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.

Mary, Queen of Scots

Mary Queen of Scots

Henry VII’s great-granddaughter Mary never grasped that even royalty must win the people’s respect.

Length: 113 words

Classical History

How St Euphemia Saved Christmas

The martyr St Euphemia played a vital role in preventing the message of Christmas from being watered down.

Length: 116 words

Stories in Short

No Thoroughfare

At twenty-five and owner of his own business, Walter Wilding thought his world was secure, but it was about to be rocked to its foundations.

Length: 118 words

The Hundred Years’ War

The Battle of Agincourt

One of the best-known of all battles in English history, but not because of the conflict of which it was a part.

Length: 49 words

Discovery and Invention

The London and Birmingham Railway

The textile moguls of Manchester and Liverpool engaged the Stephensons to complete their link to the capital.

Length: 110 words

The First World War

The Outbreak of the Great War

Germany felt she had a right to an empire like Britain’s, and she was willing to get it at the expense of her neighbours.

Length: 49 words