THAT night, two thieves crept into the church to divide up their ill-gotten gains.
They had not noticed the peasant sitting quietly in the dark, and jumped out of their skins when he interrupted them in the middle of a childish argument over a gilded sabre, to suggest that the prize should go to the one who was man enough to chop off the head of the corpse in the coffin.
At that, the corpse sat up with a shriek, and began scrambling out of his casket. The two thieves ran for their lives.
Some time later, Marko and the peasant had finished sharing out the robbers’ loot between them, and sat back in companionable contentment.
‘And now’ said the peasant, introducing a discordant note, ‘how about my penny?’
Marko looked at him across his heap of gold coins, jewellery and silverware. ‘I’ll have to owe you’ he said solemnly. ‘I’ve no small change.’
Précis
Two thieves entered the church where Marko was pretending to be dead, carrying their swag. When the peasant, keeping vigil still, suggested they decide an argument by decapitating Marko, the supposed corpse let out a yell that frightened the thieves away. Marko and the peasant shared the swag, but still Marko claimed he had no penny to repay his debt. (60 / 60 words)
Two thieves entered the church where Marko was pretending to be dead, carrying their swag. When the peasant, keeping vigil still, suggested they decide an argument by decapitating Marko, the supposed corpse let out a yell that frightened the thieves away. Marko and the peasant shared the swag, but still Marko claimed he had no penny to repay his debt.
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, because, despite, or, ought, unless, who.
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.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
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 Interrupt. Saber. Stretch.
2 Discordant. Help. Water.
3 Borrow. Round. Some.
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.)
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.
ths (6+1)
ethos. oaths. these. this. those. thus.
outhouse.
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