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Tuesday
Introduction — The first traffic lights in the world began operation outside the Houses of Parliament on December 9th, 1868. The previous evening, readers of the Express learnt about the ingenious if somewhat ungainly new technology, and looked forward to a time when all busy junctions would be made safe by traffic lights.
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53
Monday
Express in other words:
1 It is a consolation to the wretched to have companions in misery.
Publius Syrus (fl. 85-43 BC)
2 Every man is like the company he is wont to keep.
Euripides (?484-?407 BC)
54
Monday
Introduction — In 1917-18, Arthur Ransome (who would later write Swallows and Amazons) was in St Petersburg, then named Petrograd, reporting on the Communist revolution for the Daily News. One of his tales tickled fellow journalist Alfred Gardiner, who nonetheless drew from it a serious lesson about liberty, a word bandied about as carelessly then as it is today.
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55
Sunday
Blind Courage
by George Santayana
Introduction — Writing in 1905, American essayist George Santayana was full of admiration for the common soldier, and for the ordinary citizen who stands up to a bully. But to bellicose politicians and generals, and to anyone who romanticised war, he had some stern words to say.
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56
Sunday
Join this group of ideas together to form a single sentence. Try to do this in at least two different ways. See if you can use one of more of the suggested words.
We passed by a table. A man was sitting there. He was playing patience.
Where. Which. Who.
Sentence based on Greenmantle (1916) by John Buchan.
57
Sunday
The Angel Cried
from The Eastern Service Books
Introduction — The Virgin Mary was among the women who came to Christ’s tomb expecting to care for his dead body, only to find the grave empty and an angel waiting for them. This hymn, sung in the weeks after Easter, imagines how the angel told the news of Christ’s resurrection to his mother.
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58
2 May
Introduction — This poem is a look back over how William Wordsworth’s love for his wife Mary had developed over time. “The germ of this poem” he admitted “was four lines composed as a part of the verses on the Highland Girl. Though beginning in this way, it was written from my heart, as is sufficiently obvious.”
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59
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.
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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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