THE White Heather of course could afford to pick and choose; not so certain smaller clubs we played against, whose members were sometimes more competent than socially satisfactory.
Once there was a celebrated match at Falconhurst, on which occasion Meriel’s father, Mr J. Talbot, gave a sumptuous luncheon to both elevens in a marquee, and the visiting team, whose behaviour had been rather rowdy all morning, now began hacking strands off the beautiful ferns that stood along the centre of the narrow tables, the idea being to gain easier access to the lobster salad. At this point Meriel rose in her place, and no one who had the privilege of hearing her utter the words: “Leave those ferns alone, please!” could question her fitness for the posts of command she has since occupied.
When golf arrived in England, the cricket mania, which involved a certain amount of restlessness, was superseded as far as I was concerned, but it was a very jolly mania while it lasted.
Abridged
Falconhurst lies a few miles west of Tunbridge in Kent. The elegant country house (now a wedding venue) was built by John Chetwyn-Talbot in 1852, along with a model farm, church and school. His son John Gilbert Talbot (1835-1910), a Conservative MP who was Disraeli’s Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade and later a Privy Councillor, was Meriel’s father. Her mother (also called Meriel) was cricketer Alfred Lyttelton’s sister.
Précis
Meriel later became an important figure in the Government, and Ethel claimed that she had seen her potential during lunch at a cricket match organised by Meriel’s father. Members of the opposing team had begun behaving in a somewhat anti-social manner, and the manner in which Meriel quelled them suggested to Ethel a woman born to command. (57 / 60 words)
Meriel later became an important figure in the Government, and Ethel claimed that she had seen her potential during lunch at a cricket match organised by Meriel’s father. Members of the opposing team had begun behaving in a somewhat anti-social manner, and the manner in which Meriel quelled them suggested to Ethel a woman born to command.
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: besides, despite, if, must, not, or, otherwise, since.
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
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 Leave. Stand. True.
2 Rest. Saw. While.
3 Father. Hack. Toward.
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.)
Statements, Questions and Commands Find in Think and Speak
Use each word below in a sentence. Try to include at least one statement, one question and one command among your sentences. Note that some verbs make awkward or meaningless words of command, e.g. need, happen.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Course. 2 Light. 3 Place. 4 Command. 5 Run. 6 Rise. 7 Point. 8 Rest. 9 Access.
Variations: 1. use a minimum of seven words for each sentence 2. include negatives, e.g. isn’t, don’t, never 3. use the words ‘must’ to make commands 4. compose a short dialogue containing all three kinds of sentence: one statement, one question and one command
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.
frs (12+1)
fairies. fairs. fares. fears. fires. firs. foresee. fours. frees. fries. furious. furs.
freesia.
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