The Great Gatsby Vocab Flashcards
boisterous (adjective)
noisy, energetic, cheerful; rowdy
Conceit (noun)
excessive pride in oneself
Contiguous (adjective)
to share a common border/be (placed) together
Defunct (adjective)
no longer functioning
Denizen (noun)
inhabitant of a particular area
Disconcert (verb)
to disturb or disrupt the composure of something; to unsettle
Effeminate (adjective)
to act with feminine characteristics or in a feminine manner as a man
Euphemism (noun)
a mild word used to substitute a harsher one when referring to something unpleasant/embarrassing
Florid (adjective)
having a flushed complexion or being very elaborate/complicated
Fortuitous (Adjective)
to occur by chance, accident, or fortune/luck
Grail (Noun)
something that is heavily pursued. In reference to the “Holy Grail”, it is the chalice Jesus drank from at the Last Supper.
Ineffable (adjective)
too great or extreme to be spoken in words, not to be spoken
Ingratiate (verb)
flattering/pleasing someone to gain their favoritism
Innuendo
an oblique remark, usually a suggesting or derogative one.
Noun
Insidious (adjective)
proceeding in a gradual way with harmful effects/treachery
Libertine, noun
a person devoid of moral principle or a sense of responsibility/rejects widely accepted opinions
Meretricious (adjective)
seemingly attractive but having no value/integrity in reality
Pastoral
relating to shepherds/herdsmen and livestock raising (usually used in relation to property/land), or in the context of christianity, catholic spiritual guidance
Peremptorily (adjective)
in a way that expects to be obeyed immediately and without any questions
Presumptuous (adjective)
acting arrogant, overconfident, bypassing the means of what is considered rude or inappropriate
Privy (adjective)
sharing the knowledge of something private
Provocation (noun)
Acting/speaking in a manner that is deliberately antagonizing/rude
Punctilious (adjective)
showing great attention to detail or punctuality/correct behavior
Supercilious (Adjective)
behaving/acting as though superior to others
Superficial (adjective)
only existing/seeming of value at surface level
Transcendent (adjective)
extraordinary/superhuman, excelling and existing beyond the human experience
Turbulent (adjective)
to be characterized by disturbance, conflict, and disorder
Turgid (adjective)
swollen/congested or embellished
Vestige (noun)
a trace/small amount of something that no longer exists
Vicarious (adjective)
to be experienced through the imagination/experiences or feelings of others
Voice in which the subject acts upon the verb/the verb receives action from the subject ex. The man ate the sandwich (The man, the subject, is placing action upon the verb- HE is doing the eating of the sandwich)
Active Voice
Voice in which the verb acts upon the subject/the subject is “acted upon” by the verb; the direct object becomes the subject of the sentence influencing the verb
ex. the sandwich was eaten by the man (the sandwich, the subject, is being eaten by the man)
Passive voice
Active Voice
Subject acts upon verb
ex. I sang the solo (“I” is the subject, imposing the singing in the sentence for the solo, the direct object, I as the subject am presently enacting the singing)
Passive Voice
Subject is acted upon by the verb ex. the solo was sung by me (“The solo” is the subject, in which the singing is imposed on it/the solo is receiving the singing)
How are active and passive voice told apart?
The direct object. When finding the direct object (recipient of verb in a sentence) in an active sentence, that direct object will become the subject in a passive sentence, and vice versa. when finding the subject in a passive sentence, this is actually the direct object in the active sentence.
What are the reasons for writing in active voice?
It is more direct, often being more preferable
When should passive voice be used?
- The subject (do-er) of the action is unknown /unwanted/unneeded
ex. the puppy was found on the side of the road. (in contrast to x found the puppy on the side of the road, active voice) - The writer wants to emphasize the action of the sentence rather than the subject doing it
ex. the test work was heavily scrutinized during regents week by all the teachers (rather than the teachers heavily scrutinized the testwork during regents week, active voice) - The writer uses passive voice for sentence variety so their sentences do not redundantly use active voice.
ex. She loved the puppy. The puppy had been pampered and played with by she for the next week. (variety)
