Introduction
Why do fashionable ideas continue to circulate among the elite, long after ordinary people have realised that they are nonsense? Andersen’s folk-tale explains it brilliantly.
ONCE upon a time, some weavers arrived at court, and offered to make robes so fine that only men fit for the very highest offices could even see them.
The Emperor paid them handsomely, and they set to work.
By and by, the Emperor went with his ministers to learn how things were going. When he found only empty looms, he casually asked his ministers what they saw.
Fearing that he might think them unfit for their high offices, they described wonderful robes of many colours. ‘That’, replied the Emperor hastily, ‘is what I see too.’
Now the weavers suggested that he try the robes on. His chamberlains helped him off with every last stitch, and on with the clothes no one could see, and they walked red-faced back through the town.
Suddenly a common boy cried, ‘Look, the Emperor has no clothes on!’. But neither the Emperor nor his ministers dared admit to each other what all of them knew to be true.
Précis
Some dishonest weavers told an Emperor that they made robes so fine that only the best men in the land could see them. The Emperor and his ministers did not dare admit to each other that they couldn’t see them, so the red-faced Emperor paraded naked in his imaginary robes, even after a little boy blurted out what everyone knew. (59 / 60 words)
Some dishonest weavers told an Emperor that they made robes so fine that only the best men in the land could see them. The Emperor and his ministers did not dare admit to each other that they couldn’t see them, so the red-faced Emperor paraded naked in his imaginary robes, even after a little boy blurted out what everyone knew.
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: may, or, otherwise, since, unless, until, 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.
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 Going. Now. Set.
2 Arrive. Office. Weaver.
3 Casual. Only. Walk.
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.)
Statements, Questions and Commands Find in Think and Speak
Use each word below in a sentence. Try to include at least one statement, one question and one command among your sentences. Note that some verbs make awkward or meaningless words of command, e.g. need, happen.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Pay. 2 Make. 3 Reply. 4 Face. 5 Man. 6 Arrive. 7 Court. 8 Offer. 9 Help.
Variations: 1. use a minimum of seven words for each sentence 2. include negatives, e.g. isn’t, don’t, never 3. use the words ‘must’ to make commands 4. compose a short dialogue containing all three kinds of sentence: one statement, one question and one command
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 ()
