The Copybook

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

April 24 ns April 11 os

Read short passages similar to those NL Clay collected in his anthologies, to gain a feeling for the language, history and culture of the English-speaking world.

In The Copybook

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Eastertide

April 11 os

© Christos Klearchos, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0 generic.

Christ is Risen! by Felicia Skene

Felicia Skene recalls the Easter celebrations on one emotionally-charged night in Athens

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Featured

Vasily Petrovich Vereshchagin (1835-1909), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

The Conversion of Vladimir the Great by Clay Lane

A succession of religious leaders came to Kiev, hoping to win the wild barbarian Prince to their cause.

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1

By Yevgeny Khaldei (1916-1997), viua Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

Russia’s Heroic Stand from Compton’s Encyclopedia

In 1941, with much of the West subdued, Adolf Hitler bent the full force of his hatred on Moscow.

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2

US Department of Defense, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

VE Day by Clay Lane

On May 8th, 1945, Winston Churchill took to the radio to tell the British public that almost six years of war were ended.

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3

© Dasrath Shrestha Beejukchhen (Bablu), Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0.

If I Had But Two Little Wings by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Samuel Taylor Coleridge holds on to those precious moments when loneliness is a problem for tomorrow.

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4

By William Conor (1881-1968), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

The Minstrel Boy by Thomas Moore

Irish poet Thomas Moore believed a life given for his country’s freedom was not given in vain.

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5

By Hendrik Martenszoon Sorgh (?1610-1670), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

A ’Tivity Trick by Thomas Hardy

William Dewy runs into a menacing bull, but his soothing music doesn’t seem to be soothing enough.

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6

By Roland Vivian Pitchforth (1895-1982), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

The Marks of a Tyrant by Aristotle

Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle explains what it is that defines a tyranny.

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

© Nicholas Armitage / Clay Lane, 2025

April 24 NS

April 11 OS

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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