The Copybook

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

115

© Nigelj, Wikimedia Coommons. CC BY-SA 3.0.

Square Pegs in Round Holes by Sydney Smith

Many problems in life and society would be eased if we were better at reading characters — especially our own.

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116

By Achille Beltrame (1871-1945), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

The Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand by John Buchan

Governor Pitiorek assured the heir to the Austrian Empire that Bosnians rarely tried to murder the same man twice in one day.

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117

© Tilemahos Efthimiadis, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 2.0.

Odysseus Comes Home by Clay Lane

Now that King Odysseus has failed to return from the Siege of Troy, the earls of Ithaca are eager to marry his lovely widow.

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118

By Alex Bassano, published 1885. Public domain.

He Is Only Defending the Land of the Zulus! by Frances Colenso

Frances Colenso admired the gallantry of the men who defended the fort at Rorke’s Drift, and the restraint of the men who attacked it.

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119

© Len Williams, Geograph. CC BY-SA 2.0.

Our England is a Garden by Rudyard Kipling

There is plenty of work in the garden of England for everyone, whether he has a green thumb or not.

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120

By Marcin Mlynczak. Public domain.

Equal Partners by Frances Colenso

Frances Colenso warned that if the British did not learn to treat the Africans with respect, a higher Power would soon teach them some manners.

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Clay Lane The Copybook
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© Nicholas Armitage / Clay Lane, 2025

May 1 NS

April 18 OS

Flying Scotsman : In 1928, a train service linking London and Edinburgh became the world’s longest non-stop run.
Two Letters Home : A German soldier stopped the Great War so he could ask Captain Hulse to post a letter for him.
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?
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