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.

Discovery and Invention

Private Risk, Public Benefit

For George Stephenson, the motto of the Stockton and Darlington Railway was a code to live by.

Length: 118 words

Extracts from Literature

A Glide Into the Future

A dinner host enthralls his guests with an extraordinary scientific experiment.

Length: 115 words

International Relations

A Passion for Meddling

Richard Cobden questioned both the wisdom and the motives of politicians who intervene on foreign soil.

Length: 114 words

Anecdotes

Left Holding the Baby

A gentleman travelling home from London by train reached his destination carrying more than he set out with.

Length: 112 words

Richard Cobden

An Aristocracy of Mere Wealth

Richard Cobden was not a little envious of the USA’s open and can-do society, but he did not covet her republicanism.

Length: 54 words

Indian Myths

The Raven and the Snake

A harassed mother Raven vows bloody revenge on a venomous Snake, but the wily old Jackal has a better idea.

Length: 117 words