READING 2 OF 23 focus words
Context study 2
Read for meaning first. Select a highlighted word if you want a closer look.
The archive used spinster as a historical marital-status label. Sporadic applause interrupted the quiet speech. Each stanza ends with the same brief refrain.
The editor explained why spinster may sound disparaging in modern description. The village received only sporadic deliveries during the winter. The final stanza changes the poem's point of view.
Before you move on
Look away from the passage. Can you explain each focus word in your own words?
Original fictional passages for vocabulary practice.