The Dangerous Book for Boys. Conn Iggulden

only one elephant – one we already know: a family pet, perhaps.

      ‘An’ is still sometimes used for words that begin with a clearly sounded ‘h’: ‘an historical battle’, ‘an horrendous evil’ and so on. It is seen as old-fashioned, though, and using ‘a’ is becoming more acceptable.

      8. Prepositions are words that mark the position or relationship of one thing with respect to another. Examples: in, under, over, between, before, behind, through, above, for, with, at and from. ‘He fell from grace’ demonstrates ‘from’ as a preposition. Another example is ‘He lived before Caesar’, or ‘I stood with Caesar.’

      The general rule for prepositions is: ‘Don’t end a sentence with a preposition.’

      It is not correct to say ‘This is my son, who I am most pleased with.’ It should be ‘This is my son, with whom I am most pleased.’

      9. This is another of the easier types. Interjections are simple sounds used to express an inward feeling such as sorrow, surprise, pain or anger. This can be a wide group, as almost anything can be said in this way. Obvious examples are: Oh! What? Hell! Eh? Goodness gracious!

      Note the last one – interjections don’t have to be a single word. It could be a whole phrase like ‘By the Lord Harry!’ or a complex oath. They tend to stand on their own and often have exclamation marks following them.

       That is all nine.

      Bearing in mind that English has more words than any other language on earth, it is quite impressive that there are only nine kinds. The first part of grammar is to learn those nine well and be able to identify them in a sentence. If you have, you should be able to name each of the eight kinds of words used in the following sentence. If it helps, we didn’t use a conjunction.

      ‘No! I saw the old wolf biting viciously at his leg.’

      (Answer: ‘No!’ – interjection, ‘I’ – pronoun, ‘saw’ – verb, ‘the’ – definite article, ‘old’ – adjective, ‘wolf’ – common noun, ‘biting’ – verb, ‘viciously’ – adverb, ‘at’ – preposition, ‘his’ – pronoun, ‘leg’ – common noun. Eight different types.)

       Table Football

      THIS IS A SIMPLE GAME, but it does require some skill and practice. It used to keep us occupied during French lessons.

      You will need

       A flat, smooth surface – a school table, for example.

       Three two-pence pieces are best.

      1. Place the coins on the close edge of the table, as in the diagram. The first blow must be struck with the heel of the hand against the coin half over the edge. The three coins will separate. From then on, only the coin closest to the player can be touched.

      2. The aim of the game is to pass the coins up the table by firing the closest through the two further up. If you don’t get the coin through, that’s the end of your go and your opponent begins again from his side of the table. Just one finger is usually used to flick the coins. They should always be in contact with the table, so a great deal of the skill is in judging the force as well as planning ahead.

      3. After a few of these ‘passes’, the opposing goal comes into range. This is provided by the other player, as shown.

      4. If the goal shot misses, the game is lost. If the shooting coin strikes one of the other two, the game is also lost.

      In the rugby version of the game, tries are scored rather than goals, and they are worth five points. The scorer then has an opportunity to gain two more points by converting the try. This is difficult, to say the very least.

      1. The opposing player rearranges his goal into a rugbypost formation.

      2. The goal or shooter coin must first be spun in place. As it spins, the coin must be gripped as shown in the picture and flipped over the posts in one smooth motion. No hesitation is allowed for aiming. This is not at all easy to do, which is as it should be.

      3. Play to an agreed number, or perhaps to win the coins.

       Fishing

      FISHERMAN ARE NOT PATIENT. Anticipation and concentration can make fishing an exhausting sport. It is a mainly solitary occupation. You hardly ever see people fishing in groups, laughing and chatting with each other, or drinking alcohol and singing. Fishermen can spend the day in silence. Even if you never catch anything, lazy afternoons spent fishing in the summer can be relaxing, rewarding – and addictive.

      A simple starter kit – a rod, bait, a float, a lead weight and a hook – can be put together for about £30. As a legal requirement, you’ll also need to purchase a rod licence, available at any post office. You have the choice of a day, week or annual licence costing up to around £25 – though a salmon and sea trout licence is more than double that. Note that you do not need a licence if you are under twelve. Twelve to sixteen-year-olds can buy a ‘junior’ version which is cheaper than adult ones.

      The local fishing shop will have the equipment and also be able to tell you if there are free fishing grounds nearby. Most towns have a stretch where no extra fees are required. The largest is in London between London Bridge and Staines. Richard I gave it to the citizens of London and it has remained free ever since.

      Otherwise, any canal or good-sized freshwater river will do. You may be asked to pay a small extra fee for a day’s permit. If expensive fish like trout or salmon are involved, you will almost certainly be asked to show your rod licence and be required to get the owner’s permission. Technically, fishing cannot be poaching as fish are ferae naturae – wild animals. However, if you don’t obtain permission, you can be prosecuted for trespass and fishing without a licence. A water bailiff also has the right to confiscate your equipment but, again, not the fish you have caught.

      The classic fishing method is with a float. Maggots from bluebottle or greenbottle flies are spiked on a hook suspended from a float that bobs on the surface. Push the hook through the blunt end of the maggot, taking care not to burst it, as it dies faster. It tends to be necessary to place a couple of ball lead weights on the line to keep the float upright. Ask in the fishing shop if you’re not sure how.

      Cast carefully as a hook catching in your eyebrow is a deeply unpleasant experience. Watch out for overhead cables or tree branches. Your spool will have two settings – one for casting and one for retrieving the hook. Allow it to run loose and cast the