Agenda – Thurs. 9/22
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Character worksheets:
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Preview vocabulary words
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Find a partner and compare your responses noting page
numbers and filling in any details you may have missed
Write up flashcards as we go along
Finish reading Act III
Act III recap
HW: (1) Act III Quiz – Friday
(2) Bring vocab books to class tomorrow
 I’ll also be checking flashcards
Vocabulary Level F
Unit 2
ameliorate
A hot meal can ameliorate the discomforts of
even the coldest day.
To improve, make better,
correct a flaw or
shortcoming
Verb
S: amend, better
A: worsen, aggravate,
exacerbate
aplomb
Considering the family’s tense mood, you
handled the situation with aplomb.
Poise, assurance, great selfconfidence; perpendicularity
Noun
S: composure, selfpossession, levelheadedness
A: confusion, embarrassment,
abashment
bombastic
He delivered a bombastic speech that did not even
address our problems.
Pompous or overblown in
language; full of high-sounding
words intended to conceal a
lack of ideas
Adjective
S: inflated, highfalutin, highflown, pretentious
A: unadorned, simple, plain,
austere
callow
They entered the army as callow recruits and left as
seasoned veterans.
Without experience; immature, not
fully developed; lacking
sophistication and poise; without
feathers
Adjective
S: green, raw, unfledged,
inexperienced
A: mature, grown-up, polished,
sophisticated
drivel
To me, my dream made perfect sense, but when I told it to
my friend it sounded like drivel.
(N.) saliva or mucus flowing from
the mouth or nose; foolish,
aimless talk or thinking; nonsense
(V.) to let saliva flow from the
mouth; to utter nonsense; to
waste away foolishly
Noun and Verb
S: (N.) balderdash, hogwash,
tommyrot; (V.) slaver
epitome
Admitting when you have been fairly defeated is
the epitome of sportsmanship.
A summary, condensed
account; an instance that
represents a larger reality
Noun
S: abstract, digest, model,
archetype
exhort
With dramatic gestures, our fans vigorously exhorted the
team to play harder.
To urge strongly, advise
earnestly
Verb
S: entreat, implore, adjure
A: discourage, advise
against, depreciate
ex officio
The President is the ex officio commander-inchief of the armed forces in time of war.
By virtue of holding a certain
office
Adjective and Adverb
infringe
If you continue to infringe on my responsibilities,
will you also take the blame for any mistakes?
To violate, trespass, go
beyond recognized
boundaries
Verb
S: encroach, impinge,
intrude, poach
A: stay in bounds
ingratiate
It is not a good idea to ingratiate oneself by paying
cloying compliments.
To make oneself agreeable and
thus gain favor or acceptance by
others (sometimes used in a
critical or derogatory sense)
Verb
S: cozy up to, curry favor with
A: alienate, humiliate oneself,
mortify oneself
interloper
The crowd was so eager to see the band perform
that they resented the opening singer as an
interloper.
One who moves in where
he or she is not wanted or
has no right to be, an
intruder
Noun
S: trespasser, meddler,
buttinsky
intrinsic
It had been my father’s favorite book when he was
my age, but for me it held little intrinsic interest.
Belonging to someone or
something by its very nature,
essential, inherent; originating in
a bodily part or organ
Adjective
S: immanent, organic
A: extrinsic, external, outward
inveigh
You should not inveigh against the plan with quite
so much vigor until you have read it.
To make a violent attack in
words, express strong
disapproval
Verb
S: rail, harangue, fulminate,
remonstrate
A: acclaim, glorify, extol
lassitude
On some days I am overcome by lassitude at the
thought of so many more years of schooling.
Weariness of body or
mind, lack of energy
Noun
S: fatigue, lethargy,
torpor, languor
A: energy, vitality,
animation, liveliness
millennium
In 1999 an argument raged over whether 2000 or
2001 would mark the beginning of the new
millennium.
A period of one thousand years;
a period of great joy
Noun
S: chiliad, golden age,
prosperity, peace
A: doomsday, day of judgment
occult
Much of his talk about the occult seems grounded in
nothing but trick photography and folklore.
(Adj.) mysterious, magical,
supernatural; secret, hidden from
view; not detectable by ordinary
means; (V.) to hide, conceal,
eclipse; (N.) matters involving
the supernatural
Adjective, Verb, and Noun
S: (Adj.) supernatural, esoteric,
abstruse, arcane
A: (Adj.) mundane, common,
public, exoteric
permeate
The rain permeated all of my clothing and reduced the
map in my pocket to a pulpy mass.
To spread through,
penetrate, soak through
Verb
precipitate
Scholars often disagree over which event or events
precipitate an historic moment.
(V.) to fall as moisture; to cause or
bring about suddenly; to hurl down
from a great height; to give distinct
form to; (Adj.) characterized by
excessive haste; (N.) moisture; the
product of an action or process
Verb, Adjective, and Noun
S: (V.) provoke, produce; (Adj.)
reckless, impetuous
A: (Adj.) wary, cautious,
circumspect
stringent
Some argue that more stringent laws against
speeding will make our streets safer.
Strict, severe; rigorously or
urgently binding or compelling;
sharp or bitter to the taste
Adjective
S: Stern, rigorous, tough,
urgent, imperative
A: Lenient, mild, lax, permissive
surmise
I cannot be sure, but I surmise that she would not
accept my apology even if I made it on my knees.
(V.) to think or believe without
certain supporting evidence; to
conjecture or guess; (N.) likely
idea that lacks definite proof
Verb and Noun
S: (V.) infer, gather; (N.)
inference, presumption
Act III Recap
The Crucible Dramatic Structure:
Act I: Beginning / Exposition
Act II: Rising Action
Act III: Climax
Act IV: Denouement / Resolution
• With a partner, share a couple words that you
would use to describe/characterize:
Act I
Act II
Act III