1. Wordly Wise Grade 4, Unit 12

2. ability Noun: Power or knowledge; skill Daniel’s ability to memorize pi earned him a spot on ABC news. Click on picture to see video clip

3. amiable Adjective: Friendly; good natured and pleasant Because of their amiable staff, all the pets like to fly on Pet Jets. Click on picture to see video clip

4. bliss Noun: Complete joy or happiness My idea of bliss is a day on the beach.

5. blissful Adjective: Very happy; joyful. The proud parents wore blissful smiles as they watched their daughter graduate.

6. caress Verb: To touch in a tender or loving way. Sally caressed the cat’s forehead gently as it lay sleeping. Noun: A tender or loving touch or hug. The cat wants a caress from her owner. Click on picture to see video clip

7. clutch Verb: To grasp or hold tightly to. Amy clutched her teddy bear as she climbed into the dentist’s chair.

8. clutch Noun: The part of a machine that connects and disconnects the power from the rest of the machine. Before changing gears in a standard shift car, first step on the clutch. Click on picture to see video clip

9. coax Noun: To persuade or urge in a gentle way The baby tried to coax mom to pick her up. Click on picture to see video clip

10. furious Adjective: Very, very angry The emperor was furious when he realized how the two “tailors” had tricked him.

11. furious Adjective: Very fast, strong, or wild The kittens batted the toy at a furious pace. Click on picture to see video clip

12. fury Noun: Great anger The bull’s uneasiness turned to fury when he learned how completely he had been tricked.

13. fury Noun: Wild and uncontrolled force The fury of the storm was far greater than had been forecast.

14. gesture Noun: A movement of the arm or hand The president waved his arm in a farewell gesture before boarding Air Force One.

15. gesture Noun: Something done to show one’s feelings George brought Delia a bouquet of flowers as a gesture of affection.

16. gesture Verb: To make a movement of the arm or hand. The coach gestured to the players on the bench to join her on the field.

17. mope Verb: To be sad and gloomy; to lose interest in things that bring pleasure. Eeyore mopes on his birthday.

18. prefer Verb: To like better; to choose first Which do you prefer, chocolate or vanilla?.

19. preference Noun: That which is preferred. If you don’t have a preference, I’ll choose the orange door.

20. recover Verb: To get back to a normal state; to get well again. Patricia soon recovered from the flu.

21. recover Verb: To get back what was lost or stolen It cost a hundred dollars to recover my car after it was towed.

22. recovery Noun: A return to a normal state. Dr. Holding was surprised at the speed of my recovery.

23. recovery Noun: The act of getting back what was lost or stolen The museum is offering a reward for the recovery of the missing painting.

24. replace Verb: to take the place of. Did the modern pencil replace the quill?

25. replace Verb: To put back in place. When you are through with the encyclopedias, let the librarian replace them on the shelves.

26. replacement Noun: A person or thing that takes the place of another. The princess created her replacement in her laboratory using her own DNA. Click on picture to see video clip

27. request Verb: To ask for. I requested a chocolate cake with cherry frosting for my birthday.

28. request Noun: The thing asked for. Bruno Mars sang the song requests. Click on picture to see video clip

29. separate Verb: To set or keep apart. Whenever the twins start fighting, my mother separates them

30. separate Adjective: Not together; not joined. David and Ricky Nelson want separate bedrooms. Click on picture to see video clip

31. shun Verb: To take special pains to avoid; to keep away. Fiona regretted hurting Carrie’s feelings when her classmates shunned her at lunch. Click on picture to see video clip