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dil • a • to • ry adj., causing delay. The child’s tantrum was a dilatory tactic to avoid going to bed.

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wretch • ed adj., miserable. Cold, hunger, thirst, and lack of sleep made the soldiers feel wretched.

shoal adj., shallow. Hunting for frogs, the heron walked along the edge of the shoal pond.

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in • au • di • bly adv., not loudly enough to be heard. The student answered inaudibly, so the teacher asked him to speak up.

gal • lant • ly adv., politely, nobly. The prince gallantly threw down his cloak so the princess could step over the puddle.

grav • i • ty n., seriousness. The gravity of the mayor’s speech created silence in the auditorium.

prof • fer vt., offer. Proffering food to the homeless gave the rich man a deep sense of satisfaction.

squal • or n., filth and misery. The journalist found it difficult to describe the squalor of the street in Calcutta where the missionary worked.

her • mi • tage n., place where a person can live away from others. Withdrawing to his hermitage was the monk’s solution to his problems.

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de • mure adj., modest; shy. Celia and Kim were too polite and demure to ask the celebrity for his autograph.

or • ni • thol • o • gist n., one who studies birds. Ornithologists gathered at the convention to discuss the loss of species habitat.

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prem • o • ni • tion n., feeling that something will happen. Mrs. Alexander had a premonition of disaster and canceled her booking on the ship.

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course vi., move swiftly; flow through. The overflowing river coursed through the streets of the town.

pon • der • ous adj., very heavy. Archie’s ponderous thoughts filled him with depression.

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pin • ion n., part of a bird’s wing. Clipping the hawk’s pinions kept it from flying away.

vex vt., annoy. The hungry moles vexed the gardener by eating his turnips.

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re • buke vt., blame or scold in a sharp way. The teacher rebuked the students for not doing their homework.