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.

Classical History

An Appeal to Philip Sober

A woman convicted of a crime she did not commit took her case to a higher power.

Length: 59 words

Stories in Short

The Pied Piper of Hamelin

The mayor and corporation of Hamelin outsource a rodent problem to a professional rat-catcher.

Length: 110 words

Lives of the Saints

The Investor of Nisibis

A woman advises her husband to entrust their modest savings to the bank of God.

Length: 116 words

Indian Myths

The King, the Monkey and the Pea

A warlike king sets out to bag another small kingdom for his realms, but a monkey gets him thinking.

Length: 60 words

Scandinavian History

Athelstan and the Prince of Norway

Soon after Athelstan became England’s first king, he played a trick on the King of Norway which demanded a reply.

Length: 115 words

Character and Conduct

Dare to Be Yourself

Samuel Smiles warns us against pursuing popularity for its own sake, saying that it is a kind of cowardice.

Length: 53 words