16
26 May
Introduction — In 1814, former US President Thomas Jefferson (who had served from 1801 to 1809) wrote a letter to Walter Jones (1776-1861), a lawyer whom Jefferson had appointed US attorney for the District of Columbia in 1802. In his letter, Jefferson reminisced about George Washington, supreme commander of the American revolutionary army and first President of the USA.
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17
26 May
Amen to That
by John Bright
Introduction — On January 13th, 1878, John Bright MP assured his constituents in Birmingham that reports of an imminent Russian invasion of Europe were utter delusion. Some in the Commons said that sending troops to aid Turkey in the Russo-Turkish War (now a year old) was in the ‘British interest’, but Bright reminded them how the Crimean War in 1853-56 had achieved nothing but a million dead young men.
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18
25 May
Use the following words in sentences of at least
ten words in length. Make sure you use them as nouns.
IArena. IICost. IIIDecision. IVIntention. VMatter. VIQualm. VIIWalk.
Based on an exercise in Think and Speak (1929) by NL Clay.
19
24 May
Suggest answers to these questions, in passages of at least 20 words.
1 If the earth isn’t flat, why does it look flat?
2 How can I tell whether a word is being used as a noun?
3 Why is it that the thing we are searching for is always in the last place we look?
Based on an exercise in Think and Speak (1929) by NL Clay, and Better English: Fifth Year (1930) by Harry Jewett Jeschke, Milton C. Potter and Harry O. Gillet.
20
24 May
Deep Harmony
by J. William Jones
Introduction — J. William Jones was a Baptist minister and former chaplain to the Confederate Army in the US Civil War. While in Chattanooga, Tennessee, attending the Southern Baptist Convention held there on 8th-14th May, 1896, Jones was asked to give a speech at a state school, during a ceremony honouring the Union flag. These were his closing remarks, as given in Confederate Veteran magazine that August.
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21
23 May
Describe half an hour in one of the following:
IA vet’s waiting room. IIA broken-down lift. IIIA bus.
What pictures come into your mind? Try to describe them.
From an exercise in Exercises 12-13 (1933) by NL Clay.
22
23 May
Introduction — Sir Guyon, the Knight of Temperance, has been commissioned to help an old man whose land is troubled by a wicked witch. The journey is fraught with dangers, and Sir Guyon has been cast into an endless swoon by Mammon, the money-god, for refusing to be his slave. As the knight slumbers, Spenser reflects on God’s care for the helpless.
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23
22 May
For each word below, suggest other words that seem to go with it, e.g. Pirate → parrot, eyepatch, treasure map etc.. Can you make your words into a lively scene?
ICowboy. IIMermaid. IIISurgeon.
Based on a game in Think and Speak (1929) by NL Clay.
24
22 May
Tilting at Windmills
by Miguel de Cervantes
Introduction — Quexana is a woolly-headed, Spanish country gentleman, bordering fifty, from La Mancha, southeast of Madrid. Bewitched by tales of romance, he has dubbed himself Don Quixote, Knight, and set out in search of ‘adventures’ with his companion Sancho Panza. His quest is to capture a giant as a love-offering to his lady Dulcinea (a pleasing fantasy inspired by an old flame) and he has just been promising Sancho his own realm too.
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