The Scarlet Letter – Vocabulary
An Overview of Phrase Types
Prepositional Phrases: A PREPOSITION is a word used to show the relationship
between a noun or pronoun to some other word(s) in the sentence (i.e., objects of
preposition)
Commonly used prepositions pass the mouse test, and can be inserted into
the phrase “the mouse ran ________ the desk.”
A PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE is a group of words beginning with a preposition, working
as a single part of speech, containing its modifiers and its direct objects, and not
containing a verb.
 Hester emerged from the prison with Pearl in her arms. Objects = nouns
Commonly used prepositional phrases
About
Above
Across
Against
Along
Around
At
Before
Behind
Below
Beneath
Beside
Between
Beyond
By
Down
For
From
In
Into
Off
On
Over
Past
Through
Throughout
To
Toward
Under
Underneath
Unto
Up
Upon
With
Within
Until
Of
Verbal Phrases: A verbal phrase is a phrase based on one of the three types of
verbals: gerunds, infinitives or participles.
A GERUND is a verb form that ends in ing and is used as a noun.
A GERUND PHRASE includes the gerund, its modifiers and its direct objects (like
prepositional phrases)
 Judging Hester was entertainment for the Puritanical townspeople.
 Hester was admired for sewing such wondrous garments.
Hester admired Pearl.
A PARTICIPLE is a verb form ending in ing or ed. A participle functions as a verb
because it can take an object, or as an adjective because it can modify a noun or
pronoun.
A PARTICIPLE PHRASE consists of a past or present participle and its modifiers; the
whole phrase functions as an adjective.


Roger Chillingworth, fueled by vengeance, stayed in
Boston near his secret wife.
Wanting to stay close to the baby’s father, Hester
remained in Boston.
Note: A dangling participle has no noun to modify.
Ex. Wanting to stay close to the baby’s father,
Hester’s shame was forever on display in Boston.
An INFINITIVE is a verb form that is usually introduced by to; the infinitive may be
used as a noun, as an adjective or as an adverb.
An INFINITIVE PHRASE is based on an infinitive and functions as a noun, an adjective
or an adverb.


To remove the A was unthinkable since its effects
burned through to Hester’s soul. (complex)
Hester was worried [that] her husband was trying to
kill her baby with a potion. (complex)
Note: It in ungrammatical to split an infinitive with an
adjective. Ex. To boldly go is incorrect. It should say to go
boldly.
Write a clean, concise sentence using the word correctly and with meaning while
also using a thoughtful example of the labeled phrase type.
Group One:
1. Malefactress/Malefactor
(prepositional/simple)
(noun)
One that has committed a crime; a criminal.
An evildoer.
Through his adultery, Dimmesdale is a malefactor.
2. Sepulcher (noun)
(gerund/compound)
A burial vault.
A receptacle for sacred relics, especially in an altar.
Avoiding confession of his sins made Dimmesdale
miserable, but he continued to make his heart a
sepulcher for his darkest secret.
Group Two:
3. Ignominy (noun)
Great personal dishonor or humiliation.
(participial/complex) Shameful or disgraceful action, conduct, or character.
Dimmesdale’s illness, believed by the people to be the
result of how hard he worked, was really the result of
his ignominy.
4. Sagacity (noun) acuteness of mental discernment and soundness of judgment.
(infinitive/compound-complex)
Dimmesdale lacked sagacity; the people thought it to
be a result of sickness, but really it was because he
had fallen from religion.
Group Three:
5. Singular (adj.)
(prep/compound-complex)
extraordinary; remarkable; exceptional
being the only one of its kind; distinctive
Roger Chillingworth became singular in his capacity for
evil, and his face changed into a mask of horror that
frightened Hester, Pearl and even Dimmesdale.
6. Repugnance (noun)
Repugnant (adj)
strong distaste, aversion, or objection; antipathy
(gerund/simple)
Questioning Roger Chillingworth’s physician status
caused the feeling of repugnance toward him.
Group Four:
7. Ponderous (adj.)
of great weight; heavy; massive; awkward or unwieldy;
dull and labored (participial/complex)
Reverend Dimmesdale, burdened by his guilt, could not
reveal his ponderous secret to Mr. Chillingworth even
though Mr. Chillingworth was there to “cure” him of his
“disease.”
8. Lurid (adj.)
glaringly vivid or sensational; shocking; lighted or shining
with an unnatural, fiery glow; wildly or garishly red
(infinitive/compound)
Pearl’s lurid actions seemed to puzzle the Puritan
society, and they labeled her as a “demon child.”
Group Five:
9. Tremulous (adj.)
(of persons, the body, etc.) characterized by trembling,
as from fear, nervousness, or weakness. (gerund/simple)
Dimmesdale was tremulous when kissing Pearl on the
forehead.
10. Genial (adj.)
warmly and pleasantly cheerful; cordial (part/complex)
Embracing her father, Pearl was genial because it had
never happened before.
Group Six:
11. Despondent (adj.)
feeling or showing profound hopelessness, dejection,
discouragement, or gloom (infinitive/complex)
Although Dimmesdale was trying to hide it, he had felt
despondent since his affair with Hester.
12. Vilified (verb/part.)
to speak ill of; defame; slander (prep/compound-complex)
As Hester walked through the town, the Puritans
vilified her, yet she showed no sign of weakness.