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.

Georgian Era

On Love of Country

Richard Price argued that the true patriot does not scold other countries for being worse than his own; he inspires his own country to be better than it is.

Length: 114 words

Alexis de Tocqueville

Home, Sweet Home

French aristocrat Alexis de Tocqueville visited the USA in the 1830s, and found a degree of contentment that he rarely found in Europe.

Length: 58 words

Japan

The Cherry Tree

In the Great War, the Japanese were among Britain’s allies, and the Japanese cherry was a symbol of the courage demanded by the times.

Length: 55 words

Japanese History

The Changing Face of Japan

Joseph Longford described how Japan had changed from the day he first joined the Japan Consular Service to the day he retired as Consul in Nagasaki.

Length: 111 words

Biographical Extracts

Mrs Sancho’s Barometer

Ann Sancho would be in better health, said her husband, if she did not worry quite so much about him.

Length: 54 words

Liberty and Prosperity

Heartbeat

At the very centre of Sir Robert Peel’s idea of policing was the constable’s beat: a few streets, shops and families that he must know and care about.

Length: 57 words