UNIT 1. Chapter 1

1. Speak about the author, her life and literary career.

2. Give the Russian equivalents for the following words.

apothecary (n.): an early form of a pharmacist, apothecaries could also prescribe drugs.

assuaged (vb.): to assuage is to lessen or to calm. Therefore, if Jem's fears about being able to play football were assuaged, it means that he no longer feared that he wouldn't be able to play the sport.

collards (n.): a type of cabbage with very coarse leaves

beadle (n.): a minor city official, lower in rank than either a sheriff or a policeman, whose main duties revolve around preserving order at various civil functions such as trials and town hall meetings.

brethren (n.): in this case, members of a particular church or sect.

dictum (n.): in this case, a formal statement of principle.

domiciled (vb.): A domicile is a house or a place where a person lives. If you are domiciled somewhere, that is where you live. The Finch family lived in the northern part of the county.

eaves (n.): the lower edges of a roof which usually project beyond the side of a building

foray (n.): When you make a foray, you go somewhere or do something that is unusual or not normal for you. It was certainly not Jem's usual behavior to go near the Radley house; thus, doing so was a foray for him.

human chattels (n.): slaves

impudent (adj.): To be impudent is to be shamelessly bold, as if you don't care what anyone thinks about you. Since the Haverfords did something illegal in front of witnesses, Lee rightfully describes them as impudent.

Methodists (n): members of a branch of a Protestant Christian denomination.

picket (n): a pointed or sharpened pole or stake.

piety (n): devotion to religious duties and practices

predilection (n.): a predilection is a preference, or a preferred way of doing something. Thus, the Radley's preferred way of spending a Sunday afternoon was to keep the doors closed and not receive visitors

ramrod (adj.): rigid, severe, straight

repertoire was vapid: (n. + adj.): a repertoire is all the special skills a person has; vapid, in this case, means boring or uninteresting. So, when Scout says that their repertoire was vapid, she means that the games they had invented to pass the time had become old and had lost their interest.

scold (n.): A scold is a person who scolds; that is, someone who often finds fault with people or things (and usually lets you know about it under no uncertain terms)

spittoon (n.): a jarlike container to spit into; usually used to spit tobacco juice into.

strictures (n.): conditions or rules

taciturn (adj.): almost always silent. Apparently, Aunt Alexandra's husband was a very quiet man.

unsullied (adj.): something that is unsullied has been basically untouched or unused. The fact that Atticus's edition of the Code of Alabama is unsullied would, in this case, indicate that he seldom consults this book.

Words and word combinations for intensive study.

to be admitted to the bar (v.+ n.) malevolent phantom(adj. + n.)

assault and battery (n. +n.) cuss (v.)

worship (v.) imprudent (adj.)

high-strung(adj.) amble(v.)