Page 155 - DENG101_Communication Skills-I

Communication Skills-I

Notes 13.7 Features of a Precis

Précis do not make any conclusions about the original, its audience, or anything related to the
text. It must provide the reader an accurate, but brief, map of the original. What the writer thinks
about the source text or the topic of the text is not relevant when writing a précis.

Précis usually:
1. The precis keeps the original proportion.
2. The precis is readable, not a series of notes. Therefore, appropriate transitions must be
incorporated.
3. The precis adds nothing of your own–no comments or interpretations at all.
4. The purpose is to condense the original, not to explain it.
5. As long as possible précis are written in past tense.
6. The précis have subheadings which are underlined or in italics.

To write an effective precis, you must identify yourself with the author. This technique requires
careful reading and thoughtful selection of words. Follow the steps below to accomplish this
task:
1. Read the selection for meaning to ascertain the author’s intended message.
2. Read the selection another time to discern the author’s tone or attitude. Become the author;
see through his eyes. Once you know the author’s tone, be it aggressive, detached, or
sympathetic, you are better equipped to represent this writing.

3. Introduce the title of the selection and the author’s name in the first sentence of your precis.
(We call this the “tag.”)
4. Use your own language in the precis. Certainly, words or even phrases from the original
will crop up in your precis, but do not reproduce entire sentences. Carefully chosen
synonyms should replace the author’s wording whenever possible. By incorporating
effective transitions, sentence combining, and sentence variety facilitate the task of writing
a concise yet interesting precis.
5. Write your precis in third-person, even if the original is written in first- or second-person.

You should also eliminate any BE verbs or grammatical errors and “Do’s and Dont’s List”
errors.
6. Preserve the author’s organization, keeping the main points in the same order as the
original. Keep the same sense of proportion as the original; for example, do not write one-
third of your precis over one-tenth of the original.
7. Avoid use of phrases such as “in this article”, “throughout history” or other clichés (big,
good, bad, little, a lot)

8. Do not use contractions

Examples:
1. There was a salt marsh that bounded part of the millpond, on the edge of which, at high

water, we used to stand to fish for minnows. By much trampling, we had made it a mere
quagmire. My proposal was to build a wharf there fit for us to stand upon, and I showed

my comrades a large heap of stones, which were intended for a new house near the marsh,
and which would very well suit our purpose. Accordingly, in the evening, when the
workmen were gone, I assembled a number of my playfellows, and working with them

148 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY