Introduction
The Battle of Marathon is remembered today chiefly as the inspiration for the modern road race. But its real significance was that it kept Greece from being asset-stripped by Persia, and so helped to save Western civilization.
TO King Darius I of Persia, Greece was a prize like no other: a prosperous centre of trade, of the arts, of civilisation itself. So in 490 BC a Persian force, almost three times anything the city states of Greece could muster, swept over Asia Minor and into the Aegean, and, on 12th September that year, faced the Athenians across the plain of Marathon.
Yet the pride of the Persian army, its cavalry, was strangely absent. Maybe that is why, when the desperate Athenian charge came, the panic-stricken Persians simply broke ranks and fled. Indeed, it was said that Pan himself, and a phantom of the Athenian hero Theseus, both appeared in the chaos.
It was also said, that a messenger named Pheidippides ran with the joyful news of the victory - as complete as it was unexpected - all the way to Athens, some twenty-five miles away. That supreme athletic feat was celebrated by the Marathon race introduced at the 1896 Athens Olympics.
Précis
The Persian King Darius I launched an invasion of Greece in 490 BC, but his army was turned back by the much smaller Athenian army at Marathon. News of the victory was brought to Athens by a messenger who ran all twenty-five miles, a feat celebrated today by the Marathon road race. (52 / 60 words)
The Persian King Darius I launched an invasion of Greece in 490 BC, but his army was turned back by the much smaller Athenian army at Marathon. News of the victory was brought to Athens by a messenger who ran all twenty-five miles, a feat celebrated today by the Marathon road race.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 45 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, because, besides, just, may, must, or, unless.
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.
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 Art. Marathon. Way.
2 Charge. Some. Yet.
3 Center. Say. Three.
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.)
Verb and Noun Find in Think and Speak
Many words can serve as noun or verb depending on context: see if you can prove this with the examples below. Nouns go well with words such as the/a, or his/her; verbs go well after I/you/he etc..
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Pride. 2 Panic. 3 Charge. 4 State. 5 Trade. 6 Name. 7 Time. 8 Strike. 9 Race.
Variations: 1.if possible, use your noun in the plural, e.g. cat → cats. 2.use your verb in a past form, e.g. go → went. 3.use your noun in a sentence with one of these words: any, enough, fewer, less, no, some.
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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