Introduction
By the autumn of 1724, kidney disease was exaggerating Emperor Peter the Great’s contradictions. Fleeting bursts of ill-temper had settled into peevish melancholy; he had fallen out with his mentor Alexander Menshikov; he had quitted his palace to live in a wooden cottage; and exhausting days of duty merged into exhausting nights of wine. But in a crisis, the old Peter was still there.
LATE in November, at twilight of a cold rainy day, he [Peter] sailed his yacht into the Bay of Kronstadt near Petersburg. A storm was brewing, and he saw a boat full of boys aground on a sandbar. With all his old energy Peter dashed to their rescue.
The storm broke in a fury of icy wind and rain. The boys on the stranded boat, a frail little pleasure craft they had taken out for a day’s sail, were frantic. They were on their knees praying, apparently unable to do anything to save themselves.
Peter, approaching as close as he could, jumped into the shallow water and by a superhuman effort, pulled the boat clear. It was leaking badly, and the boys were too terrified to bail it out or to try to wade ashore.
Buffeted by the storm, Peter and his men worked all night removing the boys from the boat, carrying them ashore and reviving them around great bonfires. Twenty lads owed their lives to Peter’s efforts.*
When it was all over, he went to bed with a violent attack of abdominal pain and a high fever. After a week or so he recovered enough to go home to his beloved Petersburg. He never left it again.
* In 1913, a strikingly similar incident occurred when a small boat, carrying spectators eager for a closer look at a British warship, capsized in the harbour at Kronstadt near St Petersburg. “Instantly some twenty of our bluejackets (officers and men) dived amongst them,” Herbert Bury tells us, “and in the shortest possible time had them safe in their righted boat again. This made a great impression in Russia, and, though news travels slowly in that vast country, this story went everywhere, continually evoking the comment, ‘Then — it’s true, all that we’ve been told about them — and their officers dived in to save the lives of poor peasant folk!’” For another story of heroism, see The Wreck of the ‘Dutton’.
Précis
In November 1724, Peter the Great spied a boatful of young boys in difficulty in Kronstadt Bay, just as a storm was picking up. He leapt into the water, and together with men from his own yacht spent much of the night rescuing the boys one by one, though it took a heavy toll on his already failing health. (59 / 60 words)
In November 1724, Peter the Great spied a boatful of young boys in difficulty in Kronstadt Bay, just as a storm was picking up. He leapt into the water, and together with men from his own yacht spent much of the night rescuing the boys one by one, though it took a heavy toll on his already failing health.
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, although, besides, despite, must, ought, until, who.
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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 Bay. Fury. Twenty.
2 Near. Never. Their.
3 Aground. Full. Week.
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.
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 in-.
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?
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