Vocabulary ladder

Wuthering Heights

CHAPTER II

3,405 words. Everyday vocabulary (band A) covers 53% of the text; the hard 7% is 178 entries — all of them below.

A 53.5% (559 types) B 7.8% (226 types) C 5.8% (179 entries) D 3.4% (101 entries) E 1.7% (55 entries) N 2.1% (22 entries)

Band B — common reading vocabulary

A sample of 24 of 226 — you will meet these often; they are explained only at the fullest help level.

Band C — recognition checklist

All 179 upper-intermediate words in this chapter. Tick the ones you know; the rest are explained at the fullest help level.

Band D — advanced (101 entries)

coal-shed
a shed for coal
copestone
the finishing stone
daughter-in-law ×2
a son's wife
door-stones
the stone steps at a door
four-miles
of four miles
garden-gate
the gate of a garden
ill-tempered
bad-tempered
servant-girl
a maidservant
under-lip
the lower lip
vinegar-faced
sour-faced
weather-bound
kept in by weather
inhospitality
unwelcoming coldness
staling
Yorkshire for stealing
unmannerly
rude
chimney-piece ×2
the frame round a fireplace
wash-house
the room where washing is done
responsively
in answer
good-hearted
kind
hatless
without a hat
condoled
condoled: expressed sympathy
missis ×2
the wife
ringlets
a curl of hair
sagacity
shrewd wisdom
perforce
of necessity
unluckily
by ill luck
uncultivated
wild; untended
girlhood
the years of being a girl
hearken ×2
to listen; heed
vainly
in vain
idleness
doing nothing
wildness
a wild look
feathery
covered in feathers; light as feathers
merriment
merry fun
scowl
to frown darkly
unceremoniously
without ceremony
ejaculated · ejaculating ×2
to burst out suddenly in words
meditated
planned
spake
Yorkshire for speak
possessor
the owner
rheumatism
aching stiffness of the joints
unmistakably
beyond mistaking
surmise
a guess
haughty
coldly proud
sneer
a scornful curl of the lip
sorrowful
full of sorrow
hilarity
loud laughing fun
scoundrel
a shameless villain
pail
a bucket
admittance
leave to enter
wouldn
would — wouldn't: would not
exclaimed · exclaiming ×3
to cry out
eloquence
moving power of speech
muttered ×3
to speak low in the throat
wretch
a miserable creature
ramble
a walk for pleasure
shoo ×2
Yorkshire for she
spoonful
as much as a spoon holds
vigour
strength and force
conceited
too proud of oneself
frock
a girl's or woman's dress
retorted
to answer back sharply
clenched
to close tight
countenance ×2
the face; composure
corroborating
to confirm as true
murmured
to speak in a low soft flow
befriend
to act as a friend to
cinders
a glowing coal
diabolical
devilish
scolded
to find fault angrily
whirl
to spin fast
sociable
fond of company
whiskers
hair on the cheeks
austere
stern and severe
infernal
hellish; devilish
mun
Yorkshire for must
smothered
choked; buried
extinguished · extinguishing ×2
put out
radiance
shining light
yawning
gaping with tiredness
jest
a joke
suffocating
to choke for air
abstain
to hold back from
rascal
a dishonest rogue
dreary
gloomy and dull
canisters ×2
cannon shot of scattering balls
copious
plentiful
dispel
driven away
hae
Yorkshire for have
hearth
the floor of the fireplace; the fireside
observable
able to be seen
blunder
to stumble into mistakes
mak ×2
Yorkshire for make
scorn
proud contempt
habitual
usual by habit
corrugated
corrugated: ridged
uproar
a loud confused noise
devouring
devouring: eating up fast and greedy
grated
with thanks; thankfully
vehemently
with hot force
repulsive
disgusting
agitation
troubled excitement

Band E — rare & archaic (55 entries)

agait
Yorkshire for going on; afoot
bearishly
roughly, like a bear
coal-scuttles
buckets for coal
divil
Yorkshire for devil
embrowned
embrowned: made brown
faishion
Yorkshire for fashion; bring oneself
flaysome
Yorkshire for frightful
fowld
Yorkshire for fold, the sheep pen
gooseberry-bushes
bushes bearing gooseberries
holld ×2
Yorkshire for hold
lanthern
lantern, in Yorkshire speech
moroseness
gloomy sourness
neeght
Yorkshire for night
nobbut
Yorkshire for nothing but; only
pigeon-cot
a pigeon house
raight
Yorkshire for right
repellingly
forbiddingly
tea-canister
a box for tea
thear
Yorkshire for there
virulency
bitter violence
wisht ×2
Yorkshire for hush
ensconcing
ensconced: settled in comfortably
assiduity
steady, careful effort
niver
Yorkshire for never
unavenged
unavenged: not avenged
malignity
bitter, harmful hatred
oppen
Yorkshire for open
hallooed
to shout to call attention
gruffly
roughly; in a harsh voice
hend
Yorkshire for hand
maister ×3
Yorkshire for master
postern
a small back gate
matronly
like a mature married woman
scornfully
with scorn
flaxen
pale yellow
laith
a barn — a northern word
umph
explained by the text itself
straggling
to trail behind in disorder
guffaw
a loud burst of laughter
tolerably
fairly; reasonably
providential
sent by providence
boor
a rough clownish man
beneficent
doing good
churlish
rude and sour-tempered
reprobate
reprobated: condemned
evinced
to show; give sign of
vehemence
passionate force
deigned
to lower oneself to grant
taciturn
silent by nature
goan
Yorkshire for going
miscreants
a wicked person; a villain
nowt
Yorkshire for nothing; a nobody
afore
before — dialect
neutralised
neutralised: cancelled out
encroached
encroaching: creeping onto

False friends — common words wearing old senses (7)

condition
social rank — the old sense here
counsel
the lawyer who speaks in court — the old sense here
interest
the spectacle that draws a crowd — the old sense here
mortal
human — the old sense here
peculiar
its own; particular — the old sense here
state
ceremony; pomp — the old sense here
use
habit; custom — the old sense here

Names (11)

hareton ×5
Hareton Earnshaw, Hindley's son, brought up rough
zillah ×3
Zillah, the housekeeper at the Heights in later years
gnasher
Gnasher, a dog at the Heights
earnshaw ×4
the Earnshaws, the old family of Wuthering Heights
heathcliff ×24
the dark foundling brought home to the Heights, who grows into its fierce master
wuthering ×2
Wuthering Heights, the farmhouse; wuthering: stormy, in local speech
juno
Juno, a dog at the Heights
grange ×2
Thrushcross Grange, the Lintons' house
heights ×2
Wuthering Heights, the Earnshaws' farmhouse on the moor
Hareton Earnshaw
Hindley's son, brought up rough at the Heights
Wuthering Heights
the Earnshaws' farmhouse on the moor