Introduction
The Battle of Jutland in 1916 was the only major engagement between the German and British fleets during the Great War. That was partly a consequence of the damage inflicted on the German fleet, effectively neutralising it; but British losses were actually higher, and the victory felt like defeat.
ON 31st May, 1916, the German High Seas Fleet sortied from its North Sea base, hoping to lure the British into a submarine-infested trap, and clear a route to the Atlantic. British intelligence anticipated the ploy, and sent the Grand Fleet to catch the Germans off guard, but the Admiralty’s messages were misreported, and the British were as surprised as the Germans when they met in murky weather near Denmark’s Jutland peninsula.
Admiral David Beatty’s fast but vulnerable Battlecruiser Squadron took a beating before successfully manoeuvring the enemy into the path of Admiral John Jellicoe’s Grand Fleet. That should have proved decisive, but during the night more failures in communication between Beatty, Jellicoe and the Admiralty allowed the Germans to wriggle free and return to base, leaking at every seam.
The Kaiser boasted that ‘the spell of Trafalgar’ was broken; the British press lamented a tragedy. An American journalist was nearer the mark: “The German fleet has assaulted its jailor, but is still in jail”.
Précis
In May 1916, during the First World War, the German fleet tried to escape the North Sea by inviting a confrontation with the British off Jutland in Denmark. Superior intelligence gave the British an advantage, but subsequent failures in communication meant that although Germany’s aims were frustrated, the Royal Navy’s losses made it seem like a defeat. (57 / 60 words)
In May 1916, during the First World War, the German fleet tried to escape the North Sea by inviting a confrontation with the British off Jutland in Denmark. Superior intelligence gave the British an advantage, but subsequent failures in communication meant that although Germany’s aims were frustrated, the Royal Navy’s losses made it seem like a defeat.
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: about, besides, may, must, otherwise, ought, since, 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 But. Ploy. Route.
2 Break. Communication. Meet.
3 Decisive. Journalist. Tragedy.
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.
rds (14+2)
arduous. erodes. radios. radius. raids. readies. reads. reds. reeds. rides. rids. roads. rodeos. rods.
redoes. roadies.
You are welcome to share your creativity with me, or ask for help with any of the exercises on Clay Lane. Write to me at this address:
See more at Email Support.
If you like what I’m doing here on Clay Lane, from time to time you could buy me a coffee.
Buy Me a Coffee is a crowdfunding website, used by over a million people. It is designed to help content creators like me make a living from their work. ‘Buy Me a Coffee’ prides itself on its security, and there is no need to register.
_leading_the_fleet.jpg){kind=link}