Latin and French phrases used in English
Grade 11 Reading Worksheet
Circle the best answer.
Raison d'être. Sentence: For the museum's founder, preserving the town's old letters was the raison d'être of the whole collection. Kira reads a phrase for its language clues. Which note names the language, a real clue and the meaning?
- French: the apostrophe in d'être and the circumflex on ê are French spellings; it means the main reason behind a decision.
- Latin: the apostrophe in d'être and the circumflex on ê are Latin spellings; it means a reason for existing.
- French: the final -n in raison marks French words; it means a reason for existing.
- French: the apostrophe in d'être and the circumflex on ê are French spellings; it means a reason for existing.
Read this first
Phrase
Prima facie. Sentence: The lawyer argued that the unsigned receipt was prima facie proof of payment, enough to win unless the store could show otherwise.
Luz reads a phrase for its language clues. Which note names the language, a real clue and the meaning?
- Latin: the -a and -ie endings, with no accent marks, point to Latin; it means at first sight, enough unless disproved.
- Latin: the -a and -ie endings, with no accent marks, point to Latin; it means the first of several proofs offered.
- French: the -a and -ie endings, with no accent marks, point to French; it means at first sight, enough unless disproved.
- Latin: the accent over the e in facie marks Latin; it means at first sight, enough unless disproved.
Magnum opus. Sentence: The composer's magnum opus, an oratorio written over twelve years, premiered at the cathedral. Milo reads a phrase for its language clues. Which note names the language, a real clue and the meaning?
- Latin: the -um ending and the plain spelling of opus point to Latin; it means a great work, an artist's most important creation.
- Latin: the cedilla under the c marks Latin; it means a great work, an artist's most important creation.
- Latin: the -um ending and the plain spelling of opus point to Latin; it means the first work an artist publishes.
- French: the -um ending and the plain spelling of opus point to French; it means a great work, an artist's most important creation.
Phrase
Ad infinitum. Sentence: The two committees could pass the question back and forth ad infinitum, since neither had the power to decide it.
Noah reads a phrase for its language clues. Which note names the language, a real clue and the meaning?
- Latin: the preposition ad and the -um ending point to Latin; it means repeatedly, until people are sick of it.
- Latin: the hyphen between the two words marks Latin; it means endlessly, without limit.
- French: the preposition ad and the -um ending point to French; it means endlessly, without limit.
- Latin: the preposition ad and the -um ending point to Latin; it means endlessly, without limit.
Council report
Under the 1998 charter, the school board is the ___ authority over the district (blank A). In practice, the superintendent makes nearly every decision, so the superintendent is the ___ authority (blank B).
Pia fills two blanks with close phrases. Which pair fits?
- A: de facto; B: de jure
- A: de jure; B: de facto
- A and B: de facto
- A: de jure; B: ex officio
Club history
The rowing team's ___ grew each season (blank A): members covered for one another and wore the club colors on days off. The coxswain's ___ showed in the laughter at the cold dock at dawn (blank B).
Ren fills two blanks with close phrases. Which pair fits?
- A and B: esprit de corps
- A: esprit de corps; B: joie de vivre
- A: joie de vivre; B: esprit de corps
- A: esprit de corps; B: savoir-faire
Board minutes
By the time the board met, the contractor had already poured the foundation, so the decision was a ___ (blank A). The vote on the minutes was ___, a formality nobody wanted to debate (blank B).
Tala fills two blanks with close phrases. Which pair fits?
- A: fait accompli; B: pro forma
- A: pro forma; B: fait accompli
- A: fait accompli; B: ad hoc
- A and B: fait accompli
Phrase
Alter ego. Origin: Latin alter, "other"; ego, "I". Sentence: The shy accountant wrote bold detective novels, and her publisher joked that the detective was her alter ego.
Bo reads a phrase's origin and its use today. Which note gives both?
- Origin: other self; today: a second self or persona that shows a different side of a person.
- Origin: other self; today: a rival who competes with a person.
- Origin: other self; today: another person who happens to look the same.
- Origin: higher self; today: a second self or persona that shows a different side of a person.
Phrase
Tabula rasa. Origin: Latin tabula, "tablet"; rasa, "scraped smooth". Sentence: The new coach insisted on a tabula rasa: no old plays, no old rankings and no old grudges.
Esme reads a phrase's origin and its use today. Which note gives both?
- Origin: a scraped tablet; today: a writing surface made of wax.
- Origin: a scraped tablet; today: a clean slate with nothing written on it yet.
- Origin: a scraped tablet; today: a punishment for past mistakes.
- Origin: a table set for guests; today: a clean slate with nothing written on it yet.
Phrase
Je ne sais quoi. Origin: French, "I do not know what". Sentence: The little theater had a je ne sais quoi that the big downtown halls lacked.
Jun reads a phrase's origin and its use today. Which note gives both?
- Origin: I know the reason; today: an appealing quality that is hard to put into words.
- Origin: I do not know what; today: an appealing quality that is hard to put into words.
- Origin: I do not know what; today: a confusing situation with no clear answer.
- Origin: I do not know what; today: a statement that one does not know the answer.