Monday February 22, 2010

Reminder: vocabulary 9 is due today.
You will find a copy below, if you lost yours.





Please scroll beyond the vocabulary for today's information.
Vocabulary 9
1. acclamation (noun) – a shout of welcome; an overwhelming verbal vote of approval; ovation, cheering,
plaudits
2. bucolic (adj) – characteristic of the countryside, rural, relating to shepherds and cowherds, pastoral; rustic
3. calumniate (verb)- to slander; to accuse falsely and maliciously; defame, libel
4. chary (adj) – extremely cautious, hesitant or slow; reserved, diffident; wary, skittish
5. collusion (noun) – secret agreement or cooperation; conspiracy, plot, connivance, cahoots
6. dilettante (noun) – a dabbler in the arts; one who engages in an activity in an amateurish, trifling way;
superficial; amateur, trifle
7. imperturbable (adj)- not easily excited; emotionally steady; unflappable, unexcitable, serene, unruffled
8. increment (noun) – an enlargement, increase, addition; accretion, gain
9. mandate (noun)- an authoritative command, formal order, authorization; directive
(verb) – to issue such an order
10. paltry (adj) – trifling, insignificant; mean; despicable; inferior, trashy; measly, meager, piddling, trivial
11. paroxysm (noun) – a sudden outburst; a spasm, a convulsion; fit, seizure
12. pedantry (noun) – a pretentious display of knowledge; overly rigid attention to rules and details; nit-picking, hairsplitting, pettifoggery
13. peregrination (noun) – the act of traveling; an excursion, especially on foot or to a foreign country; journey, wandering, odyssey
14. redolent (adj) fragrant, smelling strongly; tending to arouse memories or create an aura; evocative,
reminiscent, aromatic
15. refulgent (adj) – shining, radiant, resplendent; luminous, splendid
16. unremitting (adj) – not stopping, maintained steadily, never letting up, relentless, constant, incessant
17. tyro (noun) – beginner, novice, one with little or no background or skill, neophyte
18. shibboleth (noun)- a word, expression or custom that distinguishes a particular group of persons from all others; a commonplace saying or truism
19. vacillate (verb)- to swing indecisively from one idea or course of action to another; to waver weakly in mind or will
20. vituperate (adj)- harshly abusive, severely scolding, abusive, scurrilous, insulting

Vocabulary 9, exercise 1 Use the correct form.

1. It is very rare for a presidential candidate to be nominated by _________________________ from the convention floor.
2. Since so many funds had been spent with so few results, they were _________________________ about appropriating more money.
3. After returning from my ________________________________ throughout South America, I began writing a book about my experiences.
4. The billionaire was so greedy that he contributed only a _______________________ sum of money to charity each year.
5. My grandmother’s kitchen was always _____________________________ with the smells of baking.
6. Someone who __________________________________ in a crisis should not be in a position of leadership.
7. Many people dismissed the poster artists of the 1960’s as mere _____________________________ with nothing serious to say about life or art.
8. The fussy music professor was distinguished more for her __________________________ that her true scholarship.
9. You cannot expect a mere ________________________ to perform like a veteran in his first season of major league play.
10. By the time Election Day finally rolls around, most voters are tired of hearing the same old slogans and ________________________________________.
11. The Elizabethans who wrote of shepherds in ideal country settings were imitating the Greek __________________________ poets.
12. The children greeted the clown with a ________________________ of laughter when he began making his funny faces.
13. The peacekeepers were sent into the war-torn country under a UN _____________________________ to protect minority populations.
14. The social laws in Edith Wharton’s novels are _______________________; they are interminable.
15. The swift-flowing stream beside our house was _______________________ in the morning light.
16. The _____________________________ speech in which she blamed others for her own mistakes may have cost her the election.
17. Employees were added to the work force in ____________________________ of five to save money on training costs.
18. The witness remained _______________________________ throughout the grueling cross-examination.
19. Years later, it was discovered that senior members of the company had been in _______________________ with the enemy.
20. Not only did the artist’s enemy seek to discredit her while she was alive but tried to ________________________ her memory as well.


Vocabulary 9, exercise 2

1. As we waited through the long night for the arrival of the rescue party, we _________________________
between hope and despair.
2. However long and hard the struggle, we must be ____________________________ in our efforts to wipe
out racism in this country.
3. She may have great musical talents, but she will get nowhere so long as she has the casual attitude of the
_____________________________________.
4. The painting shows a restfully _____________________________ scene, with some cows grazing placidly
in a meadow as their shepherd dozes under a bush.
5. I had expected a decent tip from the party of six that I waited on early that evening, but all I got was a(n) _______________________________ two bucks.
6. The scene may seem ordinary to you, but I find it _________________________ with memories of happy
summers spent in these woods.
7. Since Lincoln is now considered a great national hero, it is hard to believe that he was bitterly
_______________________________ when he was President.
8. The contractor was suspected of having acted in __________________________ with a state official to fix
the bids on certain public works contracts.
9. “The overwhelming victory I have won at the polls,” the governor-elect said, “has given me a clear
__________________________________ to carry out my program.”
10. As a(n) _____________________________ summer sun sank slowly in the west, the skies were ablaze
with color.
11. In a series of searing orations, filled with the most _____________________________ language, Cicero
launched the full battery of political invective against the hapless Mark Antony.
12. Every time I sign a new lease on my apartment, my rent goes up, though the
__________________________ are not usually large.
13. I thought I was unexcitable, but she is as _______________________________as the granite icons in
front of the public library.
14. Even the merest _______________________ in the use of firearms knows that a gun should never be
pointed at another person.
15. Since Lucy had expected no more than polite applause, she was delighted by the ________________________________ she received from the audience.
16. The Pledge of Allegiance is no mere _________________________ to be recited mechanically and
without understanding like some advertising jingle.
17. In my various _______________________________ through that vast metropolis, I ran across many
curious old buildings that the ordinary tourist never sees.
18.I have learned from long experience to be extremely _____________________________ about offering
advice when it has not been requested.
19. Seized by a(n) _______________________________ of rage, he began to beat the bars of his cell with his
bare hands.
20.It is sheer _____________________________ to insist upon applying the rules of formal literary
composition to everyday speech and writing.

Vocabulary 9, exercise 3
Synonyms

1. evocative of old memories _______________________________
2. in cahoots with the competition _______________________________
3. kept up the constant pressure to surrender _______________________________
4. greeted with an overwhelming ovation _______________________________
5. bored us with his hairsplitting _______________________________
6. overcome by a fit of anger _______________________________
7. reluctantly ended her journeys ______________________________
8. seesawed in their commitments ______________________________
9. keeps repeating the tired old catchphrases ______________________________
10. slandered his rivals at every opportunity _______________________________
11. labeled a mere trifler by the experts _______________________________
12. an urgent directive from the President _______________________________
13. a scurrilous response to the question ________________________________
14. wary of flattery and favor-seekers ________________________________
15. painted a charming rustic scene _______________________________

Antonyms
16. is excitable when challenged __________________________________
17. a colossal amount of unpaid debts _________________________________
18. reported a steady loss in annual sales _________________________________
19. looked up at the murky dawn sky __________________________________
20. an expert in the art of fencing __________________________________

Vocabulary 9, exercise 4
1. Not satisfied with the slow (increment / peregrination) of his savings in a bank account, he turned to speculation in the stock market.
2. Are we to try to make a realistic analysis of our alternatives or let ourselves be distracted by slogans and (tyros / shibboleths)?
3. Perhaps he would be less lyrical about the delights of the (bucolic / redolent) life if, like me, he had grown up on a farm in Kansas.
4. It has long been known that some twisted and unhappy people derive a kind of satisfaction from (calumniating / colluding) others.
5. Once the senator’s nomination became a certainty, all opposition to him evaporated, and he was named by (vituperation / acclamation).
6. During the course of my (peregrinations / paroxysms) through the world of books, I have picked up all kinds of useful information.
7. The phrase “We the people” in the Constitution indicates that the ultimate (mandate / vacillation) of our government comes from the popular will.
8. Since she comes from a rural area, she expresses herself in language that is (redolent / paltry) of the farm and of country life in general.
9. It is easy to criticize him, but how can we overlook the fact that for 20 years he has worked (unremittingly / charily) to help the homeless.
10. Although he has been in this business for 20 years, he still has the sublime innocence of the most helpless (tyro / shibboleth).
11. A (paroxysm / pedantry) of indignation flashed through the community, and the streets filled with angry people ready to protest the proposal.
12. Clad in the (refulgent / dilettante) armor of moral rectitude, he sallied forth to do battle with the forces of evil.
13. How do you have the nerve to offer such a(n) (paltry / unremitting) sum for this magnificent “antique” car?
14. Isn’t it sheer (pedantry / refulgence) on his part to use terms like Proustian and Kafkaesque, when he knows they mean nothing to his audience?
15. The same difficulties that serve as a challenge to the true professional will be a crushing discouragement to the typical (mandate / dilettante).
16. If we (vacillate / increment) now at adopting a tough energy policy, we may find ourselves in a desperate situation in the future.
17. I’m not sure if Tom’s (imperturbable / collusive) spirit is due to toughness or to an inability to understand the dangers of the situation.
18. I am perfectly willing to listen to a reasonable complaint, but I will not put up with that kind of (bucolic / vituperative) backbiting.
19. The gambler’s predictions of the game scores were so incredible accurate that we suspected some form of (acclimation / collusion).
20. Because my teacher is usually so (chary / imperturbable) of giving compliments, I fest especially good when she spoke well of my essay.

Over the next two weeks, we'll be reading William Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Please note the Reading Schedule for Hamlet by William Shakespeare

It is strongly recommended that you read the material aloud- at least so in your mind. You are to keep a running list of questions, thoughts and reflections, which will serve both as your homework and participation grade, for we’ll use these in class. Please post them on the blog each day. Each student should have ten entries, one for each day. They are worth ten points each; so, in theory, everyone should have a 100 for their participation and homework grades. If you are absent, and cannot post, there will be short written assignments as make-up.

Monday February 22- collect play from library; how an actor interprets the text; homework: read Act I, scenes i and ii; Hamlet vocabulary sheet- quiz Friday
Tuesday February 23: in class reading of the rest of Act I; make sure you post your comment / question / reflection / thought for both Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
Wednesday February 24-counsellors are coming in to talk with the class. Homework: read Act II, scenes i and ii.
Thursday February 25- in class finish Act II. Homework: Act III.i; vocabulary quiz tomorrow
Friday February 26- First Hamlet vocabulary quiz; in class Act III as far as we can get. Homework: finish Act III and read Act IV; Quiz Monday-read carefully!
Monday March 1- Quiz on Acts III and IV; review of Act IV; Homework: Act IV.i.
Tuesday March 2-in class, the rest of Act V
Wednesday March 3- review, focus on literary elements; significant lines; tangential material
Thursday March 4-film
Friday March 5-film
edule.

Hamlet, Shakespeare's most well-known and most frequently performed play, is a tragedy of revenge, betrayal, and inner conflict. The Danish prince Hamlet is outraged by the hasty marriage of his uncle, Claudius, to his mother after the death of his father. When he is told in a terrifying encounter with his father's ghost that Claudius had in fact poisoned the king, Hamlet agrees to avenge the murder. Throughout the play, however, he faces a struggle between his desire to act and the uncertainties, fears, and obstacles that prevent him from doing so. In the midst of his anguish and ambivalence, he feigns madness, spurns the woman he had loved, and leaves a trail of death and destruction before finally killing Claudius and dying himself.

Today we are exploring the role of the actor in interpreting the text.
Plan on being very creative!

Twenty-five point bonus: Which of the following film adaptations tells the story of Hamlet? (submit answer before class under hole punch, as usual)

1. Roxanne 2. West Side Story 3. Ten Things I Hate About You 4. Lion King

The following is a copy of the first Hamlet vocabulary list. Quiz this Friday.

Hamlet vocabulary list number 1 The assessment will involve simply defining the word. It is suggested that you create flash cards.
1 .to entreat - to beg; to ask
2 .to assail .- to attack
3. fortified- shielded; secured; protected
4. to illume - to brighten; to lighten
5. to usurp - to seize; to confiscate
6. to avouch - to certify; to confirm; to guarantee
7.to esteem- to honor; to respect; to prize; to treasure
8. to ratify- approved; confirmed; legalized
9. mettle- endurance; bravery
10. resolute- brave; fearless; relentless people
11. portentous- foreboding; threatening; sinister
12. privy - adj.- made participant in a secret
13. discretion - permission to make decisions with own judgment
14. auspicious- adj.- delightful; joyous; happy; lucky; favorable
15. dirge- funeral song; death march
16. dole - sadness (think doldrums from Coleridge)
17. visage - the face or facial expression of a person
18. denote - to indicate; to mark; to signal; to mean
19. countenance - n.- appearance; facial expression / v.- to condone
20. calumnious - adj.- slanderous; attacking one's character
22. precept-- rule; principle
23. perilous.- dangerous
24. to importune- to insistently beg
25. to traduce- to slander