53
1 May
Each of these statements is a little too strong. Tone them down by adding the words almost or hardly, and making any other changes you think necessary.
IHe never misses a chance. IINobody could hear him. IIIThere’s nowhere to park. IVThere’s nothing he wouldn’t do. VHe won without breaking a sweat. VIThe engine is completely silent.
See also Never say ‘What, never?’ again.
The word ‘hardly’ is used to mean ‘true, but only to an insignificant degree’ e.g. ‘I can hardly [only just] believe my eyes’, ‘I’d hardly [only just] sat down to lunch when the doorbell rang’.
For Example
I cannot keep my hands warm.
I can hardly [only just] keep my hands warm.
Jane Austen
My fingers are numb with cold.
My fingers are so cold I can hardly [only just] feel them.
Developed from an exercise in Straightforward English (1949) by NL Clay.
54
1 May
Introduction — On March 15th, 44 BC, Julius Caesar, the most powerful man in Rome, was due in the Senate to receive yet more honours from the Republic. But last night his wife Calpurnia had dreamt she held his murdered body in her arms, and her fears had frankly unsettled him. Brutus told him that he must not look weak, and steered him out of the door.
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55
Tuesday
Two Letters Home
by Sir Edward Hamilton Westrow Hulse
Introduction — The Christmas Truce of 1914 was one of the most poignant events in the Great War of 1914-18. The British had poured into Belgium to help drive the German invaders out, and in Flanders the two armies faced each other from trenches only a few hundred yards apart. In a letter to his mother on December 28th that year, Captain Hulse of the Scots Guards told how the spontaneous truce began.
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56
Tuesday
A ten-out-of-ten smile might be called dazzling or ravishing. But what would you call a smile that was more seven-out-of-ten? Bright, maybe, or fetching. How would you score roguish, disarming, kind or shy? See if you can think of others.
Suggest for each noun an adjective of praise, but moderate praise, and give it a score out of ten.
ISmile. IIDinner. IIIFace. IVExplanation.
Suggestions
Adequate. Appealing. Attractive. Bonny. Credible. Enjoyable. Likeable. Plausible. Pleasant. Pretty. Reasonable. Satisfactory.
Based on an exercise in School Certificate English Practice (1939) by NL Clay.
57
Monday
The Making of Mark
by Eusebius of Caesarea
Introduction — Eusebius, Bishop of Caesarea from about 313, tells us here how St Mark’s Gospel came to be written. Drawing on testimony going back to the Apostles themselves, he explains that the Gospel should be heard as an echo of the living voice of St Peter, as he preached the good news in Rome.
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58
Monday
Introduction — Bustling trade hub Malacca, on the Malaysian Peninsula, was a British possession from 1825 to 1957. It was founded in about 1400 by Parameswara, ex-king of Singapura, as a refuge from the empire of Majapahit based in Java. That Malacca held out for more than a century was largely owing to Zheng He, the most celebrated admiral in Chinese history.
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