Vocabulary from A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift 1729

1. melancholy

2. importuning

3. sustenance

4. prodigious

5. deplorable

6. raiment

7. apprehend

8. rudiments

9. proficiency

10. commodity

11. nutriments

12. collateral

13. shillings

14. repine

15. scrupulous

16. expedient

17. mandarin

18. gibbet

19. dainty

20. pine

21. digressed

22. Papists

23. liable

24. vintners

25. procure

26. contrive

27. emulation

28. parsimony

Melancholy characterized by or causing or expressing sadnessimportuning begging; pressing; annoying with troublesome persistencesustenance a source of materials to nourish the bodyprodigious far beyond what is usual in magnitude or degreedeplorable of very poor quality or conditionraiment provide with clothes or put clothes onapprehend get the meaning of somethingrudiments fundamentals, basicsproficiency knowledge and skillcommodity anything that is bought or soldnutriments A source of nourishment; foodcollateral accompaniment to something elseshilling an English coin worth one twentieth of a poundrepine fret; complainscrupulous characterized by extreme care and great effortexpedient practical; appropriate for a purposemandarin the dialect of Chinese spoken in Beijing and adopted as the official language for all of China

gibbetinstrument of execution consisting of a wooden frame from which condemned persons are executed by hanging

dainty something considered choice to eatpine have a desire for something or someone who is not presentdigressed to stray from the subjectPapist a Roman Catholic who is a strong advocate of the papacyliable held legally responsiblevintners a person who makes wine or sells winesprocure to obtain through special effort; to bring aboutcontrive come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effortemulation imitation; ambition to equal or exceedparsimony extreme stinginess

Vocabulary Quiz A Modest Proposal Name___________________________Write the number of the word by its definition.

1. apprehend ____characterized by or causing or expressing sadness

2. collateral ____begging; pressing; annoying with troublesome persistance

3. commodity ____a source of materials to nourish the body

4. contrive ____far beyond what is usual in magnitude or degree

5. dainty ____of very poor quality or condition

6. deplorable ____provide with clothes or put clothes on

7. digressed ____get the meaning of something

8. emulation ____fundamentals, basics

9. expedient ____knowledge and skill

10. gibbet ____anything that is bought or sold

11. importuning ____A source of nourishment; food

12. liable ____accompaniment to something else

13. mandarin ____an English coin worth one twentieth of a pound

14. melancholy ____fret; complain

15. nutriments ____characterized by extreme care and great effort

16. Papist ____practical; appropriate for a purpose

17. parsimony ____the dialect of Chinese spoken in Beijing and adopted as the official language for all of China

18. pine____instrument of execution consisting of a wooden frame from which condemned persons are executed by hanging

19. procure ____something considered choice to eat

20. prodigious ____have a desire for something or someone who is not present

21. proficiency ____to stray from the subject

22. raiment ____a Roman Catholic who is a strong advocate of the papacy

23. repine ____held legally responsible

24. rudiments ____a person who makes wine or sells wines

25. scrupulous ____to obtain through special effort; to bring about

26. shilling ____come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or priciple) after a mental effort

27. sustenance ____imitation; ambition to equal or exceeed

28. vintners ____extreme stinginess