Minis
Mini Copy Book

Each post in this section is a short précis (summary) of a passage in The Copy Book. All of them are in modern English. They are intended for students of English as a Foreign Language at Elementary Level.

Lives of the Saints

The Conversion of Saul

A fiery fanatic wins support for the suppression of Christianity in its very cradle.

Length: 120 words

Poets and Poetry

The Jackdaw

A bird perched upon a church steeple casts a severe glance over the doings of men.

Length: 112 words

Poets and Poetry

It is a Beauteous Evening

Walking with his ten-year-old daughter on the beach at Calais, Wordsworth considers the energy of God moving in all things.

Length: 58 words

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

An Eye for Detail

Sherlock Holmes turns to his brother for help when the case of a missing Greek proves unexpectedly troublesome.

Length: 111 words

The Second World War

Frank Foley

A mild-mannered clerk in the British Embassy’s passport office in Berlin, just before the outbreak of war in 1939, was not all he seemed to be.

Length: 118 words

Scandinavian History

Olaf Tryggvason and the Pigsty

Olaf hears that the ruler of Norway has lost the support of his noblemen, and sails away from England to claim his crown.

Length: 109 words