Precis writing

Ex. 28. a) Read the passage, b) Write 3-5 questions covering the basic points of the passage, c) Give a title to the passage and write a precis.

The abolition of capital punishment in England in November 1965 was welcomed by most people with progressive ideas. Still the problem remains — the problem of how to prevent murders. The important thing in the prevention of murder is to eliminate as far as possible the weap­ons and instruments, the guns and knives, with which these crimes are committed and to stop the dangerous influence of violence in books, films and television.

We have plenty of examples from real life, in every country, to prove that few criminals are born: they are made by our standards of so-called entertainment; Cowboys and Indians, Wild West films which are only exciting when guns are shooting and bad men are being killed, spy sto­ries of the James Bond type with death in every form, bank robberies and "perfect murder" stories with killings on every few pages or in every few minutes of film. Anybody who wants to commit a murder has no difficulty in buying a knife, a gun, or some "interesting" poison. Life is cheap in fiction; no matter how many people are killed — the more the merrier — the main thing is that the hero and the heroine remain alive to enjoy the happy end.

So the practical way of reducing the number of capital crimes is to close the gunshops and to make it a criminal offence for the man in the street to possess a lethal weapon.

SPEECH EXERCISES

Ex. 29. Retell in narrative form.

"We want evidence," the Chief Constable was saying. "Have you got evidence, M. Poirot?"

"You want evidence... definite evidence... such as Lady Stubbs' pearls?"

Now it was the Chief Constable who stared.

"You have found Lady Stubbs' pearls?"

"Not actually found them... but I know where they are hidden. You shall go to the spot, and when you have found them, then... then you

will have evidence... All the evidence you need! For only one person could have hidden them there."

"And who's that?"

"The person it so often is," Poirot said softly, "the husband Sir George Stubbs stole the pearls."

"But he can't have done that, M. Poirot! We know it's impossible."

"Oh, no," said Poirot, "it is not impossible at all! Listen and I will tell you."

(after "Dead Man's Folly", by A. Christie)

Ex. 30. Answer the following questions using the vocabulary of the text. Sum up your answers.

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