Precis Writing

Precis Writing

Meaning of Precis Writing

• A précis is a clear, concise and well-organised summary of a given passage.
• The word précis comes from French and means precise, exact or condensed.
• Precis writing involves reducing a lengthy passage to its essential ideas without changing the original meaning.
• A good précis presents the central idea and important supporting points while removing unnecessary details.
• It should be written in the writer’s own words as far as possible.
• A précis is not merely shortening sentences. It requires understanding, selecting, reorganising and expressing the essential content accurately.

Objectives of Precis Writing

• To test the ability to understand a passage correctly.
• To identify the central theme or main argument.
• To distinguish important information from unnecessary details.
• To develop the ability to express ideas briefly and precisely.
• To test vocabulary, grammar and sentence construction.
• To develop logical organisation of ideas.
• To improve the ability to communicate maximum meaning with minimum words.

Essential Features of a Good Précis

1. Brevity

• A précis must be considerably shorter than the original passage.
• As a general rule, it is often around one-third of the original length, unless the examination specifies another limit.
• Repetition, illustrations and unnecessary explanations should be removed.

2. Completeness

• Although short, the précis must contain the essential meaning of the passage.
• Important arguments or ideas should not be omitted merely to reduce the word count.

3. Clarity

• The language should be simple, direct and easy to understand.
• Avoid complicated expressions when simpler words can communicate the same meaning.

4. Accuracy

• The précis must faithfully represent the author’s ideas.
• Facts, arguments and relationships between ideas should not be distorted.

5. Coherence

• Ideas should appear in a logical sequence.
• Sentences should connect naturally so that the précis reads like a complete composition, not disconnected notes.

6. Objectivity

• A précis should contain the author’s views, not the précis writer’s personal opinion.
• Do not agree, disagree, criticise or evaluate the passage unless specifically asked.

7. Originality of Expression

• The content should generally be expressed in your own words.
• Avoid copying complete sentences and distinctive expressions from the original passage unless they cannot reasonably be replaced.

Précis vs Summary

Steps for Writing a Good Précis

Step 1: Read the Passage Carefully

• Read the passage at least twice.
• During the first reading, understand the general meaning.
• During the second reading, identify:
  
  • Central idea
  • Major arguments
  • Important facts
  • Cause-and-effect relationships
  • Conclusions

Step 2: Identify the Central Idea

• Ask yourself:
  
  • What is the passage mainly about?
  • What does the author want to communicate?
  • What single idea connects the entire passage?
• The answer usually provides the core of the précis.

Step 3: Identify Key Points

• Mark only the ideas necessary for understanding the passage.
• Separate essential points from:
  
  • Examples
  • Illustrations
  • Repetitions
  • Quotations
  • Descriptive details
  • Minor facts

Step 4: Prepare a Rough Outline

• Arrange the important ideas in their logical order.
• A simple outline may contain:
  
  • Main idea
  • Supporting idea 1
  • Supporting idea 2
  • Supporting idea 3
  • Conclusion

Step 5: Remove Unnecessary Material

• Eliminate details that do not affect the central meaning.
• Commonly removable material includes:
  
  • Examples
  • Anecdotes
  • Repetitions
  • Lengthy descriptions
  • Rhetorical questions
  • Decorative expressions
  • Minor statistics, unless essential
  • Unnecessary quotations

Step 6: Combine Related Ideas

• Several sentences expressing related ideas can often be converted into one compact sentence.

• For example:

  Original idea:
  Trees provide oxygen. Trees reduce pollution. Trees help maintain ecological balance.

  Condensed idea:
  Trees improve environmental quality and maintain ecological balance.

Step 7: Write in Your Own Words

• Replace lengthy expressions with shorter and simpler equivalents.
• Avoid copying the wording of the original passage.
• However, important technical terms, proper nouns and unavoidable keywords may be retained.

Step 8: Prepare the First Draft

• Write the précis as a connected paragraph or paragraphs, depending on the required format.
• Maintain the logical flow of the original passage.
• Do not introduce new arguments.

Step 9: Check the Word Limit

• Count the words after completing the first draft.
• If the précis is too long:
  
  • Remove repetition.
  • Replace phrases with single words.
  • Combine sentences.
  • Delete secondary details.
• Do not remove an essential idea merely to satisfy the word limit.

Step 10: Give a Suitable Title

• The title should represent the central theme of the passage.
• It should be:
  
  • Short
  • Relevant
  • Specific
  • Meaningful

Step 11: Revise the Final Draft

• Check for:
  
  • Grammar
  • Spelling
  • Punctuation
  • Logical sequence
  • Clarity
  • Word limit
  • Completeness

What Should Be Included in a Précis?

• Central theme of the passage.
• Major arguments supporting the theme.
• Important cause-and-effect relationships.
• Essential facts necessary for understanding.
• The author’s major conclusion.
• Logical connection between the important ideas.

What Should Be Omitted?

• Repetition
• Elaborate examples
• Anecdotes
• Decorative descriptions
• Unnecessary statistics
• Excessive details
• Rhetorical questions
• Long quotations
• Personal comments
• Emotional expressions that do not contribute to the main argument
• Minor explanations

Techniques of Condensation

Use One Word for a Phrase

• “At this point in time” → Now
• “In spite of the fact that” → Although
• “A large number of” → Many
• “Due to the fact that” → Because
• “In the event that” → If

Replace Examples with a General Term

• “Cars, buses, trucks and motorcycles” → Vehicles
• “Apples, bananas, mangoes and oranges” → Fruits
• “Coal, petroleum and natural gas” → Fossil fuels

Remove Repetition

• If the same idea appears several times, mention it only once.

Combine Sentences

• Original:
  Education develops knowledge. It develops skills. It also develops social awareness.
• Condensed:
  Education develops knowledge, skills and social awareness.

Convert Descriptions into Concepts

• A long description of cutting forests, destroying habitats and declining biodiversity may be condensed as environmental degradation caused by deforestation.

Rules of Precis Writing

Maintain the Original Meaning

• Never change, exaggerate or weaken the author’s argument.
• The précis should communicate essentially the same message in fewer words.

Avoid Personal Opinion

• Do not write expressions such as:
  
  • I think
  • In my opinion
  • I agree
  • I disagree
  • The author is wrong

Maintain the Author’s Tone

• If the passage is serious, analytical or critical, the précis should broadly preserve that tone.
• Avoid introducing unnecessary emotional or informal language.

Avoid Direct Quotations

• Convert quotations into their essential meaning wherever possible.
• Quotations should not be reproduced merely because they sound impressive.

Avoid Questions

• Rhetorical questions should normally be converted into statements.

• Example:

  Original:
  How can a country progress without educating its people?

  Précis form:
  Education is essential for national progress.

Use Reported Speech Where Necessary

• Direct speech can usually be converted into indirect or reported speech.
• Direct: The leader said, “We must protect our forests.”
• Condensed: The leader emphasised the need to protect forests.

Choosing a Suitable Title

Characteristics of a Good Title

• A title should capture the central idea, not a minor detail.
• It should preferably be a phrase rather than a complete sentence.
• Avoid extremely broad titles.

• For example, if a passage discusses the harmful effects of excessive smartphone use among students:

  Weak title: Technology
  Better title: Impact of Excessive Smartphone Use on Students

Word Limit in Precis Writing

• Follow the word limit given in the examination.

• If the instruction asks for one-third of the original passage, calculate approximately:

  Required length = Number of words in original passage ÷ 3

• Example:
  
  • Original passage = 450 words
  • Required précis ≈ 150 words
• Minor variation may be acceptable depending on examination instructions, but candidates should aim to remain close to the prescribed limit.

Common Mistakes in Precis Writing

Copying the Original Passage

• Copying complete sentences does not demonstrate the ability to condense and paraphrase.

Adding Personal Views

• A précis is not an essay or critical review.
• Do not insert personal arguments.

Including Too Many Examples

• Examples usually explain an idea and can therefore be removed once the general idea has been stated.

Omitting Important Ideas

• Excessive shortening can make the précis incomplete.
• Brevity should never come at the cost of meaning.

Writing Disconnected Points

• A précis should read like a coherent piece of writing, not rough notes.

Giving an Unsuitable Title

• The title should reflect the whole passage, not merely its opening sentence.

Ignoring the Word Limit

• A well-written précis may still lose marks if it significantly violates the prescribed length.

Changing the Meaning

• Careless paraphrasing may distort the author’s argument.
• Always compare the final précis with the original passage.

Example of Precis Writing

Original Passage

• Consider a passage arguing that modern technology has made communication faster and easier but excessive dependence on digital devices has reduced face-to-face interaction. People can communicate instantly across long distances, yet many spend less meaningful time with family and friends. Therefore, technology should be used as a tool for communication rather than as a replacement for personal relationships.

Identification of Key Ideas

• Technology makes communication faster.
• It enables communication across long distances.
• Excessive dependence reduces personal interaction.
• Technology should support rather than replace human relationships.

Précis

Title: Technology and Human Relationships

Modern technology has made long-distance communication quick and convenient, but excessive dependence on digital devices can weaken personal interaction. Technology should therefore be used to strengthen communication without replacing meaningful human relationships.

Quick Formula for Precis Writing

READ → IDENTIFY → SELECT → REMOVE → COMBINE → PARAPHRASE → WRITE → TITLE → REVISE

• Read the passage carefully.
• Identify the central theme.
• Select essential ideas.
• Remove examples and repetition.
• Combine related points.
• Paraphrase in your own words.
• Write a coherent précis.
• Add a suitable title.
• Revise for accuracy, grammar and length.

Final Checklist

Before submitting a précis, check whether:

• The central idea has been retained.
• All major points are included.
• Unnecessary details have been removed.
• The content is written largely in your own words.
• No personal opinion has been added.
• The ideas follow a logical sequence.
• The précis is clear and grammatically correct.
• The required word limit has been followed.
• A suitable title has been provided.
• The final version conveys the same essential meaning as the original passage.