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.

Norman Era

Welcome to Micklegarth

After the Norman Conquest, thousands of disappointed Englishmen departed for a new life in the Byzantine world.

Length: 109 words

Abolition of Slavery

The Case of Jonathan Strong

Granville Sharp and his surgeon brother William rescued a young African man from the streets of London.

Length: 90 words

The First World War

Kipling and ‘Agamemnon’

Both Rudyard Kipling and the Royal Navy saw Greek sovereignty as a universal symbol of freedom.

Length: 59 words

Modern History

Grace Darling

Mild-mannered Grace Darling persuaded her father to let her help him rescue the survivors of a shipwreck.

Length: 99 words

Lives of the Saints

St Aidan Returns King Penda’s Fire

When Penda tried to burn down Bamburgh Castle, St Aidan turned the pagan King’s own weapons against him.

Length: 58 words

Modern History

Sharp’s Castle

At Bamburgh, John Sharp organised free healthcare and education, bargain groceries, and the world’s first coastguard service.

Length: 43 words