Introduction
Henry II was the grandson of Henry I and the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, and spent much of his life in the French estates he inherited from them. Henry managed to restore order to a country torn apart by almost thirty years of civil war, but is remembered today chiefly for a bitter dispute with Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury.
AFTER the death of Henry I, his daughter Matilda was denied the crown by her cousin Stephen, and their stubborn rivalry left England and Wales in chaos. Stephen died childless in 1154, but Matilda’s son Henry II moved quickly to restore order, both at home and in northern France. Among his many reforms, he expanded the use and role of the jury, a defining feature of English justice ever since.
However, when Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, asked for greater independence from the Crown, Henry refused, and a furious argument erupted. Four of Henry’s knights, hoping to ingratiate themselves with Henry, murdered the Archbishop in his cathedral, but succeeded only in making a martyr of him.*
In 1173, Henry’s son Richard, supported by Queen Eleanor, led the first of a series of revolts against his father. At last the King, feeling weary and betrayed, fell victim to a fever and died at Chinon in France on 6th July, 1189.
Précis
Henry II brought order to England after the Anarchy created by Stephen and Matilda, and instituted the jury system which still lies at the heart of British justice. But he could not control the ambition of his sons and their mother, and was undermined by his loyal but foolish knights, who made a martyr of Archbishop Thomas Becket. (58 / 60 words)
Henry II brought order to England after the Anarchy created by Stephen and Matilda, and instituted the jury system which still lies at the heart of British justice. But he could not control the ambition of his sons and their mother, and was undermined by his loyal but foolish knights, who made a martyr of Archbishop Thomas Becket.
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, besides, despite, must, otherwise, ought, unless, until.
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 Among. Rivalry. Role.
2 I. Since. Succeed.
3 Father. Ingratiate. Use.
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.)
Adjectives Find in Think and Speak
For each word below, compose sentences to show that it may be used as an adjective. Adjectives provide extra information about a noun, e.g. a black cat, a round table, the early bird etc..
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Useful. 2 Greatest. 3 Leading. 4 Homeless. 5 Last. 6 Hopeful. 7 Moving. 8 Orderly. 9 Greater.
Variations: 1.show whether your adjective can also be used as e.g. a noun, verb or adverb. 2.show whether your adjective can be used in comparisons (e.g. good/better/best). 3.show whether your adjective can be used in attributive position (e.g. a dangerous corner) and also in predicate position (this corner is dangerous).
Homophones Find in Think and Speak
In each group below, you will find words that sound the same, but differ in spelling and also in meaning. Compose your own sentences to bring out the differences between them.
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.
trn (6+4)
tarn. tern. torn. train. trainee. turn.
outran. outrun. tureen. uterine.
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