Nineteen Eighty-Four
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(1949) A novel by George Orwell. Nineteen Eighty-Four depicts a totalitarian society of the future, ruled by an omnipotent dictator called Big Brother. In this society, called Oceania, people's thoughts are controlled as tightly as their actions. The government maintains an organization called the “thought police” and engages in constant propaganda. (See also Big Brother is watching you.)
QUIZ
QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!
Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.
Question 1 of 7
“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.
notes for Nineteen Eighty-Four
Orwell coined the term doublespeak to describe one kind of propaganda practiced by the state in Nineteen Eighty-Four.
Words nearby Nineteen Eighty-Four
nine plus two array, nine plus zero array, niner, nine-spot, nineteen, Nineteen Eighty-Four, nineteenth, Nineteenth Amendment, nineteenth hole, nineteenth man, ninetieth
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.