Spoon River Anthology — Page 8

Vocabulary

Denn

conjunction meaning 'because' or 'for'

die

definite article or relative pronoun, 'the' or 'who'

Protestanten

Protestants; members of Protestant Christian churches

kauften

past tense of kaufen; they bought something

dieses

demonstrative pronoun or article meaning 'this'

Grundstück

plot of land, property, or real estate parcel

Und

conjunction meaning 'and'; connects words or clauses

begruben

past tense of begraben; they buried someone

meinen

possessive pronoun 'my' in accusative case

Leib

body, especially the living or physical body

hier

adverb meaning 'here'; indicating this place

Nahe

preposition or adjective meaning 'near' or 'close to'

dem

definite article in dative case; 'the'

Grab

grave; a burial site for a deceased person

des

definite article in genitive case meaning 'of the'

Bankiers

genitive form of Bankier; banker's, of the banker

seiner

possessive pronoun meaning 'his' in genitive or dative

Frau

woman or wife; also a formal title Mrs.

Nehmt

imperative plural of nehmen; take note of this

es

personal pronoun meaning 'it'

zur

contraction of zu der; to the, for the

Kenntnis

knowledge or notice; zur Kenntnis nehmen means to note

ihr

pronoun meaning 'you' plural or possessive 'her'

klugen

adjective meaning clever or wise, inflected form

und

conjunction meaning 'and'

frommen

adjective meaning pious or devout, inflected form

Seelen

plural of Seele; souls or spiritual beings

Von

preposition meaning 'from' or 'of' or 'by'

den

definite article in dative plural or accusative singular

Kreuzströmungen

cross-currents; conflicting forces or influences in life

im

contraction of in dem; in the

Leben

life; the state of being alive

Die

definite article or demonstrative pronoun meaning 'the'

Toten

the dead; deceased persons as a group

Ehre

honor; a sense of dignity or respect

bringen

to bring; to carry something to a place or person

in

preposition meaning 'in' or 'into'

Schande

shame or disgrace; a dishonorable situation

lebten

past tense of leben; they lived, resided, or existed

Ihr

pronoun meaning 'you' plural; addressing a group

habt

second person plural of haben; you have

euch

reflexive or object pronoun; yourselves or you plural

nie

adverb meaning 'never'; at no point in time

gewundert

past participle of wundern; wondered or been surprised

Tölpel

fool or oaf; a clumsy or stupid person

von

preposition meaning 'from,' 'of,' or 'by'

Als

conjunction meaning 'when' or 'as' in past context

gegen

preposition meaning 'against' or 'toward'

Kneipen

plural of Kneipe; pubs or taverns

stimmte

past tense of stimmen; voted, agreed, or was correct

Um

preposition meaning 'around,' 'at,' or 'in order to'

sich

reflexive pronoun meaning 'himself,' 'herself,' or 'itself'

dafür

adverb meaning 'for it' or 'in return for that'

zu

preposition or infinitive marker meaning 'to'

rächen

to avenge or take revenge on someone

dass

conjunction meaning 'that'; introduces subordinate clause

man

indefinite pronoun meaning 'one' or 'people'

ihn

personal pronoun accusative meaning 'him'

abgewiesen

past participle of abweisen; rejected or turned away

hatte

past tense of haben; had, possessed something

Doch

conjunction or adverb meaning 'but,' 'yet,' or 'however'

keiner

pronoun meaning 'no one' or 'none'

war

past tense of sein; was, existed

scharf

adjective meaning sharp, keen, or perceptive

genug

adverb or adjective meaning 'enough' or 'sufficient'

Schritten

dative plural of Schritt; steps or paces

folgen

to follow; to go after or pursue someone or something

oder

conjunction meaning 'or'; presents an alternative

mich

accusative personal pronoun meaning 'me'

nach

preposition meaning 'to,' 'after,' or 'according to'

Hause

dative form of Haus; nach Hause means 'home'

verfolgen

to pursue, follow, or persecute someone

geistigen

adjective meaning intellectual, spiritual, or mental

Bruder

brother; a male sibling or close associate

Erinnert

imperative of erinnern; remember or recall something

als

conjunction meaning 'when,' 'as,' or 'than'

ich

personal pronoun meaning 'I'

kämpfte

past tense of kämpfen; fought or struggled

Gegen

preposition meaning 'against' or 'opposed to'

Bank

bank; financial institution or a bench

Gerichtsring

court ring; legal or judicial establishment network

Wegen

preposition meaning 'because of' or 'due to'

der

definite article in nominative or genitive; 'the' or 'of the'

Einbehaltung

withholding or retention of funds or payments

Zinsen

plural of Zins; interest on a loan or deposit

öffentlicher

adjective meaning public, relating to the community

Gelder

plural of Geld; funds or monies

unsere

possessive pronoun meaning 'our'

führenden

adjective meaning leading or prominent, inflected form

Bürger

citizen or townsperson; member of a community

bekämpfte

past tense of bekämpfen; fought against or combated

Weil

conjunction meaning 'because'; introduces a reason clause

sie

pronoun meaning 'she,' 'they,' or formal 'you'

Armen

the poor; people lacking financial resources

Lasttieren

dative plural of Lasttier; pack animals or beasts of burden

Steuern

plural of Steuer; taxes levied by the government

machten

past tense of machen; they made or caused something

das

definite article or pronoun meaning 'the' or 'that'

Wasserwerk

waterworks; a facility supplying water to a community

Aneignung

appropriation or acquisition of something for oneself

Straßen

plural of Straße; streets or roads in a city

Erhöhung

increase or raise; an elevation of rates or levels

Tarife

plural of Tarif; tariffs, rates, or fees charged

Geschäftsleute

plural of Geschäftsmann; businesspeople or merchants

diesen

demonstrative pronoun in dative or accusative; these or those

Kämpfen

dative plural of Kampf; fights, struggles, or battles

bekämpften

past tense plural of bekämpfen; fought against something

dann

adverb meaning 'then'; indicating sequence or consequence

Dass

conjunction meaning 'that'; introduces a subordinate clause

taumelnd

present participle of taumeln; staggering or reeling

aus

preposition meaning 'out of,' 'from,' or 'of'

Wrack

wreck; ruins of a destroyed ship, vehicle, or career

Niederlage

defeat or failure; loss in a contest or endeavor

aufstieg

past tense of aufsteigen; rose up or ascended

einer

indefinite article in genitive or dative; 'a' or 'one'

zerstörten

adjective past participle of zerstören; destroyed or ruined

Laufbahn

career or professional path in life

Ich

first person singular pronoun meaning 'I'

meinem

possessive pronoun in dative case meaning 'my'

Mantel

coat or cloak; an outer garment worn for warmth

mein

possessive pronoun meaning 'my'

letztes

adjective meaning last or final, nominative neuter form

Ideal

ideal; a principle or value held as a standard

entschlüpfen

to slip away or escape; to elude one's grasp

ließ

past tense of lassen; let, allowed, or caused something

Bis

preposition or conjunction meaning 'until' or 'up to'

dahin

adverb meaning 'up to that point' or 'until then'

vor

preposition meaning 'before,' 'in front of,' or 'ago'

allen

dative plural of all; before all, in front of everyone

Augen

plural of Auge; eyes, the organs of sight

verborgen

past participle of verbergen; hidden or concealed

Wie

adverb or conjunction meaning 'how' or 'like'

gehütete

adjective from hüten; guarded or carefully kept

Kieferknochen

jawbone; the bony structure forming the jaw

eines

indefinite article in genitive case; 'of a'

Esels

genitive of Esel; of a donkey or jackass

schlug

past tense of schlagen; struck, hit, or beat

mit

preposition meaning 'with' or 'by means of'

Alkoholverbot

prohibition of alcohol; ban on alcoholic beverages

Kosten

plural of Kosten; costs, expenses, or charges

tragen

to carry, bear, or wear something

Der

definite article meaning 'the' in nominative masculine

Kämpfe

plural of Kampf; fights, struggles, or battles

verloren

past participle of verlieren; lost or defeated