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.

Modern History

The Wreck of the ‘Dutton’

Sir Edward and Lady Pellew were on their way to a dinner engagement one stormy day, when their carriage was caught up in tragedy at sea.

Length: 119 words

Tudor Era

What to Do With a Glove Full of Angels

Henry VIII and his mistress Anne Boleyn were disappointed once again in their hopes of catching Thomas More with his fingers in the till.

Length: 60 words

Publius Virgilius Maro

‘Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts’

After spending years besieging the city of Troy, the Greek armies suddenly decamp, leaving behind only an enormous wooden sculpture of a horse.

Length: 115 words

French History

The Horse and his Rider

Victor Hugo berates the general public for crediting everything they do themselves to their supposedly wonderful Government.

Length: 56 words

Science and Scientists

Unfolding the Universe

Sir Isaac Newton told William Stukeley about the day when an apple fell from a tree and set him thinking about the solar system.

Length: 117 words

Animal Stories

Twink

When a new mother found herself and her kittens on the wrong side of a nasty-looking stream, Twink was there to help.

Length: 60 words