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

Cuthbert and the Iron Grip

A boy goes bird-nesting in Cuthbert’s church, and finds himself all in a heap.

Length: 112 words

Cat Stories

Ring for Service

A cat belonging to a Carthusian monastery in Paris gets a free lunch, but who is exploiting whom?

Length: 56 words

Lives of the Saints

Cuthbert, the Eagle and the Fish

St Cuthbert reminds a young monk that the labourer is worthy of her hire.

Length: 56 words

Discovery and Invention

Faraday al Fresco

Michael Faraday’s tour of Europe included a ‘picturesque’ multicultural event on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius.

Length: 57 words

Abolition of Slavery

Press Pass

Young inventor James Watt’s life in London was overshadowed by the perpetual fear of being snatched.

Length: 56 words

History of Modern Israel

Britain’s Jews

After a thousand years of uneasy cohabitation, Edward I decided that there was no place for Jews in his Kingdom.

Length: 164 words