Unit 4

Unit 4 WORD LIST alley n. An alley is a narrow road between houses or buildings. The alley behind my house looks dirty. ax n. An ax is a tool used to cut wood. She used an ax to cut some wood for the fire. bunch n. A bunch is a group of the same things. She was hungry, so she ate the entire bunch of grapes. chore n. A chore is an unpleasant job that must be done. It's Nikki's chore to do the dishes every Tuesday and Wednesday night. decent adj, A decent person or thing is OK or good enough. Eric did a decent job painting the fence. disgraceful adj. Disgraceful behavior is behavior that is very bad. This is a disgraceful waste of money. elbow n. The elbow is the middle part of an arm, where it bends. She pointed to her elbow to show me where she hurt herself. grateful adj, A grateful person feels thankful about something. The girls were grateful for the chance to visit their grandfather. irritate v. To irritate means to annoy someone. Karen's brother irritated her when he told her that he had lost her camera. kid v. To kid is to say something that is not true as a joke. I am not really mad. I was kidding when I said I was angry.

loose adj. A loose thing is not held in place tightly. The bolt was loose, so I tightened it with the wrench. offend v. To offend is to make someone angry or upset. They were both offended by what they had said to each other. overnight adv. An overnight action happens during the night. The campers stayed in the tent overnight. persist v. To persist means to keep doing something even when it is hard. Even though the lesson was difficult, he persisted until he understood. pine n. A pine is a type of tall, thin tree with needles instead of leaves. There were many beautiful pine trees in the forest. scar n. A scar is a mark on the skin after a wound heals. The man had horrible scars on his cheek and forehead. sensation n. A sensation is a feeling that people get from their senses. Mom got a painful sensation in her head from the loud noise. sled n. A sled is a small vehicle used on snow. Marvin likes to ride his sled down the hill in winter. tease v. To tease means to laugh at or make fun of someone. Jake teased Charlie because he was the new student. valentine n. A valentine is someone loved or admired with great affection. Harry wanted Molly to be his valentine.

The Boy and His Sled Mike was the smallest child in school. Another boy, Joe, always teased Mike. Joe had a large scar on his face from fighting other children. One day, Joe offended Mike when he made fun of Mike's valentine, Jane. This was disgraceful, but Mike didn't know how to make Joe stop. That day, Mike walked home down an alley. He found a bunch of wood boards next to a pine tree. He thought to himself, " I could build a decent sled from these. If I let Joe use it, he will be nicer to me and Jane. " He took the wood home. Mike got an ax and cut the wood. He used nails to make sure that the pieces were not loose. As he worked, he bumped his elbow on the boards. The painful sensation made him want to cry. It was a hard chore, but he persisted. He worked overnight. By morning, the sled was finished. Mike called Joe on the telephone. He said, " Hi, Joe. Come over to my house right away. " Joe didn't know why Mike wanted him to come over. When Joe arrived, Mike told him, " Joe, it irritated me the other day when you said mean thingsabout Jane. You weren't kidding when you said those mean things. But I'm not like you. I just built this sled, and I'll let you ride it with me if you are nice. " They became friends, and Joe was grateful that Mike was so nice to him. He learned that it is more fun to be nice than to be mean.