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19

Train
Find in Think and Speak

Make as many words as you can from just nine letters. Can you beat our score?

See All Words

acer acne acre airy alert alien alit alter ante anti antic antler article arty cairn cane cant canter care caret cart cartel cater cent central cert certain certainly cine cite city clan claret clarinet clarity clay clean clear cleat client crane crate cretin cyan earl early earn eclair eclat elan enact entail entry inert inlay inlet inter irate lace lacier lacy lain lair laity lance lancer lancet lane larceny late latency later latrine layer lean leant learn learnt leat lenity lent liar lice lien line linear liner lint lira lire litany lite literacy litre lyre lyric nacre nail narc near nearly neat neatly nectar nice nicely nicer nicety nitre race racily racy rail rain rainy rani rant rate react real reality realty recant recital rectal rein relay reliant relic rely renal rent rental retail retain retina retinal rice rile rite tail talc tale tare tarn teal tear tern tier tile tiler tine tiny tire trace trail train trance tray treacly trey trial trice tyre yarn year yearn yeti
certainly clarinet article central certain clarity reality recital reliant antler canter cartel claret client entail nectar nicety retail retain trance alert alien alter cater clean clear crane crate early entry inlet irate laity lance later layer learn react relay relic trace trail train trial yearn acre airy cane care cart cent cite city clan clay earl earn lace lair lane late lean lent liar lain line lice lyre nail near neat nice race rail rain rant rate real rein rely rent rice rite tail tale tear tier tile tiny tire tyre tray yarn year
acer acne acre airy alert alien alit alter ante anti antic antler article arty cairn cane cant canter care caret cart cartel cater cent central cert certain certainly cine cite city clan claret clarinet clarity clay clean clear cleat client crane crate cretin cyan earl early earn eclair eclat elan enact entail entry inert inlay inlet inter irate lace lacier lacy lain lair laity lance lancer lancet lane larceny late latency later latrine layer lean leant learn learnt leat lenity lent liar lice lien line linear liner lint lira lire litany lite literacy litre lyre lyric nacre nail narc near nearly neat neatly nectar nice nicely nicer nicety nitre race racily racy rail rain rainy rani rant rate react real reality realty recant recital rectal rein relay reliant relic rely renal rent rental retail retain retina retinal rice rile rite tail talc tale tare tarn teal tear tern tier tile tiler tine tiny tire trace trail train trance tray treacly trey trial trice tyre yarn year yearn yeti

Posted February 9

Tags: Polywords (19)

Picture: © Christopher Michel, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 2.0.. Source.

20

The Prophecy of Peter of Pomfret
By George McKinnon Wrong

Peter foretold that King John would cease to be England’s sovereign, and he was right, though John still wore his crown.

Peter of Pomfret (Pontefract, near Wakefield in Yorkshire’s West Riding) was a simple, unlettered hermit who incautiously prophesied that by Ascension Day in 1213, King John would no longer be king of England. When that day had passed, and John still sat upon his throne, the King had poor Peter hanged; but as Sir George Wrong explains, the prophecy wasn’t so wide of the mark.

Posted February 9

Read

Jigsaws: Join this group of ideas together to make a single sentence, in as many ways as you can. See if you can include any of the words in square brackets.

John wanted John de Grey as Archbishop of Canterbury. The Pope appointed Stephen Langton. John rejected Stephen Langton. [Candidate. Favour. Override.]

Tags: Copy Book (97)

Picture: By Edward Altham (1629–1694), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.. Source.

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21

One Delicious Grinding Snip
By George Eliot

If little Maggie Tulliver is going to get her hair cut, it’s going to be done on her own terms.

Little Maggie Tulliver’s aunts have called round, and she has been subjected to repeated criticism for her heavy shock of unruly black hair. Even her father has ventured that “it ’ud be as well if Bessy ’ud have the child’s hair cut, so as it ’ud lie smooth.” Rebellion rises, and Maggie beckons to her older brother Tom.

Posted February 8

Read

Jigsaws: Join this group of ideas together to make a single sentence, in as many ways as you can. See if you can include any of the words in square brackets.

Maggie was upset. People kept telling her to get a haircut. She cut it herself. [Badger. Enough. Own.]

Tags: Copy Book (97)

Picture: By William McGregor Paxton (1869–1941), Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.. Source.

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22

Verbs

Make sentences with verbs such as look up, and look behind.

Try making sentences with verbs such as ‘look at’ and ‘look for’.

For example: Look for.

→ Look for trouble whenever you see a cat.

ILook after. IILook around. IIILook at. IVLook behind. VLook for. VILook inside. VIILook into. VIIILook over. IXLook through. XLook under. XILook up.

Variation: Try to include an adverb or adverb phrase, e.g. ‘anxiously’, ‘with anxiety written all over his face’, etc..

These words may help jog your imagination.

Bed. Box. Cupboard. Eyes. Friend. Hedge. Invalid. Keyhole. Keys. Museum. Postage stamp. Report. Room. Window. Word.

Posted February 8

Tags: Think and Speak (49) Verbs (3)

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23

Artful Lizzy Bennet
By Jane Austen

Elizabeth Bennet stonewalls her way through a disagreeable encounter with Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

In Pride and Prejudice, Lady Catherine de Bourgh has heard that her wealthy nephew, Fitzwilliam Darcy, is planning to propose to Elizabeth Bennet, instead of her own daughter. She has raced to Longbourn, Elizabeth’s home, to demand an explanation of the ‘impossible’, but Lizzy sees no reason to be defensive.

Posted February 6

Read

Jigsaws: Join this group of ideas together to make a single sentence, in as many ways as you can. See if you can include any of the words in square brackets.

Do you want to ask me questions? I can’t stop you. I don’t have to answer them. [If. Like. Oblige.]

Tags: Copy Book (97)

Picture: By Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830), © Sailko, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0.. Source.

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24

Jigsaw Sentences
Find in Think and Speak

Combine each group of ideas into one sentence, in as many ways as you can. See if you can work in one or more of the words suggested.

1 He felt a tug on his coat-tails. He looked round. It was the fat boy. [Attention. See. When.]

2 The maid was asleep on the kitchen table. They had to wake her. This took some time. [Expect. Necessary. Who.]

Sentences based on Charles Dickens’s Pickwick Papers.

Posted February 6

Tags: Jigsaw Sentences (5) Think and Speak (49)

Picture: By Ivan Kulikov (1875–1941), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.. Source.

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For Today • March 28 • The birth of Thomas Clarkson

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For Today • March 28 • William Symington’s ‘Charlotte Dundas’ successfully tested

In This Sign Conquer Bishop Eusebius recalls what Constantine told him about the vision that brought him the crown.

Posted February 26 • The Copy Book

Phrases Use phrases such as ‘to the town’ in sentences, with nouns or with verbs.

Posted February 26

The Marks of a Tyrant Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle explains what it is that defines a tyranny.

Posted February 25 • The Copy Book

Keep It Short Plutarch argues that it when it comes to strong speech, less is always more.

Posted February 24 • The Copy Book

Anagrams Shuffle the letters of each of these words to make new ones. See if you can match the number indicated.

Posted February 23 • Think and Speak

Polyword: Mere Make as many words as you can using the letters of one nine-letter word. Can you beat our score?

Posted February 21 • Think and Speak

Go to the Ant Solomon recommends taking lessons from one of God’s smallest but most hard-working creatures.

Posted February 20 • The Copy Book

Chariots of Steam Erasmus Darwin imagines how steam power will change the world.

Posted February 16 • The Copy Book

Music Video Modest Mussorgsky: Sorochinsky Fair: Gopak

Posted February 16

Fragments Develop these short phrases into complete sentences.

Posted February 15 • Think and Speak

The Moral Case for Family Farms Richard Cobden called on Parliament to support small, family-owned farms.

Posted February 14 • The Copy Book

Hiawatha Takes a Photograph Lewis Carroll records a suburban photoshoot in the style of Longfellow.

Posted February 13 • The Copy Book

Nouns of Number William Cobbett gives his son James some helpful examples of collective nouns.

Posted February 13 • The Copy Book

Hiawatha’s Inspiration Henry Longfellow tells us how his tale of a heroic Native American warrior came to him.

Posted February 12 • The Copy Book

Near Synonyms These words have very similar meaning but they are not the same — can you show the difference?

Posted February 12

Music Video Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Hiawatha: And They Said Farewell Forever

Posted February 12

Music Video Leroy Anderson: Irish Suite: II. The Minstrel Boy

Posted February 11

The Travellers and the Axe Two men find an axe, and then find some trouble, but they aren’t keen on sharing either of them.

Posted February 11 • The Copy Book

Train

Posted February 9 • Think and Speak

The Prophecy of Peter of Pomfret Peter foretold that King John would cease to be England’s sovereign, and he was right, though John still wore his crown.

Posted February 9 • The Copy Book