classic (n)
novel (n)
fiction (n)
autobiographical (adj)
On the Road by Jack Kerouac is a classic novel of the 1950s. Although it is a work of fiction, it is based mainly on the autobiographical description of a road trip Kerouac took across the USA and into Mexico.
set (n)
narrate (v)
character (n)
contradictory (adj)
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is set during the Prohibition Era of the 1920s when sales of alcohol were prohibited in teh USA. The story is narrated by a minor character, nick Carraway, who describes the other perople in the story with contradictory emotions of admiration, jealousy, and envy.
inspired
experiences
Ernest Hemingway’s novel For Whom the Bell Tolls was inspired by his esperiences in the Spanish Civil War.
realistic
perspective
John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath is a realistic description of the economic depression of the 1930s seen from the perspective of one family of migrant workers.
author
prose
technique
portray
The novel Ulysses by Irish author James Joyce is written in an experimental form of prose using a technique known as steam-of-consciousness, which portrays a continuous flow of thoughts.
pseudonym
anonymous
originality
style
Emily Brontë’s novel Wuthering Heights was at first published under the pseudonym Ellis Bell in order to keep the author’s real name anonymous. The book was praised for the originality of its subject matter and narrative style.
Vocabulary ID tip.
When trying to figure out the meaning of new words, read the surrounding text carefully. Sometimes it can give a definition or some example of the meaning of the word.
To extend your vocabulary, remember to create a chart to extend your vocabulary of other word forms of the words in the chart, add synonyms and antonyms to these words.
Exercises
Now you will find some exercises for further practice.