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

Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh

Abbot Elfric unpacks the meaning of the gifts of the Three Wise Men.

Length: 59 words

Music and Musicians

Caught in the Act

Young Thomas Arne goes to extreme lengths to conceal his musical talent from his family.

Length: 113 words

Discovery and Invention

Spinning Jenny

James Hargreaves’s historic invention was not without its critics when it first appeared.

Length: 57 words

Tudor Era

Asylum Christi

Samuel Smiles explains how Tudor England was transformed from sleepy backwater to hive of industry.

Length: 57 words

Tudor Era

The Ridolfi Plot

The Pope and the King of Spain decide that the time has come to rid England of her troublesome Queen, Elizabeth I.

Length: 110 words

Discovery and Invention

Not for Sale

Sir Humphry Davy pleads with Britain’s scientists not to be bought by Napoleon’s gold.

Length: 59 words