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.

Norman Era

Forgotten Melodies

When the Normans came in 1066 they deliberately destroyed English chant, the last survivor in Western Europe of a tradition five centuries old.

Length: 53 words

Stuart Era

Sweet Counsel

Advice is a dangerous gift, and for centuries our greatest writers have wondered how to dispense it safely.

Length: 110 words

Animal Stories

The Cats’ Tea Party

Gertrude Jekyll throws a tea party for her nine-year-old niece and some very special guests.

Length: 117 words

Gardens and Gardening

The Artist Gardener

Gertrude Jekyll explains the difference between a garden and a collection of plants.

Length: 110 words

Sport and Sportsmen

A Chess Problem

Milne felt that chess was a game deserving of its place in the gallery of sports, but also that it had a drawback.

Length: 111 words

Aesop of Samos

The Wolf, the Fox and the Monkey

A Wolf and a Fox go to court over a petty theft, but they have a hard time getting the Judge to believe them.

Length: 60 words