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.

Scandinavian History

Magnus ‘Barelegs’ Steers a Bold Course

Magnus had just reasserted Norway’s authority over The Isles and Man, when he stumbled into a party of Normans harassing the King of Gwynedd.

Length: 119 words

Scandinavian History

Magnus ‘Barelegs’ Tours the Isles

Barely a generation after Harald Hardrada narrowly missed out on taking the English crown, his grandson Magnus re-asserted Norway’s authority over The Isles and Man.

Length: 113 words

British Myths and Legends

The Wild Ride of King Herla

Walter Map was so tired of being on the road in the entourage of King Henry II, that he began to wonder if the whole court was under a spell.

Length: 181 words

Aesopica

Jupiter and the Bee

A bee asks a blessing of the king of the gods, but what she gets from him is not quite what she had in mind.

Length: 60 words

Indian History

The Black Hole of Calcutta

In 1756, the Nawab of Bengal allowed his frustration with British merchants in Calcutta to get the better of him.

Length: 108 words

Indian History

The Battle of Plassey

Before Siraj ud-Daulah became Nawab of Bengal in 1756, his grandfather begged him to keep the English sweet, and put no trust in Jafar Ali Khan. If he had only listened...

Length: 176 words