English Reading Comprehension – “Words invented by Shakespeare”

Wazzup??

Remember when that was still cool?

Anyways, today’s reading comprehension will introduce you to 13 new words. They are words invented by Shakespeare. This article was originally on the HuffPost.

Although they were created a long time ago, these are very common words in the English language.

Gloomy
Definition – Somewhat dark: not bright or sunny
Origin – “To gloom” was a verb that existed before Shakespeare converted the word into an adjective in a number of his plays.
Example: “This weather makes me feel gloomy. I wish the sun would come out!”

Laughable
Definition: Bad in a way that seems foolish or silly
Origin: Derived from the verb “laugh.”
Example: “The fact he thought he would get a promotion is laughable; he is always late to work”

Majestic
Definition: Large and impressively beautiful
Origin: From “majesty,” which appeared in the 1300s, meaning “greatness.” “Majestical” was first used in the 1570s.
Example: “Wow, that statue is majestic, so big and bold”

Lonely
Definition: Sad from being apart from other people
Origin: “Alone” was first shortened to “lone” in the 1400s.
Example: “Laura is very lonely: she moved to Canada and doesn’t know anybody yet”

Radiance
Definition: A quality of brightness and happiness that can be seen on a person’s face
Origin: Derived from the Latin “radiantem,” meaning “beaming.”
Example: “Since Julie has been pregnant, her face has been radiant”

Hurry
Definition: Move or act with haste; rush
Origin: Likely derived from the verb “harry”
Example: “Hurry! We are going to be late!”

Generous
Definition: Freely giving or sharing money and other valuable things
Origin: From the Latin “generosus,” meaning “of noble birth.”
Example: “My dad is a very generous person, he always takes time to help others”

Frugal
Definition:Careful about spending money or using things when you do not need to
Origin: From the Latin “frugi,” meaning “useful, proper, worthy, honest.”
Example: “Tim has a very frugal lifestyle; he never spends money on things he doesn’t need”

Critical
Definition: Expressing criticism or disapproval
Origin: From the Latin “criticus,” which referred specifically to a literary critic.
Example: “My boss is very critical of the new employees”

Courtship
Definition: The activities that occur when people are developing a romantic relationship that could lead to marriage or the period of time when such activities occur
Origin: “Court” was first used to mean “woo” in the 1570s; prior, it was used to mean “king’s court, princely residence,” derived from the French “cort.”
Example: “My grandparents’ courtship happened during the second world war. They got married when my grandfather came back”

Zany
Definition: Amusingly unconventional and idiosyncratic
Origin: Derived from the Italian “zani,” which came from “Zanni,” a version of the name “Giovanni.”
Example: “My friend from Brazil is very zany. He’s eccentric but lovely”

Undress
Definition: To take your clothes off
Origin: “Dress” comes from the Old French “dresser,” meaning “prepare, arrange, straighten, put right.” Shakespeare was the first to add the prefix “un-.”
Example: “I hate undressing when it’s cold”

Rant
Definition: To talk loudly and in a way that shows anger: to complain in a way that is unreasonable
Origin: Derived from the Dutch “randten,” meaning “talk foolishly.”
Example: “My best friend called me to rant about her landlord, she really doesn’t like him”

To end this lesson, we will leave you with one of Shakespeare’s most famous quotes: