Patrick Henry had a difficult task: To convince American lawmakers that the time for diplomacy was past and that an armed rebellion was the colonists' only realistic option. It's not too dramatic to say that the fate of the country depended on Patrick Henry's choice of words. Henry knew that he needed to stir his fellow legislators to action, so he selected words that cast the British in a harsh, uncompromising light. To appreciate Henry's speech, you'll need to know the meanings of the words in the following chart. Click each tab below the chart to learn and practice recalling the meaning of each word.
| solace | insidious |  |
| martial | supplication | |
| avert | spurned | |
| inviolate | adversary | |
| vigilant | inevitable |
Make a Guess
Pick and Choose
Flash Forward
First, see if you already know some of the words in this lesson's list. Read each word below and guess what it means. (Say the meaning to yourself or write it down.) Then, click the word to check your answer.
| solace | to comfort in misfortune or distress |
| insidious | working harmfully in a subtle or sly manner |
| martial | warlike; with weapons |
| supplication | humble pleas for something |
| avert | to keep from happening; prevent |
| spurned | rejected with contempt |
| inviolate | free from violation or corruption |
| adversary | opponent or enemy |
| vigilant | (adjective used as noun) those who are alert or watchful |
| inevitable | impossible to avoid or prevent |
How is each of these words used in the context of a story? Read each passage below. Then, select the word that belongs in the blank. Click the Lookup button if you're not sure what any word means.
Once back home, soldiers who had succeeded well in their ______ activities had difficulty adjusting to civilian life.
- martial
- avert
- spurned
- solace
warlike; with weapons
to keep from happening; prevent
rejected with contempt
to comfort in misfortune or distress
Nice Job!
This word means almost the same thing as "military."
While some colonists chose to ignore the obvious, the ________ kept their eyes on the growing British military presence.
- insidious
- inviolate
- vigilant
- inevitable
working harmfully in a subtle or sly manner
free from violation or corruption
those who are alert or watchful
impossible to avoid or prevent
Nice Job!
This word is usually an adjective; in Patrick Henry's speech, he uses it as a noun to mean "people who possess the quality of watchfulness."
If Marli doesn't win the debate, we can ________ ourselves with homemade pie.
- martial
- avert
- spurned
- solace
warlike; with weapons
to keep from happening; prevent
rejected with contempt
to comfort in misfortune or distress
Nice Job!
Usually a noun, this word is used as a verb in Patrick Henry's speech. He says that the colonists have used unrealistic hopes to do this in response to the British government's unfair treatment.
I don't trust your little brother's ________ smile: he is trying to trick us into opening that box.
- insidious
- inviolate
- vigilant
- inevitable
working harmfully in a subtle or sly manner
free from violation or corruption
those who are alert or watchful
impossible to avoid or prevent
Nice Job!
This word comes from a Latin verb meaning "to lie in wait for."
In an attempt to ________ major flooding, city workers quickly built a wall of sandbags against the rising water.
- martial
- avert
- spurned
- solace
warlike; with weapons
to keep from happening; prevent
rejected with contempt
to comfort in misfortune or distress
Nice Job!
You would want to do this to something unpleasant that was about to happen.
In 1775, some American lawmakers were still unwilling to identify the British as their ________.
- adversary
- martial
- supplication
- solace
opponent or enemy
warlike; with weapons
humble pleas for something
to comfort in misfortune or distress
Nice Job!
This is the opposite of an ally.
Heartbroken, Mark couldn't believe that Shawna had ________ him after only a week of dating.
- martial
- avert
- spurned
- solace
warlike; with weapons
to keep from happening; prevent
rejected with contempt
to comfort in misfortune or distress
Nice Job!
You would not do this if you hoped to let someone down gently.
To keep the testing environment ________, lab workers wore surgical gloves and masks.
- insidious
- inviolate
- vigilant
- inevitable
working harmfully in a subtle or sly manner
free from violation or corruption
those who are alert or watchful
impossible to avoid or prevent
Nice Job!
If you felt protective of something, you would try to keep it in this state or condition.
The colonists had tried diplomacy and pleading, but their ________ had fallen on deaf ears.
- adversary
- martial
- supplication
- solace
opponent or enemy
warlike; with weapons
humble pleas for something
to comfort in misfortune or distress
Nice Job!
This manner of asking requires the asker to swallow their pride.
Khalil's improvement in math class was the ________ result of all his extra studying.
- insidious
- inviolate
- vigilant
- inevitable
working harmfully in a subtle or sly manner
free from violation or corruption
those who are alert or watchful
impossible to avoid or prevent
Nice Job!
You would use this word to describe something that is bound to happen.
Summary
Questions answered correctly:
Questions answered incorrectly:
Think you have these words figured out? Try matching the description on each flashcard to one of the words in the box. Once you think you know the word that is described on each card, click the card to check your answer.
those who are watchful
vigilant
enemy
adversary
comfort
solace
pure, uncorrupted
inviolate
harmfully subtle
insidious
unavoidable
inevitable
warlike
martial
rejected
spurned
stop from happening
avert
humble pleas
supplication
Summary
Correct:
Incorrect:
| solace | insidious | martial | supplication | avert |
| spurned | inviolate | adversary | vigilant | inevitable |
