Act+III+Vocabulary

Act III Pre-Reading Vocabulary

Part I: Using prior knowledge and context clues Below are the sentences in which the vocabulary words appear in the text. Read the sentence. Use any clues you can find in the sentence combined with your prior knowledge, and write what you think the bolded word means.

1. We must have a wall in the great chamber, for Pyramus and Thisby, says the story, did talk through the **chink** of a wall.

CHINK means:

2. When you have spoken our speech, enter into that **brake**.

BRAKE means:

3. This is a **knavery** of them, to make me afeared.

KNAVERY means:

4. Mine ear is much **enamored** of thy shape.

ENAMORED means:

5. And I will **purge** thy mortal grossness so That thou shalt like an airy spirit go.

PURGE means:

6. I promise you your **kindred** hath made my eyes water ere now.

KINDRED means:

7. Come, wait upon him; lead him to my **bower**.

BOWER means:

8. And when she weeps, weeps every little flower,
 * Lamenting** some enforced chastity.

LAMENTING means:

9. Near to her close and **consecrated** bower, While she was in her dull and sleeping hour, A crew of patches, rude mechanicals That work for bread upon Athenian stalls Were met together to rehearse a play Intended for great Theseus' nuptial day.

CONSECRATED means:

10. Oh, why **rebuke** you him that loves you so? Lay breath so bitter on your bitter foe.

REBUKE means:

Part 2: Determining the meaning. You have tried to figure out the meanings of the vocabulary words for Act III. Now, match the vocabulary words to their dictionary definitions. If there are words for which you cannot figure out the definition from the context clues and process of elimination, look them up in a dictionary.


 * 21. chink || A. a woman's private chamber (room) ||
 * 22. brake || B. unprincipled, crafty, or unsavory behaviour ||
 * 23. knavery || C. a thicket, a group of thick bushes ||
 * 24. enamored || D. sacred, blessed ||
 * 25. purge || E. regretting deeply; mourning; expressing sorrow ||
 * 26. kindred || F. to criticize or reprove sharply, reprimand. "Tell off" ||
 * 27. bower || G. a narrow opening, such as a crack or fissure ||
 * 28. lamenting || H. to remove (impurities) by cleaning or a similar method ||
 * 29. consecrated || I. inspired or captivated with love ||
 * 30. rebuke || J. relatives ||