Introduction
Phaedrus was a Roman fabulist, roughly a contemporary of St Paul, who turned large numbers of Aesop’s Fables into Latin verse. He admits that many of the Fables are actually his own, but says that this one, in which a Wolf and a Fox struggle to overcome their reputations for dishonesty, is an Aesop original.
IF someone with a reputation for dishonesty complains of suffering an injustice, he has already squandered any chance of being believed, even when he is telling the truth.* There is a brief Aesop’s Fable that bears witness to this.
A Wolf accused a Fox of theft, but the Fox denied that he was in any way to blame. So they asked a Monkey to judge between them. Plaintiff and defendant were howling and barking at each other, arguing their cases, when the Monkey broke in with his judgment. ‘You’ he said to the Wolf ‘do not seem to have lost what you claim to have lost. On the other hand,’ he went on, turning to the Fox, ‘despite your specious arguments, I’m inclined to think you took it.’
Précis
A Wolf accused a Fox of theft. As the Fox denied the charge, they agreed to the arbitration of a Monkey. The Monkey declared that he did not believe the Wolf had lost anything, but also that he was pretty sure the Fox had taken it. Those known for dishonesty are unlikely to be believed, even when telling the truth. (60 / 60 words)
A Wolf accused a Fox of theft. As the Fox denied the charge, they agreed to the arbitration of a Monkey. The Monkey declared that he did not believe the Wolf had lost anything, but also that he was pretty sure the Fox had taken it. Those known for dishonesty are unlikely to be believed, even when telling the truth.
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: about, although, besides, if, may, otherwise, ought, 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. 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 Do. They. Witness.
2 Argue. Fable. Take.
3 Bark. Despite. Their.
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.)
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.
wld (5+1)
wailed. weld. wield. wild. would.
wold.
