Romeo & Juliet Act I Vocabulary

Pernicious-( Adj. ) Causing great injury or ruin. The pernicious acts of the shooters at Virginia Tech affected many lives.

Augmenting-( V. ) Increasing, enlarging With every credit card purchase, Amy is augmenting her debt.

Grievance-( N. ) Complaint; injustice The man filed a grievance against his boss after he was denied a lunch break.

Transgression-( N. ) Wrong-doing, sin Stealing money from the poor is considered a transgression by most people.

Chaste-( Adj. ) Virtuous, pure, celibate All women who become nuns make a promise to remain chaste forever.

Act I Vocabulary Review 1. Romeo was in love with Rosaline, a girl who planned on living a ____________ life forever. 2. After working two jobs all summer, I began to see the money in my savings account ________________. 3. The Montagues and the Capulets hated each other so much, that often ___________ fights broke out in the streets of Verona. 4. I wanted to file a ______________ after I worked a week in an office with no heat. 5. In many religions, stealing is considered a ________________.

Act II Vocabulary

Procure ( V. ): To get; obtain Vince tried to procure the concert tickets by sleeping on the sidewalk in front of the ticket window.

Intercession (N.): Act of pleading on another’s behalf Even though she was grounded, I made an intercession to Amy’s parents so that she could go to the game with me.                                        

Sallow ( Adj. ): A sickly, pale yellowish color Bobby looked sallow after the operation.

Lamentable (Adj.): Distressing; sad The rate of crime occurring daily in Hazleton is lamentable.

Unwieldy ( Adj.): Awkward, clumsy Although she practiced hard, Sue was an unwieldy ballet dancer.

Vexed ( V.): Annoyed; irrated The teacher was vexed by the student’s disruptive behavior.

Act II Vocabulary Review The ______________ girl slipped and fell off of the diving board. The student looked so _____________ that the nurse feared he had the flu and sent him home. The students tried to ______________ a good grade on their Act II quizzes by studying hard over the weekend. I made an ______________ to our coach to try to convince him not to kick Sally off of the team. The woman was ____________ when her young child threw a tantrum in the middle of the store. It was _____________ when Todd’s house burned down.

Gallant ( Adj.): Brave and noble The gallant knight rescued the princess from the dragon.

Fray ( N. ): Noisy fight Police were called in when a fray began in the cafeteria.

Eloquence ( N. ): Speech or writing that is graceful and persuasive The memoir was written with such eloquence that it brought many readers to tears.

Fickle ( Adj. ): Changeable; inconstant The fickle girl always has a different best friend every week.

Vile ( Adj. ): Morally despicable or physically repulsive The vile man was responsible for seven murders. Most witches are portrayed as vile women with big warts on their noses.

Beguiled ( V. ): Deceive Chris Angel beguiled the audience when he seemingly made an elephant disappear.

Absolved ( V. ): To be set free from an obligation or guilt; to be forgiven At confession, the priest absolved the young girl of all of her sins.

Act III Vocabulary Review The _____________ girl put on five different shirts before she could decide what to wear. Juliet lies to the nurse and says that she is going to Friar Lawrence to confess and be ________________. Juliet ___________ her parents by getting married behind their backs. People in Shakespeare’s time spoke with ____________________. A ____________ broke out in the lobby after school. Most murderers are ___________ human beings. Many knights were considered to be very _____________ by the princesses they saved.

Act IV Vocabulary

Pensive ( Adj. ): Deeply thoughtful Mary was extremely pensive about which college she should choose.

Enjoined ( V. ): To direct or order to do something Reality show contestants are often enjoined not to discuss the results until the show is aired on television.

Wayward ( Adj. ): Headstrong The wayward girl refused to follow her parents’ rules.

Dismal ( Adj. ): Causing gloom or misery The dismal weather on Sarah’s wedding day made her feel extremely nervous.

Loathsome ( Adj. ): Disgusting; detestable The loathsome living room was littered with dirty plates, sweaty clothes, and two very full litter boxes.

Act IV Vocabulary Review The ___________ boy was always being given detentions by his teachers. The doctor _________ Karen to rest for two weeks before playing softball again. Most new homeowners are extremely _________ before purchasing a new home. The ________ weather forecast caused the coach to cancel practice. The ___________ locker room was infested with roaches and other unidentifiable bugs.

Act V Vocabulary

Remnants ( N. ): What remains; leftover Although Sue had just baked a dozen cookies, there were only remnants remaining at the bottom of the container the next day.

Penury ( N. ): Extreme poverty Many victims of hurricane Katrina still live in penury.

Haughty ( Adj.): Arrogant The haughty girl told everyone that she was the new homecoming queen before the results were even announced.

Ambiguities ( N. ): Statements or events whose meanings are unclear The ambiguities in the teacher’s directions caused many students to do the project incorrectly.

Scourge ( N. ): Instruments used for inflicting punishments Canceling their daughter’s cell phone plan was the scourge Kristin’s parents used after she had failed four classes.