12SS_U1_beow7
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from Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel
Build Vocabulary
Spelling Strategy The final e is dropped when you are adding -ing to a word ending in e.
For example, the e in writhe is dropped when you are changing it to writhing.
Using the Root -solThe root -sol- comes from the Latin solari, meaning “to comfort.”
A. DIRECTIONS: Explain how the root -sol- influences the meaning of the underlined word in
each sentence.
1. Before Beowulf arrived, Hrothgar and his Danes were disconsolate over the deeds of Grendel.
2. He consoled his little daughter for the loss of her goldfish by promising to buy her a new one.
3. The Geats grieved inconsolably when the dragon killed their once mighty king, Beowulf.
4. Although she won the consolation tournament, Allison was disappointed in her performance.
Using the Word Bank
reparation
writhing
solace
massive
purge
loathsome
B. DIRECTIONS: For each underlined word, substitute a word or phrase with the same meaning.
Write it in the blank following the sentence.
1. Only a hero of Beowulf’s strength could hope to lift the massive sword in Grendel’s battle hall.
2. The third monster, most loathsome of all, had eight eyes on stalks and was covered with slime.
3. Most epic heroes strive to purge the world of wicked beings.
4. Snakes can move rapidly with their writhing form of locomotion.
5. The badly defeated warrior found solace in the affection of his family.
6. The captured bandits were ordered to give gold to their victims as reparation.
© Prentice-Hall, Inc.
from Beowulf
7
Unit 1: From Legend to
History (449–1485)
Name _____________________________________________________
12SS_U1_beow7
5/29/01
3:11 PM
Page 8
Name _____________________________________________________
Date ___________________
from Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel
Grammar and Style: Appositives and Appositive Phrases
Appositives are words that are placed next to nouns or pronouns to explain the nouns or
pronouns more fully. When an appositive is accompanied by modifiers, it is called an appositive
phrase. Look at these appositive phrases from Beowulf:
“Hrothgar, their lord, sat joyless / in Herot.”
“. . . he came riding down, / Hrothgar’s lieutenant, spurring his horse. . .”
In the first example, the appositive phrase immediately follows the noun Hrothgar and provides more information: Hrothgar was their lord. The appositive phrase in the second example
is separated from the pronoun to which it refers, but it also provides more information: he was
Hrothgar’s lieutenant. These phrases do not change the meaning of the noun or pronoun they
refer to; they merely add more information.
A. Practice: In these lines from Beowulf, underline each appositive phrase and circle the noun
or pronoun to which it refers.
1. He was spawned in that slime,
Conceived by a pair of those monsters born
of Cain, murderous creatures banished
By God, punished forever for the crime
Of Abel’s death.
2. . . . so Herot
Stood empty, and stayed deserted for years,
Twelve winters of grief for Hrothgar. . .
3. In his far-off home Beowulf, Higlac’s
Follower and the strongest of the Geats—
4. Soon, fourteen Geats arrived
At the hall, bold and warlike, and with Beowulf,
Their lord and leader, they walked on the meadhall . . .
5. Grendel’s mother
Is hidden in her terrible home, in a place
You’ve not seen.
B. Writing Application: Combine each pair of sentences by turning one into an appositive or
an appositive phrase. Set off the appositives with commas.
1. Fourteen men went with Beowulf. Beowulf was their fearless leader.
2. They sailed in a mighty vessel. Their ship was the master of the sea.
3. Hrothgar welcomed Beowulf and his men to Herot. Herot was the strongest hall ever built.
8 Selection Support
© Prentice-Hall, Inc.
12SS_U1_beow7
5/29/01
3:11 PM
Page 9
Date ___________________
from Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel
Reading Strategy: Paraphrasing
Long sentences and difficult language can make a piece of writing hard to follow. Don’t be
discouraged when you come across passages that give you trouble. Instead, use paraphrasing
to make sure that you’re getting the point of these passages. When you paraphrase, you identify the key ideas in a written passage and restate them in your own words. Look at this example from Beowulf:
Passage from Beowulf
“I’ve never known fear, as a youth I fought
In endless battles. I am old, now,
But I will fight again, seek fame still,
If the dragon hiding in his tower dares
To face me.”
Paraphrased
I have been fearless throughout life
and will continue to fight if
the dragon dares to face me.
DIRECTIONS: Use this graphic organizer to help you paraphrase difficult passages in Beowulf.
Each time you come across a difficult passage, write it in the column labeled “Passage from
Beowulf.” Then write any difficult words from that passage in the appropriate column. Define
each difficult word, either by using the words surrounding it to piece together its meaning or by
looking it up in the dictionary. Next, determine the key ideas in the passage, and jot these down
in the appropriate column. Finally, use the key ideas, along with your understanding of the difficult words, to paraphrase the passage. One passage has already been paraphrased for you.
Passage from Beowulf
Difficult Words
Key Ideas
Paraphrase
No one waited for
reparation from his
plundering claws:
That shadow of death
hunted in the darkness, . . .
reparation (making
up for wrong or
injury)
plundering (taking
by force, theft, or
fraud)
No one expected to
be repaid for what
Grendel took in his
claws.
Grendel was a
shadow hunting in
the darkness.
No one expected to
be repaid for what
Grendel took.
He hunted in the
darkness.
© Prentice-Hall, Inc.
from Beowulf
9
Unit 1: From Legend to
History (449–1485)
Name _____________________________________________________
12SS_U1_beow7
5/29/01
3:11 PM
Page 10
Name _____________________________________________________
Date ___________________
from Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel
Literary Analysis: The Epic
The epic Beowulf is a long narrative poem that recounts the exploits of the legendary warrior
Beowulf. Like other epic heros, Beowulf represents good and earns glory by struggling against
the forces of evil represented by several monstrous creatures. He represents the values of his
nation, culture, and religion. Beowulf is a typical epic poem in its serious tone and elevated
language, which portrays characters, action, and setting in terms larger and grander than life.
The use of kennings, two-word metaphorical names for familiar things, is also a particular
characteristic of Anglo-Saxon poetry.
DIRECTIONS: Read each passage from Beowulf. Then list the characteristics of epic poetry represented in it.
1. So mankind’s enemy continued his crimes, / Killing as often as he could, coming / Alone, bloodthirsty
and horrible. Though he lived / In Herot, when the night hid him, he never / Dared to touch king
Hrothgar’s glorious / Throne, protected by God—God, / Whose love Grendel could not know. . . .
2. “Hail Hrothgar! / Higlac is my cousin and my king; the days / Of my youth have been filled with glory.
Now Grendel’s / Name has echoed in our land: sailors / Have brought us stories of Herot, the best /
Of all mead-halls, deserted and useless when the moon / Hangs in skies the sun had lit, / Light and
life fleeing together. / My people have said, the wisest, most knowing / And best of them, that my
duty was to go to the Danes’ / Great king. They have seen my strength for themselves, / Have
watched me rise from the darkness of war. . . .”
3. “Grant me, then, / Lord and protector of this noble place, / A single request! I have come so far, /
O shelterer of warriors and your people’s loved friend, / That this one favor you should not refuse
me— / That I, alone and with the help of my men, / May purge all evil from this hall.”
10 Selection Support
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