“IT’S a very useful one, at any rate,” answered Nickleby.
“I believe you,” rejoined Squeers, not remarking the emphasis of his usher. “Third boy, what’s a horse?”
“A beast, sir,” replied the boy.
“So it is,” said Squeers; “ain’t it, Nickleby?”
“I believe there is no doubt of that, sir,” answered Nicholas.
“Of course there isn’t,” replied Squeers. “A horse is a quadruped, and quadruped’s Latin for beast, as everybody that’s gone through the grammar knows, or else where’s the use of having grammars at all?”*
“Where, indeed?” said Nicholas, abstractedly.
“As you’re perfect in that,” resumed Squeers, turning to the boy, “go and look after my horse, and rub him down well, or I’ll rub you down. The rest of the class go and draw water up, till somebody tells you to leave off, for it’s washing day to-morrow, and they want the coppers filled.”
So saying, he dismissed the first class to their experiments in practical philosophy, and stood eyeing Nicholas with a look half doubtful, half cunning.
* ‘Quadruped’ is of course an English word, though derived from Latin quadrupes, -pedis. Strictly speaking it means ‘four-footed animal’, though in fairness to Squeers most animals called ‘beasts’ are indeed four-footed, such as cattle, deer and horses.
Précis
Nicholas is hard pressed to find much good to say of Squeers’s teaching system, but for the moment Squeers is too thick-skinned to notice. He sets further practical assignments for the boys, and turns again to Nicholas for approbation, but by now his assistant’s faintly sardonic replies are beginning to make themselves felt and doubt is setting in. (58 / 60 words)
Nicholas is hard pressed to find much good to say of Squeers’s teaching system, but for the moment Squeers is too thick-skinned to notice. He sets further practical assignments for the boys, and turns again to Nicholas for approbation, but by now his assistant’s faintly sardonic replies are beginning to make themselves felt and doubt is setting in.
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: because, besides, may, not, or, otherwise, ought, whereas.
Archive
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 Our. Rejoin. There.
2 Do. Tell. Think.
3 Cleaning. His. Temporary.
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.)
Adjectives Find in Think and Speak
For each word below, compose sentences to show that it may be used as an adjective. Adjectives provide extra information about a noun, e.g. a black cat, a round table, the early bird etc..
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Left. 2 Mean. 3 Same. 4 Sure. 5 Regular. 6 Ill. 7 Winning. 8 Used. 9 Useless.
Variations: 1.show whether your adjective can also be used as e.g. a noun, verb or adverb. 2.show whether your adjective can be used in comparisons (e.g. good/better/best). 3.show whether your adjective can be used in attributive position (e.g. a dangerous corner) and also in predicate position (this corner is dangerous).
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. Doubt. 2. Day. 3. Window. 4. Reply. 5. Turn. 6. Leave. 7. Till. 8. System. 9. Hand.
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.
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.
cd (10+2)
aced. acid. cad. cede. cod. coda. code. cooed. cued. iced.
coed. cud.
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