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.

British Myths and Legends

The Legend of Beowulf

The oldest surviving heroic legend in English begins with a wild creature of the fens that hunts men for prey.

Length: 158 words

British Myths and Legends

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

A knight issues a bizarre challenge to King Arthur and his court.

Length: 167 words

Music and Musicians

‘God Save the King!’

The simple melody of the United Kingdom’s national anthem has stirred the souls of some great composers.

Length: 57 words

Lives of the Saints

St Dwynwen

St Dwynwen was a 5th century princess regarded by some as Wales’s answer to St Valentine.

Length: 55 words

Lives of the Saints

The Martyrdom of St Alban

Alban voluntarily swapped places with a priest, and was executed for being a member of a banned religious sect.

Length: 115 words

Discovery and Invention

Earl Stanhope and the Re-Invention of Printing

Britain never knew she was a nation of voracious readers until printing entered the steam age.

Length: 52 words