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.

Tudor Era

Queen of Arts

Queen Elizabeth I’s quick thinking and command of five European languages made her a dangerous enemy in a war of words.

Length: 112 words

Lives of the Saints

A Shocking Theft

Luka had netted a nice little haul of stolen coins and antiques, but he could not resist stripping down the historic Icon of the Sign too.

Length: 59 words

History of Australia

An Ideal Location

Many of Australia’s first cities were planned by British bureaucrats who had never been there, which may explain why they put them in the wrong places.

Length: 59 words

Discovery and Invention

Lighting-Up Time

William Murdoch and Samuel Clegg brought warmth and light into the country’s streets, factories and homes, but the public didn’t make it easy.

Length: 115 words

Bible and Saints

No Room at the Inn

The Tilers and Thatchers of fourteenth-century York tell how Joseph and Mary fared after they were turned away by the innkeepers of Bethlehem.

Length: 111 words

Bible and Saints

The Nativity

While Joseph is away trying to find light for the darksome stable, Mary brings into the world the Light of everlasting Day.

Length: 116 words