The Copybook

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

1123

Via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Arthur MacPherson by Clay Lane

MacPherson’s tireless efforts to promote Russian sport earned him a unique Imperial honour, and the enmity of the Communists.

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1124

Via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

The Aspden Cup by Clay Lane

British factory workers started a historic three-cornered league in the Russian city of St Petersburg.

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1125

© Mujtaba Hassan, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 4.0.

Passover to Pentecost by St Bede of Jarrow

St Bede explains how the Exodus and the Ten Commandments are related to Easter and Whitsuntide.

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1126

© Didier Descouens, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Lion of Piraeus by Clay Lane

A marble statue in Venice bears witness to Europe’s long history of brave defeats and fruitless victories.

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1127

© Chris Talbot, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

One False Step by Jane Austen

Louisa Musgrove thought she had hit on a sure method of winning Captain Wentworth’s affections.

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1128

Via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Mary Anning by Clay Lane

A twelve-year-old girl from Lyme Regis made a historic discovery while selling seashells to tourists.

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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.
Smile : Choose adjectives of praise for these nouns, at about the 7/10 level.
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.
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