Vocabulary ladder

Jane Eyre

CHAPTER III

3,228 words. Everyday vocabulary (band A) covers 58% of the text; the hard 7% is 138 entries — all of them below.

A 57.9% (496 types) B 7.3% (181 types) C 3.8% (105 entries) D 2.5% (75 entries) E 0.9% (29 entries) N 4.0% (34 entries)

Band B — common reading vocabulary

A sample of 24 of 181 — you will meet these often; they are explained only at the fullest help level.

Band C — recognition checklist

All 105 upper-intermediate words in this chapter. Tick the ones you know; the rest are explained at the fullest help level.

Band D — advanced (75 entries)

bed-foot
the foot of the bed
breakfast-room
the room for breakfast
by-and-by
before long
forest-high
as high as a forest
gravel-walk
a path of gravel
ground-ivy
a creeping ivy
half-an-hour
thirty minutes
hard-featured
with hard features
ill-conditioned
ill-natured
school-discipline
the rule of a school
tower-like
like a tower
untasted
not tasted
red-room ×3
red-room: the grand cold bedroom where Mr Reed died
lingeringly
reluctantly
unwonted
unusual for the person
fagging
hard dull toil
hard-hearted
without pity
fireless
without a fire
self-esteem
one's opinion of oneself
rosebuds
rose buds
wretchedness ×2
misery
moonless
without a moon
foxglove
the tall purple-belled flower
interposed
to put in a word between others
corn-fields
corn-fields: fields of corn
daresay
I dare say; I suppose
rending
giving; making — rendering
underhand
sly and secret
thither
to that place
mastiffs
a large powerful guard dog
fie
explained by the text itself
bewilderment
utter confusion
cordially
with warm friendliness
uprooting
uprooted: torn up by the roots
genteel
well-mannered; refined
punctuality
being on time
apothecary ×3
a maker and seller of medicines
typhus
a deadly camp fever
industrious
hard-working
frightful
causing fright
emboldened
emboldened: given courage
meagre
thin and poor
gaunt
thin and worn
indescribable
beyond describing
reprimand
an official scolding
malevolent
wishing harm
befriended
treated as a friend
mortified
stung with hurt pride
ailment
an illness
civility
polite courtesy
emulation
striving to match
fervent
burning with feeling
muffled
wrapped so as to dull sound
bosom
the breast
ghastly
horrible; deathly pale
ailing
to be sick
dreary ×2
gloomy and dull
diminutive
a pet short form of a name
hearth
the floor of the fireplace; the fireside
scant
barely enough
pang · pangs ×2
a sharp stab of pain
shrewd
sharply clever in practical things
cadence
the fall and rhythm of the voice
darkened
made dark
ere
before — an old word
contrived
to plan cleverly; devise
hitherto
until now
snuff
powdered tobacco for the nose
infer
to reason out from signs
propensities
a natural leaning
desolate
empty and lifeless
grates
with thanks; thankfully
shawl
a cloth wrap for the shoulders
shilling
an old British coin; twenty made a pound
agitation
troubled excitement

Band E — rare & archaic (29 entries)

after-occurrences
later events
all-predominating
ruling over all
bunglingly
in a clumsy botched way
convolvuli
climbing trumpet flowers
enounced
enounced: declared
forlornness
lonely misery
gipsying
gipsying: roaming like gipsies
good-natured
kindly by nature
infantine
of infancy
pettishness
cross childish temper
wall-nooks
nooks in walls
doat
to be foolishly fond
snuff-box
a small box for powdered tobacco
unutterable
not to be spoken
beggarly
poor as beggars
pigmies
pigmies: tiny people
despoiled
to plunder; rob
curacy
a curate's post
doleful
sad and heavy
circlet
a small circle
inexpressible ×2
beyond words
debasing
debased: lowered
agreeably
pleasantly
beguiled
to pass time pleasantly; to charm
scanty
barely enough; thin
wakefulness
lying awake
daren
dare — daren't: dare not
scrutinised
to examine closely
reverberation
an echoing ring

False friends — common words wearing old senses (3)

condition
social rank — the old sense here
interest
the spectacle that draws a crowd — the old sense here
state
ceremony; pomp — the old sense here

Names (13)

brobdignag
the land of giants in Gulliver
lilliput
the land of tiny people in Gulliver
georgiana ×3
Georgiana Reed, Jane's vain pretty cousin
gulliver ×2
Gulliver's Travels
gateshead ×7
Gateshead Hall, the Reeds' house where Jane grows up
bessie ×29
Bessie, the nursemaid at Gateshead, kind to Jane
eyre ×3
Jane Eyre, the orphan governess who tells her own story
abbot ×9
Miss Abbot, Mrs Reed's lady's-maid
reed ×12
the Reeds of Gateshead: Jane's aunt and her children John, Eliza, and Georgiana
Gateshead Hall
the Reeds' house
Jane Eyre
the orphan governess who tells her own story
John Reed
Jane's bullying cousin
Mrs Reed
Jane's aunt by marriage, mistress of Gateshead