The term precis is derived from
French word which means “Precis” or
“Expressed Accurately”.
It also means an “Abstract” or a
“Gist” of a longer passage.
The precis is a clear,
compact and logical
summary of a passage.
It only preserves
the essential points
or ideas of the
original.
The life today has become over busy.
Speed is now the essence of time.
Therefore well-connected ,
narrative paragraph or a precis is
needed.
Shortcut has become a way of life.
Every one prefer shortcut to complete
one’s task.
QUALITIES
OF A
GOOD
PRECIS
There are five qualities of a good precis
Clarity Correctness
Objectivity
Coherence Conciseness
• Clarity means getting your message across
so that the receiver can understand what
the writer is trying to convey.
The writer can achieve clarity by using
simple language and simple structure.
Sentence ought to be
grammatically correct ,
punctuated properly and
well-spelled or free from
any sort of error.
Correct idea should be
conveyed.
Mistakes which may
occur are:
Misspelled words
Mistakes in facts and figures
Mistakes in punctuation
Mistakes of grammar and structure
Objectivity means the ability to
present opinions and personal
preference.
The writer should adopt an objective
approach.
Not add personal opinion and ideas
Coherence means logical
interconnection.
Ideas should be well- joined.
Sentences should be interrelated.
…
A good precis is always coherent
Coherence helps reader easily
understand the main points.
Conciseness means brief and direct.
Conciseness is a desirable quality of a
good precis.
Use concise expression.
Avoid unnecessary repetition.
Convey information clear and
efficiently.
RULES FOR
WRITING
A PRECIS
There are 16 rules for precis writing
Careful
Outline Understanding Underlining
Reading
Indirect
Omission Don’t Omit Length Speech
Avoid Paragraph Tenses &
Own
giving form person
wording
Opinions
No change Art of Rereading Conclusion
in meaning compression
First read the passage again and again
until you understand the meaning of
the passage.
The more you read it , the more
familiar it will become to you.
Try to read it thrice
to make its subject
clear.
Usually one is asked to supply a
outline for a precis.
While reading the original passage ,
think of some words , phrases or short
sentences that will sum up the main
subject of the passage.
Find the key sentences
Read the passage attentively and
try to understand the main theme of
the passage.
Try to get the idea what the writer
trying to convey.
Underlining is “marking the important
ideas and essential points in the
original text.”
Omit all the unnecessary information
or long phrases which could be replaced
by one word.
All the objectives and adverbs can be
omitted in order to make a good precis.
While writing a precis the writer
should not omit the important points
and ideas which are essential to be
described.
Keep the fact in your
mind that the length
of the precis be one
third of the original
passage.
Count the words if
you find that it is too
long.
Precis should be written in indirect
speech. If there is direct speech in
the passage , it should be into change
in indirect speech.
A precis should be written in your own
words and should abstain from
borrowing words from original passage
You are not supposed to give any
comments , appreciative, critical on
the ideas expressed in the passage.
Precis should be in paragraph form.
There may be one or more paragraphs
in original passage but your precis
should be in only one paragraph.
A precis should be written in past
tense but in case of ‘Universal Truth’
present tense should be used.
Always use third person.
While writing a precis:
Don’t change the meaning of precis
but it should be written in your own
words.
refrain from copying words from
original passage.
Compress and clarify a lengthy
passage , article or book retaining
important concepts , keywords and
important data.
Cross out unneeded description.
Reread the passage several times if
necessary for clear understanding of
ideas.
Observe the emphasis or approach
used by author.
The conclusion should restate the
main idea of the text and reiterate
the main support.
do not provide any new
information.
Remember to avoid any personal
statements about the passage.
Exercise
Tracts of land from which coal is
obtained are called coal-fields. These
so-called fields are not on the surface
of earth, but at some depths below
it. They consist of layers of beds
which run under the ground.
When a layer of this kind has been
opened, the opening is called a mine
and hence is classed as a mineral.
Questions:
1. What is mine and why is coal
termed as mineral?
2. Write the precis of given
passage & give a suitable title.
Answer:
The layer of mineral underground
when opened is called a mine. Since
coal is dug out from the mine , it is
called mineral.
The coal-fields are underground
tracts of land from which coal is
obtained. They have underground
layers of bed. They are called mine
when they are opened.
Title:
What are coal-fields
SUMMARIZING
SUMMARIZING