Challenges). Students are to write a book review due Nov. 7th.

We will be studying the poem "Courage" by Ann Sexton this week. You will be assigned a comparative essay this week as well.

Word of the Day - November

This is the list of definitions for the month. Our next quiz will be Friday, November 14th.

Pique (v) stimulate (interest or curiosity) : you have piqued my curiosity about the man.

Dread (v) anticipate with great apprehension or fear : Jane was dreading the party | [with infinitive ] I dread to think what Russell will say.

Obligingly (adj.) willing to do a service or kindness; helpful.

Heed (v) pay attention to; take notice of : he should have heeded the warnings.

Aversion (n) a strong dislike or disinclination : he had a deep-seated aversion to most forms of exercise.



Looted (v) steal goods from (a place), typically during a war or riot : police confronted the rioters who were looting shops.
• steal (goods) in such circumstances : tons of food aid awaiting distribution had been looted.

Dispel (v)make (a doubt, feeling, or belief) disappear : the brightness of the day did nothing to dispel Elaine's dejection.
• drive (something) away; scatter : sprinkle catnip tea to dispel beetles from garden plants.




Bland (adj.)lacking strong features or characteristics and therefore uninteresting : rebelling against the bland uniformity.
• (of food or drink) mild or insipid : bland and unadventurous vegetarian dish | bland beers of mediocre quality.
• (of a person or behavior) showing no strong emotion; dull and unremarkable : offering bland reassurance | his expression was bland and unreadable.

Foible (n) a minor weakness or eccentricity in someone's character : they have to tolerate each other's little foibles.

Doted (v) ( dote on/upon) be extremely and uncritically fond of : she doted on her two young children | [as adj. ] ( doting) she was spoiled outrageously by her doting father.

Inflict (v) cause (something unpleasant or painful) to be suffered by someone or something : they inflicted serious injuries on three other men.
• ( inflict something on) impose something unwelcome on : she is wrong to inflict her beliefs on everyone else.

Concede (v) surrender or yield (something that one possesses) : to concede all the territory he'd won.
• grant (a right, privilege, or demand) : their rights to redress of grievances were conceded once more.
• (in sports) fail to prevent the scoring of (a goal or point) by an opponent : the coach conceded three safeties rather than kick into the wind.
• allow (a lead or advantage) to slip : he took an early lead that he never conceded.

Succulent (adj.) (of food) tender, juicy, and tasty.
• Botany (of a plant, esp. a xerophyte) having thick fleshy leaves or stems adapted to storing water.

Diversion (n) an instance of turning something aside from its course : a diversion of resources from defense to civil research.

Acquisition (n) an asset or object bought or obtained, typically by a library or museum.
• buying or obtaining an asset or object : Western culture places a high value on material acquisition.

Serene (adj) calm, peaceful, and untroubled; tranquil : her eyes were closed and she looked very serene | serene certainty. See note at calm .

Imposition (n) the action or process of imposing something or of being imposed : the imposition of martial law.