Precis writing

• ‘precis’ is derived from French and it means ‘precise’
• Precis-writing is an exercise in compression

Forms of condensation

• Précis is lengthier than the abstract and follows the exact order of points of the original passage.

Skills required

• Precis writing demands power of judgement and evaluation as the passage usually contains important ideas and a number of unnecessary words.

Method of procedure

1.Reading

• (a)First read the passage through carefully, but not too slowly, to get a general idea of its meaning.
• (b) Usually you are required to supply a title for your precis.
• (c) Further reading is now necessary to ensure that you understand the details of the passage as well as its main purpose.
• (d) to decide what parts of the passage are essential

​

​

​

​

2. Writing.

• (a) Rough Drafts
• (b) Important Points
• The precis should be all in your own words.

(ii) The precis must be a connected whole.

(iii) The precis must be complete and self-contained

�Guidelines �

1. Read the passage at least two times to familiarise yourself with the theme and the main ideas contained in the passage.

2. Give the passage a little, a suitable title would help you to identify the name of the passage.

3. Write down important points and arrange them in the same sequence as the original passage.

4. Make a rough draft. A précis should not be more than 1/3 of the original unless otherwise directed.

​

5. Write the precise in the indirect form of narration using only the third person

6. Scrupulosly avoid all examples figures of speech, illustrations and comments.

7. Retain all those facts and ideas which are related to the main ideas, reject those which have minor importance.

8. Drop all redundant words and expressions.

​