The Misfits: Marilyn Monroe’s final film showed her capacity for playing painfully knotty characters
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EN: The verb 'marks' is used to indicate that a particular date or event is the anniversary of something significant. It functions as a more formal way to say 'is the anniversary of'.
Today marks the tenth anniversary of the company's founding.
EN: Appositive phrases (e.g., 'one of cinema's greatest icons') are used to provide additional information or a description of a noun that immediately precedes it (in this case, 'Marilyn Monroe').
Paris, the capital of France, is known as the City of Light.
EN: Marilyn Monroe remains a global cultural icon, symbolizing 1950s Hollywood glamour. The mention of her 100th birth anniversary (born 1926) highlights her enduring legacy in film history.
EN: The Present Perfect Passive (has/have been + past participle) is used to describe an action that started in the past and continues to the present, or has a lasting effect, where the subject receives the action.
The old building has been preserved for many years.
EN: The preposition 'for' is used here to indicate the reason or cause for which someone is famous or remembered.
He is famous for his incredible cooking skills.
EN: Marilyn Monroe is a quintessential American cultural icon. The films mentioned, 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' (1953) and 'Some Like It Hot' (1959), defined her public image as a 'blonde bombshell' before she sought more serious roles later in her career.
EN: Appositives are nouns or noun phrases that follow another noun to explain or identify it. Here, 'The Misfits' identifies 'her final film'.
My brother, a talented chef, lives in Paris.
EN: Past participle phrases (e.g., 'released in 1961') can act as adjectives to provide more information about a noun. They are often reduced relative clauses.
The book, written by a famous author, became a bestseller.
EN: The Misfits is historically significant as it was the final completed film for both Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable. It marked a shift from Monroe's 'blonde bombshell' persona to a serious dramatic actress, though she died shortly after.
EN: Passive Voice (be + past participle): Used to emphasize the action or the receiver of the action rather than the performer. In this sentence, 'was directed' and 'written' (with 'was' implied) show the film is the focus.
The book was written by a famous novelist.
EN: Non-restrictive Relative Clause: A clause starting with 'who' or 'which' that provides extra information about a noun. It is separated by a comma and is not essential to the sentence's basic meaning.
My brother, who lives in New York, is a doctor.
EN: The collaboration between Arthur Miller (a prestigious playwright) and Marilyn Monroe was a major cultural event in the 1950s and 60s, representing the union of high-brow intellect and popular Hollywood stardom.
EN: The structure 'one of the + superlative adjective + plural noun' is used to single out one item from a group that shares a top-tier quality.
This is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
EN: The preposition 'between' is used to show a relationship or connection involving two distinct parties (in this case, Monroe and Miller).
The agreement between the two companies was signed yesterday.
EN: The collaboration mentioned refers to the film 'The Misfits'. This was a significant moment in Hollywood history as it brought together a legendary actress and a renowned playwright (who were married), but it also became a bittersweet milestone as it was the final completed film for both Monroe and Clark Gable.
EN: The sentence uses a Relative Clause (Adjective Clause) starting with 'who' to provide more information about the noun 'a woman'. The relative pronoun 'who' acts as the subject of the clause.
The man who lives next door is a famous musician.
EN: The past participle phrase 'named Roslyn' acts as an adjective to modify the noun 'character'. It is a reduced relative clause, shortened from 'who was named Roslyn'.
I have a cat named Luna.
EN: In the mid-20th century, Reno, Nevada, was famously known as the 'Divorce Capital of the World' because Nevada had very lenient divorce laws compared to other states, requiring only a short period of residency.
EN: The prepositional phrase 'After her divorce' acts as a time marker. In English, when a prepositional phrase starts a sentence, it is often followed by a comma to separate it from the main clause.
After the movie, we went to a restaurant.
EN: The phrase 'a group of' is a collective noun phrase used to describe a collection of people or things. It is followed by a plural noun (men), but the verb agreement depends on whether the group is seen as a single unit or individuals.
A group of students is waiting outside.
EN: The setting of Reno, Nevada, mentioned in the context, was historically known as the 'Divorce Capital of the World' in the mid-20th century because of its relatively short residency requirements for obtaining a legal divorce.
EN: Inversion with prepositional phrases: When a sentence begins with a prepositional phrase of place (like 'Among them'), the subject and verb are often inverted (Verb + Subject) to create emphasis or introduce new information.
Among the trees stands an old wooden cabin.
EN: Past participle phrases as reduced relative clauses: Phrases like 'named...' and 'played by...' are past participle phrases that function as adjectives to describe the preceding noun. They are shortened versions of 'who was named' or 'who was played by'.
The book written by the professor became a bestseller.
EN: The film 'The Misfits' is historically significant as it was the final completed film for both Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable. Gable, often called 'The King of Hollywood,' died just days after filming ended. The casting of Montgomery Clift, known for his sensitive and method-acting style, added to the film's intense emotional atmosphere.
EN: The preposition 'before' followed by a present participle (V-ing) acts as a temporal conjunction, indicating that the action in the main clause happens prior to the action in the 'before' clause.
She always checks her emails before leaving the office.
EN: The verb 'drift' implies moving slowly and aimlessly, often used to describe physical movement or a person's lifestyle without a clear goal.
After losing his job, he drifted from town to town.
EN: The setting of Nevada, with its bars, rodeos, and vast deserts, is iconic to the American West. In 'The Misfits', this landscape symbolizes the characters' search for freedom and their status as outsiders (misfits) in a changing modern world.
EN: The relative pronoun 'which' is used here in a non-restrictive relative clause to refer back to the entire preceding clause ('The character of Roslyn was contradictory and complex'). This is common in formal writing to provide additional commentary on a situation.
He passed the exam with honors, which surprised everyone.
EN: The verb 'make' is used here as a causative-style verb with the structure: make + object + adjective. It indicates that something caused the object to be in a certain state.
The bright lights made the room very warm.
EN: The film 'The Misfits' (1961) is historically significant as the final completed film for both Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable. Monroe's performance as Roslyn was a departure from her 'dumb blonde' persona, showcasing her method acting training and emotional range, which critics like David Thomson later praised as her most mature work.
EN: The Present Simple tense is often used in 'Literary Present' to describe events happening in a movie, book, or play, regardless of when it was produced.
In the final scene, the hero saves the city.
EN: Prepositional phrases starting with 'At' or 'In' can function as adverbials of place or time, setting the context at the beginning of a sentence.
At the end of the day, we were all exhausted.
EN: The term 'mustang' refers to free-roaming horses of the Western United States. In the context of 'The Misfits', these horses symbolize a disappearing way of life and the loss of freedom, mirroring the struggles of the human characters.
EN: The verb 'plan' is followed by an infinitive (to + verb) to express an intention or future action. In this sentence, 'plan to capture' and 'plan to sell' share the same 'to' through a parallel structure.
We plan to visit the museum tomorrow.
EN: The conjunction 'and' connects two infinitive phrases ('capture the horses' and 'sell them'). When 'to' is used for the first verb, it is often omitted for the second verb to avoid repetition.
He wants to sit down and rest for a while.
EN: In the context of the film 'The Misfits' (亂點鴛鴦譜), this sentence highlights the tragic shift in the American West, where wild mustangs, once symbols of freedom, are reduced to mere commodities for industrial use, reflecting the characters' own feelings of obsolescence.
EN: The Present Perfect Tense (have/has + past participle) is used here to describe a state that started in the past and continues to the present, or a completed action with present relevance.
The old building has become a museum.
EN: Reflexive pronouns (themselves, myself, etc.) can be used for emphasis to highlight the specific person or thing being discussed.
The actors themselves were surprised by the ending.
EN: In the film 'The Misfits', the wild mustangs symbolize the fading era of the Old West and the loss of purpose. The comparison between the horses and the characters reflects the existential themes of the movie, which was the final film for both Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable.
EN: The verb 'give' is a ditransitive verb, which means it can take two objects: an indirect object (the film) and a direct object (a dark and serious atmosphere).
The teacher gave the students a difficult assignment.
EN: The phrasal verb 'deal with' means to be about something or to handle a particular subject or problem.
This book deals with the history of ancient Rome.
EN: John Huston was known for his 'macho' and gritty filmmaking style. 'The Misfits' is culturally significant as it was the final completed film for both Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable, reflecting a sense of 'end of an era' for Old Hollywood.
EN: The verb 'note' is often followed by a 'that' clause, which functions as a noun clause (the direct object of the verb) to report a fact, observation, or statement.
The report noted that the population is aging rapidly.
EN: The phrase 'bring something to something' is used to describe contributing a particular quality or feeling to a situation or role.
She brought a lot of energy to the team.
EN: David Thomson is a highly influential British film critic and historian known for his 'A New Biographical Dictionary of Film'. His assessment of Monroe's performance in 'The Misfits' reflects a common critical view that the film showcased her untapped potential as a serious dramatic actress, moving beyond her 'blonde bombshell' stereotype.
EN: The sentence uses a 'that-clause' as a noun clause acting as the direct object of the verb 'said'. It also contains a relative clause 'that was never fulfilled' to modify the noun 'phase'.
She believed that the project would succeed.
EN: The phrase 'because of' is a compound preposition used to provide a reason, followed by a noun or noun phrase.
The flight was canceled because of the heavy rain.
EN: The sentence refers to the tragic end of Marilyn Monroe's life. Her death in 1962 at age 36 remains one of Hollywood's most discussed events, as it cut short her transition from a 'blonde bombshell' stereotype to a serious dramatic actress, a shift that was beginning to show in 'The Misfits'.
Key vocabulary words with IPA pronunciation, definitions, example sentences, and interactive quizzes.
Phrases with type tags, bilingual definitions, usage notes, and example sentences.
The quality of being able to show or feel complex and serious emotions.
Behaving in a way that is likely to cause harm to oneself.
To move slowly or aimlessly through a place or life.
A particular period or stage in someone's professional life.