Introduction
William Longsword was the son of Rollo, a Viking who had made his home in northern France, much to the disgust of the French kings. William was murdered on December 17, 942, leaving a son named Richard.
AFTER the murder of William Longsword, the powerful Duke of Normandy, King Louis IV of France surprised everyone by turning up at the funeral, and taking the duke’s young son Richard, aged about ten, into his own care, which was little more than an imprisonment.
Richard’s only companion in the King’s castle was his esquire, Osmond de Centeville.
At length, Osmond made contact with the Normans and encouraged them to pray as hard as they could, because he had devised a plan of escape.
Richard suddenly feigned illness, and in all the bustle Osmond managed to smuggle a bundle of hay into the boy’s room.
He wrapped Richard in the hay, and casually set off for the stables, as if he had just remembered to feed his horse.
But with darkness falling, Osmond quickly propped the bundle on the horse’s back, leapt into the saddle, and rode with his precious burden all the way back to Normandy.
Richard later married Gunnor(a), and their daughter Emma married the English king Ethelred the Unready. After his death, she married King Canute, and their son Edward became King Edward the Confessor in 1042.
Précis
Richard, the ten-year-old Duke of Normandy, was snatched by the French King and kept as a prisoner. However, his esquire, Osmond, hatched a plot to smuggle him out of the castle in a armful of hay. It worked, and Osmond and Richard rode all the way home to Normandy. (49 / 60 words)
Richard, the ten-year-old Duke of Normandy, was snatched by the French King and kept as a prisoner. However, his esquire, Osmond, hatched a plot to smuggle him out of the castle in a armful of hay. It worked, and Osmond and Richard rode all the way home to Normandy.
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: although, because, if, or, ought, whereas, whether, 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 Castle. Devise. Remember.
2 Escape. Saddle. Smuggle.
3 Casual. Prop. Quick.
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.
crtns (5+2)
cartons. cartoons. creations. cretins. curtains.
cretinous. croutons.
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