WHEN Rip awoke, the sun was shining. He rose, stiffly, and reached for his gun: but it was rusted and rotten. He whistled for Wolf: but Wolf never came. And when Rip turned sorrowfully for home, he found himself stumbling through a barely recognisable landscape.
The village was changed too, and it was not just the unwonted air of bustle. Old friends had died in a war. The former schoolmaster was now a grandee in something called Congress, and the King George was now the General Washington (whoever he was). In fact, twenty years had passed, and Rip had slept through the American Revolution.*
Doubters tapped their foreheads, but old Peter Vanderdonk remembered him, and was adamant that Rip’s wild tale only confirmed local legend. That quite satisfied the rest. Rip’s grown-up daughter took him into her home; and as his wife had died of apoplexy (scolding a pedlar) Rip lived happily ever after — though he never quite understood why they renamed the ‘King George’.
The American War of Independence began in 1775 with clashes between British troops and rebels at Lexington and Concord following The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, though the first stirrings had come with the so-called The Boston Tea Party in 1773. It ended in 1783 with recognition of the sovereign United States of America, having seen bloodshed on both sides of the Atlantic.
Précis
When Rip woke, he found his gun rusted, his dog gone, and the landscape strangely changed. His village seemed different too, from the people, who did not recognise him, to the very atmosphere. Eventually he realised he had slept for twenty years, and even missed the American Revolution. Fortunately, his grown-up daughter took him in, and Rip was content. (59 / 60 words)
When Rip woke, he found his gun rusted, his dog gone, and the landscape strangely changed. His village seemed different too, from the people, who did not recognise him, to the very atmosphere. Eventually he realised he had slept for twenty years, and even missed the American Revolution. Fortunately, his grown-up daughter took him in, and Rip was content.
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, besides, if, just, must, or, unless, whereas.
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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 Folk. Hear. Sleep.
2 Drink. Himself. Stare.
3 Beneath. He. Never.
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.)
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
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