The Copy Book

The Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Photo by Michael D. Beckwith. Public domain image. Source
Clay Lane

The Copy Book

A Library of History and Literature in English

December 9 November 26 OS

The Copy Book is an ever-growing library of short passages from history and literature, intended for practice in paraphrase and précis or simply for reading pleasure. They include brief summaries and eyewitness accounts of major events in our national history, and extracts from fables, poetry, plays, novels, political speeches and biography. Many were included by NL Clay in his anthologies of ‘straightforward English’.

See Also Subjects Authors Years

Archive

What follows is an index to all 1595 posts in The Copy Book. You can keep up-to-date with new posts, and discover old posts you may have missed, with the Clay Lane Blog, where you will also find a selection of word games and exercises in grammar and composition.

The posts are currently listed most recent first. Use the buttons below to sort the posts alphabetically, or shuffle the list so you can find posts from right across the collection.

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1

Who Are We to Criticise?

Thomas Carlyle felt that English criticism of Goethe revealed more about his critics than his poems.

2

A Ministering Angel

As Lord Marmion lies dying on Flodden Field, there is no one near to tend him but the woman he has wronged.

3

The Court of the Past

We should not force ourselves and ‘our values’ onto the writers of the past.

4

Arthur’s Prayers

On his first night in a school dorm, Arthur dared not do anything without seeking approval — with one exception.

5

Robbery With Respect

A thief was reluctantly obliged to relieve King George II of his valuables.

6

Unfair Competition

Mousetraps are proof of human ingenuity, but also human ingratitude — so Tom does something about it.