1. Unit 7 Vocabulary: The Choice to be Amish Most definitions and example sentences are taken from either the Merrium-Webster Online Learners’s Dictionary or the NorthStar 3 Reading and Writing Book (3 rd Edition)

2. Pious Synonyms: godly, religious Adjective: deeply religious; devoted to a particular religion The Amish are a pious people.

3. Allow Verb: permit to do something – Allow love to flow threw you.

4. Convenience Noun: things that make life easier and more comfortable The Amish are known for living without modern conveniences such as a computer.

5. Socialize Synonyms: hang out, converse Verb: to talk and do things with other people in a friendly way The Amish meet in home- based churches and socialize with family and friends from the community.

6. Bond Synonym: connection, closeness Noun: a feeling of closeness He is trying to maintain his bonds with his family by using the Internet, but living far away has still been difficult. Verb: to join (something) together; to form a close relationship with someone

7. Maintain Synonyms: keep, preserve Verb: to keep or continue I want to maintain my weight, so I need to eat well and exercise. As the years pass, the Amish maintain their simple farming style.

8. Establish Synonyms: set up, start, found Verb: to begin something Pious and hardworking, the Amish established farming communities.

9. Settle down Synonyms: stabilize, take root Verb: 1. to become quiet, calm, or orderly -The mother told the child to settle down. 2. to become a part of a community or region (to begin to live a quiet and steady life by getting a regular job, getting married) - The Amish settled down in the United States and Canada. - My mom is always asking me when I am going to settle down.

11. Persecution Synonyms: abuse, mistreatment Noun: cruel and unfair treatment (especially because of race, religious or political beliefs). Different groups have been persecuted for their beliefs.

12. Increase Verb: to make great in size or amount – The number of Amish has not declined but has increased.

13. Decline Verb: to decrease; to become lower in amount or less in number The number of Amish has not declined but has increased.

14. Be up in the air Verb phrase: to be unable to decide Ruth Irene was up in the air about her decision to marry Ottie.

15. The pros and cons Noun phrase: good and bad sides As Ruth and Ottie developed a friendship, she had to think about the pros and cons of being close to an outsider.

16. The deciding factor Noun: the most important reason He has the opportunity to start his own business in Hong Kong. This was the deciding factor for him.

17. Be stuck between a rock and a hard place Verb phrase: having a hard time with a difficult choice While she really liked Ottie, she knew that if she followed him into the outside world, she would lose her Amish relationships. She was really struck between a rock and a hard place.

18. Turn (someone) down Verb: to say no to someone If she turned Ottie down, she might never see him again.

19. Open up a can of worms Verb phrase: to make a problem more complicated Don’t make things more complicated than they need to be; don’t open up a can of worms.

20. Regret Noun: a feeling of sadness or disappointment about something you did or didn’t do – Synonym: remorse – He knew that he would face a lifetime of regret if he did not try it. Verb: to feel sad or sorry about – I deeply regret what I said.