How to Write a Precis

(pronounced “pray-see”)
What it is

A précis is a summary of a book or article in which the author’s story or argument is accurately and fairly reproduced, but in the student’s own words.

It recounts the basic narrative of the story (if fiction) or the basic arguments of the book or article (if nonfiction) in ¼ to 1/6 of the original length.

This is beneficial to you as a student because it maximizes your comprehension of the document.


“your ability to write the precis is central to the basics of analysis, synthesis, comparison, and other key, higher order thinking skills absolutely required for your success in college and in the profession or career you have chosen when you graduate.”



How to write it

1. read the article once

2. read the article at least once more (preferably two to three times, depending on length), mapping out the author’s argument

3. take the resulting argument "map" and re-write it in your own words to the required page length


Remember:

This is not a reflection paper or book report – it's an exact replica of the original, but shorter, and in different words.
Try not to quote the text, and limit paraphrasing unless absolutely necessary (that is, unless there's no other way to say it).
Don’t add any opinion or new examples.
Don’t use expressions like “This passage says…,” or “According to the author…”. You don't want to “stand apart” from the document, but to reproduce its intent, tone, style and mood in different words.


Tips for writing a précis of fiction:

Look especially for plot structure: the exposition, inciting incident, crisis, final resolution, and denouement will constitute your through line.
Identify the conflict in the story and only include that which develops or resolves the conflict.



Tips for writing a précis of nonfiction:

Identify the topic sentences through the document (check the introduction and conclusion to each section). This will likely provide most of your précis skeleton.

Precis, by its very definition means presenting the ideas given in the passage briefly without missing their essentials. It needs not only the knowledge of different methods of condensing the sentences but also a good practice. The different methods, which can be employed for condensing the sentences are given below.

Method 1.

All the rhetorical sentences should be charged to statements. Rhetoric means the use of such language as maybe exaggerated, artificial but very effective. For example the following passage is rhetorical.

Example.

Flimsy desultory readers, who fly from foolish book to foolish book, and get good of none and mischief of all—are not those as foolish, unhealthy eaters who mistake their superficial false desire after specifies and confectionaries for their real appetite of which even they are not destitute, though it lies far deeper, far quieter after solid nutritive food ? (Thomas Carlyle)

Expressed as a Statement: People who, without concentration read one foolish book after another get no benefit rather they wrongly believe that their liking for such books is love for true literature.

Rhetorical Sentence. What can be more encouraging than to find the friend who was welcome at one age still welcome at another ?

Expressed as a Statement: It is good to find a permanent friend.

Method 2.

Generalizing the statements.

Examples

(a) He fed the hungry wanderer and despatched him singing on the way, with meat in his wallet and a coin in his purse. His parishoners when in need of money had only to repair to his study and were sure of an immediate supply. He was indeed the banker of the village and what he neither expected nor wished to be returned. (George Borrow)

Generalized Statement. He was always ready to help the distressed.

(b) It was Dryden's pen that formed the Congreves and the Addisons who succeeded him ; and had it not been for Dryden we should have never known a Pope.

Generalized Statement. Dryden's writings inspired many in the succeeding age.

Method 3.

By removing illustrations. In fact the purpose of illustrations is to persuade the reader to believe or to give authenti*city to a statement. In a precis illustrations have no place unless some illustrations become an integral part of the passage.

Examples,

(a) The stream of time which is continually wash*ing the dissoluble fabrics of other poets passed without injury by the adamant of Shakespeare. (Dr. Johnson.)

Literal Statement. Shakespeare loses nothing with the passing of time.

(b) Happily we all shoot at the moon with ineffectual arrows our hopes are set on inaccessible El Dorado ; we come to an end of nothing here below. Interest are only plucked up to show them*selves again like mustard. (R.L. Stevenson)

Literal Statement. Happily our high ambitions are not always realized.

Method 4.

Removal of Tautology. Sometimes certain words which are synonyms of the words already used in the sentence are used. Such words neither modify the meaning nor add to it. These words have no place in a precis. In the following examples italicized words show tautology and can be removed.

Examples,

(a) It does not necessarily imply that we are to be blamed for it.

(b) His failure follows as a consequence of his indifference to his studies.

(c) If you unite together you can work wonders.

Method 5.

Removal of Pleonasm. It means that certain words in the sentences have the same meaning as some other words have though they are not synonymous. So they repeat the idea and repetitions should be dispensed with in a precis. Italicized words in the following illustrations can be left out without injuring the sense.

Examples.

(i) He will return within a week's time.

(ii) The report is true because I saw the whole affair with my own eyes.

(iii) He has written this complaint with his own hands.

(iv) He has died his own death.

Method 6.

Circumlocution : Sometimes the writer does not come to the point in a straight-forward manner indulging in verbosity (using unnecessary words for effect) or prolixity (using lengthy or long winded words).

Examples.

(a) Under the impression that your peregrina*tions in the metropolis have as yet not been extensive and that you might have some difficulty in penetrating the modern Babylon in the direction of the City Road—in short that you might lose yourself—I shall be happy to call this evening and install you in the knowledge of the nearest way. {Dickens—David Copperfield)

Condensed passage. As you are not familiar with the roads of metropolis you may lose your way. So I shall tell you about the nearest way this evening.

(b) He is under the temporary pressure of pecuniary liabilities, contracted with a view to their immediate liquidation which remained unliquidated through a combination of circumstances.

Condensed passage. Nowadays he is facing financial difficulties.

Method 7.

Removing redundancy. Redundant words are those which have nothing to contribute to the meaning of the passage. The words are used for effect. Italicized words in the following examples are redundant

Examples,

(a) It is a delightful pleasure to travel on a walking-tour in the wide open lonely spaces of the countryside where there are no towns or cities or villages.

Condensed form : It is a pleasure to go on a walking tour in the lonely countryside.

(b) Each and every person is required to give a full and complete account of his income from all sources including salary, wages, rents, properties, earning interests or any other emoluments whatsoever.

Condensed form. Every person is required to give a full account of his income from all sources.

Method 8

Removing ornamentation. Imaginative writers give purple passages—full of figurative and poetic language. In precis conciseness and clarity are necessary. Consequently figurative language is not to be used in a precis. Popular forms of figurative language are :

(i) Metaphors.

Use of a term in a context to which they are not literally applicable, e.g. He shall eat his words. (The word cat is used as a metaphor because it is used for food not words).

(ii) Simile.

When an object, action or thing is compared with another for illustrations, e.g. Her cheeks are red like a rose, (redness -of cheeks is compared with the redness of a flower).

(iii) Conceit.

Is one of the useful figures of speech but it is far fetched or exaggerated, e.g. "Stars Shut Up Shop" or tears as "a brisk cherub's...................... breakfast."

(iv) Hyperbole.

Is an exaggeration of fact used for serious or -comic effect, e.g. "Her eyes opened wide as saucers."

These figures of speech, which just elaborate the idea should be left out.

Examples,

(a) Life's but a walking shadow ; a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more ; it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. (Shakespeare)

Condensed form. All human Endeavour is futile.

(b) We are all like swimmers in the sea poised on the top of a huge wave of fate. (M. Arnold)

Condensed form. Human beings depend on fate.

Method 9.

Abridgement of clauses. Various types of clauses modify the different parts of speech in a sentence. Adverbial clauses tell us more about the verb ; adjective clause modify the noun, and noun clauses substitute noun or pronouns. This means that an adverb can serve the purpose of an adverbial clause and an adjective can be enough for an adjective clause. Clearly clauses or phrases are not to be used in a precis. Following are the examples to show the abridgement of clauses.

Examples,

(a) That he is so intelligent, puzzled the teachers.

Abridgement. "That he is so intelligent" is a noun clause subject to the verb 'puzzled'. It can be shortened into a noun intelligence' "His intelligence puzzled his teachers".

(b) It is difficult to know what the result will be.

Abridgement. It is difficult to know the result.

(c) He is the men who is very serious.

Abridgement. The adjective clause "who is very serious" can be substituted by the adjective 'serious'. "He is the serious man."

(d) You can come whenever you like to come.

Abridgement. You can come at any time.

Method 10.

Replacing the phrases by one word. If we can think out a word which is a correct substitute for a phrase we can condense a sentence.

Examples,

(a) His anger was over in a moment. (Momentary)

(b) She is very careful in her expenditure. (Frugal)

(c) These plans are born of his fantastic imagination and had no relation to reality. (Utopian)

(d) This is completely besides the point. (Irrelevant)

He possesses odd and strange habits. (is Whimsical)

__________________
Those who wait they get. (Own Creation)

Kindly mention source of this information.

__________________
Work until your idols become your rivals.

Writing a Precis


A précis is a brief summary. Writing a précis is valuable training in composition. Since the writing requires you to be clear and concise, you must choose your words carefully and arrange them skillfully so you get the maximum amount of meaning into the minimum space.

In addition to its value as a writing exercise, précis work is excellent reading practice. In order to summarize another's ideas in your own words, you must understand the idea thoroughly.

In school and in life after school, there are many situations that call for the writing of a brief, accurate summary of reading. You are frequently asked to prepare a summary of what you have read in your textbook or in the library. Answers on examinations often require a brief summary. People in business, in club work, and in social work must prepare short digests of articles and reports.

Study the following facts about précis and the basic steps in writing.

1. A précis is a short summary. It is not a paraphrase, which merely says in different and simpler words exactly what the passage being paraphrased has to say. A paraphrase may be as long as the passage itself. A précis rarely is more than one-third the length of the original selection and may be only one-fourth as long.

2. A précis gives only the "heart" of a passage. It omits repetition and such details as examples, illustrations, and adjectives unless they are of unusual importance.

3. A précis is written entirely in the words of the person writing it, not in the words of the original selection. Avoid the temptation to lift long phrases and whole sentences from the original.

4. A précis is written from the point of view of the author whose work is being summarized. Do not begin with such expressions as "This author says" or "The paragraph means." Begin as though you were summarizing your own writing.

In writing a précis proceed as follows:

1. Read carefully, sentence by sentence, the passage to be summarized. Try to grasp the writer's main point. Spotting the topic sentence will help. Look up in the dictionary any words whose meaning is not absolutely clear. As you read, take brief notes to be used in your writing.

2. When you have finally decided what the author's main point is, write it out in your own words. Do not use the wording of the original except for certain key words which you may find indispensable. If you cannot translate the idea into language of your own, you do not understand them very well. Be especially careful not to rely too much on the topic sentence. Do not add any opinions or ideas of your own.

3. Revise your writing until you are sure that you have given an accurate summary.

4. Usually you will find your précis is too long, if it is more than one-third the length of the original, it is too long, continue your revision until you have reduced the précis to the proper length. For the purpose of this class your précis should be no longer than 1 typed double spaced page with 1” margins (approx. 200 – 250 words).

__________________
Those who wait they get. (Own Creation)