Precis Writing

Precis writing is a precise and concise statement in writing of short form the subject of a very long passage which a busy man does not like to read for saving time. The art of precis-writing is something very useful. It helps a student, a lawyer, a judge or any other busy man to save time. If a journalist knows this art well, he saves much space on paper also. Time is money to a businessman so is space to a journalist.

Essentials of a Good Precis

Essentials of a good precis are as follows -

1. Every good precis bears a suitable and significant title or heading. This heading consists of a key-phrase which forms the backbone of that sen- tence which contains the central or main idea or states the subject or topic being discussed in the entire passage. The sentence containing this central idea or key-phrase often occurs at the very beginning of a passage. We should remember that a phrase consists of two or three words only. This title is very useful to a man who has to refer to more than one precis at a time.

2. The precis should be usually one third in its length when compared to the original passage. As a rule the precis should cover one page when the original passage does so in the qustion paper. If the original passage of a question paper is very small the precis will also be very small. When it fills half a page the precis may be one half and if it is very long the precis may be one tenth, one fourth and so on. The longer the passage is the smaller the precis will be and the smaller the passage is the longer its precis will be.

3. The precis is always written in the third person.

(a) When the original passage is in the third person and in the present tense, its precis is written in the third person and in the present tense.

(b) If the passage is in the third person and past tense, its precis is also written in the third person and in past tense.

(c) When the original passage is a speech, resolution or a letter in which we find a plentiful use of first and second person pronouns (we, our, us, you, your, I, my, me), the student has to be very careful in writing out a precis from it. This is a very important case. The student often fails to write a good precis in this case. He has to follow all those rules which guide him when he changes the direct into the indirect narration. That is the precis in this case is written in the past tense and in the third person.

4. A good precis deals with the most important and relevant ideas borrowed from the original passage. It does not increase or decrease the im- portance of any idea nor does it minimise its relation to the central idea. It selects and gives all that is relevant and useful in developing and clarifying the main idea, but it rejects and ignores every thing that is irrelevant and explanatory, decorative and unnecessary. The final impression made by a good precis is similar to that of the original passage.

5. A good precis contains a close resemblance to the original passage so far as the order of its ideas is concerned. The point which comes in the beginning of the passage must occur first in the precis also. Similarly the point figuring in the middle comes in the middle and that figuring in the end comes at the end of a good precis also.

6. A good precis is characterised by the natural flow of language. It is never a mere collection of jarring and jolting sentences. The first sentence should lead to the second and these to the third one. Each sentence should have link with the sentence which goes before or after.

7. A good precis flowing from the student's pen usually contains one paragraph only. It is brief, but it avoids brevity at the cost of ambiguity. It it does not save time, it fails to serve its purpose. It is written in the writer's own language but it can use some phrases from the passage also.

The Method of Writing a Good Precis - The student should first read the original passage twice or thrice. While reading the passage he should be in search of the sentence containing the central idea. When the writer of a precis finds out the sentence expressing the main idea, he should discover its key-phrase. This key-phrase should form the heading of his precis to be writ- ten later.

The key-phrase which refers to the topic or subject of the whole pas- sage occurs in the sentence bearing the central idea. After finding this sen- tence he should read the original passage again. This time he has to discover and underline five or six (sometimes more) sentences or their parts that ex- press those ideas which have a bearing or influence on the central idea itself. The greater this bearing is the more important the idea is. All these newly discovered ideas are now to be expressed in short and simple sentences. They should be placed so as to express the important ideas of the original passage in the order in which they occur there. All these things should be done in an outline of rough work and then the precis should be faired out from it.

Solved Exercise 1

Speech is a great blessing, but it can also be a great curse, for while it helps us to make our intentions and desires known to our fellows, it can also, if we use it carelessly, make our attitude completely misunderstood. A slip of the tongue, the use of an unusual word or of an ambiguous word, and so on, may create an enemy where we had hoped to win a friend. Again different classes of people use different vocabularies, and the ordinary speech of an educated man may strike an uneducated listener as showing pride. Unwill- ingly we may use a word which bears a different meaning to our listener from what is does to men of our own class. Thus speech is not a gift to use lightly without thought, but one which demands careful handling. Only a fool will express himself alike to all kinds and conditions of men.

Title -

Great Blessing Precis

Speech is a valuable gift, but, if we are to make ourselves understood, we must use it carefully, since we may distort our meaning not only by the careless use of words but by ignoring the fact that words do not always mean the same thing to different people.

Solved Exercise 2

Passage - 'Where there's a will there's a way' is an old saying. He who resolves upon doing a thing, by that very resolution overcomes the obstacles to it, and half secures its achievement. It is so in all the occupations of life-at * school, at college, or in the world. To determine to succeed is the surest way to sucess. Difficulties disappear before an unswerving resolution. This was well exemplified in the life of Napoleon. He threw his whole force of body and mind upon his work. He was told that the Alps stood in the way of his armies. "There shall be no Alps," he said, and a road was made across them over heights previously considered inaccessible. "Impossible," said he, "is a word only to be found in the dictionary of fools." And so it is; a determination, not to give in, is the surest condition of success in any undertaking. But the young student must carefully guard himself against the errors of mistaking a mere undisci- plined energy and self-will for the needful firmness and self-command on which success depends.    - J.S. Sime

Title -

Fixed Determination
Precis

"Where there's a will there's way." Determination difficulties and ob- stacles, and leads to success in all spheres of life. When the inaccessible Alps stood in the way of Napoleon he ordered a way to be made over them. He never believed anything to be impossible. So unswerving determination means suc- cess but we must not sow undisciplined energy and self-will for determina- tion.

Solved Exercise 3

Passage The mystery of Napoleon's career was this, that under all difficulties and discouragements, he pressed on. It solves the problem of all heroes; it is the rule by which to weigh rightly all wonderful successes and triumphal marches to fortune and genius. It shuld be the motto of all, old and young, high and low, fortunate and unfortunate so called.

Never despair; never be discourgaed, however stormy the heavens, however dark the way; however great the difficulties and repeated the --'Press on !'

If fortune has played false with you today, do you play true to yours tomorrow? If your riches have taken wings and left you, do not weep life away, but be up and doing, and retrieve the loss by new energy and new action. If an unfortunate bargain has deranged your business, do not fold your arms, and give up all as lost; but stir yourself, and work all the more vigorously.

If those whom you have trusted have betrayed you, do not be discour- aged, do not idly weep, but 'Press on !' Find others, or what is better, learn to live within yourself. Let the foolishness of yesterday make you wise today.

Title -

Never Despair : Person
Precis

The secret of Napoleon's success was that he pressed on under difficul- ties and discouragements. This is the secret of all successes and Victories. Inspite of difficulties, hardships and failures, we should press on. We should never despair, although deseated by fortune and riches and dogged by ill-luck. We should make up the loss sustained by fresh energy and vigour. If our friends have betrayed us, we should not lose heart but find others. Let our mistakes teach us to be wise.

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