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For each item below, think of three varieties of it, e.g. cat → lion, tiger, tabby. See if you can write a scene appropriate for one but not the other two. Try to include a person, a location and some sort of action.
IClocks. IIFlowers. IIIBags.
Grandfather clock. Stopwatch. Timer on an explosive device. Roses. Carnations. Buttercups. Handbag. Shopping bag. Golf bag.
Report this conversation from Tolstoy’s War and Peace. You could begin: “Anna Pávlovna asked M. Pierre...”.
Anna Pávlovna: “Do you know the Abbé Morio? He is a most interesting man.”
Monsieur Pierre: “Yes, I have heard of his scheme for perpetual peace, and it is very interesting but hardly feasible.”
For example
Here is a line from the same novel:
“I am very glad I did not go to the ambassador’s,” said Prince Hippolyte “— so dull.”
This may be reported as:
Prince Hippolyte said that he was very glad that he had not gone to the Ambassador’s, as it would have been insufferably dull.
Rewrite each sentence below, keeping the same idea but avoiding the use of the highlighted metaphor, either by replacing it with another or by not using a metaphor at all.
1Kevin was shaken by the news.
2Nice try, but I’m not going to take the bait.
3That remark was below the belt.
Based on an exercise in Straightforward English (1949) by NL Clay.
Rewrite these sentences to eliminate the word ‘and’. There may be several ways of doing this; see how many you can think of.
1 I asked for a night’s lodging and she said I was welcome to the bed in the loft.
2 I fitted my key into the door and just then I noticed a man and he was at my elbow.
3 I walked into the room and there was an old man and he was at the head of the table and he rose.
For example
I scrambled to my feet and looked around.
Scrambling to my feet, I looked around.
When I had scrambled to my feet, I looked around.
These sentences are based on sentences in the novels of John Buchan.
Rewrite these sentences so that they do not use the word ‘if’.
1. If the terms of the treaty were made public, it would mean disaster.
2. If that does not succeed, don’t be discouraged.
3. If you get yourselves into trouble with the police, I can’t officially help you out of it.
For example
We have plenty of time to get there if we take the tube.
By taking the tube, we can get there in plenty of time.
Let’s take the tube, so we don’t need to worry about getting there in time.
Provided we take the tube...
Unless we take the tube, we’ll be cutting it a bit fine.
Sentences taken from the novels of Agatha Christie. Based on an exercise in Advanced English Exercises (1939) by NL Clay.
Use each phrase below in two sentences, once adjectivally, so that it qualifies a noun (e.g. to the town → The road to the town was flooded), and once adverbially, so that it qualifies a verb (e.g. Bob walked to the town). You may like to use the words indicated underneath each phrase.
1 At the corner.
Shop (n). Wait (vb).
2 Under the floorboards.
Strongbox (n). Look (vb).
3 By Charles Dickens.
Story (n). Write (vb).
Adapted from an exercise in Exercises 12-13 (1933) by NL Clay.