RUTH’s fever passed, but when she asked after the kitchen cat, Nurse feigned ignorance. There was no cat, she assured the doctor, only a child’s fevered imagination playing tricks. So the cat stayed in the kitchen; but Ruth in her nursery grew listless, and her recovery faltered.
Nurse Smith brought Ruth’s father to the nursery to scold or jolly her out of it. Ruth, she told him, worries herself with ‘fancies’. But Ruth had every comfort, protested her father. What was there to worry about? Taking a deep breath, Ruth told him that she missed her best friend. Who? asked Mr Lorimer, bewildered. Her cousin? No! The kitchen cat. At once her father ordered the raggedy little creature to be found and brought in, and mortally offended Nurse by delegating the task to her.
Ruth soon recovered, but life in Gower Street had changed. For Mr Lorimer found he had lost interest in his books and dinner engagements. He now preferred to spend his evenings at home with Ruth - and of course, the kitchen cat.
Précis
After she got better from her fever, Ruth wanted to see the little kitchen cat, but Nurse Smith chose to put her talk of a cat down to lingering fever. But Ruth managed to get her father on her side, and soon the little cat brought Ruth and her father much closer together. (53 / 60 words)
After she got better from her fever, Ruth wanted to see the little kitchen cat, but Nurse Smith chose to put her talk of a cat down to lingering fever. But Ruth managed to get her father on her side, and soon the little cat brought Ruth and her father much closer together.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: despite, just, must, not, since, unless, whereas, whether.
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Word Games
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Dinner. Scavenge. Stair.
2 Ask. Bony. Talk.
3 Away. Found. So.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Homonyms Find in Think and Speak
Each of the words below has more than one possible meaning. Compose your own sentences to show what those different meanings are.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1. Left. 2. Down. 3. Keep. 4. Order. 5. Even. 6. Live. 7. Found. 8. Pass. 9. Play.
Prepositions Find in Think and Speak
Each of the words below may be followed by one or more prepositions. Compose your own sentences to show which they might be. Some prepositions are given underneath.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1. Talk. 2. Offended. 3. Walk.
Selected Prepositions
About. Against. Among. At. By. For. From. In. Into. Of. On. Out. Over. Through. To. Towards. Upon. With.
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
brchs (5+1)
birches. breaches. breeches. broaches. brooches.
brioches.
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