Introduction
Local boy Joseph Swan (1828-1914) worked for his brother-in-law in the pharmaceutical firm of Mawson, Swan and Morgan in Newcastle. He can claim to be one of the architects of modern living.
ON December 28, 1881, the D’Oyly Carte Opera company presented ‘Patience’ at the Savoy, their theatre in the Strand. Words were by W. S. Gilbert, music was by Arthur Sullivan.
Lighting was by Joseph Swan, a chemist from Newcastle who had already patented a form of photographic paper that had revolutionised the camera.
Swan’s no less revolutionary incandescent lightbulbs had been used in the auditorium since the Savoy opened that year, but now they replaced flickering, smoky gaslights on the stage, allowing the audience to see the costumes in a more natural light, and breathe cleaner air.
Fears of fire or electrocution were allayed when the owner, Richard D’Oyly Carte, deliberately smashed a brightly-burning bulb wrapped in muslin, which was not even scorched.
The Savoy thus joined Swan’s own house in Gateshead, the transatlantic liner ‘City of Richmond’, and the Northumberland residence of industrialist Sir William Armstrong, as the first places anywhere in the world to have electric lighting installed throughout.
Précis
The first public building to be lit entirely by electricity was the Savoy theatre in London, at a Christmas performance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s ‘Patience’. The theatre’s owner demonstrated the safety of the new lights, invented by Newcastle-based chemist Joseph Swan, and the audience could judge for themselves how superior they were to yellow, flickering and smoky gaslight. (58 / 60 words)
The first public building to be lit entirely by electricity was the Savoy theatre in London, at a Christmas performance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s ‘Patience’. The theatre’s owner demonstrated the safety of the new lights, invented by Newcastle-based chemist Joseph Swan, and the audience could judge for themselves how superior they were to yellow, flickering and smoky gaslight.
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, just, may, or, ought, since, until, whereas.
Archive
Word Games
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 Burn. First. Year.
2 More. Revolutionary. Theater.
3 Join. Little. Savoy.
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 Join. 2 Install. 3 Present. 4 Burn. 5 Fear. 6 Wrap. 7 Form. 8 Place. 9 Air.
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
Homophones Find in Think and Speak
In each group below, you will find words that sound the same, but differ in spelling and also in meaning. Compose your own sentences to bring out the differences between them.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
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.
bnds (7)
abounds. bandies. bands. bends. binds. bonds. bounds.
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