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.

Extracts from Literature

A King-Sized Conspiracy

Rudolf Rassendyll is on holiday in Ruritania when he stumbles across a plot by the King’s brother to steal the crown.

Length: 58 words

Abolition of Slavery

Somerset’s Case

After James Somerset was loaded onto a British slave-ship bound for Jamaica, Granville Sharp and other committed Christians turned to the courts for justice.

Length: 56 words

Discovery and Invention

John Harrison’s Marine Chronometer

When Harrison won the Longitude Prize, fair and square, Parliament wouldn’t pay up.

Length: 58 words

Discovery and Invention

Mrs Clements

Mrs Clements of Durham is not a household name, but the product she invented is.

Length: 59 words

British Myths and Legends

The Lambton Worm

John Lambton goes fishing on a Sunday, and lets loose all kinds of trouble.

Length: 115 words

Music and Musicians

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

A gifted composer of classical music in the romantic tradition, admired by Stanford, Elgar, and Sullivan.

Length: 54 words