He now paced the deck, moving the stump of his lost arm in a manner which always indicated great emotion. “Do you know,” said he to Mr Ferguson,* “what is shewn on board the commander-in-chief? No. 39!” Mr Ferguson asked what that meant. “Why, to leave off action!” Then, shrugging up his shoulders, he repeated the words “Leave off action? Now, damn me if I do! You know, Foley,”* turning to the captain, “I have only one eye, I have a right to be blind sometimes:” and then, putting the glass to his blind eye, in that mood of mind which sports with bitterness,* he exclaimed, “really I do not see the signal!”
Presently he exclaimed, “Damn the signal! Keep mine for closer battle flying! That’s the way I answer such signals! Nail mine to the mast!”*
Abridged
* The surgeon aboard Nelson’s ship HMS Elephant.
* Later Admiral Sir Thomas Foley (1757-1833).
* That is, that mood in which people make a joke out of any painful feelings they may have.
* Nelson was vindicated. Within half an hour, the enemy’s guns had been silenced. “The brave Danes are the brothers,” Nelson wrote to the Crown Prince of Denmark, proposing an armistice, “and should never be the enemies of the English.” He sealed his letter not with the proffered disc of dampened starch (a ‘wafer’) but with wax and a large seal. “This is no time to appear hurried and informal” he observed.
Précis
When Nelson at last learnt of the signal calling on him to retreat, he was incredulous. Then, remembering that he was blind in one eye, he put his telescope to his eye-patch and declared triumphantly that he could not see Parker’s message. Nelson then pressed ahead into battle, flying his own signal to attack, and went on to win. (59 / 60 words)
When Nelson at last learnt of the signal calling on him to retreat, he was incredulous. Then, remembering that he was blind in one eye, he put his telescope to his eye-patch and declared triumphantly that he could not see Parker’s message. Nelson then pressed ahead into battle, flying his own signal to attack, and went on to win.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, although, besides, must, otherwise, unless, until, whereas.
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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 Blind. Deck. Shoot.
2 Feeling. Retreat. Way.
3 Can. Condition. He.
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.)
Subject and Object Find in Think and Speak
Use each word below in two sentences, first as the subject of a verb, and then as the object of a verb. It doesn’t have to be the same verb: some verbs can’t be paired with an object (e.g. arrive, happen), so watch out for these.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1. Show. 2. Manner. 3. Answer. 4. Stop. 5. Mood. 6. Excitement. 7. Mistake. 8. Mine. 9. Fly.
Variations: 1.use your noun in the plural (e.g. cat → cats), if possible. 2.give one of your sentences a future aspect (e.g. will, going to). 3.write sentences using negatives such as not, neither, nobody and never.
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 Move. 2 Indicate. 3 Sport. 4 Continue. 5 Keep. 6 Present. 7 Add. 8 Fly. 9 Make.
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.
mst (5)
mast. mist. moist. most. must.
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