Cry, the Beloved Country

1. Mute- (adjective) - refraining from speech or temporarily speechless; not

expressed in speech; characterized by an absence of sound; quiet.
a. Sentence: Then she sat down at his table, and put her
head on it, and was silent, with the patient suffering of
black women, with the suffering of oxen, with the suffering
of any that are mute. (Page 40)
b. My sentence: As the pastor was praying, all in the room
were mute.

2. Gravely- (adverb)- giving cause of alarm; serious

a. Sentence- Msimangu said gravely, yes she is very sick.
(page 53)
b. My Sentence- Amy said gravely, my mom is very ill.

3. Articulately- (adverb)- having or showing the ability to speak

fluently and coherently
a. Sentence- Inarticulately he strokes her face, his heart
filled with pity (page 61)
b. My Sentence- I didn’t know how to articulate my feelings;
they were just beyond words.
4. Reconciled- (verb)- restore friendly relations between
a. Sentence- And thus reconciled, they say hand in hand
(page 61)
b. My Sentence- She wanted to be reconciled with her
father
5. Stipend- (noun)- a fixed regular sum paid as a salary or
allowance
a. Sentence- To save ten pounds from the stipend of eight
pounds a month takes much patience and time, especially
for a parson, who must dress in good black clothes. (Page
64)
b. My sentence- In addition he received a yearly stipend for
supervising a national lottery.
6. Irresolute- (adjective)- showing or feeling hesitancy; uncertain.
a. Sentence- so getting no peace, she rose irresolute, and
went to a room behind, and after some time she returned
with the Bible.
b. My Sentence- She stood irresolute outside his door.
7. Corrugated- (adjective)- shaped into alternate ridges and
grooves
a. Sentence- There is corrugated iron at the Reformatory,
they use it to cover the bricks.(Page 88)
 b. My Sentence- the roof was made of corrugated iron.
8. Travail- (noun) a painful or laborious effort
a. Sentence- God save this piece of Africa that is my own,
delivered in travail from my body. (Page 90)
b. My Sentence- Advice for those who wish to save great
sorrow and travail.
9. Obscure-(adjective) not discovered or known, uncertain
a. Sentence- He had brought the child some cheap wooden
blocks, and with these the little one played endlessly and
intently, with a purpose obscure to the adult mind, but
completely absorbing. (Page 93)
b. My Sentence- His origins and parentage are obscure.
10.Desolate- (adjective)- deserted of people and in a state of bleak
and dismal
a. Sentence- And then in one fraction of time the hills with
the deep melodious names stood out waste and desolate
beneath the pitiless sun, the streams ceased to run, the
cattle moved thin and listless over the red and rootless
earth.(Page 93)
b. My Sentence- I suddenly felt desolate and bereft.
11.Muse- (verb)- be absorbed in thought
a. Sentence- His voice would falter and die away, and he
would fall silent and muse.(Page 93)
b. My sentence- He was musing on the problems he faced.

12. Dubious (adjective)- hesitating or doubting

13. Tenaciously (adjective)- not readily letting go of, giving up,

or separated from an object that one holds, a position, or a
principle

14. Ruefully (adjective)- expressing sorrow or regret, esp. when

in a slightly humorous way

15. Apprehension (noun)- anxiety or fear that something bad

or unpleasant will happen

16. Prodigal (adjective)- spending money or resources freely

and recklessly; wastefully extravagant

17. Reproachfully (adjective)- expressing disapproval or

disappointment

18. Congenial (adjective)- pleasant because of a personality,

qualities, or interests that are similar to one’s own
19. Innumerable (adjective)- too many to be counted

20. Quaintness (adjective)- attractively unusual or old-

fashioned

21. Repression (verb)-subdue (someone or something) by force

22. Reverie (noun)- a state of being pleasantly lost in one’s

thoughts; a daydream

23. Expedient (adjective)- (of an action) convenient and

practical, although possibly improper or immortal

24. Prestige (noun)- widespread respect and admiration felt for

someone or something on the basis of a perception of their
achievements or quality

25. Scrupulous (adjective)- (of a person or process) diligent,

thorough, and extremely attentive to details

26. Renounce (verb)- formally declare one’s abandonment of (a

claim, right, or possession)

27. Profoundly (adjective)- (of a state, quality, or emotion) very

great or intense

28. Humility (noun)- a modest or low view of one’s own

29. Transmuted (verb)- change in form, nature, or substance