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Welcome

A statue of Sir John Betjeman in St Pancras railway station, London

© mattbuck, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0. Source
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Sir John Betjeman 1906-1984

History must not be written with bias, and both sides must be given, even if there is only one side.

First and Last Loves (1952)

Editor nicholas@claylane.uk

Welcome to Clay Lane

Clay Lane is inspired by textbooks written by NL Clay, used in English schools before the educational changes of the 1960s.

It is for people who appreciate our heritage of strong, plain-spoken English from Shakespeare and the King James Bible to Austen, Dickens and Kipling, and who enjoy playing with words, sentences and ideas.

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“The course should train pupils to observe, learn more of the world they live in, think clearly, use the imagination and to speak clearly.”

NL Clay, Think and Speak (1929)

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The Blog

New and archive material, updated frequently. Passages for reading, brainteasers for solving, and music for listening.

Latest • December 21

Read English

The Copy Book

Browse hundreds of short passages from history, fiction, poetry and legend.

Latest • December 21

Christmas at Coverley Hall

Write English

Think and Speak

Brainteasers for developing vocabulary, grammar and expression.

Latest • December 20

Pronunciation

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Ask your questions, and get personalised help with your English from me, Nicholas.

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Think and Speak

Puzzles with words and their letters, just for fun.

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Polywords • Honeycomb Game

High Tiles • Doublets

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Read the Bible

Comfortable Words

The incomparable English of the King James Bible, the Prayer Book, and more.

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Search the KJV • Read the KJV

Psalms • Prayers • Hymns

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From National Sympathy

By Mandell Creighton 1843-1901

Let us remember that suffering gives an insight into regions where thought cannot penetrate; and the man who has not suffered is wise if he learns some lessons from those who have. History should teach us sympathy with the national past of other peoples.

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Opposites Find in Think and Speak

Suggest words or phrases that seem opposite in meaning to each of the words below. We have suggested some possible answers; see if you can find any others.

1. Beat. 2. Cellar. 3. Clear. 4. Faithful. 5. Follow. 6. Nothing. 7. Retreat. 8. Teacher. 9. Towards.

Show Useful Words (A-Z order)

Variations: 1.instead of opposites, suggest words of similar meaning (synonyms). 2.use a word and its opposite in the same sentence. 3.suggest any 5 opposites formed by adding dis-.

France

Posts 29

Stories about our friends across the Channel, from Roman times to the Hundred Years’ War, her bloody Revolution, and the giddying rise and fall of Emperor Napoleon.

Character and Conduct

Posts 117

Stories illustrating noble deeds in matters both great and small, such as the noble gesture of Sir Philip Sidney, and the determination of Benjamin Disraeli.

Discovery and Invention

Posts 115

Tales of scientific innovation and merchant enterprise, from steam power and life-saving medicines to new trade partners far away, and new ways to reach them.

America and the US

Posts 25

Tales from our cousins to the West, telling of their independence from Britain, their bloody civil war, their runaway prosperity, and the slender thread by which it hangs.

The British Constitution

Posts 33

Passages examining Britain’s sometimes baffling constitutional monarchy, and telling the story of its enemies, its champions, and its reformers.

India

Posts 91

Stories from the ancient and mighty civilisation of India, from classical mythology to the Mughal Emperors, the East India Company and the British Raj.

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Clay Lane About Clay Lane Email Support nicholas@claylane.uk

Latest

Posted Yesterday • The Copy Book

Christmas at Coverley Hall : Sir Roger explains why he makes Christmas such a special time for all his neighbours.

Posted December 20 • Think and Speak

Pronunciation : Create sentences in which a particular consonant features prominently and frequently.

Posted December 19

Music Video : Richard Addinsell: Scrooge Suite

Posted December 17 • Think and Speak

Doing Without If : Rewrite these conditional sentences in such a way that the word ‘if’ is not used.

Posted December 16 • Comfortable Words

Stupendous Height of Heavenly Love : A profound Christmas hymn by Charles Wesley, welcoming the rising of the Sun of Righteousness.

Posted December 16 • Think and Speak

Words of Character : Explain what these nouns tell us about our colleague John.

Posted December 15 • Think and Speak

Jigsaws : Combine each pair of ideas into one sentence, in as many ways as you can. See if you can work in one or more of the words suggested.

Posted December 15

Music Video : Eric Coates: Four Centuries Suite: II. Pavane and Tambourin

Posted December 15 • The Copy Book

The Death of Baldur : Baldur was the toast of Valhalla, but Loki was determined to take him down.

Posted December 13 • The Copy Book

Always Keep A-Hold of Nurse : In this ‘Cautionary Tale’, we hear what happened when naughty Jim gave his nurse the slip.

Posted December 13 • Think and Speak

New Polyword : Make as many words as you can using just nine letters. Can you beat our score?

Posted December 10 • The Copy Book

Picking On Cotton : The politicians of Georgian England went to surprising lengths to shield domestic businesses from overseas competition.

Posted December 8

Music Video : Frank Bridge: Berceuse

Posted December 8

Verbs : Use these verbs in the right past form.

Posted December 8 • The Copy Book

Who Are We to Criticise? : Thomas Carlyle felt that English criticism of Goethe revealed more about his critics than his poems.

Posted December 7

Music Video : Sir Arthur Sullivan: Overture to ‘Marmion’

Posted December 6

Opposites : Compose sentences to showcase a word and its opposite — whatever you think that may be.

Posted December 6 • Think and Speak

Tide : Make as many words as you can using the letters of one nine-letter word. Can you beat our score?

Posted December 5 • The Copy Book

A Ministering Angel : As Lord Marmion lies dying on Flodden Field, there is no one near to tend him but the woman he has wronged.

Posted December 5 • The Copy Book

The Court of the Past : We should not force ourselves and ‘our values’ onto the writers of the past.