Precis Rules

Précis Writing
The word précis is derived from French that means summary and précis writing means the art of
summarizing. Précis writing is one of the most useful skills you can acquire for your work both as a
student and as a professional. Précis writing involves summarizing a document to extract the maximum
amount of information, then conveying this information to a reader in minimum words.
Here are ten ways to produce more vivid, direct, concise prose by replacing wordy phrases with fewer
words and reorganizing sentences. It is not advisable to employ these strategies indiscriminately, but
prose will usually be improved by following the recommendations below.
Rules :
1. Avoid Wordiness.
2. Avoid Choppiness.
3. Avoid Passive Voice.
4. Avoid List, mention Gist .
5. Avoid unnecessary examples, comparisons, statistics ,figurative language, and verbosity.
6. Avoid More than One Paragraph.
7. Avoid Different Tense.
8. Avoid Reported/Direct Speech.
9. Avoid vague Title.
10. Avoid writing More than 1/3rd of text.

1. Avoid Wordiness
Dr Shafiq is an expert in the area of International Realtions.
Many factors contributed to the government’s failure .
A) Take out key words and ideas that are repeated unnecessarily.
WORDY The committee members decided to have an office party for the employees’ children.
The main reason for their decision to have a party for the children was that
employees had been complaining that the company did not pay enough attention
to family life.
BETTER The committee members decided to have an office party for employees’ children,
mainly because employees had been complaining that the company did not pay
enough attention to family life.
B) Take out words that are already implied by other words in the same sentence.
WORDY The round yellow sun shone brightly among the clouds in the sky. (Isn’t the sun always
round? Aren’t clouds usually in the sky?)
BETTER The sun shone brightly among the clouds.
WORDY She wore a coat in a red color. (Red is, by definition, a color.)
BETTER She wore a red coat.
C) Replace wordy stock phrases with single words
WORDY BETTER WORDY BETTER
at the present time now in the event that if
at all times when whenever in connection with about
be of the opinion that think in spite of the fact that although
by means of by in the nature of like

due to the fact that because in view of the fact that because
during the time that while it is often the case that often
for the purpose of for, so on a frequent basis frequently
has the capability to can until such time as until
2. AVOID CHOPPINESS
There was a boy. He was five year old. He asked me a question. The question was strange. The
question was about death.
3. Avoid Passive Voice

Mangoes are liked by Adnan.
Why avoid passive voice? Sometimes, passive voice tends to increase length. This happens so when a
sentence includes be or any other copulative verb, such as is or are, recast the sentence to omit the
verb.
Before: The meeting was seen by us as a ploy to delay the project.
After: We saw the meeting as a ploy to delay the project.
However, passive sentences can have one important use: the “doer” can be omitted. In this way using
passive sentence construction makes the sentence short.
4. Avoid List, mention Gist

One word substitution of longer terms is very helpful.
Before : It does not promise a generation of Aristotle or Newtons, of Napoleons or

Washingtons, of Raphaels or Shakespeares though such miracles of nature … (CSS 2003)
After: It does not promise a generation of intellectuals, leaders , or artists though such miracles
of nature …
5. Avoid figurative language, verbosity, examples, and statistics.
Before : Trees give shade for the benefit of others, and while they themselves stand in the sun
and endure the scorching heat, they produce the fruit of which others profit. The character of
good men is like that of trees.
After: The character of good men is like that of trees. They live for others.
6. Avoid More than One Paragraph
Remember: If the original text is more than one paragraph, its précis must be in one paragraph. The
paragraph should be written in such a way that it includes all the points logically and connected with
transitional words; generally the order of the original is retained.
7. Avoid Different Tense

Whatever the tense of the given text is, use the same tense for précis. A narrative text uses past tense
and a factual or informational text uses present tense. Their précis must also be in the same tense.
8. Avoid Direct Speech

Précis of the narrative text must be written in the third person and past tense. However, In the case of
universal truth the present tense should be used.
9) 1/3 rd of Actual Text
10) Avoid Vague Title

Writing an effective title is the foremost requirement for précis writing.

Precis Rules

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Precis Rules

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Precis Rules

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Précis Writing

3. Avoid Passive Voice.

4. Avoid List, mention Gist .

5. Avoid unnecessary examples, comparisons, statistics ,figurative language, and verbosity.

6. Avoid More than One Paragraph.

7. Avoid Different Tense.

8. Avoid Reported/Direct Speech.

9. Avoid vague Title.

10. Avoid writing More than 1/3rd of text.

Dr Shafiq is an expert in the area of International Realtions.

Many factors contributed to the government’s failure .

BETTER The sun shone brightly among the clouds.

BETTER She wore a red coat.

C) Replace wordy stock phrases with single words

WORDY BETTER WORDY BETTER

at the present time now in the event that if

at all times when whenever in connection with about

be of the opinion that think in spite of the fact that although

by means of by in the nature of like

for the purpose of for, so on a frequent basis frequently

has the capability to can until such time as until

3. Avoid Passive Voice

Before: The meeting was seen by us as a ploy to delay the project.

After: We saw the meeting as a ploy to delay the project.

4. Avoid List, mention Gist

Before : It does not promise a generation of Aristotle or Newtons, of Napoleons or

5. Avoid figurative language, verbosity, examples, and statistics.

6. Avoid More than One Paragraph

7. Avoid Different Tense

8. Avoid Direct Speech

9) 1/3 rd of Actual Text

10) Avoid Vague Title

You might also like