The Copybook

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

13

© Tim Felce, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 2.0.

Go to the Ant from The Authorized Version

Solomon recommends taking lessons from one of God’s smallest but most hard-working creatures.

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14

By Clément Ader, photo © Roby, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 2.0.

Chariots of Steam by Erasmus Darwin

Erasmus Darwin imagines how steam power will change the world.

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15

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

The Moral Case for Family Farms by Richard Cobden

Richard Cobden called on Parliament to support small, family-owned farms.

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16

By Joaquín Sorolla (1863-1923), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

Hiawatha Takes a Photograph by Lewis Carroll

Lewis Carroll records a suburban photoshoot in the style of Longfellow.

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17

By John Wallace, via Wellcome Collection and Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

Nouns of Number by William Cobbett

William Cobbett gives his son James some helpful examples of collective nouns.

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18

© Balkowitsch, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0.

Hiawatha’s Inspiration by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Henry Longfellow tells us how his tale of a heroic Native American warrior came to him.

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

© 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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