Introduction
Following the death of William Wilberforce, the great anti-slavery campaigner, on July 29th, 1833, an impressive list of statesmen requested a fitting funeral in Westminster Abbey. Ordinary people grieved in their many thousands too, and a generation later Travers Buxton recalled that this affection was of long standing.
MORE striking still was the general mourning of the people of London and the respect shown to his memory both in this country and in the United States, especially among the coloured population who owed him so much. The reverence shown to Wilberforce by the public was indeed no new thing. He said of himself that the public treated him ‘as if he were some great person.’
Walking up a steep narrow street one day at Bath he saw a carter savagely ill-treating a horse which had fallen in trying to drag up a heavy load of coals. Wilberforce quickly stepped forward to intervene, horrified at the man’s cruelty, when the burly carter turned on him with a torrent of abuse and would have struck him had not his mate stopped him, and whispered who the gentleman was. In a moment the man was softened; his look of rage changed to one of reverence, and he apologised to Wilberforce for his rude violence.
Abridged
Précis
The death of William Wilberforce in 1833 prompted an outpouring of grief that was not merely the emotion of the moment. Some time before, Wilberforce had stepped in to save a coal man’s horse from a beating; and such was Wilberforce’s reputation, the instant the offender learnt who had accosted him all indignation vanished, and he apologised handsomely. (58 / 60 words)
The death of William Wilberforce in 1833 prompted an outpouring of grief that was not merely the emotion of the moment. Some time before, Wilberforce had stepped in to save a coal man’s horse from a beating; and such was Wilberforce’s reputation, the instant the offender learnt who had accosted him all indignation vanished, and he apologised handsomely.
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, despite, if, just, may, ought, since, unless.
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.
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 Especial. Himself. Horrify.
2 Public. Respect. Whisper.
3 Carter. Heavy. Rude.
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.)
Confusables Find in Think and Speak
In each group below, you will find words that are similar to one another, but not exactly the same. Compose your own sentences to bring out the similarities and differences between them, whether in meaning, grammar or use.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
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.
dnt (6)
daunt. denote. dent. dint. donate. donut.
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