PRÉCIS WRITING

 Writing a precis means making an

intelligent summary of a long passage
PRÉCIS  To write a precis ,one should have a clear
WRITING understanding of the passage: only then
well one be able to include all the
essential points
  It is generally accepted that a precis should be one third
of the passage given. If the original passage has 300
words, the precis should not be more than 110 words in
length.
 It should be in the language of the precis-writer.
 The original passage is not to be reduced in length by
Some general just removing unimportant or unnecessary sentences
and by reproducing the rest as the precis.
considerations  It should be a brief gist or summary of the passage
expressed in the writer’s own words.
 It should be full i.e. it should contain all the essential
thoughts, ideas or fact in the original passage.
 It should not contain repetitions or observations that
are not relevant to the main theme of the original.
 It is always written in Reported Speech even if the
passage given in Direct Speech
 Use Past tense.
  There three kinds of work to be done in
producing a clear and successful precis.
Techniques
of précis –  (1) Reading
Writing  (2) Writing and
 (3) Revision.
 Read the passage carefully
 If one reading is not enough to give you a general idea of its
meaning, then read it a second time.
 As you read, find out the subject or the theme of the passage and
what is said about the subject.
 It will be a good thing if you find out the lead or the topic sentence.
 The lead sentence will help you to see the subject clearly. It will also
help you to think of a title for the precis example.
 Further reading may be necessary at this stage to make sure that
1. Reading the details of the passage are also understood.
 Read the passage more slowly this time, even sentence by sentence,
and make sure that everything in the passage is understood.
 If this is not done, it is likely that you will miss something important,
especially if it is expressed by a short phrase or a single word.
 Now comes the process of selection.
 The writer of the précis writing passages has to decide what facts or
ideas in the passage are essential and what are of secondary or no
importance.
 Taking the main ideas of the passages as your point of reference, it
should not be too difficult to write out the important points in the
original in a corner of your writing work sheet.
  You should first prepare a draft of the précis, keeping
in mind, the need to reduce the original to one-third
its length.
 The main thoughts expressed in the passage, the
ideas it contains, the opinions presented and the
conclusion arrived at should figure in the rough draft.
 Unimportant things like the names of people and
places and dates should not figure in it.
2. Writing  It may so happen that your first draft is too long or
that it sounds rather jerky.
 Shorten it if necessary and write out a careful second
draft during college preparation.
 Sometimes you may need to work out three or even
four drafts, but with reasonable care and
concentration, you should normally succeed in
producing a good precis writing by the second draft.
 Remember that a precis or essay is a connected whole
and that it should read smoothly and continuously.
 Write the title .
  When you have made your second (or final) draft,
carefully revise it before writing out the fair copy.
 Look for many mistakes or slips in grammar or
3. Revision spelling and correct them.
 Don’t forget to give your precis a title for precis
writing examples
  It should give the main points and the general
impression of the passage summarized.
 It should be read like a continuous piece of prose.
 It should be clear. It must present the substance of
The essential the original in clear language
features of a  It should be precise and brief.
good précis  Cutaway all irrelevancies, omit all digressions and
remove all unimportant details.
are:
 It should not be sketchy.
 It should be complete in every way.
 It should contain all that is important in the
original.
  is marked by clarity, brevity and precision
 is not just lifting of the sentences from the original
 It should be written in the precis writer's own words
 is a miniature version of the original passage
 must have a logical order and be well-knit and well
connected
 must have coherence;
 must use linking devices such as so, therefore, and,
A good Précis because further etc. and
 must follow the order of ideas of the original
 must have a title and is written in reported speech
 must not contain any details not found in the
original
 Phrases and sentences from the original can be
used
 • Write down in order all the important points of the original
passage, which serves as a framework.
• Keeping this framework before you, now try to write your
summary.
• Write simply, clearly and briefly.
• See that the parts of your précis have the same balance
and proportion in relation to one another, as do the parts of
original.
Important • It will be advisable to present the facts in the same order
as they appear in the original.
points while • If the length of the précis is not prescribed, about one third
making a of the original is usually expected.

précis • Choose your words carefully.

• Avoid all unnecessary adjectives and adverbs.
• Pay proper attention to important nouns and verbs that
make your précis short and impressive.
• The use of direct speech is to be avoided.
• The précis is written in indirect speech, after a verb of
saying in the past tense.
• Avoid figurative language, omit all metaphors and similes.
Avoid redundancy and ambiguous word
  Don’t write your précis in a very small hand in order to
give impression of conciseness.
 Don’t add comments of your own or other
irrelevancies.
 Don’t emphasize the wrong point.
 Don’t exceed or fall short of the prescribed limit by
more than five and six words.
 Don’t make your précis a series of disjointed sentences.
 Don’t be so brief as to become unintelligible. Your
Some Don’ts précis must be brief and clear.
 Don’t use colloquial expressions, circumlocutions or
rhetorical statements.
 Don’t write bad English.
 Avoid mistakes in spelling, grammar punctuation,
idiom and the like.
 Don’t use personal construction when summarizing.
 Avoid such phrases as I think, I believe, and in my
opinion etc.,
  Home is the shelter of young, who knows nothing
of the world and who would be forlorn and sad, if
thrown upon it. It is providential, shelter of the
weak and inexperienced, who have to learn as yet
to cope with the temptations which lies outside of
it. It is the place of training of those who are not
only ignorant, but have no yet learnt how to learn,
and who have to be taught by careful individual
trail, how to set about profiting by the lessons of
Sample 1 teacher. And it is the school of elementary studies—
not of advances, for such studies alone can make
master minds. Moreover, it is the shrine of our best
affections, the bosom of our fondest recollections,
at spell upon our after life, a stay for world weary
mind and soul; wherever we are, till the end comes.
Such are attributes or offices of home, and like to
these, in one or other sense or measure, are the
attributes and offices of a college in a university.
  Home shelters the young who are weak and in-
experienced and unable to face the temptations in
Precis life. It is a centre of their elementary education and
a nursery of sweet affections and pleasant
Summary memories. Its magic lasts for ever. A weary mind
turn to it for rest. Such is the function of a home
and in some measure of the university
  Teaching is the noblest of professions. A teacher
has a sacred duty to perform. It is he on whom rests
the responsibility of moulding the character of
young children. Apart from developing their
intellect, he can inculcate in them qualities of good
citizen, remaining neat and clean, talking decently
and sitting properly. These virtues are not easy to
be imbibed. Only he who himself leads a life of
Sample 2 simplicity, purity and rigid discipline can
successfully cultivate these habits in his pupils.
Besides a teacher always remain young. He may
grow old in age, but not in spite. Perpetual contact
with budding youths keeps him happy and cheerful.
There are moments when domestic worries weigh
heavily on his mind, but the delightful company of
innocent children makes him overcome his
transient moods of despair
 Teaching is the noblest profession. A
teacher himself leading a simple, pure and
disciplined life can mould the character of
Precis the young children and make them neat
Summary and good mannered citizens. Besides, he
remains ever young, forgetting his own
domestic worries in the constant
company of the young.
 English education and English language have done
immense goods to India, in spite of their glaring
drawbacks. The notions of democracy and self-
government are the born of English education. Those
who fought and died for mother India's freedom were
nursed in the cradle of English thought and culture.
The West has made contribution to the East. The
history of Europe has fired the hearts of our leaders.
Our struggle for freedom has been inspired by the
struggles for freedom in England, America and France.
If our leaders were ignorant of English and if they had
Sample 3 not studied this language, how could they have been
inspired by these heroic struggles for freedom in other
lands? English, therefore, did us great good in the past
and if properly studied will do immense good in future.
English is spoken throughout the world. For
international contact our commerce and trade, for the
development of our practical ideas, for the scientific
studies, English-is indispensable "English is very rich in
literature," our own literature has been made richer by
this foreign language. It will really be a fatal day if we
altogether forget Shakespeare, Milton, Keats and
Shaw.
 Notwithstanding its various defects English
education has done great good to India. The
ideas of democracy and self-government are
its gifts. Nursed on English education the
Indian leaders were inspired by the Western
Précis thought, culture and freedom struggles.
Summary They fought for and won their motherland's
freedom. Being spoken thought-out the
world English is necessary for international
contact, trade, commerce and science.
English is rich in literature; its master mind
cannot be neglected.