{"id":20269,"date":"2019-01-25T16:43:08","date_gmt":"2019-01-25T11:43:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jworldtimes.com\/old-site\/jwt2015\/?p=20269"},"modified":"2019-11-23T14:25:27","modified_gmt":"2019-11-23T09:25:27","slug":"how-to-write-a-good-precis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jworldtimes.com\/old-site\/css-exclusive\/css-special\/how-to-write-a-good-precis\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Write a Good Pr\u00e9cis"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"Pr\u00e9cis\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The value of Pr\u00e9cis-writing as an exercise in accurate expression cannot be overestimated. It is a useful accomplishment to be able to make a quick, readable summary of a passage, containing all important points, but carefully omitting all stuff of subsidiary nature. It is often necessary to be able to write briefly the substance of something heard or read. In order to make a good summary, one must know not merely the meanings of the words in the given passage, but the ideas which the words are intended to convey. In writing a pr\u00e9cis, one is required to make a selection of the leading thoughts and to express them in one’s own words. In this way, one can learn the art of pr\u00e9cis-writing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A pr\u00e9cis is a summary and pr\u00e9cis-writing means summarising. Pr\u00e9cis-writing is an exercise in compression. A pr\u00e9cis is the gist or main theme of a passage expressed in the fewest words possible. It should be lucid, succinct and complete (i.e., including all important points) so that one may be able to grasp the main ideas and the general effect of the passage summarized. In fact, a pr\u00e9cis is just a straightforward statement of the bare facts without unnecessary trappings. It has become a common practice with us to use, both in speech and writing, as many words as possible, although we may be feeling all the while that a smaller number of words could be sufficient to convey the precise meanings. For example, if one remarks, \u201cShe is always recklessly spending more money than she can afford,\u201d we are bound to feel that the speaker has used more words than are required, as the whole sense can be expressed by saying: \u201cShe is extravagant\u201d.<\/p>\n

A clause, too, may often be condensed into a phrase: Thus \u201cWhen the first rays of the sun were beginning to dispel the darkness\u201d is equivalent to \u201cat dawn\u201d. Even a phrase may be expressed in fewer words, perhaps in one word: \u201cBorn with a silver spoon in his mouth\u201d is the same as \u201cborn rich\u201d. Similarly, a complex or compound sentence can often be condensed by the conversion of its two clauses into one: \u201cI failed the BA examination, and for that reason I was obliged to discontinue my studies,\u201d becomes: \u201chaving failed the BA examination, I could not study further\u201d.<\/p>\n

Thus, we see that pr\u00e9cis is merely a short way of expression. When a person writes, \u201cI suffer from an inability to sacrifice my interests for the sake of others,\u201d he is simply using a more polished way of stating, \u201cI am selfish,\u201d which may be called a pr\u00e9cis of his statement.<\/p>\n

The writing of a good pr\u00e9cis involves three distinct and difficult exercises of the mind:<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong><\/span> Full and clear comprehension, by reading, of every sentence in the given passage.
\n(2)<\/strong><\/span> Accurate comprehension of the main theme or the central idea, and the subsidiary ideas and details in their true proportion.
\n(3)<\/strong><\/span> A faithful reproduction of those ideas on a smaller scale, in concise but natural and simple English.<\/p>\n

Read More:\u00a0English for CSS, PMS Pr\u00e9cis and Comprehension<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

\"How<\/a>First read the passage carefully to get a general idea of its meanings. Preferably, read it carefully twice or thrice to obtain a thorough grasp of its exact meanings. Reading will make you clear about. (1) Its subject or theme; and (2) what is said about that subject. Usually, you are required to supply a title for your pr\u00e9cis. While reading the original passage, think of some word, phrase or short sentence that will briefly sum up the subject of the passage. Sometimes this is supplied by what we may call a key sentence that may be found either at the beginning or at the end of the passage.<\/p>\n

Having read the passage twice or thrice, you should decide what parts of the passage are essential and what parts are comparatively less important and so can be omitted without any loss. This process of selection is very important. Do not select in a haphazard or mechanical way. One way is to underline most important sentences and phrases in the original. This will be possible only if you have a clear and correct idea of the passage. Jot down your conclusion in brief notes, then write down the title, the subject and the essential details. This is a kind of first draft of the pr\u00e9cis. Then insert the lines between the ideas to make a readable first draft. It is not likely that your first attempt will be a complete success. The draft will probably be longer than is required. In this case, read the first draft again and delete certain words the absence of which will not make much difference. If your first draft is too short, insert into it certain phrases which formally you did not include but they seem to be important. (Normally a pr\u00e9cis is one-third of the original passage).<\/p>\n

Important Points<\/span><\/h3>\n

The following points must be kept in mind:<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> <\/span>Write down, in order, the important points in the passage.
\n(2)<\/strong> <\/span>Then write out a short passage, having a general idea of the whole extract in your mind, and the framework you have drawn up before you. Write as simply, clearly, briefly and interestingly as you can. See that the parts of your writing bear the same balance and proportion in relation to one another, as the parts of the original passage do.
\n(3)<\/strong><\/span> Remember that the object of a pr\u00e9cis is to give a true summary of the original passage. Add to your pr\u00e9cis nothing which is not in the original passage, and omit nothing which is important.
\n(4)<\/strong><\/span> It will usually be advised to follow the order of thoughts as given in the original passage. But, if you synthesize two or more sentences in one sentence, the thoughts in your sentence may have any order.
\n(5)<\/strong> <\/span>Remember that the length of your pr\u00e9cis should be about one-third of the original passage, if not prescribed in the question. In that case, you have to follow the instructions.
\n(6)<\/strong> <\/span>The pr\u00e9cis must be a connected whole. It may be divided into sections or paragraphs, according to changes in the subject-matter. These must not appear as separate points but must be joined together to read continuously. Don’t write too small paragraphs, a paragraph should be of reasonable length.
\n(7)<\/strong><\/span> Lastly, remember that if faithful reproduction is one cardinal virtue of a summary, conciseness is another. There is no room in a pr\u00e9cis for colloquialisms, rhetorical expressions, examples, repetitions, explanations and amplifications. All redundancies of expression must be rigorously pruned, every sentence must carry its full weight \u2014 but with the minimum expenditure of words.
\n(8)<\/strong> <\/span>The tense(s) in the given passage must be retained. You must not change the original tense(s).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The value of Pr\u00e9cis-writing as an exercise in accurate expression cannot be overestimated. It is a useful accomplishment to be able to make a quick, readable summary of a passage, containing all important points, but carefully omitting all stuff of subsidiary nature. It is often necessary to be able to write briefly the substance of …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4057,"featured_media":20275,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[31,10391],"tags":[257,9668,10441,258,7392,2577],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jworldtimes.com\/old-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20269"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jworldtimes.com\/old-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jworldtimes.com\/old-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jworldtimes.com\/old-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4057"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jworldtimes.com\/old-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20269"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jworldtimes.com\/old-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20269\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jworldtimes.com\/old-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jworldtimes.com\/old-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jworldtimes.com\/old-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jworldtimes.com\/old-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}