PRÉCIS WRITING

The word précis is derived from French that means summary and précis writing means the art of
summarizing. Précis writing is an exercise in compression. A précis is the gist of a passage
expressed in as few words as possible. A précis should give all essential points so that anyone
reading it will be able to understand the idea expressed in the original passage.

Précis writing improves our overall writing skills. It teaches us how to express our thoughts
clearly, concisely and effectively. We learn to choose our words carefully and construct our
sentences in a logical and concise manner.

Definition: A précis is a clear, compact logical summary of a passage. It preserves only the
essential or important ideas of the original.

Key features of writing a Précis

While writing a précis, the writer should follow the below given rules to make it an effective
piece of work.
Read Carefully
First read the passage twice or thrice carefully to summarize it. This will enable you to
understand the main theme of the passage.
Underlining
Underline and mark the important ideas and essential points from the original text.
Outline
With the help of underlined ideas, draw the outline of your précis.
Omission
Omit all the unnecessary information or the long phrases which could be replaced by one word.
All the adjectives and the adverbs can also be omitted in order to make a good précis.
Don’t Omit
While making a précis, the writer should never omit the important points and ideas which are
essential to be described.
Size
Keep the fact in your mind that the length of the précis should be the one third of the original
passage.
Indirect Speech
A précis should be written in indirect speech. If there is direct speech in the passage, it should be
changed into indirect speech.
Tense and Person
It should be written in the third person and past tense. In the case of universal truth the present
tense should be used.
Own Words
A précis should be written in your own words and the writer should abstain from borrowing
words from the original passage.
Objective Approach
A précis writer should adopt an objective approach. He should not add his personal ideas to a
précis. Put all the important points and ideas in a logical order.
One Paragraph
There could be two or more paragraphs in the original text. While making the précis, try to write
all the ideas in one paragraph.
Rough Draft
After omitting all the unnecessary ideas, the writer should prepare a rough draft to finalize it.
Final Draft
Having read the rough draft and pointed out some mistakes which may be found in the rough
draft, the writer can prepare the final draft.

Major Do’s of Précis Writing:

a) Read through the whole passage you are asked to make a précis of and try to find out
the central thought, that is, the general argument contained in it.
b) Read the passage thoroughly (slowly and carefully) twice, thrice, or four times, if
necessary, so that clear grasp of the whole passage could be obtained.
c) Mark the salient points (leading ideas) appearing in the passage or make marginal
notes, leaving out all unimportant ones or note them down separately on the margin. This
requires considerable practice.
d) Give a suitable heading/title of your précis.
e) Prepare a rough copy with the help of marks or marginal notes. Arrange them, if
necessary in what you think to be the best logical order. But it is better to keep the same
order of thought as in the original.
f) Write your precis in the third person, indirect form and appropriate tense. The tense of
the précis should be the same as that of the passage.
g) It is better to give designations of officials and not their names and titles. At times, the
 official designation is not mentioned and you have to use the personal name. Whatever,
designation you employ, you must stick to it throughout the précis.
h) Revise your rough copy, shorten it and if need be, improve its language. The précis
should in itself be a piece of good English.
i) Read once again the original passage to see that all the important points have been
incorporated in your précis.
j) Then write out the précis in its final revised form.

• k) Use your own language: Precis has to be written, as far as possible, in your own
words.
• L) Reduce the passage to its one third: Unless otherwise indicated, you are supposed to
reduce the passage to one-third of its original length.
• m) Finally, a wise policy would be a count the words of your précis and put them down
in a bracket at the end.

Major Don’t s of a Précis Writing:

a) Do not express your own opinion, ideas, wish, remark or criticism.
b) Do not insert any question in your précis.

c) Do not convey the ideas in the précis by incomplete sentence. Use Short & Crisp sentences
instead.
d) Do not use abbreviations or contractions. Avoid all slang also.
e) Do not be jumpy. This suggests that most probably, you have not understood the sense of the
passage properly.
f) Do not retain one or reject the other if two ideas are equally important. Either retain both or
give that combined significance.

g) Do not conclude anything of your own or assume anything.

Differences between precis writing and summary writing

• A precis is a concise summary or abstract whereas a summary is normally one third or more /
less of the original passage, so they differ in the length. Normally a precis is shorter than a
summary.
• A precis includes only principal theme whereas a summary includes all the main points.
• Precis writing has to be the language of the text, itself whereas summary writing can be done in
the language of the writer.
• Writing a precis should follow the order of original text but it is not basically necessary for
summary writing.
• Precis writing is always written form whereas summary can be written or spoken.

SOLVED EXCERCISE

Make Precis and give suitable Title.

1] 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. What is the use of this perishable body if no
use is made of it for the benefit of mankind? Sandalwood, the more it is rubbed, the
more scent does it yield. Sugarcane, the more it is peeled and cut up into pieces, the
more juice does it produce. The men who are noble at heart do not lose their qualities
even in losing their lives. What matters whether men praise them or not? What
difference does it make whether they die at this moment or whether lives are prolonged?
Happen what may, those who tread in the right path will not set foot in any other. Life
itself is unprofitable to a man who does not live for others. To live for the mere sake of
living one’s life is to live the life of dog and crows. Those who lay down their lives for the
sake of others will assuredly dwell forever in a world of bliss.
Precis
Good men live for others
The character of good men is like that of trees. They live for others and do not lose their
qualities even in losing their lives. They always follow the right path. Praise is
immaterial to them To live for one’s own sake is to lead the life of beasts. Only those who
lay down their lives for others will live for ever in a world of bliss.

4] Teaching is the noblest of professions. A teacher has a scared duty to perform. It is he

on whom rests the responsibility of moulding the character of young children. Apart
from developing their intellect, he can inculcate in them qualities of good citizenship,
remaining neat and clean, talking decently and sitting properly. These virtues are not
easy to be imbibed. Only he who himself leads a life of simplicity, purity and rigid
discipline can successfully cultivate these habits in his pupils.
Besides a teacher always remain young. He may grow old in age, but not in spite.
Perpetual contact with budding youths keeps him happy and cheerful. There are
moments when domestic worries weigh heavily on his mind, but the delightful company
of innocent children makes him overcome his transient moods of despair.
Precis
Teaching is the noblest profession. A teacher himself leading a simple, pure and
disciplined life can mould the character of the young children and make them neat and
good mannered citizens. Besides he remains every young forgetting his own domestic
worries in the constant company of the young.

3] English education and English language have done immense goods to India, inspite
of their glaring drawbacks. The notions of democracy and self-government are the born
of English education. Those who fought and died for mother India's freedom were
nursed in the cradle of English thought and culture. The West has made contribution to
the East. The history of Europe has fired the hearts of our leaders. Our struggle for
freedom has been inspired by the struggles for freedom in England, America and
France. If our leaders were ignorant of English and if they had not studied this language,
how could they have been inspired by these heroic struggles for freedom in other lands?
English, therefore, did us great good in the past and if properly studied will do immense
good in future.
English is spoken throughout the world. For international contact our comrherce and
trade, for the development of our practical ideas, for the scientific studies, English-is
indispensable "English is very rich in literature," our own literature has been made
richer by this foreign language. It will really be a fatal day if we altogether forget
Shakespeare, Milton, Keats and Shaw.

Precis
Notwithstanding its various defects English education has done great good to India. The
ideas of democracy and self-government are its gifts. Nursed on English education the
Indian leaders were inspired by the Western thought, culture and freedom struggles.
They fought for and won their motherland's freedom. Being spoken thought-out the
world English is necessary for international contact, trade, commerce and science.
English is rich in literature; its master mind cannot be neglected.

Paragraph writing:
A paragraph is a group of sentences which are unified around one central idea. It may have
variety of sentences, out of which one is a topic sentence whereas others are supporting
sentences.

Requirements of a paragraph

A paragraph may have minimum 2 and maximum 12-15 sentences for normal writing. It
has three basic parts:

1. Topic Sentence: It conveys the main idea of the paragraph. It may be at the
beginning or at the end and sometimes at the middle of the paragraph.
 2. Supporting Details: Series of sentences that develop, support or explain the main
idea. They generally come after topic sentence.
3. Concluding or closing sentence: it is the last sentence of the paragraph. It is a
brief reflection or statement about the main idea.

Principles of Paragraph writing:

1. Unity: One central idea or main idea must be expressed in a paragraph. Every
sentence must be closely connected with the main theme of the paragraph.
2. Coherence: means consistency or uniformity. In a paragraph, all the sentences
should be related to each other. When every sentence is linked it provides
coherence to the paragraph.
3. Emphasis: It means making important points stand out in the paragraph.
Generally emphasis should be given at the beginning and at the end of the
paragraph.
4. Completeness: The word completeness regarding paragraph writing is self
explanatory. It actually means a well developed or well designed paragraph. The last
sentence or concluding sentence of your paragraph should summarize the main central
idea by strengthening your topic sentence.

Types of Paragraphs

Narrative Paragraph

Narrative paragraphs tell stories and keeps the story moving. Narrative paragraphs will
include action, events and exciting descriptive words. These paragraphs help keep the
reader engaged in the story. Narrative paragraphs are similar to descriptive paragraphs
(and a paragraph may actually be both at once), but a narrative paragraph tends to offer
the reader more background information, such as past events that lead up to or cause
events in the story. These are also very important paragraphs for fiction writers, as they
help the reader to see the whole picture.

Descriptive Paragraph

A descriptive paragraph is one that is describing a person, place, thing, animal, theme or
idea to the reader. Descriptive phrases make use of the five senses: how something feels,
smells, sounds, tastes or looks. The more descriptive that you can get, the better picture
you’re providing your reader. A good descriptive paragraph will make them feel like they
were there experiencing everything you’re talking about. Descriptive paragraphs are
powerful tools for fiction writers, as these paragraphs are responsible for setting the stage
and telling the story.

Persuasive Paragraph
A persuasive paragraph is one in which the writer is actually giving his own opinion on a
certain subject or topic. Persuasive paragraphs will also include facts and information that
help to back up the writer’s opinion. These paragraphs often show up in speeches or
editorial essays and other forms of writing where the main goal is persuasion. In fiction,
use these paragraphs to convince the reader to feel a certain way toward a character, place
or event, perhaps a different way than they may have felt earlier in the story.

Explanatory Paragraph

An explanatory paragraph offers the reader information on a certain subject. These

paragraphs may contain directions or might describe a process in a logical, linear manner.
Explanatory paragraphs are also factual in nature and are not a common tool for fiction
writers. A how-to article is an example of a piece of writing that would use these
paragraphs.

An argument paragraph : It presents a point of view and provides evidence for the point of
view taken. An argument is an opinion supported by facts. Writers refer to opinions as
claims and facts as evidence. The claim clearly states a stand on a topic or issue. Evidence
to prove this claim can include reasons, personal experience, statistics, confirmed facts, and
expert research For the claim to be persuasive, an argument writer must support it with
the most effective evidence that comes from a variety of sources like websites, reports, and
articles developed by experts and journalists.

BUSINESS PROPOSAL
Definition and meaning: The word proposal means to offer or
make a plan or suggestion, especially a formal or written one
that is put forward for consideration by others.
Engineers, scientists, researchers, business executives,
managers and administrators have to write proposals in order
to initiate new projects, provide fresh ideas, solve problems
and prompt innovative strategies. Submitting a proposal is
usually the first step in going ahead with a new project.
Types of Proposals:
1. (a) Internal: It is addressed to readers within an
organization. It may offer to study a problem, situation,
condition or issue in the company or may present different
plans for solving it. An internal proposal is less formal and
less elaborate than an external one. E.g. proposing the plan
to increase the sales of a company will require an internal
proposal.

(b) External: It is addressed to readers outside the

organization. It offers a plan to solve a problem or
situation and it also gives suggestions and
recommendations. They are more formal, elaborate and
detailed.

2. (a) Solicited: It is written in response to a specific request

from a client. Many companies, government agencies,
institutions solicit proposal for their projects. Solicit
proposals are generally prepared in response to some
advertisement.
(b) Unsolicited: It is written without any request for a
proposal. For e.g. a person notices a problem in his
organization and wants to offer his ideas on how to handle
the problem, may submit an unsolicited proposal. Self-
initiated research and business projects usually involve
unsolicited proposal.
3. ( a) Formal Proposal are the long proposals that are usually
written to initiate big projects and require elaborate
description and discussion. It may consist of several sections
and sub sections and can vary from a few pages to
hundreds of pages.
(b) Non-formal proposal: it is a brief description of
suggestions or recommendations that are introductory in
nature. It is usually written to initiate small projects that
don’t require elaborate description and discussion.

Format/ Structure of Business Proposal

A formal proposal may include some or all the following
parts
1. Title page
2. Table of content
3. List of figures
4. Abstract/summary
5. Methodology
6. Introduction
7. Statement of problem
8. Proposed plan and schedule
9. Advantage/disadvantages
10. Recommendations

PHRASAL VERBS
 A phrasal verb is a verb that is made up of two or three words. The first word is a verb,
and the second word is either an adverb or a preposition such as in, up, or on. Examples of
common phrasal verbs include get up, turn off, and break up.

It is used to convey a special meaning completely different from the meaning expressed by
the verb or the particle.

For example: in the expression, ‘put up with’. The meaning of the verb ‘put’ is to place
something in a certain position. But if two prepositions ‘up’ and ‘’with’ are added to it, it
will mean ‘to tolerate’.

1. Call for: demand, ask someone to give explanation

2. Run across: meet or find by chance
3. Set for: begin a journey
4. Give up: to quit something
5. To run off something: to use all of it so that there is nothing left
6. To take up: to start doing a particular activity, job or hobby
7. Take after: resemble
8. Stand by: support
9. Put down: suppress
10. Cast off: discard
11. Break Out: 1. start abruptly 2. begin suddenly and sometimes violently 3. move away
or escape suddenly
12. Count on: rely on.
13. Grow Apart: Stop being friends over time
14. Hold Back: Hide an emotion.
15. Shop Around: compare prices.
16. Turn Down: refuse
17. Turn up: appear suddenly.
18. Blow up: explode: The terrorists tried to blow up the railroad station.

19. Call off: cancel: They called off this afternoon's meeting

20. Hand in: submit something (assignment): The students handed in their papers and
left the room.
21. Look over: examine, check: The lawyers looked over the papers carefully before
questioning the witness. (They looked them over carefully.)
22. Look up: search in a list:You've misspelled this word again. You'd better look it up.
23. Make up: invent a story or lie: She knew she was in trouble, so she made up a story
about going to the movies with her friends.
24. Make out: hear, understand: He was so far away, we really couldn't make out what
he was saying.
25. Look up to: respect: First-graders really look up to their teachers.
 26. Get along with: have a good relationship with: I found it very hard to get along with
my brother when we were young.
27. Keep up with: maintain pace with: It's hard to keep up with the Joneses when you
lose your job!
28. Catch on: become popular: Popular songs seem to catch on in California first and
then spread eastward.
29. Put off: postpone: We asked the boss to put off the meeting until tomorrow. (Please
put it off for another day.)
30. Get away with: escape blame. John cheated in the exam and then tried to get away
with it.

Non- finite verbs:

All the verbs are either finite or non-finite.

Finite : Verbs with tense.

Finite verb forms show tense, person and number. Verbs which have the past or the
present form are called finite verbs. They are the main verb and can be changed according
to the subject. They are limited by number, person and tense. They are the main verb and
can be changed according to the subject.

They go to school.
He goes to school.
I go to school.
He went to school.

Non-Finite Verbs: verbs without tense.

A non-finite verb (also known as a verbal) is the term used to describe a verb that is not
showing tense. In other words, it a verb form which is not acting like a verb. They cannot
serve as the main verb. They are not limited by number, person and tense. They are the
forms of verb which functions as nouns, adjectives or adverbs. They cannot by themselves
perform the full function of a finite verb.

There are three types of non-finite verbs: gerunds, infinitives, and participles.

1. Infinitives: ( to+ verb) : an infinitive is a verb with the word “to” in front of it. It
may be a noun, an adverb or an adjective. There are two kinds of infinitives-the
bare infinitive and the full infinitive.
 The bare infinitive does not use the word ‘to’ but uses the base form of the verb.
For example,
1. Help me catch this fish.
2. You had better finish your work by then.
Full infinitive: The way to identify the full infinitive is that the base form of the verb is
preceded by the word ‘to’.
For example,
1. I am determined to lose weight before Sheila’s wedding.
2. One must take examinations seriously to excel in the academic field.
Infinitives used as nouns:
1. To swim in the Olympics is my dream. (used as a subject)
2. I want to write a novel. (used as an object)
Infinitives used as adjectives/adverbs:
1. She is the designer to watch. (used as an adjective, modifying the noun ‘designer’)
Alia went to the UK to study. (used as an adverb)

Gerund: (verb+noun) . It is known as verbal noun. A gerund is formed by adding –ing to a

verb. It functions as a noun.

Examples:

Swimming is very good for the body.

Running is a good exercise.

Participle: (verb+ adjective)

A participle is usually formed by adding –ing (present Participle) or –ed, d, t, en, n (past
participle) to a verb. It functions as an adjective.

Examples:

The singing bird was the main attraction at the event.

The injured man was waiting for the doctor.