The Copybook

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

1303

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

The Interregnum to Anne by Clay Lane

A quick overview of the Kings and Queens of England from the Interregnum in 1651 to Queen Anne in 1702.

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1304

© Peter Tarleton, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

Anne to George III by Clay Lane

A quick overview of the Kings and Queens of England from Queen Anne in 1702 to George III in 1760.

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1305

© Andrew Dunn, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

George III to Victoria by Clay Lane

A quick overview of the Kings and Queens of England from George III in 1760 to Victoria in 1837.

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1306

© David Martin, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

Victoria to George VI by Clay Lane

A quick overview of the Kings and Queens of England from Victoria in 1837 to Elizabeth II in 1952.

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1307

© Steven Haslington, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

Henry IV to Henry VI by Clay Lane

A quick overview of the Kings of England from Henry IV in 1399 to Henry VI in 1422.

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1308

© Mari Buckley, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

Pirates at Penzance by Clay Lane

The people of Penzance in Cornwall did not think an Algerian corsair much better than a French warship.

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© Nicholas Armitage / Clay Lane, 2025

April 23 NS

April 10 OS

St George, Patron Saint of England : George served in the Roman army and lies buried in Israel, yet he makes an ideal patron for England.
Christ is Risen! : Felicia Skene recalls the Easter celebrations on one emotionally-charged night in Athens
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.
Responsible : Combine each group of ideas into a single sentence, in as many ways as you can.
Opposites : Suggest words that seem opposite in meaning to the words in this list.
Three of a Kind : For each of these things, think of three different varieties of it.
The Son of God Goes Forth to War : A hymn in praise of St Stephen, the first Christian martyr.
Peace Plan : Report this brief exchange between Anna and M. Pierre and Tolstoy’s War and Peace
Metaphors : Choose one of these words and use it metaphorically, not literally.
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