The document describes an upcoming test on Friday, November 15th. It then provides definitions and examples for several terms including: deus ex machina, dramatis personae, emeritus, enfant terrible, en masse, ennui, elan, and ersatz. The summary discusses a dysfunctional family's tradition of performing a Thanksgiving play where various family members take on roles and act out "The First Thanksgiving", often in embarrassing or inappropriate ways, until the grandfather intervenes to end the play.

1. Test on Friday, November 15!

2. 
A god introduced into a play to resolve
the entanglements of the plot
Literally means “God out of a machine” and it harkens
back ancient Greek and Roman plays.
When the plot would become too tangled or confusing, the
writers would simply bring in God, lowered in via a pulley
system (the machine) and he would wrap it all up.

3. HOW TO SAY

double meaning; usually sexual
CLICK

4. People in the drama
(characters in a play)


5. CLICK ME FOR PRONUNCIATION

Energy, style, and enthusiasm.
The band played a rousing march!
They played with great élan!

6. 
Retired with an honorary title from
an office or position especially in a
university.
Male
Female
They are often asked to speak at
graduation ceremonies.

7. 
“terrible child”
(on-font ter-reeb-bla)
A child who causes
embarrassment.
 A person known
for shocking
remarks or
outrageous
behavior .

8. 
All together (as a group)
The people rushed to the gate en masse.

9. (On-we)

Boredom, a lack of spirit

10. 
“Enchanted” nice to meet you!
CLICK HERE to say "Nice to meet you" in French!

11. 
Cheap substitute
(Air-sautz)
(Sautz rhymes with “lots”)
The ersatz Coach purse
was sold on-line as the real
thing…but it was NOT
cheap. Caveat emptor!

12. Remember, we will be having a test on
Friday! Have you started studying
yet?

13. Thanksgiving is a time to spend with my
dysfunctional family. My mom finds it necessary
to make us perform the play “The First
Thanksgiving” (complete with a dramatis personae
_____________, so my great grandmother can tell
which characters we are). The issue is that when
my Uncle (the pilgrim) and my aunt (the Indian)
meet in the play he greets her by
Enchante
saying, “__________ Mademoiselle.” They are
way too mushy for me! My grandmother enjoys
directing this because she has very little to do
during the day since she used to be a professorwe call heremeritus
professor _________.

14. 
Okay, the stupid play is about to begin. My
stupid cousin is late (again!). He pulls up in a
elan
new car which is _________. I think he is going
through a midlife crisis. I can’t stand him
because he always tells dirty jokes, full of
double entendres
_______________ which my grandparents don’t
get. They just laugh along with him when the
rest of us are disgusted. My sister is ad-libbing
her part and being very rude (I don’t think she
enfant terrible
wants to be here). What an _____________! My
dad hates this whole play and is sitting there
ennui
with __________, impatiently waiting for it to be
over.

15. 
My aunt just passed the gravy to my uncle (I
didn’t know pilgrims ate gravy), but he refused
ersatz
to eat it calling it ____________. Evidently he
only eats homemade gravy. This is a disaster!
Finally, my grandfather steps in (like a
Deus ex machina
_________________) and wraps up this stupid
en masse
play! We leave the living room ___________ to
get some grub!