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Fables and tales

The North Wind and the Sun

Author: Aesop Year: 1867 Length: 468 characters Difficulty: easy Public domain

Three capitalised words at the start and long comma chains after them, which trains Shift and then a steady even pace.

THE NORTH WIND and the Sun disputed as to which was the most powerful, and agreed that he should be declared the victor who could first strip a wayfaring man of his clothes. The North Wind first tried his power and blew with all his might, but the keener his blasts, the closer the Traveler wrapped his cloak around him, until at last, resigning all hope of victory, the Wind called upon the Sun to see what he could do. The Sun suddenly shone out with all his warmth.

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Tall masted ships along a wet quay lit by street lamps under a pale green sky, Shipping on the Clyde, John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1881.
What you just typedThe North Wind and the SunAesop, 1867
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About this text

This fable is number 46 in the Perry Index, and its point about gentleness beating force is stated in the closing line. Linguists borrowed the story for a different purpose: the International Phonetic Association prints it as the sample text for comparing the sounds of languages. The wording here is Townsend's translation of 1867. Sun and wind appear as rivals in Greek versions from the first century as well.

About this text

This fable is number 46 in the Perry Index, and its point about gentleness beating force is stated in the closing line. Linguists borrowed the story for a different purpose: the International Phonetic Association prints it as the sample text for comparing the sounds of languages. The wording here is Townsend's translation of 1867. Sun and wind appear as rivals in Greek versions from the first century as well.

What it trains

Three capitalised words at the start and long comma chains after them, which trains Shift and then a steady even pace.

Public domain

Copyright has expired or never applied, so anyone can copy the text and use it further.

Source: domena publiczna, Project Gutenberg

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