Introduction
In 1848, Arthur Hugh Clough resigned a desirable Fellowship at Oxford owing to his doubts about the Church of England. Shortly afterwards he was appointed Principal of University Hall in London, an ecumenical and supposedly more open-minded institution, but here too Clough found he was expected to think as his new colleagues did. Lonely, silent and depressed, he nevertheless clung on to hope.
SAY not the struggle nought availeth,
The labour and the wounds are vain,
The enemy faints not, nor faileth,
And as things have been they remain.
If hopes were dupes, fears may be liars;
It may be, in yon smoke concealed,
Your comrades chase e’en now the fliers,*
And, but for you, possess the field.
For while the tired waves, vainly breaking
Seem here no painful inch to gain,
Far back through creeks and inlets making,
Comes silent, flooding in, the main.*
And not by eastern windows only,
When daylight comes, comes in the light,
In front the sun climbs slow, how slowly,
But westward, look, the land is bright.*
* ‘Fliers’ are rapidly retreating soldiers.
* ‘The main’ is the sea, especially a broad expanse of sea.
* Clough means that looking to the future may bring more hope than looking only at the present, just as you can sometimes appreciate the morning sunrise better by looking on sunlit fields in the west than by looking directly towards the east.
Précis
During a particularly trying year, 1849, poet Arthur Clough encouraged everyone to persevere. Our hopes may have disappointed, but our anxieties may be just as false: tides change slowly but they do change, and just as we see the first light of dawn on distant hills, so we should look to the future to see our present gloom already lifting. (60 / 60 words)
During a particularly trying year, 1849, poet Arthur Clough encouraged everyone to persevere. Our hopes may have disappointed, but our anxieties may be just as false: tides change slowly but they do change, and just as we see the first light of dawn on distant hills, so we should look to the future to see our present gloom already lifting.
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, must, not, or, unless, until, whether.
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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 Flood. Hope. Possess.
2 Have. Making. Your.
3 Conceal. Only. Smoke.
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 Silent. 2 Eastern. 3 Farther. 4 Main. 5 Faint. 6 Hopeful. 7 Far. 8 Slow. 9 Vain.
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).
Homonyms Find in Think and Speak
Each of the words below has more than one possible meaning. Compose your own sentences to show what those different meanings are.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1. Light. 2. Bright. 3. May. 4. Break.
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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