Introduction
Joseph has explained Pharaoh’s troubling dreams, and such is Pharaoh’s relief that he has appointed him to oversee the kingdom’s granaries. Now famine has brought Joseph’s brothers to Egypt to buy grain, but they have no idea that the aristocratic Egyptian before them is the brother they sold into slavery.
JOSEPH’S brothers presented themselves humbly before him, quite unaware who he was, and declared that they had come from Canaan to buy corn. But Joseph, speaking loftily and through an interpreter (as if he knew no Hebrew), denounced them as spies.
Hastily, they explained that they were just an ordinary family, minus the youngest. But Joseph, remembering the childhood dreams in which all eleven of his brothers bowed low before him, said he would sell them some corn but he would keep Simeon hostage until the others produced this youngest brother. He overheard Reuben mutter that it was a judgment on them for their treatment of their brother Joseph, and had to hide his tears.
When the brothers arrived back home, Jacob was angry. Joseph and Simeon were lost, he said, and Benjamin would be next. Then they opened their corn sacks, only to discover the money they had paid for it stuffed inside. How were they to explain that to the Egyptian aristocrat?
Archive
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 Brother. Buy. Tear.
2 Bow. Childhood. Pay.
3 Before. He. Overhear.
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-.
Statements, Questions and Commands Find in Think and Speak
Use each word below in a sentence. Try to include at least one statement, one question and one command among your sentences. Note that some verbs make awkward or meaningless words of command, e.g. need, happen.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Remember. 2 Stuff. 3 Tear. 4 Sell. 5 Spy. 6 Back. 7 Present. 8 Hide. 9 Speak.
Variations: 1. use a minimum of seven words for each sentence 2. include negatives, e.g. isn’t, don’t, never 3. use the words ‘must’ to make commands 4. compose a short dialogue containing all three kinds of sentence: one statement, one question and one command
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.
bsts (7+1)
bastes. beasts. besets. bests. boasts. boosts. busts.
oboists.
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