F.

Scott Fitzgerald The Diamond as Big as the Ritz

Assignment 2 (chapters 5 – 8)

Lera Derkach
1. Read the story.

2. Study the vocabulary and define the contextual meaning of these lexical units.
Recount the episodes from the story in which the given vocabulary is employed.

ACTIVE VOCABULARY
 Felicity great happiness
 unattainable impossible to achieve
 advance (v) to move forward or towards someone or something
 tremulously in a way when your voice is not steady, because you are afraid or
excited
 distressed very unhappy, worried, or upset
 impel (v) when a feeling or idea forces you to do smth
 vacuous completely lacking in intelligence or serious thought
 venture (v) to be brave enough to say smth; to go somewhere unpleasant,
dangerous, or exciting
 be assailed to feel worried or upset; (literary) if a noise, smell assails you, you
notice it immediately because it is very unpleasant or offensive
 fair-minded judging people or situations in a way that is completely fair
 proffer (v) to offer someone something by moving it towards them; to offer
something such as an explanation or apology
 jubilation behaviour that shows you are extremely happy because something
good has happened
 inscrutable if someone is like this, it is impossible to understand what they are
thinking or feeling from their expression or from what they say
 exacting expecting other people to work very hard; severe and unremitting in
making demands
 elope (v) if two people do this, they go away secretly to get married
 indulge (v) [+in] to allow yourself /someone to have or do something that you
enjoy; to become involved in something that people do not approve of
 abominable extremely bad, offensive, or unpleasant
 sacrlet fever a disease mainly affecting children that causes a fever, sore throat,
and red spots on your skin
3. Transcribe and practice reading the following words.
Insufficiency /ˌɪnsəˈfɪʃ(ə)nsi/, mignonettes /ˌmɪnjəˈnɛt/, sapphire /ˈsæfaɪə(r)/
birch /bɜː(r)tʃ/, clamor /ˈklæmə(r)/ cynical ˈsɪnɪk(ə)l/ execration /ˌeksɪˈkreɪʃən/,
amnesia /æmˈniːziə/ tumult /ˈtjuːmʌlt/ , coiffure /kwɑːˈfjʊə(r)/, turquoise
/ˈtɜː(r)kwɔɪz/ somnolent /ˈsɒmnələnt/ paroxysm /ˈpærəkˌsɪz(ə)m/, ferociously /fə
ˈrəʊʃəsli/, genially /ˈdʒiːniəli/

4. Fill in the blanks with appropriate prepositions.

1. to give ___smb__ something
2. to hover __above__ something
3. to make an impression __on__ somebody
4. to shine ___with____ dignity
5. to run __into__ somebody
6. to draw oneself __up__
7. to break __off___
8. to peach __on__ somebody
9. to be indifferent ____to___ somebody
10. to be absorbed ___in____ smb/smth
11. to agree ____upon___ smth
12. to get __along_____ __with_____ smth
13. to indulge ___in____ smth
14. to grow attached ___with____ smb
5. Complete the table of irregular verbs with their translation. Learn them. Make
sentences with each verb.
bind bound bound зв’язувати
tread trod trodden ступати
catch caught caught ловити
spring sprang sprung Витікати стрибати
light lit lit запалюватися
weep wept wept плакати
bend bent bent нагинати
misunderstand misunderstood misunderstood непорозумітись

6. Match the lexemes from Active Vocabulary with their definitions.

1. felicity i a. completely lacking in intelligence or serious thought
2. unattainable r b. (toward) to move forward or towards someone or
something;
3. advance (v) b c. (formal) to offer someone something by moving it
towards them; to offer something such as an explanation or
apology
4. tremulously o d. to be brave enough to say smth; to go somewhere
unpleasant, dangerous, or exciting
5. distressed j e. if someone is like this, it is impossible to understand
 what they are thinking or feeling from their expression or
from what they say
6. impel (v) p f. extremely bad, offensive, or unpleasant
7. vacuous a g. a disease mainly affecting children that causes a fever,
sore throat, and red spots on your skin
8. venture (v) d h. behaviour that shows you are extremely happy because
something good has happened
9. be assailed m i. (very formal) great happiness
10. fair-minded q j. very unhappy, worried, or upset
11. proffer c k. [+in] to allow yourself /someone to have or do
something that you enjoy; to become involved in
something that people do not approve of
12. jubilation h l. if two people do this, they go away secretly to get
married
13. inscrutable e m. to feel worried or upset; (literary) if a noise, smell
assails you, you notice it immediately because it is very
unpleasant or offensive
14. exacting n. expecting other people to work very hard; severe and
(personality) n unremitting in making demands
15. elope (v) l o. in a way when your voice is not steady, because you are
afraid or excited
16. indulge (v) k p. (formal) when a feeling or idea forces you to do smth
17. abominable f q. judging people or situations in a way that is completely
fair
18. scarlet fever a r. impossible to achieve or obtain

7. Fill in the gaps with words and expressions from Active Vocabulary. If
necessary change the form of the words.
1. He caught ____ scarlet fever __ when he was a young child and this affected his
hearing.
2. He is held to be efficient, __ fair-minded __ , scrupulously honest, and is well-
liked by his colleagues.
3. In this respect, they work as much in favour of happiness in this world as the _
felicity _____ in the next.
4. At any rate it affords me real pleasure to ___ proffer ___ my services.
5. Ultimately, it's a completely empty, ___ vacuous _______ product, carefully
crafted to make lots and lots of money.
6. Dreaming is something that occurs while we are asleep, and it is usually
something ____ unattainable _________ that we dream about.
7. Here's someone who fought for one of the most _____ unattainable _ causes of all
time, yet has acted with rationality, courage, and honour.
8. We are daily _ assailed __ by the beguiling double-think of public opinion formers.
9. Daughters who ___ elope __ and dare to choose their own husbands are also
considered dishonorable.
10. There was absolute __ felicity__ around and people were over the moon with it.
11. What kind of person would I be if I allowed myself to _____indulge_ in such
unrefined and unconstructive activity?
12. But we recognised in the principle of truth-value an
important __advance__towards a theory of knowledge.
13. I think in a lot of hip hop these days people are kind of scared to _ venture __ out
and do different things.
14. Others have come home deeply _ distressed __ and troubled by what they
witnessed.
15. But he is true and honest, and affectionate, and is by no means __ abominable_ or
self-seeking.
16. His face remained __ inscrutable ___ and unsmiling.
17. Even though I was angry, something ___ impelled____ me to smile.
18. I answered __ tremulously ___, paralyzed by the newness of it all.
8. Find English equivalents in the text to the given Ukrainian phrases and
sentences.

1. вести незрозуміло куди to lead in no particular direction

2. променисте майбутнє radiantly imagined future
3. втілення фізичної досконалості the incarnation of physical perfection
4. ходити попарно to go walking two by two
5. Натяк на його провінційність It seemed an unkind allusion to his
здався йому образливим. provincialism.
6. страшенно вульгарний terribly common
7. Мені ти теж приділятимеш will you be nice to me
трішки уваги?
8. гордовито випрямитися draw himself up proudly
9. запобігливо засміятися an ingratiating laugh
10. Він мимоволі вилаявся. let forth an involuntary curse
11. фатальна помилка A ghastly error
12. Ми залишаємося тут назавжди, We decided to stay here for love
нам тут сподобалося.
13. Я б вважав за краще з вами I wish to heaven I’d never seen you.
ніколи не зустрічатися.
14. У мене немає вибору. I grant you that
15. Але більше мені нічого не спадає But that’s as far as my ideas go
на думку.
16. за кого ви мене приймаєте You don’t proffer that suggestion seriously
17. у загадковому мовчанні sat in inscrutable silence
18. Я не бажаю вам зла. I bear you no ill-will.
19. Я звикну врешті-решт To be used to playing with
20. Я нічого подібного не говорив. I said nothing of the sort

9. Translate the following passage into Ukrainian.

Jasmine, the elder daughter, resembled Kismine in appearance—except that she was
somewhat bow-legged, and terminated in large hands and feet—but was utterly unlike
her in temperament. Her favorite books had to do with poor girls who kept house for
widowed fathers. John learned from Kismine that Jasmine had never recovered from the
shock and disappointment caused her by the termination of the World War, just as she
was about to start for Europe as a canteen expert. She had even pined away for a time,
and Braddock Washington had taken steps to promote a new war in the Balkans—but
she had seen a photograph of some wounded Serbian soldiers and lost interest in the
whole proceedings. But Percy and Kismine seemed to have inherited the arrogant
attitude in all its harsh magnificence from their father. A chaste and consistent
selfishness ran like a pattern through their every idea.

Старша дочка, Жасмин, зовні дуже нагадувала Кісмін, з тією різницею, що у

неї були великі руки і великі, трішки кривуваті ноги. Але характером вона була
зовсім іншою, найбільше любила книги, де йшлося про бідних дівчаток, які вели
господарство і дбали про своїх овдовілих батьків. Джон дізнався від Кісмін, що
Жасмин ніяк не могла оговтатися від потрясіння і розчарування, випробуваних
при вести про закінчення світової війни: як раз в цей час вона зібралася їхати в
Європу в якості експерта по військовим крамницях. Вона навіть зовсім було
зачахнула, так що її батько зробив кроки для того, щоб спровокувати якусь
нову війну; однак Жасмин потім побачила фотографії поранених, і це відбило у
неї будь-який інтерес до війни. Але Персі і Кісмін успадкували від батька
зарозумілість у всьому його жорстокому пишноті. Кожну їх думку пронизував
здоровий і послідовний егоїзм

QUESTIONS AND TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION

1. Where did John meet Kismine? Describe the way she looked.
John rounded a soft corner where the massed rose-bushes filled the air with
heavy scent, and struck off across a park toward a patch of moss under some
trees. He had never lain upon moss, and he wanted to see whether it was really
soft enough to justify the use of its name as an adjective. Then he saw a girl
coming toward him over the grass. She was the most beautiful person he had
ever seen. She was dressed in a white little gown that came just below her knees,
and a wreath of mignonettes clasped with blue slices of sapphire bound up her
hair. Her pink bare feet scattered the dew before them as she came. She was
younger than John—not more than sixteen. And here for the first time in his life
he was beside a girl who seemed to him the incarnation of physical perfection.

2. How did the sisters spend their time? What were their plans for the next year?
Percy and Jasmine and I are here every summer, but next summer Jasmine is
going to Newport. She’s coming out in London a year from this fall. She’ll
 be presented at court. Kismine is going to New York to Miss Bulge’s and live at
home with the family in their New York house, because father heard that the girls
had to go walking two by two.
3. Why did Kismine consider that she was not sophisticated?
“Oh, no, I’m not,” she exclaimed hurriedly. “Oh, I wouldn’t think of being. I think
that sophisticated young people are terribly common, don’t you? I’m not at all,
really. If you say I am, I’m going to cry.”

“Because I wouldn’t mind if I were,” she persisted. “but I’m not. I’m very innocent
and girlish. I never smoke, or drink, or read anything except poetry. I know scarcely
any mathematics or chemistry. I dress very simply—in fact, I scarcely dress at all. I
think sophisticated is the last thing you can say about me. I believe that girls ought
to enjoy their youths in a wholesome way.”

4. How is Mr Braddock Washington described? Prove your answer with

quotations from the text.
John stood facing Mr. Braddock Washington in the full sunlight. The elder man was
about forty with a proud, vacuous face, intelligent eyes, and a robust figure. In the
mornings he smelt of horses—the best horses. He carried a plain walking-stick of
gray birch with a single large opal for a grip. He and Percy were showing John
around.

“None of us has ever been punished. Father said we never should be. Once when my
sister Jasmine was a little girl she pushed him downstairs and he just got up and
limped away.
Every day Mr. Washington and the two young men went hunting or fishing in the deep
forests or played golf around the somnolent course—games which John diplomatically
allowed his host to win—or swam in the mountain coolness of the lake. John found Mr.
Washington a somewhat exacting personality—utterly uninterested in any ideas or
opinions except his own.

5. Why do you think Mr Braddock Washington was so little interested in other

people's opinion?

He was the most powerful person in the world, there was no point in listening to
someone, because he was the person who controlled everyone.

6. Comment on the scene when Mr Braddock Washington spoke to his prisoners.

Why were they impisoned? What did he offer them? Why do you think they
did not accept his proposals?
“I’ve told you the situation. I don’t want you here. I wish to heaven I’d never
seen you. Your own curiosity got you here, and any time that you can think of a
way out which protects me and my interests I’ll be glad to consider it. But so
long as you confine your efforts to digging tunnels—yes, I know about the new
one you’ve started—you won’t get very far. This isn’t as hard on you as you
make it out, with all your howling for the loved ones at home. If you were the
type who worried much about the loved ones at home, you’d never have taken up
aviation.”

I think they didn’t accept proposals because they appreciate their freedom.

7. The author says nothing about John's reaction to prisoners? What do you think
he could think about the whole situation? Why didn't he discuss it with Percy?

I think that situation scared him, but he might have felt satisfaction that he was
standing right next to such a powerful man Percy’s father, who in some way
was like God, deciding who should live or die and in what way.
He didn’t discuss it with Percy, because Percy fully agreed with his father.