The Copybook

Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.

April 29 ns April 16 os

Read short passages similar to those NL Clay collected in his anthologies, to gain a feeling for the language, history and culture of the English-speaking world.

In The Copybook

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Joanna Baillie’s ‘De Monfort’ opens

April 29

By James Whittle and James Laurie (1812), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

A Literary Mystery by Margaret Sprague Carhart

In 1798, ‘Plays on the Passions’ appeared in London bookstores, but no one seemed to know who had written them.

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Featured

© Christine Matthews, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

A Little Common Sense by William Pitt the Elder

William Pitt the Elder doubts the wisdom of letting experts run the country.

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1

© Vladimir Kosov (2018), via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0.

Zheng He and the Rise of Malacca by Jawaharlal Nehru

Malacca became a refuge from the overbearing empires of the Far East, thanks to a celebrated Chinese admiral.

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2

From the Lindisfarne Gospels, ca. AD 700, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

The Making of Mark by Eusebius of Caesarea

St Mark wrote his Gospel as a summary of the preaching of St Peter.

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3

By Yevgeny Khaldei (1916-1997), viua Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

Russia’s Heroic Stand from Compton’s Encyclopedia

In 1941, with much of the West subdued, Adolf Hitler bent the full force of his hatred on Moscow.

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4

US Department of Defense, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

VE Day by Clay Lane

On May 8th, 1945, Winston Churchill took to the radio to tell the British public that almost six years of war were ended.

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5

© Dasrath Shrestha Beejukchhen (Bablu), Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0.

If I Had But Two Little Wings by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Samuel Taylor Coleridge holds on to those precious moments when loneliness is a problem for tomorrow.

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6

By William Conor (1881-1968), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

The Minstrel Boy by Thomas Moore

Irish poet Thomas Moore believed a life given for his country’s freedom was not given in vain.

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Clay Lane The Copybook
About Clay Lane nicholas@claylane.uk

© Nicholas Armitage / Clay Lane, 2025

April 29 NS

April 16 OS

A Literary Mystery : In 1798, ‘Plays on the Passions’ appeared in London bookstores, but no one seemed to know who had written them.
The Making of Mark : St Mark wrote his Gospel as a summary of the preaching of St Peter.
Zheng He and the Rise of Malacca : Malacca became a refuge from the overbearing empires of the Far East, thanks to a celebrated Chinese admiral.
Confusables : Compose sentences to bring out the similarities and differences between these words.
Jill and I : Include yourself in these sentences about Jill.
Saddled : Use these words in sentences, and see if you can use one of them as a verb.
Russia’s Heroic Stand : In 1941, with much of the West subdued, Adolf Hitler bent the full force of his hatred on Moscow.
Approachable : Replace the verb ‘can’ with these alternatives, and explain how the meaning of the sentence has changed.
The First Easter : In a translation from the Authorized Version of the Bible, published in 1611, St Mark recounts the discovery of Christ’s empty tomb.
A Collect for Easter Day : A short prayer from the Book of Common Prayer, for the day of Christ’s resurrection.
The Gambler : Which well-known expression is Dr Johnson talking about here?
If I Had But Two Little Wings : Samuel Taylor Coleridge holds on to those precious moments when loneliness is a problem for tomorrow.
Red Eye : Reconstruct the speaker’s original words from these reports.
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