Techniques for writing Precis WITH EXAMPLES

A précis is another word for a summary but unlike a summary it is specific. Writing précis gives training in careful reading as it develops one's capacity to discriminate between the essential and the non-essential details.  One needs to describe as accurately and briefly as possible the substance or main ideas contained in a text. 

In the ICSE examination, you are to lift points from some specific parts of the passage. Remember, your précis has to be of 60 words only. Be careful in deciding which are the relevant parts and which not. Sometimes the question even mentions which paragraphs you are supposed to refer to.

Prepare a draft with pencil in a grid of 60 cells (5 columns x 12 rows). Make necessary edits and corrections. Then make a final copy in ink. Remember not to exceed 60 words. Nor should it be fewer than 58 words.

GUIDELINES

1. To write an effective précis, read the passage several times for a full understanding.

2. Note key points. It may, in fact, be helpful to underline these words.

3. Do not use abbreviations or contractions. Do not quote examples or figures.

4. When writing about the past, use the past tense. 

5. Use indirect speech. Never quote dialogues.

6. Only commas and full-stops are allowed. No other punctuation mark has to be used. These marks will be put in the cell of the preceding word.

7. Ensure a smooth, logical flow of points. Do not write very long sentences.

8. Finally, check your précis against the original to be sure that it is exact and retains the order, proportions, and relationships of the original. 

EXAMPLE 1:

One of our most difficult problems is what we call discipline and it is really very complex. You see, society feels that it must control or discipline the citizen, shape his mind according to certain religious, social, moral and economic patterns. 

Point(s): Discipline is a great problem in society. Society uses discipline to shape our minds.

Now, is discipline necessary at all? Please listen carefully. Don’t immediately say YES or NO. Most of us feel, especially while we are young, that there should be no discipline, that we should be allowed to do whatever we like and we think that is freedom. But merely to say that we should be free and so on has very little meaning without understanding the whole problem of discipline. 

Point(s): Discipline is necessary for us. Some, however, think it is not needed.

The keen athlete is disciplining himself the whole time, isn't he? His joy in playing games and the very necessity to keep fit makes him go to bed early, refrain from smoking, eat the right food and generally observe the rules of good health. His discipline and punctuality is not an imposition but a natural outcome of his enjoyment of athletics. 

Point(s): Discipline makes good athletes. They enjoy a disciplined life.

Final Précis (This is just an example of what to write. In the exam, it has to be presented in a grid.)

Though discipline seems to be a problem, it is necessary for all. Discipline shapes our mind and regulates our habits. Some want to be free and think that it is not necessary. Discipline and punctuality give enjoyment to athletes. 

EXAMPLE 2:

Soapy was homeless and usually in the pleasant summer nights, he slept on a bench in a park. However, as the nights got colder with approaching winter, he decided to move to his regular hangout during winter.  There were several charitable places for the homeless in the New York City where Soapy could sleep during the frosty winter. But these establishments had numerous strict regulations and the authorities were highly inquisitive of the personal life of its inmates. So Soapy chose the prison at Blackwell’s on the island as his winter haunt.

Points(s): Soapy, a homeless man, wanted a shelter for winters but not one of those charitable homes where his personal life would be scrutinized. He chose the prison on Blackwell’s island as his home.

(Note how 3 to 4 pieces of information have been organized and presented in one statement. This practice saves words. However, avoid unnecessarily long sentences.)

It was easy to get entry into his winter resort because all Soapy had to do is break some trivial law and he was inside with no questions asked. His plan was to go to an expensive restaurant have some exorbitantly priced dishes. When he could not pay the bill, the officials would escort him straight to his trusted winter abode. Having smartened himself up with a clean shave and a wearing a coat hand out to him long back by a philanthropist, he stealthily entered a restaurant hoping that none of the waiters would notice his tattered trousers and shoes. He decided to order a mallard duck with a bottle of White Burgundy and other luxuries. Regrettably for Soapy, as soon as he got into a grand restaurant, the chief waiter noted his ratty trousers and drove him out of the restaurant.

Point(s): He planned to break some law and land up in jail. He smartened himself up and went to an expensive restaurant where, showing his inability to pay, he would be imprisoned. The chief waiter noted his ratty trousers and turned him out.

(Note: Appropriate adjectives and phrases can be lifted from the passage, but you should avoid lifting entire sentences.)

Combine the above points extracted from the passage to write your final precis.