Introduction
Charles Henry Ross and his wife Isabelle Émilie de Tessier, alias Marie Duval, were the co-creators of Ally Sloper, ‘hero’ of one of the earliest strip cartoons, and the first recurrent character. Charles also had a fund of anecdotes proving that cats are just as clever as “their much-vaunted rival, the dog”.
A FAMILY in Callander* had in their possession a favourite Tom Cat, which had, upon several occasions, exhibited more than ordinary sagacity.
One day, Tom made off with a piece of beef, and the servant followed him cautiously, with the intention of catching, and administering to him a little wholesome correction. To her amazement, she saw the Cat go to a corner of the yard where she knew a rat-hole existed, and lay the beef down by the side of it.
Leaving the beef there, he hid himself a short distance off, and watched until a rat made its appearance. Tom’s tail then began to wag, and just as the rat was moving away with the bait, he sprang upon, and killed it.
Callandar (Calasraid in Gaelic) is a town on the River Teith near Stirling in Perthshire, central Scotland.
Précis
Victorian cartoonist Charles Ross tells how a clever cat from Scotland once stole a slice of beef from his owners, and ran off with it to a barn where there was a rat hole. He popped the meat down by the hole as bait, and waited until a rat came to investigate. At once, Tom pounced, and killed the rat. (60 / 60 words)
Victorian cartoonist Charles Ross tells how a clever cat from Scotland once stole a slice of beef from his owners, and ran off with it to a barn where there was a rat hole. He popped the meat down by the hole as bait, and waited until a rat came to investigate. At once, Tom pounced, and killed the rat.
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, because, just, must, not, whereas, whether, who.
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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.
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 Catch. Make. Several.
2 Favorite. Go. Move.
3 Hide. Much. Their.
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.)
Opposites Find in Think and Speak
Suggest words or phrases that seem opposite in meaning to each of the words below. We have suggested some possible answers; see if you can find any others.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
Variations: 1.instead of opposites, suggest words of similar meaning (synonyms). 2.use a word and its opposite in the same sentence. 3.suggest any 5 opposites formed by adding dis-.
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.
tngs (6+1)
outings. tangos. tangs. tinges. tongs. tongues.
tings.
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