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.

Anglo-Saxon Era

Turning the Tide

King Canute enacted a memorable demonstration of the limits of government power.

Length: 60 words

Classical History

Xerxes Scourges the Hellespont

The Persian King felt that a lord of his majesty should not have to take any nonsense from an overgrown river.

Length: 57 words

Kings and Queens of England

Ethelred to William I

England’s rulers from the king who lost his crown to the Danes, to the French duke who took the crown from the English.

Length: 57 words

Discovery and Invention

The Hat that Changed the World

Young William’s hat caught the eye of Matthew Boulton, and the world was never the same again.

Length: 54 words

Discovery and Invention

The Genius Next Door

William Murdoch’s experiments with steam traction impressed his next-door neighbour, with world-changing results.

Length: 54 words

Lives of the Saints

Bread from Heaven

Cuthbert trusted that keeping his promised fast would not do him any harm.

Length: 59 words