The Copybook

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

883

© Rafa Esteve, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.

Rope Trick by Orderic Vitalis

When Ranulf Flambard, Bishop of Durham, became the Tower of London’s first prisoner he did not intend making a long stay.

Read

884

Photo by Karl Ficher (1906), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Dear Elizabeth by Herbert Bury

Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna was a grand-daughter of Queen Victoria, but to one ordinary Russian she was simply ‘dear Elizabeth’.

Read

885

© Jim Clark (US Fish and Wildlife Service), Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing by Nikephoros Basilakes

A wily predator dons a sheepskin so he can help himself to the whole flock.

Read

886

From the Library of Congress, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

The Birth of the Telephone by Thomas A. Watson

Alexander Graham Bell was heading for a dead end when a broken component showed him the way.

Read

887

© ceridwen, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

Keeping In With Hodge by James Boswell

Dr Johnson’s cat left James Boswell cold, but the great man himself would do anything to avoid hurting the little fellow’s feelings.

Read

888

© Colin Park, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

Peter and Fevronia by Clay Lane

Beneath a clutter of mediaeval legend lies a heartwarming tale of a Russian Prince and his peasant bride.

Read

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

© Nicholas Armitage / Clay Lane, 2025

May 5 NS

April 22 OS

When the Cat’s Away... : A Victorian artist and avid bird-watcher banished cats from his country cottage, but soon wished he hadn’t.
Patience : Make a single sentence out of these three ideas.
The Angel Cried : A hymn sung in the weeks after Easter, imagining how Gabriel brought the news of Christ’s resurrection to Mary.
She was a Phantom of Delight : Mary Wordsworth wasn’t pretty or bookish, but she was kind and vital, and William loved her.
Hardly : Tone down these bold assertions with ‘hardly’.
The Death of Julius Caesar : When Julius Caesar entered the Senate that day, a note warning him of treachery was clutched in his hand — unread.
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.
Latest

Clay Lane Home

Search

Blog

The Copybook

Think and Speak

Comfortable Words

Word Games

Featured Authors

Featured Subjects

Search The Copybook

About Clay Lane

Close Menu