Introduction
THE Roman Governor of Britain in AD 60 was Gaius Suetonius Paulinus. He relished the task of subduing the natives, as he hoped to surpass the reputation of Corbulo, the man who had just restored order in Armenia.
IN Suetonius’s opinion, the chief threat to Roman rule in Britain came from the Welsh tribes and the Druids. He would discover that this was a mistake, but in the meantime, he bent his attention on the Island of Mona,* just off the Welsh coast, which had become their stronghold.
For a moment after the Governor’s men had crossed the shallow Menai strait, even the mighty Roman army was paralysed by the sight that met its eyes: rank on rank of painted warriors, whose wild-haired and black-robed women ran like Furies among them, brandishing blazing torches, while Druids with upraised hands rained down curses that froze the blood.
The general, however, reminded his soldiers that they were Romans, and they overpowered the enemy without much difficulty. The island was soon organised the Roman way, and the sacred groves of the Druids, still stained with the blood of their captives and human sacrifices, were completely destroyed.
Then Suetonius heard about Boudica.
These events continue with Boudica.
In Welsh, Ynys Môn. The English name is Anglesey. See it on a map.
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 Captive. Organize. They.
2 Blaze. Eye. However.
3 But. Run. Threat.
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.)
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.
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 Human. 2 Shallow. 3 Mistaken. 4 Black. 5 Captive. 6 Blazing. 7 Wild. 8 Still. 9 General.
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).
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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