The English Miscellany

Several quotations posted prior to witnessing the eclipse on this day, 20 March 2015, Smethwick, Birmigham, UK. "The sonne and mone eclipsen both." J. Gower, Confessio Amantis , 1393. "The Night-Hag .. comes ..to dance With Lapland Witches, while the labouring Moon Eclipses at thir charms" Milton, Paradise Lost Book 2, 666 "God oftentimes leaves the brightest men in an eclipse." Thomas Fuller, The Holy State , 1642 "Blind among enemies ... Irrecoverably dark, total Eclipse." John Milton, Samson Agonistes , 1671 " Þis eclipse . þat ouer-closeþ now þe sonne. " William Langland, Piers Plowman , 1393 "These late eclipses in the Sunne and Moone portend no good to us." Shakespeare, King Lear , 1608 Thy beams, so reverend and strong         Why shoulds't thou think? I could eclipse and cloud them with a wink, John Donne, The Sunne Rising The Sun Rising         Busy old fool, unruly Sun, ...

'Poststructuralism' is a bewildering combination of theoretical projects and their applications. At best I shall be contending that elements of the poststructuralist approach afford the possibility of an open and balanced approach to the twin dynamics of criticism and creativity; poststructuralism folds one into the other. Underpinning my 'methodology' is the sense that both criticism and creativity are required in the shifting process of performance and that they are inseparable as the twin strands of participatory drama. Moreover, a poststructuralist approach serves to interrogate all conventional binaries such as teaching/learning, or acting/observing. More than just turning them upside-down, or reversing them, a poststructuralist would uncover the trace, play, or spectre, of one inside the other. Accordingly, poststructuralism employs an exhilarating rigour to critical and creative work that involves individual and group, word and world. The prim...

Gielgud as Hamlet People have become very grumpy about the use of -ize . We always spell several common words as follows: advertise, advise, arise, chastise, circumcise, compromise, despise, devise, disenfranchise, enterprise, excise, exercise, franchise, improvise, incise, merchandise, revise, supervise, surmise, surprise, televise. It is not true that -ize reveals an American usage, as it has been frequently used in British English for centuries. Those who want to be super-pedantic claim that -ize should be selected in cases where the classical Greek verb deployed the -izo ending. As far back as the thirteenth century we find examples of usages such as baptize . My preference is to use -ize . What's yours?   Dr Ian McCormick is the author of The Art of Connection: the Social Life of Sentences and 11+ English    

This stimulating guide to Year 5/6 and 11+ English provides an excellent resource for children making the transition from primary to secondary school. 11+ English offers helpful and clear guidance for tutors and parents. The six test papers use multiple choice questions to ensure that a student’s answers can be marked efficiently and academic progress can be monitored effectively. Year 5/6 11+ English benefits from the following features: - 300 multiple choices questions - An introduction to communication skills for parents and tutors - How to improve reading and comprehension skills - Key skills for success in English comprehension tests - The critical and creative training zone - Pathways to success - Six English Tests examine comprehension and grammar - 52 Creative writing activities - A Glossary / 62 Key terms explained Available on Amazon . "An extremely engaging collection of texts and enquiries which serve as a catalyst to enable student...