Vocabulary Act 1
1. Valiant: adj. boldly courageous
 The boy’s efforts to save the cat from the tree, despite
his fear of heights, were valiant.
 Rosa Parks’ decision to stay seated on the bus was a
valiant one.
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2. Fray: noun. a fight or battle
 The fray between the Montague and Capulet families
has been going on for so long that no one can remember
why it began.
 The fray in the streets led to the deaths of two young
men.
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3. Forfeit: verb. to lose as a result of a crime or fault
 If you do not follow the law, you forfeit your right to
live free and not behind the bars of a prison.
 Because the freshman was gone for over ten minutes,
he was forced to forfeit his use of the hall pass for the
rest of the semester.
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4. Adversary: noun. opponent, enemy, foe
 Even though we represent the same town and school
district, the WWS Tigers are our adversary. Go Falcons!
 Technically, Romeo should be Juliet’s adversary, since
their families hold an ancient grudge.
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5. Transgression: noun. the act of violating a law; a sin
 Talking while your English teacher is giving directions
is a major transgression and could result in your
elimination.
 A fray in the streets of Verona is considered a
transgression in the eyes of the Prince.
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6. Languish: verb. to pine or long for something that is being
denied
 I languish for a cool glass of lemonade on this hot
summer day.
 Romeo languishes for Juliet- the only daughter of his
sworn enemy.
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7. Disposition: noun. natural mental and emotional outlook
or mood
 My disposition changes with the weather; I am happy
when it is sunny and sad when it is gloomy.
 Babies have a naturally good disposition—they do not
yet understand the evils of the world.
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8. Oppression: noun. the act of exercising power in a cruel,
unjust manner; the feeling of being heavily burdened by
troubles, anxiety, etc.
 The oppression of the Jews by the Nazi’s was some of
the worst genocide our world has ever witnessed.
 Some high school students think rules in school are an
act of oppression instilled upon them by their teachers
and deans; however, it is the job of the school to keep
kids safe.
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9. Boisterous: adj. rough and noisy; noisily jolly or rowdy
 Our boisterous English class sometimes has a hard time
settling down.
 Sometimes it is difficult to hear the speakers at a pep
assembly because the crowd is so boisterous.
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10. Endure: verb. to tolerate, to continue to exist
 I cannot endure the Barney song; it sounds like nails on
a chalk board to me.
 The city of Verona endured for many years despite the
constant battles in the street between the Capulet and
Montague families.
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Vocabulary Act 2
11. Perjury: noun. the telling of a lie while under oath
 The man committed perjury when he lied on the stand.
 He swore his love to her, but in fact, he committed
perjury because he swore his faithful love to three
other girls.
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Vocabulary Act 3
12. Banishment: noun. exile, separation from one’s home or
country by force
 The punishment for fighting in school is expulsion, or
banishment, from Wheaton North.
 Fighting in the streets results in banishment from
Verona.
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13. Reconcile: verb. to become friendly again, to settle
 Despite their fight over the last cookie, Tony and Rick
were able to reconcile and become friends again.
 It is time for us to reconcile our differences in opinion;
we do have to work together.
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14. Calamity: noun. a great misfortune or disaster
 The hurricane that destroyed so much of New Orleans
was truly a calamity.
 The calamity of a great car crash slows down
passersby’s who wonder if everyone is okay.
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Vocabulary Act 4
15. Shroud: noun. a cloth or sheet in which a corpse is
wrapped for burial
 Before her daughter was laid to rest, the family shroud
was laid over her tomb.
 The shroud wrapped around the ancient mummy had
disintegrated into almost nothing.
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16. Valor: noun. boldness or greatness in the face of danger
 Jake showed great valor when he fought off the
dragon with his bare hands.
 Lassie was a dog who exhibited valor in the face of
danger.
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17. Fester: verb. to develop pus; to build up
 The decaying potato festered with oozing matter.
 The deep rooted problem between the ex-best friends
festered until there was an eruption in the hallway.
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18. Distill: verb. to purify or refine
 Before using water from the lake, please distill it by
boiling it first.
 Because of a local oil spill, it is important that you
distill any water from the faucet.
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19. Martyr: noun. a person who is put to death or endures
great suffering on behalf of any belief or cause
 My sister constantly complains and acts like a martyr
because she is forced to watch me every day over
summer break.
 Mother Teresa was a martyr for her work with the sick
and dying.
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Vocabulary Act 5
20. Apothecary: noun. a person who prepares or sells
medicinal drugs
 An old-fashioned pharmacist was called an
apothecary.
 Please see the apothecary for your H1N1 vaccination.
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21. Ambiguity: noun. vagueness, doubtfulness or uncertainty
of meaning or intention
 The ambiguity of your response leads me to believe
that you did not read this novel.
 My mother’s ambiguity about what we are doing to
celebrate my 16th birthday suggests that there may be
a surprise birthday party around the corner.
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22. Conspire: verb. to plot or plan something
 Let’s conspire against our English teacher; if everyone
talks so loud that we can’t hear her, she won’t be able to
tell us the homework!
 Michael and Sam conspired to attack their dad with
water balloons when he arrived home from work—too
bad dad had a squirt gun waiting.
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23. Peruse: verb. to read, to survey or examine in detail
 Please peruse the catalog and decide which socks you
would like me to order for your birthday.
 Before I sat down in the cafeteria on the first day of
school, I perused the tables to find the face of someone I
knew.
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