Introduction
A FARMER who lay upon his deathbed wanted his sons to be able to take good care of themselves and the family vineyard after he was gone. But they had managed to avoid getting any hands-on experience of farming.
So he told them to gather round, and with his last breath whispered to them that there was a great treasure buried on his land.
They raced out into the fields, armed with ploughs and mattocks, and spent months clearing away stones and bushes and turning over every inch of cold, hard ground.
On the downside, they never did find any treasure. On the upside, lusty vines sprang up everywhere, and that summer the grape harvest was better than ever before. And that is how they learnt that a man’s greatest treasure is hard work.
Précis
A dying farmer, wanting his idle sons to learn a trade, told them that there was treasure buried somewhere in their vineyard. Of course there was no treasure, but they dug the vineyard so beautifully that the harvest made their fortune. Then they realised that the ‘treasure’ their father had sent them to look for was honest labour. (58 / 60 words)
A dying farmer, wanting his idle sons to learn a trade, told them that there was treasure buried somewhere in their vineyard. Of course there was no treasure, but they dug the vineyard so beautifully that the harvest made their fortune. Then they realised that the ‘treasure’ their father had sent them to look for was honest labour.
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: just, or, ought, 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 Away. Deathbed. Race.
2 Experience. Grind. Learn.
3 Last. Out. Treasure.
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 Race. 2 Field. 3 Land. 4 Work. 5 Farm. 6 Arm. 7 Gather. 8 Man. 9 Spring.
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 ()
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