Prepare to Read

Learn Key Vocabulary

Rate and Study the Words Rate how well you know each word. Then:

  • 1. Pronounce the word. Say it aloud several times. Spell it.

  • 2. Study the example.

  • 3. Tell more about the word.

  • 4. Practice it. Make the word your own.

Rating Scale

  • 1 = I have never seen this word before.

  • 2 = I am not sure of the word’s meaning.

  • 3 = I know this word and can teach the word’s meaning to someone else.

Key Words
custom (kus-tum) noun page 351
Photograph of two men shaking hands
A custom is something that a certain group of people usually do. In the U.S., it is a custom to shake hands when meeting someone.
Synonyms: tradition, habit		desire (di-zī-ur) verb page 355
Photograph of a boy with a man looking at a bicycle in a store windowWhen you desire something, you really want it. This boy desires the bike in the store window.		dream (drēm) noun page 350
Photograph of a girl sleeping
A dream is a thought or an image in your mind when you sleep. This girl is having a good dream.
encounter (en-kown-tur) noun page 350
Photograph of a man with a camera very close to a bear in the wild
An encounter is a meeting. The photographer took pictures of his encounter with a bear.		shore (shor) noun page 350
Photograph of people walking along the shore of a beach
A shore is the land beside a large body of water. A shore can be rocky or made of sand.
Synonym: beach		stranger (strānj-ur) noun page 351
Photograph of a teenage girl standing by herself with other teenagers in the background
A stranger is someone you do not know. Everyone at the party was a stranger to her.
Base Word: strange
warning (wor-ning) noun page 350
Photograph of a railroad crossing sign
A warning lets you know that there is danger ahead. Traffic signs are warnings to drive carefully.
Base Word: warn		welcome (wel-kum) verb page 350
Photograph of people greeting people with hugs at the porch of a house
When you welcome someone, you greet that person kindly. We all welcome our relatives.		Practice the Words Make a Study Card for each Key Word. Compare your cards with a partner’s cards.

welcome

What it means: to greet kindly

Example: I greet my grandma when she visits.

Not an example: I ignore someone I don’t like.

Study Card