F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic «The Great Gatsby» is a glittering parade of parties and excess, but at its heart it is about identity and whether being wealthy in America can help you change who you really are. Here is a list of 100 great vocabulary words from the opening chapter of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1926 novel «The Great Gatsby.»
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Full list of words from this list:
-
vulnerable
susceptible to criticism or persuasion or temptation
In my younger and more
vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since. -
criticize
find fault with; point out real or perceived flaws
«Whenever you feel like
criticizing any one,» he told me, «just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.» -
advantage
benefit resulting from some event or action
«Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,» he told me, «just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the
advantages that you’ve had.» -
communicative
able or tending to transmit a message
He didn’t say any more but we’ve always been unusually
communicative in a reserved way, and I understood that he meant a great deal more than that. -
reserved
marked by self-restraint and reticence
He didn’t say any more but we’ve always been unusually communicative in a
reserved way, and I understood that he meant a great deal more than that. -
privy
informed about something secret or not generally known
The abnormal mind is quick to detect and attach itself to this quality when it appears in a normal person, and so it came about that in college I was unjustly accused of being a politician, because I was
privy to the secret griefs of wild, unknown men. -
grief
intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one
The abnormal mind is quick to detect and attach itself to this quality when it appears in a normal person, and so it came about that in college I was unjustly accused of being a politician, because I was privy to the secret
griefs of wild, unknown men. -
intimate
marked by close acquaintance, association, or familiarity
Most of the confidences were unsought—frequently I have feigned sleep, preoccupation, or a hostile levity when I realized by some unmistakable sign that an
intimate revelation was quivering on the horizon—for the
intimate revelations of young men or at least the terms in which they express them are usually plagiaristic and marred by obvious suppressions. -
revelation
an enlightening or astonishing disclosure
Most of the confidences were unsought—frequently I have feigned sleep, preoccupation, or a hostile levity when I realized by some unmistakable sign that an intimate
revelation was quivering on the horizon—for the intimate
revelations of young men or at least the terms in which they express them are usually plagiaristic and marred by obvious suppressions. -
marred
blemished by injury or rough wear
Most of the confidences were unsought—frequently I have feigned sleep, preoccupation, or a hostile levity when I realized by some unmistakable sign that an intimate revelation was quivering on the horizon—for the intimate revelations of young men or at least the terms in which they express them are usually plagiaristic and
marred by obvious suppressions. -
suppression
the conscious exclusion of unacceptable thoughts or desires
Most of the confidences were unsought—frequently I have feigned sleep, preoccupation, or a hostile levity when I realized by some unmistakable sign that an intimate revelation was quivering on the horizon—for the intimate revelations of young men or at least the terms in which they express them are usually plagiaristic and marred by obvious
suppressions. -
infinite
having no limits or boundaries in time or space
Reserving judgments is a matter of
infinite hope. -
parcel
divide into parts
I am still a little afraid of missing something if I forget that, as my father snobbishly suggested, and I snobbishly repeat a sense of the fundamental decencies is
parcelled out unequally at birth. -
boast
talk about oneself with excessive pride or self-regard
And, after
boasting this way of my tolerance, I come to the admission that it has a limit. -
tolerance
willingness to respect the beliefs or practices of others
And, after boasting this way of my
tolerance, I come to the admission that it has a limit. -
marsh
low-lying wet land with grassy vegetation
Conduct may be founded on the hard rock or the wet
marshes but after a certain point I don’t care what it’s founded on. -
excursion
a journey taken for pleasure
When I came back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted no more riotous
excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart. -
privileged
not subject to usual rules or penalties
When I came back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted no more riotous excursions with
privileged glimpses into the human heart. -
glimpse
a brief or incomplete view
When I came back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged
glimpses into the human heart. -
exempt
grant relief from a rule or requirement to
Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was
exempt from my reaction—Gatsby who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn. -
scorn
lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction—Gatsby who represented everything for which I have an unaffected
scorn. -
series
similar things placed in order or one after another
If personality is an unbroken
series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away. -
gesture
something done as an indication of intention
If personality is an unbroken series of successful
gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away. -
gorgeous
dazzlingly beautiful
If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something
gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away. -
sensitivity
responsiveness to external stimuli
If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened
sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away. -
intricate
having many complexly arranged elements; elaborate
If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those
intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away. -
register
be aware of
If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that
register earthquakes ten thousand miles away. -
dignified
formal or stately in bearing or appearance
This responsiveness had nothing to do with that flabby impressionability which is
dignified under the name of the «creative temperament»—it was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person and which it is not likely I shall ever find again. -
temperament
your usual mood
This responsiveness had nothing to do with that flabby impressionability which is dignified under the name of the «creative
temperament«—it was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person and which it is not likely I shall ever find again. -
romantic
not sensible about practical matters
This responsiveness had nothing to do with that flabby impressionability which is dignified under the name of the «creative temperament»—it was an extraordinary gift for hope, a
romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person and which it is not likely I shall ever find again. -
prey
hunt for
No—Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what
preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men. -
foul
disgustingly dirty; filled or smeared with offensive matter
No—Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what
foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men. -
wake
stop sleeping
No—Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the
wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men. -
abortive
failing to accomplish an intended result
No—Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the
abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men. -
elation
a feeling of joy and pride
No—Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded
elations of men. -
prominent
conspicuous in position or importance
My family have been
prominent, well-to-do people in this middle-western city for three generations. -
generation
group of genetically related organisms in a line of descent
My family have been prominent, well-to-do people in this middle-western city for three
generations. -
descend
come from
The Carraways are something of a clan and we have a tradition that we’re
descended from the Dukes of Buccleuch, but the actual founder of my line was my grandfather’s brother who came here in fifty-one, sent a substitute to the Civil War and started the wholesale hardware business that my father carries on today. -
founder
a person who establishes some institution
The Carraways are something of a clan and we have a tradition that we’re descended from the Dukes of Buccleuch, but the actual
founder of my line was my grandfather’s brother who came here in fifty-one, sent a substitute to the Civil War and started the wholesale hardware business that my father carries on today. -
grave
requiring serious thought
All my aunts and uncles talked it over as if they were choosing a prep-school for me and finally said, «Why—ye-es» with very
grave, hesitant faces. -
confer
present
He had casually
conferred on me the freedom of the neighborhood. -
security
property that your creditor can claim in case of default
I bought a dozen volumes on banking and credit and investment
securities and they stood on my shelf in red and gold like new money from the mint, promising to unfold the shining secrets that only Midas and Morgan and Maecenas knew. -
solemn
dignified and somber in manner or character
I was rather literary in college—one year I wrote a series of very
solemn and obvious editorials for the «Yale News»—and now I was going to bring back all such things into my life and become again that most limited of all specialists, the «well-rounded man.» -
epigram
a witty saying
This isn’t just an
epigram—life is much more successfully looked at from a single window, after all. -
domesticated
converted or adapted to use in the home
Twenty miles from the city a pair of enormous eggs, identical in contour and separated only by a courtesy bay, jut out into the most
domesticated body of salt water in the Western Hemisphere, the great wet barnyard of Long Island Sound. -
perpetual
continuing forever or indefinitely
They are not perfect ovals—like the egg in the Columbus story they are both crushed flat at the contact end—but their physical resemblance must be a source of
perpetual confusion to the gulls that fly overhead. -
phenomenon
any state or process known through the senses
To the wingless a more arresting
phenomenon is their dissimilarity in every particular except shape and size. -
bizarre
conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual
I lived at West Egg, the—well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the
bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them. -
sinister
wicked, evil, or dishonorable
I lived at West Egg, the—well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little
sinister contrast between them. -
colossal
so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe
The one on my right was a
colossal affair by any standard—it was a factual imitation of some Hôtel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool and more than forty acres of lawn and garden. -
console
give moral or emotional strength to
My own house was an eye-sore, but it was a small eye-sore, and it had been overlooked, so I had a view of the water, a partial view of my neighbor’s lawn, and the
consoling proximity of millionaires—all for eighty dollars a month. -
proximity
the property of being close together
My own house was an eye-sore, but it was a small eye-sore, and it had been overlooked, so I had a view of the water, a partial view of my neighbor’s lawn, and the consoling
proximity of millionaires—all for eighty dollars a month. -
reproach
a mild rebuke or criticism
His family were enormously wealthy—even in college his freedom with money was a matter for
reproach—but now he’d left Chicago and come east in a fashion that rather took your breath away: for instance he’d brought down a string of polo ponies from Lake Forest. -
turbulence
a state of violent disturbance and disorder
This was a permanent move, said Daisy over the telephone, but I didn’t believe it—I had no sight into Daisy’s heart but I felt that Tom would drift on forever seeking a little wistfully for the dramatic
turbulence of some irrecoverable football game. -
momentum
an impelling force or strength
The lawn started at the beach and ran toward the front door for a quarter of a mile, jumping over sun-dials and brick walks and burning gardens—finally when it reached the house drifting up the side in bright vines as though from the
momentum of its run. -
supercilious
having or showing arrogant superiority
Now he was a sturdy, straw haired man of thirty with a rather hard mouth and a
supercilious manner. -
dominance
the state when one person or group has power over another
Two shining, arrogant eyes had established
dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward. -
effeminate
lacking traits typically associated with men or masculinity
Not even the
effeminate swank of his riding clothes could hide the enormous power of that body—he seemed to fill those glistening boots until he strained the top lacing and you could see a great pack of muscle shifting when his shoulder moved under his thin coat. -
contempt
lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
There was a touch of paternal
contempt in it, even toward people he liked—and there were men at New Haven who had hated his guts. -
vista
the visual percept of a region
Turning me around by one arm he moved a broad flat hand along the front
vista, including in its sweep a sunken Italian garden, a half acre of deep pungent roses and a snub-nosed motor boat that bumped the tide off shore. -
pungent
strong and sharp to the sense of taste or smell
Turning me around by one arm he moved a broad flat hand along the front vista, including in its sweep a sunken Italian garden, a half acre of deep
pungent roses and a snub-nosed motor boat that bumped the tide off shore. -
conscientious
characterized by extreme care and great effort
The other girl, Daisy, made an attempt to rise—she leaned slightly forward with a
conscientious expression—then she laughed, an absurd, charming little laugh, and I laughed too and came forward into the room. -
irrelevant
having no bearing on or connection with the subject at issue
(I’ve heard it said that Daisy’s murmur was only to make people lean toward her; an
irrelevant criticism that made it no less charming.) -
compulsion
an urge to do something that might be better left undone
Her face was sad and lovely with bright things in it, bright eyes and a bright passionate mouth—but there was an excitement in her voice that men who had cared for her found difficult to forget: a singing
compulsion, a whispered «Listen,» a promise that she had done gay, exciting things just a while since and that there were gay, exciting things hovering in the next hour. -
hover
hang, as of something threatening, dark, or menacing
Tom Buchanan who had been
hovering restlessly about the room stopped and rested his hand on my shoulder. -
desolate
crushed by grief
«The whole town is
desolate. -
mourning
state of sorrow over the death or departure of a loved one
All the cars have the left rear wheel painted black as a
mourning wreath and there’s a persistent wail all night along the North Shore.» -
wail
a cry of sorrow and grief
All the cars have the left rear wheel painted black as a mourning wreath and there’s a persistent
wail all night along the North Shore.» -
utter
express audibly
At this point Miss Baker said «Absolutely!» with such suddenness that I started—it was the first word she
uttered since I came into the room. -
deft
skillful in physical movements; especially of the hands
Evidently it surprised her as much as it did me, for she yawned and with a series of rapid,
deft movements stood up into the room. -
retort
answer back
«Don’t look at me,» Daisy
retorted. -
incredulously
in a disbelieving manner
Her host looked at her
incredulously. -
accentuate
stress or single out as important
She was a slender, small-breasted girl, with an erect carriage which she
accentuated by throwing her body backward at the shoulders like a young cadet. -
bantering
cleverly amusing in tone
Sometimes she and Miss Baker talked at once, unobtrusively and with a
bantering inconsequence that was never quite chatter, that was as cool as their white dresses and their impersonal eyes in the absence of all desire. -
pessimist
a person who expects the worst
«I’ve gotten to be a terrible
pessimist about things. -
dominant
exercising influence or control
It’s up to us who are the
dominant race to watch out or these other races will have control of things.» -
fervent
extremely hot
«We’ve got to beat them down,» whispered Daisy, winking ferociously toward the
fervent sun. -
infinitesimal
immeasurably small
I am, and you are and you are and—-» After an
infinitesimal hesitation he included Daisy with a slight nod and she winked at me again. «—and we’ve produced all the things that go to make civilization—oh, science and art and all that. -
complacency
the feeling you have when you are satisfied with yourself
There was something pathetic in his concentration as if his
complacency, more acute than of old, was not enough to him any more. -
affection
a positive feeling of liking
For a moment the last sunshine fell with romantic
affection upon her glowing face; her voice compelled me forward breathlessly as I listened—then the glow faded, each light deserting her with lingering regret like children leaving a pleasant street at dusk. -
linger
leave slowly and hesitantly
For a moment the last sunshine fell with romantic affection upon her glowing face; her voice compelled me forward breathlessly as I listened—then the glow faded, each light deserting her with
lingering regret like children leaving a pleasant street at dusk. -
regret
sadness associated with some wrong or disappointment
For a moment the last sunshine fell with romantic affection upon her glowing face; her voice compelled me forward breathlessly as I listened—then the glow faded, each light deserting her with lingering
regret like children leaving a pleasant street at dusk. -
devoid
completely wanting or lacking
Miss Baker and I exchanged a short glance consciously
devoid of meaning. -
audible
heard or perceptible by the ear
A subdued impassioned murmur was
audible in the room beyond and Miss Baker leaned forward, unashamed, trying to hear. -
skepticism
doubt about the truth of something
I couldn’t guess what Daisy and Tom were thinking but I doubt if even Miss Baker who seemed to have mastered a certain hardy
skepticism was able utterly to put this fifth guest’s shrill metallic urgency out of mind. -
vigil
a purposeful surveillance to guard or observe
Tom and Miss Baker, with several feet of twilight between them strolled back into the library, as if to a
vigil beside a perfectly tangible body, while trying to look pleasantly interested and a little deaf I followed Daisy around a chain of connecting verandas to the porch in front. -
tangible
perceptible by the senses, especially the sense of touch
Tom and Miss Baker, with several feet of twilight between them strolled back into the library, as if to a vigil beside a perfectly
tangible body, while trying to look pleasantly interested and a little deaf I followed Daisy around a chain of connecting verandas to the porch in front. -
turbulent
characterized by unrest or disorder or insubordination
I saw that
turbulent emotions possessed her, so I asked what I thought would be some sedative questions about her little girl. -
sedative
tending to soothe or tranquilize
I saw that turbulent emotions possessed her, so I asked what I thought would be some
sedative questions about her little girl. -
cynical
believing the worst of human nature and motives
«Well, I’ve had a very bad time, Nick, and I’m pretty
cynical about everything.» -
smirk
a smile expressing smugness or scorn instead of pleasure
I waited, and sure enough, in a moment she looked at me with an absolute
smirk on her lovely face as if she had asserted her membership in a rather distinguished secret society to which she and Tom belonged. -
crimson
a deep and vivid red color
Inside, the
crimson room bloomed with light. -
corroborate
establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts
«That’s right,»
corroborated Tom kindly. -
libel
a false and malicious publication
-
egotism
an exaggerated opinion of your own importance
Something was making him nibble at the edge of stale ideas as if his sturdy physical
egotism no longer nourished his peremptory heart. -
nourish
give sustenance to
Something was making him nibble at the edge of stale ideas as if his sturdy physical egotism no longer
nourished his peremptory heart. -
peremptory
not allowing contradiction or refusal
Something was making him nibble at the edge of stale ideas as if his sturdy physical egotism no longer nourished his
peremptory heart. -
bellow
a very loud utterance
The wind had blown off, leaving a loud bright night with wings beating in the trees and a persistent organ sound as the full
bellows of the earth blew the frogs full of life. -
silhouette
an outline of a solid object as cast by its shadow
The
silhouette of a moving cat wavered across the moonlight and turning my head to watch it I saw that I was not alone—fifty feet away a figure had emerged from the shadow of my neighbor’s mansion and was standing with his hands in his pockets regarding the silver pepper of the stars. -
intimation
a slight suggestion or vague understanding
But I didn’t call to him for he gave a sudden
intimation that he was content to be alone—he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and far as I was from him I could have sworn he was trembling.
Created on March 19, 2012
(updated August 11, 2014)
In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald’s word choice reflects both the characters’ romanticism and the unromantic selfishness of their behavior. In this The Great Gatsby vocabulary list, you’ll learn key words through definitions and examples from the novel.
Cardinal
Definition: fundamental, the most important
Example: “Every one suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known.”
Ceaselessly
Definition: continuously, endlessly
Example: “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”
Enchanted
Definition: seemingly magical or unreal
Examples: “Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it had seemed very near to him, almost touching her. It had seemed as close as a star to the moon. Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count of enchanted things had diminished by one.”
Eternal
Definition: lasting forever, without a beginning or end.
Example: “It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life.”
Exhilarating
Definition: making one feel very happy, delighted, or thrilled
Example: “The exhilarating ripple of her voice was a wild tonic in the rain.”
Incarnation
Definition: an idea or concept made concrete and tangible in some form
Example: “At his lips’ touch she blossomed like a flower and the incarnation was complete.”
Intimate
Definition: very close and personal, a private connection
Example: “And I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy.”
Intricate
Definition: very detailed, complicated
Example: “If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away.”
Jauntiness
Definition: a carefree, casual sort of stylishness
Example: “I noticed that she wore her evening dress, all her dresses, like sports clothes-there was a jauntiness about her movements as if she had first learned to walk upon a golf course on clean, crisp, mornings.”
Poignant
Definition: emotionally moving or touching; evoking emotion
Example: “I felt a haunting loneliness sometimes, and felt it in others—young clerks in the dusk, wasting the most poignant moments of night and life.”
Reverie
Definition: a vivid, dreamlike state
Example: “For awhile these reveries provided an outlet for his imagination; they were a satisfactory hint of the unreality of reality, a promise that the rock of the world was founded securely on a fairy’s wing.”
Romantic
Definition: idealized, conducive to imagination, particularly tinged with romantic love or grand emotion
Example: “It was testimony to the romantic speculation he inspired that there were whispers about him from those who had found little that it was necessary to whisper about in this world.”
Retreat
Definition: to withdraw or move back
Example: “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.”
Simultaneously
Definition: at the same time
Example: “I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.”
Tender
Definition: showing gentleness, sympathy, and fondness
Example: “I wasn’t actually in love, but I felt a sort of tender curiosity.”
Strident
Definition: forceful and unpleasant
Example: “I wanted to get out and walk eastward toward the park through the soft twilight, but each time I tried to go I became entangled in some wild, strident argument which pulled me back, as if with ropes, into my chair.»
Thrilling
Definition: producing sudden, strong, and visceral emotion
Example: “A stirring warmth flowed from her, as if her heart was trying to come out to you concealed in one of those breathless, thrilling words.”
Transitory
Definition: impermanent
Example: “For a transitory enchanted moment man must have held his breath in the presence of this continent, compelled into an aesthetic contemplation he neither understood nor desired, face to face for the last time in history with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder.”
Vitality
Definition: a state of being strong and energetic
Example: “There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams — not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion. It had gone beyond her, beyond everything.”
Wild
Definition: unrestrained and untamed, particularly in pursuit of pleasure; unknowable
Example: “The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world.”
In each of the following sentences, insert dashes where necessary.
Example 1. Matt, or Matthew ∧-overset{textit{color{#c34632}{-}}}{{\color{#c34632}{_wedge}}} he goes by either name ∧-overset{textit{color{#c34632}{-}}}{{\color{#c34632}{_wedge}}} is a hard worker.
“What” Pedro started to say but stopped himself. “Elian, is that really you?”
I read The Great Gatsby several years ago in my mother tongue. I loved the novel and the language. Back then I wasn’t into English and I had no desire to read the original.
Recently I read it in English and loved the novel and the language. But of course this time it wasn’t always easy to understand the meaning of some words or expressions.
Oftentimes I felt like a beginner. But the more you read the better you understand.
But before to dive deep into The Great Gatsby vocabulary have a look at the shortest tutorial on how to choose vocabulary you’d like to learn from the books.
Now get back to Gatsby. Here’re 7 words and expressions that I can use in different contexts and not only in conversations about this novel.
1. SLENDER
If a woman is slender /ˈslen.dɚ/ she’s not only slim but elegant.
In the novel, Fitzgerald used this adjective quite often to describe attractive women like Jordan and Daisy. Both represent upper class society.
Another synonym of slender is full of grace.
Here’re the original quotes:
She was a slender, small-breasted girl, with an erect carriage, which she accentuated by throwing her body backward at the shoulders like a young cadet.
With Jordan’s slender golden arm resting in mine, we descended the steps and sauntered about the garden.
So now when I think of slender I think of that graceful slim ‘golden girl’ from the jazz age.
And if you want another image think about Slender Man, a fictional character who looks like a thin, unnaturally tall humanoid with a featureless head and face and wearing a black suit. Not that attractive but very visual.
You can use slender for describing people, animals and things. A figure, a body, a book can be slender.
The second meaning of slender is small in amount or degree.
The party won with a slender majority over their main rival.
Here’re my examples with slender in a sentence:
Many women dream of having a slender figure.
Cougar is a beautiful wild cat with a slender figure.
As always I encourage you to create your own sentence with “slender” and share it in the comments.
2. PLUNGE
In the novel we word plunge is used in a fixed sentence “take a plunge” /teɪk ə plʌnʤ/. It has the same meaning as the verb “plunge” – to fall, rush or throw yourself into a particular direction, especially into water. The synonyms are jump, dive.
In the novel, Gatsby invites Nick to “take a plunge” in his posh swimming-pool.
Here’s the original quote:
“Well, suppose we take a plunge in the swimming-pool? I haven’t made use of it all summer.”
Nowadays people rarely say “take a plunge” and instead just use the verb “plunge”.
They plunged into the sea.
There are some other meanings of the verb “plunge” and you can see them here.
But I’d like to draw your attention to the more frequent expression “take the plunge“.
It looks similar to “take a plunge” but the meaning is absolutely different. If you take the plunge you decide to do something after thinking about it for a long time.
Here’re some examples of usage:
They took the plunge and got married last month.
I took the plunge and created my own website.
3. CONTEMPT
Contempt /kənˈtempt/ is a noun which means a strong feeling of disliking and having no respect for someone or something.
The synonyms are disrespect, antipathy, disregard, distaste, scorn.
The adjective is contemptuous /kənˈtemp.tʃu.əs/.
If you’re contemptuous of something it means that you don’t respect or like it.
The synonyms are scornful, arrogant, disdainful.
In the novel, Fitzgerald used both of these words for describing Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby.
Here’re the original quotes:
“There was a touch of paternal contempt in it, even toward people he (Tom) liked — and there were men at New Haven who had hated his guts.”
“He (Gatsby) knew women early, and since they spoiled him he became contemptuous of them.”
Here’re my examples with the word contemptuous.
He was rich, narrow-minded, and contemptuous of people who were below him on a social ladder.
Contemptuous people are usually biased towards minorities.
His contemptuous manners made everyone angry.
4. HEART-TO-HEART TALK
When people have a heart-to-heart talk /hɑrt-tu-hɑrt tɔk/ they are honest, open, and don’t hide their true emotions.
In the novel, Tom sarcastically asks his wife Daisy if she had a heart-to-heart talk with her cousin Nick.
Here’s the original quote:
“Did you give Nick a little heart-to-heart talk on the veranda?” demanded Tom suddenly.
Here’re my sentences with this set expression:
Oprah Winfrey is a queen of heart-to-heart talks.
There are few people with whom I can have a heart-to-heart talk.
Synonyms of heart-to-heart are intimate, candid, unreserved.
If you type “heart-to-heart talk” in Google News you’ll see many examples of this expression in the media.
Here’re some expressions we can use to start heart-to-heart talk.
- Let’s put it all on the table.
- Let’s get it all out in the open.
- Let’s air it all out.
5. GLEAM
Gleam /ɡliːm/ is a verb and a noun. And it means to produce or reflect a small, bright light or a small bright light itself.
The synonyms for the verb are shine, glow, glitter, sparkle.
The synonyms for a noun are glimmer, glint, glow, twinkle, sparkle.
You can polish a table until it gleams. Or your eyes could gleam with triumph.
When I think of a word ‘gleam’ now I imagine a spiritless Myrtle’s husband “who’s so dumb he doesn’t know he’s alive”. And he has a gleam of hope in his eyes when he sees Tom and thinks that he will sell him his car.
Here’s the original quote:
“When he saw us a damp gleam of hope sprang into his light blue eyes”.
There’s a great expression with ‘gleam’ and ‘eyes’: before you were a gleam in your father’s eye. That means a long time before you were born.
Here’re my sentences with gleam.
I started working here a long time ago before you were a gleam in your father’s eyes.
His boots gleamed.
6. CRAZE
Craze /kreɪz/ is an activity, object, or idea that is extremely popular, usually for a short period of time.
The synonyms are mania, cult.
Fitzgerald used it to describe a craze for a specific architectural style.
Here’s the quote:
“A brewer had built it early in the “period” craze, a decade before, and there was a story that he’d agreed to pay five years’ taxes on all the neighboring cottages if the owners would have their roofs thatched with straw.”
He simply told us that the Gatsby’s mansion was built at a time when wealthy people wanted to copy a specific historical architectural style in their property.
There are some set expressions with the word “craze”: the latest craze, dance craze.
You can also meet a “crazed” person, a person that behaves crazy or out of control.
His crazed behavior got him arrested.
And if you want another image to remember there’s a well-known American brand of dry cranberry which is called Craisins.
Although the word ‘craisin’ derives from merging words ‘cranberry’ and ‘raisins’ (dried grapes), it often goes with ‘crazy’ implying peoples’ craze for dried cranberries.
7. OVER THE TOP
To be over the top means to be too extreme and not suitable or demand too much attention or effort, especially in an uncontrolled way.
Fitzgerald never used this expression in this novel but it describes perfectly the character and lifestyle of a new rich Jay Gatsby. He’s trying too hard to be someone he’s not and never will be.
All about Gatsby is over the top: his mansion, his car, his outfit, his crazy parties, and all he did with his life in a hope to win Daisy’s love back.
The synonym for this expression is “too much”.
Here are my sentences:
He bought her a cat, a puppy, and a parrot. It’s a little bit over the top.
When she asked me to rewrite it again it was 10 pm. She knew that it was over the top.
Do you think my speech was over top?
That’s it. I hope you like it. Let me know in the comments if you’ve read The Great Gatsby and what you think about the novel.
And also, choose one expression from this article and create your own sentence. Okay, I hope it’s not over the top to ask you about it.
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having a large, cumbersome body
inhabitant
procrastinatory
a gel-like material which supposedly helps to summon spirits
substitution of an inoffensive phrase or word for an offensive one
occurring by chance; lucky; serendipitous
unruly; quarrelsome; irritable
pointlessly wordy; over-talkative
intense ill will
tawdry; gaudy
admitting no argument; characterized by arrogant self-assurance
self-consciously weighty; pompous
lavishness; reckless luxury
limited; narrow; unsophisticated
characterized by extreme attention to detail
aromatic; scented; suggestive of
commanding attention with volume or obtrusiveness
contemptuous
swollen; bombastic in style
Представляю Вашему вниманию некий глоссарий тех фразы и выражения (аж целых 41!), которое были для меня новыми и интересными при прочтении книги “The Great Gatsby” на английском языке.
Название: Великий Гэтсби (англ. The Great Gatsby)
Автор: Фрэнсис Скотт Фицджеральд (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
Дата первой публикации: April 10, 1925
Новых слов и выражений: 114
Представлено в этой статье: 41
Для корректного отображения материала на мобильных устройствах, рекомендуется изменить ориентацию экрана.
Сразу оговорюсь, что оставшиеся 73 “находки”(существительные, прилагательные, наречия и глаголы) я не стал включать в эту статью, поскольку не считаю, что они будут интересными для Вас (да и даже просто ради того, чтобы не утомлять Вас). Эти 73 “находки” весьма односложные и не представляют никакой трудности в понимании – достаточно воспользоваться силой воли и хорошим словарём.
Обращаю Ваше внимание, что, отбирая фразы, я руководствовался своим багажом знаний английского языка. Другими словами, если Вы будете читать книгу, то вполне вероятно, что, Вы столкнётесь с гораздо большим (или же меньшим) объёмом неизвестных слов, фраз и словосочетаний.
В любом случае, всё больше причин для того, чтобы Вы сами прочитали книгу “The Great Gatsby” в оригинале на английском и сами составили свой “глоссарий” новых для Вас же слов и выражений на английском.
Значок # указывает на то, что данная “находка” имеет несколько тегов в Anki и принадлежит сразу к нескольким категориям.
Значок * указывает на то, что я не сумел подобрать идеальный перевод для данной “находки”, но сумел предложить приближённое вспомогательное значение. Это не означает, что я не понял, как использовать эту новую красоту на английском – как раз наоборот ; )
На этом, я думаю, что достаточно слов – переходим к делу.
Идиомы:
| to hate smb’s guts | to dislike someone very much | I don’t think you should hate my guts just because I like to hunt. |
| to have designs on smth / smb | to want to have something and to plan to get it
to want to have a sexual relationship with someone |
…to indicate that I had no designs upon it…
I knew that David had designs on my half of the business. She suspected that Helen had designs on her husband. |
| to leave smb in the lurch | покинуть кого-л. в беде, в тяжёлом положении | I hope they can find someone to replace me at work. I don’t want to leave them in the lurch. |
| random shot | *выстрел наудачу* неприцельный выстрел | He had hurried out “to see”. It was a random shot, and yet the reporter’s insticnt was right. |
| to turn smth in my mind | to think about something | Please take some time to turn over this matter in your mind. |
| forlorn hope | очень слабая надежда безнадёжное предприятие |
Сарказмы:
| Trying to. | типа того “пытаюсь” в ответ на “что делаешь (работа)?” и тд |
“You’re selling bonds, aren’t you, old sport?” “Trying to.” |
| to do smth is to do smth
#начала предложений |
*это равносильно*
*это означает непременно* |
…that to move about was to stumble continually over scenes of ladies swinging in the gardens of Versailles… |
| No harm in trying. | попытка не пытка | |
| I’m five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor | староват на 5 лет чтобы | |
| I can’t tell yet. | пока не могу сказать (см. контекст) | “…and I thought it might sober me up to sit in a library.” “has it?” “A little bit, I think. I can’t tell yet.” |
| Everybody I knew was in the bond business, so I supposed it could support one more single man. | *интересн сам оборот в целом – можно поиграть с содержимым* | |
| He’s so dumb he doesn’t know he’s alive. | *понятно и так* | |
| Step on it! | поднажми на газ! Пошустрее а? |
Anyhow — Daisy stepped on it |
| These people!
#усиление |
Ох уж эти люди! | These people! You have to keep after them all the time |
| Please don’t.
#вежливости |
Прошу не надо. |
“I’ve got something to tell YOU, old sport!….” <…> “Please don’t!” |
|
(Now) see here, |
ну вот послушай!
The expression is a way to command someone’s attention and to convey annoyance or (mild) anger. |
“Now see here, Tom if you’re going to make personal remarks…” |
| That so? | short for “Is that so?” | “I know your wife,” continued Gatsby, almost aggressively. “That so?” |
| If somebody’ll do smth
#начала предложений |
*приказной порядок сарк* | “If somebody’ll come here and sit with him,” he snapped authoritatively |
| I swore I wouldn’t … and here I am…
#начала предложений |
Я обещала , что не буду… и вот он я | But I swore I wouldn’t tell it and here I am tantalizing you. |
| Anything I hate is to …
#начала предложений |
Если я что-то и ненавижу, так это | Anything I hate is to get my head stuck in a pool. |
Вежливости:
| What you doing? | чем занимаешься (профессия)? *фамильярная манера* | What you doing, Nick?”
“I’m a bond man.” |
| the honor would be mine | вы бы оказали мне честь | …the honor would be entirely Gatsby’s, it said, if I would attend his “little party” that night… |
| Don’t give it another thought! | Это мелочь, ничего страшного.
Used to tell someone not to worry when they have apologized for something |
‘I don’t like to feel I let you down, Jane.’ ‘You didn’t let me down. Please don’t give it another thought.’ |
Начала предложений:
| added to the already… , | эту и без того трудную … усугубляет | Added to this already difficult situation, the disease is moving rapidly through the population.
Эту и без того трудную ситуацию усугубляют быстрые темпы распространения заболевания среди населения. (пример не из книги) |
| I don’t think it’s so much that, … it’s more that | *я не думаю, что дело в этом…. скорее в том, что* | “I don’t think it’s so much THAT,” argued Lucille sceptically; “it’s more that he was a German spy during the war.” |
| Then came…
#время |
затем наступила затем пришла |
Then came the war, |
| It wasn’t until then that
#время |
Ce n’est qu’à ce moment que
*И только тогда* |
It wasn’t until then that I connected this Gatsby with the officer in her white car. |
Союзы:
| … such as + direct order | такая, которую | a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person |
Усилители:
| to be its own smth | что само по себе является that is in itself |
with a simplicity of heart that was its own ticket of admission. |
| nothing whatever | абсолютно ничего | I know nothing whatever about mechanics |
| v + to beat the band | in such a way as to surpass all competition | …and then I lay down and cried to beat the band all afternoon. |
| all too – | used to emphasize that something is the case to an extreme or unwelcome extent | He had been coasting along all too hospitable |
| unutterable | extreme: used for emphasizing how strong a quality or feeling is | unutterable sadness/relief |
| so help me (God) | ей-Богу A little phrase used to sound powerful while making a threat. |
John: If you rat me out, so help me God I will break out of jail and snap your neck!
(не из книги) |
Фразы-пустышки:
| Matter of fact, | short for “As a matter of fact” | Matter of fact, they’re absolutely real. |
Время:
| whereupon | вскоре после чего immediately after which |
I told her she looked fat, whereupon she threw the entire contents of a saucepan at me and burst into tears. |
| on the evening (+ sent sans “that”) | *в (тот) вечер, когда* | …really begins on the evening I drove over there to have dinner with the Tom Buchanans |
| some night | *в какую-нибудь ночь* | I think he half expected her to wander into one of his parties, some night. |
Словосочетания:
| to be not faintly true | *понятно и так* | the rumors weren’t even faintly true. |
| introductions forgotten on the spot | *знакомства, которые тут же забывались* |
Если Вы хотите внести свою лепту и указать на какие-либо ошибки в статье выше, предложить свои варианты перевода и т.д., то, пожалуйста, буду рад прочитать Ваши предложения в комментариях!
При подготовки данной статьи использовались следующие онлайн ресурсы:
Словарь ABBYY Lingvo-Online
Электронный словарь Мультитран
Cambridge Dictionaries Online
Idioms and Phrases: The Free Dictionary by Farlex
Macmillan Dictionary
Wordreference.com Language Forum