- [countable] a story long enough to fill a complete book, in which the characters and events are usually imaginary
- to write/publish/read a novel
- detective/historical/romantic novels
- the novels of Jane Austen
- Her latest novel is set in Cornwall.
- a best-selling novel
- Highsmith's debut novel was a bestseller in 1949.
Collocations LiteratureLiteratureBeing a writer- write/publish literature/poetry/fiction/a book/a story/a poem/a novel/a review/an autobiography
- become a writer/novelist/playwright
- find/have a publisher/an agent
- have a new book out
- edit/revise/proofread a book/text/manuscript
- dedicate a book/poem to…
- construct/create/weave/weave something into a complex narrative
- advance/drive the plot
- introduce/present the protagonist/a character
- describe/depict/portray a character (as…)/(somebody as) a hero/villain
- create an exciting/a tense atmosphere
- build/heighten the suspense/tension
- evoke/capture the pathos of the situation
- convey emotion/an idea/an impression/a sense of…
- engage the reader
- seize/capture/grip the (reader’s) imagination
- arouse/elicit emotion/sympathy (in the reader)
- lack imagination/emotion/structure/rhythm
- use/employ language/imagery/humour/(US English) humor/an image/a symbol/a metaphor/a device
- use/adopt/develop a style/technique
- be rich in/be full of symbolism
- evoke images of…/a sense of…/a feeling of…
- create/achieve an effect
- maintain/lighten the tone
- introduce/develop an idea/a theme
- inspire a novel/a poet/somebody’s work/somebody’s imagination
- read an author/somebody’s work/fiction/poetry/a text/a poem/a novel/a chapter/a passage
- review a book/a novel/somebody’s work
- give something/get/have/receive a good/bad review
- be hailed (as)/be recognized as a masterpiece
- quote a(n) phrase/line/stanza/passage/author
- provoke/spark discussion/criticism
- study/interpret/understand a text/passage
- translate somebody’s work/a text/a passage/a novel/a poem
Extra ExamplesTopics Literature and writinga2- Her first novel was finally accepted for publication.
- I took a copy of a Graham Greene novel on the train with me.
- One day I'm going to write the great American novel.
- Samuel Richardson's novels are all epistolary in form.
- She completed her first novel at the age of 53.
- The novel was based on a true life story.
- The novel was set in a small town in France.
- a novel about growing up
- a prize for the best first novel of the year
- adapting the novel for television
- his critically acclaimed novel
- the events that inspired the novel
- His first novel was published in 1934.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- hardback
- hardcover
- paperback
- …
- copy
- produce
- write
- publish
- …
- be based on something
- be set
- take place
- …
- novel about
- the novel[singular] the type of literature that novels represent
- The novel is the most adaptable of all literary forms.
Word Originnoun mid 16th cent.: from Italian novella (storia) ‘new (story)’, feminine of novello ‘new’, from Latin novellus, from novus ‘new’. The word is also found from late Middle English until the 18th cent. in the sense ‘a novelty, a piece of news’, from Old French novelle, from Latin novellus, from novus ‘new’.
Check pronunciation:
novel