IT is true that the chief cities of Britain were exempt from oppression. They elected their own magistrates and made their own laws, but they enjoyed this liberty because their inhabitants were either Roman soldiers or their allies.
Outside these cities the great mass of the native population were bound to the soil, while a large proportion of them were absolute slaves. Their work was in the brick fields, the quarries, the mines, or in the ploughed land, or the forest. Their homes were wretched cabins plastered with mud, thatched with straw, and built on the estates of masters who paid no wages.
The masters lived in stately villas adorned with pavements of different colored marbles and beautifully painted walls. These country-houses, often as large as palaces, were warmed in winter, like our modern dwellings, with currents of heated air, while in summer they opened on terraces ornamented with vases and statuary, and on spacious gardens of fruits and flowers.*
Abridged
Montgomery’s remarks continue with Rome, Ruin and Revenue.
Précis
Montgomery illustrated the deceptiveness of Roman civilisation in Britain by contrasting the country estates and surprisingly modern villas enjoyed by wealthy urban dwellers (mostly Roman military veterans and their friends) with the wattle-and-daub huts of the conquered Britons, who worked for their Continental masters for little or no pay. (49 / 60 words)
Montgomery illustrated the deceptiveness of Roman civilisation in Britain by contrasting the country estates and surprisingly modern villas enjoyed by wealthy urban dwellers (mostly Roman military veterans and their friends) with the wattle-and-daub huts of the conquered Britons, who worked for their Continental masters for little or no pay.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 45 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, despite, if, must, otherwise, unless, whereas, whether.
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Word Games
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 All. Although. True.
2 Build. Our. Prisoner.
3 City. Dwelling. Work.
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. Paint. 2. Rise. 3. Fruit. 4. Brick. 5. Case. 6. City. 7. Truth. 8. Wall. 9. Current.
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.
trm (5+1)
atrium. term. tram. trauma. trim.
tearoom.
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