The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel written by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald that follows a cast of characters living in the fictional town of West Egg on prosperous Long Island in the summer of 1922. The story primarily concerns the young and mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and his quixotic passion and obsession for the beautiful former debutante Daisy Buchanan. Considered to be Fitzgerald's magnum opus, The Great Gatsby explores themes of decadence, idealism, resistance to change, social upheaval, and excess, creating a portrait of the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties that has been described as a cautionary tale regarding theAmerican Dream.

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Vocabulary

1.garage (n.) 

a. a building where a car is kept, built next to or as part of a house

e.g.: Did you put the car in the garage?

b. a place where cars are repaired

e.g.: The car's still at the garage getting fixed.

c. UK ( US gas station) a place where fuel is sold for cars and other vehicles

d. UK a place where cars are sold

2.shed (n.) 

a.  a small building usually used for storage or shelter

e.g.: The lawn mower is kept in the shed.

3.silhouette (n.) 

a. a dark shape seen against a light surface

e.g.: The silhouette of the bare tree on the hill was clear against the winter sky.

4.tank (n.) 

a. a container that holds liquid or gas

b. a large military fighting vehicle designed to protect those inside it from attack, driven by wheels that turn inside moving metal belts

5.luncheon (n.) 

a. formal -lunch

6.build (v.) 

a. to make something by putting bricks or other materials together

e.g.: They're building new houses by the river.

b. to create and develop something over a long period of time

e.g.: We want to build a better future for our children.

7.fair (adj.) 

a. treating someone in a way that is right or reasonable, or treating a group of people equally and not allowing personal opinions to influence your judgment

e.g.: Why should I have to do all the cleaning? It's not fair!

b. If you hit someone fair and square on a particular part of their body, you hit that person hard, exactly on that part

e.g.: He hit me fair and square on the nose.

8.shaven (adj.) 

a. with the hair removed

e.g.: They all had shaven heads.

9.resent (v.) 

a. to feel angry because you have been forced to accept someone or something that you do not like

e.g.: She bitterly resented her father's new wife.

10.saunter (v.) 

a. to walk in a slow and relaxed way, often in no particular direction

e.g.: He sauntered by, looking very pleased with himself.

11.merit (n.) 

a. the quality of being good and deserving praise

e.g.: Her ideas have merit.

12.tiresome (adj.) 

a. annoying and making you lose patience

e.g.: I find it very tiresome doing the same job day after day.

13.differ (v.) 

a. to be not like something or someone else, either physically or in another way

e.g.: The twins look alike, but they differ in temperament.

b. to disagree

e.g.: I beg to differ with you on that point.

14.deplore (v.) 

a. to say or think that something is very bad

e.g.: He said that he deplored all violence.

15.twitch (v.)

a.(to cause) to make a sudden small movement with a part of the body, usually without intending to

e.g.: He tried to suppress a smile but felt the corner of his mouth twitch.

16.conquer (v.) 

a.  to take control or possession of foreign land, or a group of people, by force

e.g.: The Spanish conquered the New World in the 16th century.

b. to deal with or successfully fight against a problem or an unreasonable fear

e.g.: He has finally conquered his fear of spiders.

17.purify (adj.) 

a. to remove bad substances from something to make it pure

e.g.: One of the functions of the kidneys is to purify the blood.

18.bluish (adj.) 

a. slightly blue

19.façade (n.) 

a. the front of a building, especially a large or attractive building

b. a false appearance that makes someone or something seem more pleasant or better than they really are

e.g.: He kept his hostility hidden behind a friendly façade.

20.decline (v.) 

a. to gradually become less, worse, or lower

e.g.: His interest in the project declined after his wife died.

21.concede (v.) 

a.  to admit, often unwillingly, that something is true

e.g.: The government has conceded (that) the new tax policy has been a disaster.

22.clergyman (n.) 

a. a man who is a member of the clergy

23.spotless (adj.) 

a. extremely clean

b. a very good and honest character, etc.

e.g.: She was young and pretty, with a spotless reputation.

24.censure (v.) 

a. strong criticism or disapproval

e.g.: His dishonest behaviour came under severe censure.

25.interval (n.) 

a.  a period between two events or times, or the space between two points

e.g.: We see each other at regular intervals - usually about once a month.