Introduction
Thomas Wright (1789-1875) was an ordinary Manchester workman who dedicated his life to helping former prisoners back into society, all on his own time and using his own money. Yet he never earned much over £150 a year, roughly £15,000 today.
WHEN Thomas Wright learnt that a fellow employee at the Manchester foundry where he worked was to be sacked just because he was an ex-convict, he offered his boss £20 as a guarantee of the man’s good behaviour. A reprieve was granted, but by the time Wright reached the man’s lodgings, bursting with the good news, the poor fellow had packed up and fled town.
The incident continued to trouble him, and around 1838 Wright began touring Manchester’s prisons in his few free hours (he worked from 5am to 6pm six days a week) using his own money and acting as a character reference to secure release and employment for prisoners.
Thomas’s work was soon recognised, but he declined a position as Inspector of Prisons at £800 a year, believing he worked better as a private citizen. In 1852, he did accept an annuity equivalent to his foreman’s wages,* and on that modest salary devoted all his time to helping hundreds of prisoners begin new lives, while bringing up his own family of nineteen children.
That is, £3 10s per week, or £157 10s per annum. The pound in 1852 was roughly equal to £100 today.
Précis
Thomas Wright was an ordinary Manchester factory foreman who helped prisoners back into work, using his own money to compensate employers for any misbehaviour and giving character references. Such was his success that he was offered a well-paid Government post, but chose to continue living off his modest wages, while rescuing hundreds more men from prejudice and destitution. (58 / 60 words)
Thomas Wright was an ordinary Manchester factory foreman who helped prisoners back into work, using his own money to compensate employers for any misbehaviour and giving character references. Such was his success that he was offered a well-paid Government post, but chose to continue living off his modest wages, while rescuing hundreds more men from prejudice and destitution.
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: although, because, besides, may, or, since, whereas, whether.
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 Helping. Lodging. While.
2 Modest. Nineteen. Sack.
3 All. Life. Money.
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.)
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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