Introduction
The Ugly Duckling is one of the best-loved of all the fairy tales of Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen, a contemporary and friend of Charles Dickens. Below you will find a very brief précis of the story, which reminds us that it’s not where you came from that matters, it’s where you belong.
A MOTHER duck hatched a fine family of ducklings. Except for one. He was late in coming, and uncommonly large. He swam beautifully, but - such an ugly duckling! Even his quack sounded strange. All the ducks in the yard pecked him and shunned him. ‘How ugly he is!’ some cried. ‘Like a turkey!’, sniffed others.
He fled, but everywhere he went he was turned out, until at last he passed the icy winter months all alone.
Then one day in early Spring, as the waters thawed, he saw three magnificent white swans swimming eagerly towards him across a garden lake. ‘It will be something’ the little duckling sighed ‘to be pecked to bits by such royal birds!’ He dropped his glance humbly; but to his amazement he saw, looking up from the water below, a fourth swan, white and graceful.
For it does not matter in the least having been born in a duckyard, if only you come out of a swan’s egg.
The swans welcomed him, and the children of the house came out and fed him with crusts and cakes. Never had he been so happy, and he rejoiced over everything he had endured, because he could appreciate all the better the happiness that now awaited him.
Précis
An odd-looking duckling was shunned by his family. He wandered the wilds looking for a home, but no one had any use for him. At last, he saw some swans, and was heartily wishing he was one when he caught sight of his reflection, and realised why the ducks had never accepted him: he too was a magnificent swan. (59 / 60 words)
An odd-looking duckling was shunned by his family. He wandered the wilds looking for a home, but no one had any use for him. At last, he saw some swans, and was heartily wishing he was one when he caught sight of his reflection, and realised why the ducks had never accepted him: he too was a magnificent swan.
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, besides, if, must, or, ought, unless, 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.
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 Large. Sigh. Something.
2 But. Egg. Toward.
3 Not. Saw. Sound.
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.)
Opposites Find in Think and Speak
Suggest words or phrases that seem opposite in meaning to each of the words below. We have suggested some possible answers; see if you can find any others.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
Variations: 1.instead of opposites, suggest words of similar meaning (synonyms). 2.use a word and its opposite in the same sentence. 3.suggest any 5 opposites formed by adding dis-.
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?
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