Introduction
While Odysseus is in the court of King Alcinous, a court musician entertains them with the story of Hephaestus. He was the lame and ugly blacksmith to the gods, whom Zeus instructed Aphrodite to marry so that the other gods would stop fighting over her — a solution which did not solve anything at all.
SO very desirable was Aphrodite, that to bring peace to Olympus Zeus ordered her to marry Hephaestus, the lame and ugly blacksmith of the gods. But the peace was soon broken, for Helios, the sun-god, saw Aphrodite kissing Ares, god of war. He told Hephaestus, who stomped off to his workshop to brood.
At length, Hephaestus fashioned a cunning net so fine it could not be seen, yet so strong it could not be broken. He draped it about his marriage bed, and left for Lemnos, his favourite haunt. Ares watched him go, then slipped indoors to Aphrodite. They giggled their way into bed, and were instantly snared in Hephaestus’s net.
Hephaestus went with gloomy satisfaction to Zeus, to demand compensation for his wife’s proven infidelities. The other gods laughed till they cried. Hermes and Apollo offered to swap places with Ares, net or no net.
At last, Poseidon agreed to compensate the blacksmith for his injured pride, and a humiliated Aphrodite swept off to Paphos on Cyprus, to be pampered by the Graces.
Précis
Aphrodite, not pleased to be married off to the ugly blacksmith Hephaestus, had an affair with mighty Ares. Smarting at the humiliation, Hephaestus used his skill to craft a fine net to catch the lovers in the act. When the other gods had finished laughing, Poseidon reluctantly offered compensation, and the aggrieved husband let the lovers go. (57 / 60 words)
Aphrodite, not pleased to be married off to the ugly blacksmith Hephaestus, had an affair with mighty Ares. Smarting at the humiliation, Hephaestus used his skill to craft a fine net to catch the lovers in the act. When the other gods had finished laughing, Poseidon reluctantly offered compensation, and the aggrieved husband let the lovers go.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: besides, despite, just, may, must, or, until, who.
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.
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 Marry. Strong. Till.
2 Compensation. Injure. Workshop.
3 Bed. Snare. So.
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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