Meaning of Precis,Essentials of a Good Precis,How to attempt a Precis,Chief points to be observed,What to avoid..?

What is a Precis ?

A precis is a summary. It is the gist or main theme of a passage expressed in as few words as possible. Precis-Writing differs from paraphrasing. A paraphrase must reproduce not only the substance but also all the details of the passage. It will necessarily be longer than the original. But a precis must always be shorter than the original. It is the main theme shorn of all unimportant details.

Essentials of a Good Precis :   

 A good precis should give the main thoughts and the general impression of the passage to be summarised. It should not be a series of disjointed sentences but a continuous piece of prose. No sentence of the Original passage should be borrowed as it is. A precis should be clear. It must present the substance of the original passage in one's own language expressed as distinctly as possible. A precis should not be sketchy. It should be complete in every respect. Whereas it should be brief, it should also be exact.

How to attempt a Precis: 

1. First of all read the original passage carefully in order to get a general idea of its meaning. Generally, one reading is not sufficient to grasp the exact meaning.

2. After having read the passage, one should think of some words, phrase or short sentences that will sum up the main subject of the passage. This will constitute the title of the passage. 

3. Now read the passage sentence by sentence, and word by word. This will help to decide which parts of the passage are unessential.

4. Underline the essential ideas. Write down the title, the subject and the essential points in the answer-sheet. It will be a rough draft which is essential to make a fair copy of the precis. 

5. After having given a shape to ideas, count the words. A precis is expected to be one-third of the length of the original.

6. The precis must be a connected whole. It may be divided into sections, according to changes in the subject-matter but they must not appear as separate points.

Chief points to be observed:

1. As a rule, a precis should be written in indirect speech. Great care must be taken to avoid lapsing into direct speech. 

2. A precis should be in the third person. If there are pronouns 'T', 'We' and 'You', they should be changed into 'he' 'she', 'they', according to the sense. 

3. As for the tense of a precis is concerned, it should be in the same tense in which the original passage is given. 

What to avoid : 

1. Avoid giving comments of your own. Confine yourself rigidly to the statements of the original.

2. Avoid exceeding the prescribed length by more than five words. 

3. Avoid using idioms and phrases where simple words can suffice. 

4. Avoid giving a long title. It should be made of five or six words.