Introduction
Columba brought twelve monks to Iona in 563, and set about converting the pagans of Scotland. Two years into his mission, his labours took him and the monk Lugne Mocumin, whom he had cured of a persistent nosebleed, to the River Ness at the eastern end of the famous Loch.
THE first thing Columba saw as he went down to the River Ness, hoping to cross to the other side, was that the only boat was moored on the far bank.
The second was that on this side, some villagers were digging a grave.
It seemed that a man had been mauled by a wild thing in the waters, and though they had dragged him out he was already dead. Columba drank this information in, then asked for a volunteer to swim over and fetch the coble for him.
Lugne Mocumin gamely stripped off and waded into the river. But he had not gone far when the waters appeared to boil, and whatever lurked there rushed at him, mouth agape.
The creature had closed to a spear-length when Columba traced the sign of the cross and rebuked it. Almost as if yanked upon a leash, it fell back into its own wake, and disappeared.
Lugne completed his crossing, and rowed back with the boat.
Précis
In 565, St Columba, hoping to cross the River Ness, saw some villagers burying a man who had just been mauled by a river monster. Columba’s fellow-monk Lugne Mocumin volunteered to swim across and fetch a boat, but as he went the monster came for him. Columba made the sign of the cross, and the creature turned tail and vanished. (60 / 60 words)
In 565, St Columba, hoping to cross the River Ness, saw some villagers burying a man who had just been mauled by a river monster. Columba’s fellow-monk Lugne Mocumin volunteered to swim across and fetch a boat, but as he went the monster came for him. Columba made the sign of the cross, and the creature turned tail and vanished.
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, if, otherwise, until, whether.
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 Creature. Grave. Then.
2 Already. Off. Water.
3 Almost. Bank. Fall.
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.)
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.
chr (6+3)
chair. char. cheer. choir. chore. ochre.
chare. cheerio. cohere.
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