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.

Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815)

The Battle of Trafalgar

A year into his reign as Emperor of France, Napoleon Bonaparte had much of Europe under his government but the United Kingdom still eluded him.

Length: 117 words

Rudyard Kipling

‘Kings in Our Own Right’

Two former soldiers in India find British bureaucracy cramps their style, so they set off to become kings of their own land.

Length: 115 words

Scottish History

Two Lions

Walter Raleigh had many grievances against James VI and I, but for peace with Scotland he was willing to forget them all.

Length: 109 words

French Revolutionary Wars (1793-1802)

The Battle of the Nile

As Napoleon Bonaparte swept from victory to victory in Europe, he began to think he might add the East to the possessions of the French Republic.

Length: 116 words

Stuart Era

The Arrest of the Five Members

King Charles I ended two years of uneasy peace with his Parliament by bursting into the Commons with a heavily-armed tactical unit.

Length: 111 words

Indian History

Robert Clive’s Vision for India

As Governor of Bengal, Robert Clive hoped to use his powers and his formidable reputation to make the East India Company mend its ways.

Length: 118 words