Précis writing
The word précis is borrowed from French which means a brief summary. Précis writing helps in
developing students’ ability to write concisely and to the point.
Following is the guideline of précis writing:
1) Read the given passage carefully at least three times in order to be able to grasp what the
writer has said. Try to find out the theme of the passage.
2) Underline the important points to be included in your précis. A point is important if it is
intimately connected with the main subject and if it is essential for a clear exposition of the
theme.
3) Use your own language in the précis. While words and phrases from the original may be used
in the précis. Whole sentences should never be lifted out of the original to be included in it.
4) The précis should be roughly one-third of the original passage.Underline and mark the
important ideas and essential points from the original text.Prepare a rough draft or outline from
the underlined words/phrases. If you find that it is too long, shorten it by removing what seems
inessential. If it turns out to be too short, read the original to see what more can be added to the
précis. Omit all the unnecessary information or the long phrases which could be replaced by one
word.
5) Examples, illustrations, and comparisons should be left out of the précis. Figures of speech
should be removed and the ideas expressed in clear, direct language.
6) Your own comments on the ideas of the précis are absolutely forbidden. Do not express any
opinion, favorable or unfavorable, about the ideas in the original passage.
7) Be very careful about the language you write. Mistakes of Grammar and spelling are
penalized as much in the précis as in other forms of composition.
8) See that your précis is a readable piece of English and that its ideas can be understood even by
a person who has not gone through original. This is very important.
9) Your précis should be connected whole. As such it should not be divided into paragraphs.
(THIS RULE DOES NOT APPLY TO VERY LONG ORIGINAL PIECES OF WRITING
SUCH AS THOSE SET IN COMPETITIVE EXAMINATIONS).
10) A précis should be written in indirect speech. If there is a direct speech in the passage, it
should be changed into indirect speech.
11) Think of a suitable title for the précis. The title should ordinarily not be a complete sentence.
12) Indicate the number of words in your précis at the end.
Keep the fact in your mind that the length of the précis should be the one-third of the original
passage.
Things not to do while writing a précis
1. Examples in the passage
2. Stories
3. Proverbs
4. Quotations
5. Repetition of similar sentences or ideas
6. Long phrases
7. Direct speech
Writing a Précis of a given passage.
Sample Passage:
There is an enemy beneath our feet - an enemy more deadly for his complete impartiality. He
recognizes no national boundaries, no political parties. Everyone in the world is threatened by
him. The enemy is the earth itself. When an earthquake strikes, the world trembles. The power of
a quake is greater than anything man himself can produce. But today scientists are directing a
great deal of their effort into finding some way of combating earthquakes, and it is possible that
at some time in the near future mankind will have discovered a means of protecting itself from
earthquakes. An earthquake strikes without warning. When it does, its power is immense. If it
strikes a modern city, the damage it causes is as great as if it has struck a primitive village. Gas
mains burst, explosions are caused and fires are started. Underground railways are wrecked.
Buildings collapse, bridges fall, dams burst, gaping crevices appear in busy streets. If the quake
strikes at sea, huge tidal waves sweep inland. If it strikes in mountain regions, avalanches roar
down into the valley. Consider the terrifying statistics from the past 1755: Lisbon, capital of
Portugal - the city destroyed entirely and 450 killed. 1970: Peru: 50,000 killed. In 1968 an
earthquake struck Alaska. As this is a relatively unpopulated part, only a few people were killed.
But it is likely that this was one of the most powerful quakes ever to have hit the world.
Geologists estimate that during the tremors, the whole of the state moved over 80 feet farther
west into the Pacific Ocean. Imagine the power of something that can move an entire
subcontinent! This is the problem that the scientists face. They are dealing with forces so
immense that man cannot hope to resist them. All that can be done is to try to pinpoint just where
the earthquake will strike and work from there. At least some precautionary measures can then
be taken to save lives and some of the property. (330 Words)'
Based on the above paragraph, we-arrive at the following theme sentences for the four
paragraphs:
• Earthquake - the deadly enemy of mankind.
• Damage caused by an earthquake in general.
• Damage caused by an earthquake-in particular,
• What can the scientists do?
The above four theme sentences can be developed into the following outline:
• Earthquake - the deadly enemy of mankind.
o Earthquake strikes all without a distinction of national boundary or political
affiliation.
o The power of a quake is greater than that of a man-made weapon of destruction.
o Scientists are trying to find out means to combat earthquakes; they will find some
way to protect themselves from earthquakes.
• Damage caused by an earthquake in general:
o Strikes without warning.
o Modern city when struck reduced to a primitive village.
o Quake strikes plains, seas and mountains causing all round destruction.
• Damage caused by an earthquake in particular.
o In 1755, Lisbon destroyed, 450 killed.
o In 1970, Peru struck, 50,000 killed.
o In 1968, Alaska moved 80 farther into the ocean.
• What can the scientists do?
o Scientists cannot resist the powerful earthquake.
o They can predict the place of origin of the quake so that precaution can be taken
to save life & property.
Based on the above outline, we can make the following précis:
Earthquake - The Great Destroyer
Earthquake is the mankind's deadly enemy. Earthquake strikes all without a distinction of
nationality or political affiliation. The power of a quake is greater than that of any man-made
weapon of destruction. An earthquake strikes mankind without a warning. A modern city when
struck is turned into ruins. A quake strikes plains, seas and mountains causing all round
destruction. The quake struck Lisbon in 1755 killing 450; Peru in 1970 killing 50,000; Alaska in
1968 moving it 80 feet into the Pacific Ocean. Scientists are trying to find out means to combat
earthquakes, to predict the origin of the quake so that precaution can be taken to save life and
property from destruction. (115 words)
