Introduction
A VIXEN* who was clambering over a fence found herself slipping, so to avoid a fall she reached out and grabbed at a nearby bush. But the bush was a bramble, and it cut her paws and made them bleed.
So the vixen cried out, ‘I turned to you for help, and you’ve made everything worse!’ But the bramble snapped back, ‘Well really, what did you expect? You grab onto me, who habitually grabs onto everything.’
This myth goes to show something true of people too, that it is useless to run for help to those who are by nature unkind.
A vixen is a female fox. The Greek text of the fable uses the feminine throughout.
Précis
A vixen who was clambering over a fence lost her footing and snatched at a bush to steady herself. When thorns tore her paws, she was resentful, but the bush replied unfeelingly that the vixen could not have expected anything else from a bramble. The story warns us that the hard-hearted are unlikely to change for our convenience. (58 / 60 words)
A vixen who was clambering over a fence lost her footing and snatched at a bush to steady herself. When thorns tore her paws, she was resentful, but the bush replied unfeelingly that the vixen could not have expected anything else from a bramble. The story warns us that the hard-hearted are unlikely to change for our convenience.
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: because, despite, must, or, otherwise, ought, unless, until.
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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 Bramble. Fall. Onto.
2 Clamber. Found. True.
3 Over. She. They.
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.)
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 Used. 2 Helpless. 3 Useful. 4 Real. 5 Worse. 6 Helpful. 7 Better. 8 Worst. 9 Unkind.
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 ()
