| Term | Definition |
| accelerate | to speed up; move faster |
| bystander | one who looks on or observes |
| canvass | to go through an area to get votes; to discuss |
| casual | informal; happening by chance |
| downtrodden | treated unfairly and cruelly |
| entice | to attract, tempt |
| erode | to wear or eat away |
| flounder | to thrash about in a clumsy way |
| graphic | lifelike, vivid |
| gruesome | horrible, revolting, ghastly |
| melancholy | sad, gloomy, unhappy |
| ordeal | a difficult or painful experience |
| parch | to make dry and thirsty |
| persist | to continue steadily; to last |
| puny | of less than normal strength or size; of no importance |