Act+II+Vocabulary

Pre-reading vocabulary for Act II A: 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 to write what you think the bold words mean.

1. But she **perforce** withholds the loved boy; Crowns him with flowers, and makes him all her joy.

PERFORCE means:

2. Playing on pipes of corn, and versing love To **amorous** Phillida.

AMOROUS means:

3. For lack of tread, are **undistinguishable**.

UNDISTINGUISHABLE means:

4. Therefore the moon, the governess of floods, Pale in her anger, washes all the air, That **rheumatic** diseases do abound.

RHEUMATIC means:

5. And on old Hiems' thin and icy crown An odorous **chaplet** of sweet summer buds Is, as mockery, set.

CHAPLET means:

6. Since once I sat upon a **promontory** And heard a mermaid, on dolphin's back;

PROMONTORY means:

7. Uttering such **dulcet** and harmonious breath, That the rude sea grew civil at her song.

DULCET means:

8. Use me but as your spaniel, **spurn** me, strike me, Neglect me, lose me--only give me leave, Unworthy as I am, to follow you.

SPURN means:

9. ...and some keep back The **clamorous** owl that nightly hoots and wonders At our quaint spirits.

CLAMOROUS means:

10. But you must **flout** my insufficiency?

FLOUT means:

B. Determining the meaning. After you have tried to figure out the words from context, match the vocabulary words to their dictionary definitions. If you cannot figure a word out from context, look it up in a dictionary.


 * 11. perforce || a. a wreath or garland for the head ||
 * 12. amorous || b. to show contempt for ||
 * 13. undistinguishable || c. noisy ||
 * 14. rheumatic || d. a high ridge of land or rock, jutting out into a body of water ||
 * 15. chaplet || e. by necessity, by force of circumstance ||
 * 16. promontory || f. of, relating to, or suffering from aches in the muscles, joints, or bones ||
 * 17. dulcet || g. strongly attracted or disposed to love ||
 * 18. spurn || h. pleasing to the ear, melodious ||
 * 19. clamorous || i. having no unique markings, can't be clearly seen ||
 * 20. flout || j. to kick at or tread on disdainfully ||