What is Precis Writing?
A summary of a piece of writing or a paragraph is known as a precis. A precis should contain all the essential information and points present in the paragraph. It should also retain the author's mood and tone, as has been used in the passage. Since precise writing is short, hence try to avoid long sentences and do not spin around the same content. Therefore, to follow proper diction and avoid unnecessary flaws. One needs to abide by some strict precis writing rules. Before checking out the rules, let us take a good look at the rules of precis writing.
How to Write Precis?
The first thing to be kept in mind is that the exact idea of the passage needs to be delivered without any ambiguousness. Secondly, all the essential points of the passage should be retained in the precis. Lastly, you need to remember that the writing style should be simple with error-free language and flawless delivery. It should be concise and clear.
Below We Have Listed Some Basic Rules Which One Should Follow While Writing a Precis
Read the passage twice or thrice and try to grasp the general idea of the write-up you need to incorporate into your precis writing.
Try to maintain a word limit and do rough calculations to identify the length of your passage.
Note down the essential points of the passage and leave out the rest.
As you note down the points, do not jumble them up, and maintain the writer's order and tone.
Choose a relatable heading for your precis writing.
Always write in the third person and do not use direct speech. Use appropriate past tense to make it an indirect speech.
Rather than using titles and names, use official designations. Use personal names if official designations are not available at all. Maintain a similar pattern of writing throughout the passage.
Make a rough draft and remove all the grammatical glitches and language errors from your precis.
Try to mention the number of words in the precis writing at the end of the precis within the first brackets.
Characteristics of a Good Precis Writer
Vedantu is the best online learning platform that helps you to be a good precis writer, you can get complete guidance from the expert team of Vedantu where the professional teachers will help you to improve your skills and then you can master precis writing. To be a good precis writer, you'll need the following soft talents.
He or she should be able to comprehend and judge the chapter thoroughly.
He or she must be able to comprehend. The passage's true facts are swiftly revealed.
He or she must have a large vocabulary and understand its meanings.
He or she should be aware of the appropriate use of any word.
At the expense of brevity, he/she should avoid telegraphic language.
Principles of Precis Writing
Below we have mentioned the guidelines on the process of writing a precis with the strict do's and don'ts mentioned clearly.
Precis Writing Do's
Start with the main idea itself, for the readers to quickly grasp the plot of the precis.
Remember that the reader will know what your Precis should contain, hence write in the original flow of the writer. The message of Precis writing should be clear.
To incorporate all the essential points, create a proper environment, and try to include facts, methods, and portions from the original passage.
Identify all the unimportant information in the passage and remove them from your precis.
It is essential to mention the purpose of writing the precis.
Retain the keywords and keep a check on the word count.
Any historical fact should be mentioned in the past tense.
Precis Writing Don'ts
Refrain from writing your own opinions, criticism, and remarks about the passage in the precis.
Never insert any facts taken from the internet. Use only facts given in the passage.
Never ask questions in a precis. In case it is imperative, put it in the form of a sentence.
Use full forms and do not use abbreviations or short forms.
Do not spin around the same content, and the writing flow should not be jerky. It gives out the impression that you are not confident with your content.
Ensure the precis is not too long as it is a summary, and it should be short and crisp.
Solved Examples
1. What Can Be the Maximum Length of a Precis?
Ans: Ideally, a precis is the summary of a passage. Hence, it should be within 100 to 200 words or rather one-fifth or one-sixth of the length of the original passage.
2. What Writing Style Needs to Be Maintained While Writing a Precis?
Ans: The writing style should be formal, with no grammatical errors. It should be to the point. The diction should be clear and not jerky.
Fun Facts
A precis retains the original writer’s thoughts but should be written in your own words.
A precis is coherent, and that’s the reason why it logically connects with the reader.
Precis comes from the French word précis, which means a text or abstract, and precis writing in English means writing a summary of a passage.
Precis should never contain the personal information of the writer. There should be no criticism or remark regarding the original passage in the precis.
FAQs on Dos and Don'ts of Effective Precis Writing
1. What are the essential do's and don'ts of effective precis writing?
To write an effective precis, you must follow certain fundamental rules. Here are the key do's and don'ts:
- Do's: Start by clearly stating the main idea, maintain the original author's tone and flow, write in the third person using indirect speech, provide a suitable title, and ensure your final version is about one-third the length of the original passage.
- Don'ts: Do not include your own opinions, criticisms, or interpretations. Avoid asking questions, using abbreviations, or copying sentences directly from the source. Never add information that is not present in the original text.
2. What exactly is a precis, and what is its main purpose?
A precis is a concise and clear summary of a longer passage, capturing its essential ideas, logical structure, and overall tone in your own words. Its primary purpose is to provide a brief, accurate, and comprehensive overview of the original text for a reader who may not have the time to read the full document. It tests your ability to comprehend, analyse, and condense information effectively.
3. What is the correct step-by-step process for writing a precis?
A systematic approach is key to writing a good precis. Follow these steps:
- Comprehension: Read the passage at least twice to fully understand its subject matter, main arguments, and underlying theme.
- Identification: Identify and underline the most important points and keywords. Discard all non-essential information like examples, illustrations, and repetitions.
- Drafting: Write a rough draft in your own words, ensuring all key points are included in a logical sequence. Do not worry about length at this stage.
- Revision: Review the draft for clarity, accuracy, and conciseness. Check for grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and ensure it reads smoothly. Make sure you have used the third person and indirect speech.
- Finalising: Edit the draft to meet the required word count (usually one-third of the original). Add a suitable title and write the final, clean version.
4. How is precis writing different from summarising or paraphrasing?
While all three involve restating information, they have distinct purposes:
- Precis: A precis is a type of summary with strict rules. It must have a title, be approximately one-third the length of the original, and objectively reproduce the author's argument and tone in your own words.
- Summary: A summary is more flexible. It gives the main points of a text but doesn't have a strict length requirement and may not need to capture the author's tone as rigorously.
- Paraphrasing: To paraphrase is to restate a sentence or a short passage in your own words, often to simplify or clarify its meaning. It can be of a similar length to the original piece of text and does not aim to condense the entire document.
5. Why is providing a suitable title so important for a precis?
A title is a crucial element of a precis because it serves as the first indicator of your comprehension. It should encapsulate the central theme of the passage in a few words. A good title immediately informs the reader about the core subject matter and demonstrates that the writer has successfully grasped the main idea of the original text, rather than just its surface details.
6. Is it acceptable to include my own opinions or interpretations in a precis?
No, it is absolutely not acceptable. A precis must be completely objective. Your task is to act as a neutral messenger, faithfully conveying only the original author's ideas, arguments, and conclusions. Inserting your own opinions, analysis, or criticism is a fundamental error that defeats the purpose of writing a precis, which is to accurately represent the source material.
7. What kind of language should be used, and should a precis be written in the first, second, or third person?
A precis must always be written in the third person (using he, she, it, they). You should report what the author has said using indirect speech. The language must be formal, clear, and objective. Avoid using informal language, slang, abbreviations, or rhetorical questions. The goal is to be as precise and economical with your words as possible while maintaining grammatical accuracy.
8. How can I effectively identify the main ideas and discard the non-essential details from a passage?
To effectively distinguish between essential and non-essential information, focus on the following techniques:
- Look for the topic sentence in each paragraph, which usually states the main point.
- Differentiate between the core argument and the supporting evidence such as examples, anecdotes, statistics, or quotes. Usually, the argument is essential, while the evidence can be omitted.
- Pay attention to conjunctions that signal logical connections (e.g., 'therefore', 'however', 'in conclusion') as they often link to key ideas.
- Ignore repetitive phrases and rhetorical questions, as they are used for effect rather than conveying new information.
