我的部落格

1. A Room with a View

A Room with a View is a 1908 novel by English writer E. M. Forster, about a young woman in the restrained culture of Edwardian era England. Set in Italy and England, the story is both a romance and a critique of English society at the beginning of the 20th century. Merchant-Ivory produced an award-winning film adaptation in 1985.

The Modern Library ranked A Room with a View 79th on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century (1998).

2.單字筆記

A Room with the View

4/25(一)

the morrow: the next day

sentence: We don't know what the morrow may bring.

reverse(v.) to change (something) to an opposite state or condition

sentence: Our roles as caregiver and patient have been reversed.

clergyman(n.) a man who is a member of the clergy especially in a Christian church

sentence: He is a meek, charitable, good clergyman.

decency(n.) polite, moral, and honest behavior and attitudes that show respect for other people

sentence: Decency, not fear of punishment, caused them to do the right thing.

restraint(n.) formal : a device that limits a person's movement

sentence: Make sure the child safety restraint is in place.

4/26(二)

spiritual(adj.) of or relating to a person's spirit

sentence: Doctors must consider the emotional and spiritual needs of their patients.

starvation(n.) suffering or death caused by having nothing to eat or not enough to eat : the condition of someone who is starving

sentence: The famine brought mass starvation.

sermon(n.) a speech about a moral or religious subject that is usually given by a religious leader

sentence: He preached/delivered/gave a sermon on the importance of kindness.

neglect(v.) to fail to take care of or to give attention to (someone or something)

sentence: The building has been neglected for years.

conclude(v.) to stop or finish : to come to an end

sentence: The investigation has not yet concluded.

4/27(三)

torrent(n.) a large amount of water that moves very quickly in one direction

sentence: The storm turned the stream into a raging torrent.

squalid(adj.) very dirty and unpleasant

sentence: The family lived in squalid conditions.

trammel(v.) to limit or restrict (something or someone) unfairly

sentence: laws that trammel our rights as citizens

genial(adj.) cheerful and pleasant

sentence: He was genial to/toward everyone.

contour(n.) the outline or outer edge of something

sentence: The map showed the contour of the coastline.

4/28(四)

demolish(v.) to destroy (a building, bridge, etc.) : to forcefully tear down or take apart (a structure)

sentence: The old factory was demolished to make way for a new parking lot.

obstacle(n.) something that makes it difficult to do something

sentence: He overcame the obstacles of poverty and neglect.

obligation(n.) something that you must do because of a law, rule, promise, etc.

sentence: The firm must fulfill its obligations under the contract.

unfortunate(adj.) having bad luck

sentence: She was unfortunate enough to have been chosen as an example.

tiresome(adj.) causing you to feel bored, annoyed, or impatient

sentence: All those stories about his childhood can become tiresome after a while.

4/29(五)

differ(v.) to be different

sentence: The two schools differ in their approach to discipline.

presumably(adv.) very likely — used to say what you think is likely to happen or be true even though you are not sure

sentence: Presumably, he'll come later.

suspicious(adj.) causing a feeling that something is wrong or that someone is behaving wrongly : causing suspicion

sentence: he suspicious vehicle was reported to police.

irritate(v.) to make (someone) impatient, angry, or annoyed

sentence: It's his arrogance that really irritates me.

monopolize(v.) to take over and control (something or someone) completely

sentence: He's always monopolizing the conversation.