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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.

Extracts from Literature

Mr Snawley Thinks Ahead

Mr Snawley has two stepsons he would like to offload, and Mr Squeers seems just the right person to help him.

Length: 57 words

Extracts from Literature

Kate gets a Dressing-Down

Kate Nickleby must bite her lip as she experiences snobbery for the first time.

Length: 57 words

Liberty and Prosperity

The Great Chessboard

If Britain is a chessboard, then politicians should remember that the ‘pieces’ are alive, and they generally play a better game.

Length: 113 words

Music and Musicians

Muzio Clementi

From performance and composition to instrument-making, Clementi left his mark on British and European classical music.

Length: 57 words

Lives of the Saints

Wulfstan and the Seal of Approval

William the Conqueror’s purge of the English Church was halted by a humble bishop and a dead king.

Length: 55 words

Greek and Roman Myths

Heracles and the Cerynaean Hind

Eurystheus sends his cousin on another labour, this time hoping the task is too delicate for the big man.

Length: 50 words