CHAPTER

Precis Wri ng
32
Chapter Objective
To cultivate the art of condensation by developing an ability for distinguishing the essential from the
non-essential in a given text and to express succinctly the main thoughts contained in it in one’s own
words.

COMMUNICATION CORE
The ability for condensed reproduction of a text is useful both for learning in the academic world
and for performing one’s duties in the professional world. Apart from reading comprehension
skills, it requires the skill for concise restatement of ideas, already expressed, without loss of
meaning, intention and emphasis of the original. Intensive practice in abridging sentences and
short paragraphs should precede the effort to condense long texts.

The skill of comprehension needs to be supplemented by another equally important skill, that
of precis writing. In life there is great pressure for quick action and disposal of work. We need
to sift heaps of information and present it logically to arrive at a decision. For success in this
kind of work we must develop the ability to put in brief what has been written. To perform
an exercise of this type, we summarize or make a precis of the material before us. No wonder
then that so much importance is attached to precis writing in educational institutions and
recruitment examinations.
Now let us consider the nature and requirements of a good precis in some detail.

DEFINITION
The word ‘precis’ is derived from French and it means ‘exact’ or ‘terse’. It is pronounced ‘pray-
see’. There is no change in the spelling of its plural but it is pronounced ‘pray-seez’. A precis
may be defined as a restatement in shortened form of the main ideas and points in
a piece of writing. There is no fixed rule about the length of a precis but ordinarily it should
 Precis Wri ng 423

contain one-third of the number of words in the original passage. Precis, it should be clearly
understood, is just not putting in different words what the original contains. It is neither a
paraphrase of the original passage nor a list of its main points. It is a piece of continuous
writing and so in order to be effective it should possess qualities such as proper organisation of
ideas, logical sequencing of points and the use of that variety of language which the situation
demands. But at the same time a precis is not creative writing, inasmuch as it is merely
a condensed reproduction of the original writer’s ideas, views, etc. It does not contain any
comments, explanation or elaboration by the precis writer. Its rigour has no place for examples,
illustrations and literary frills used by the writer of the original to emphasise his point.
To make a good precis the first requirement is a clear understanding of the given passage,
its basic content. Next, you must have the ability to reproduce its main ideas effectively in your
own language. Precis writing thus involves an exercise both in comprehension and effective
writing. That is why the skill of precis writing is so highly valued.

QUALITIES OF A GOOD PRECIS

(i) Completeness: A precis should cover the essential contents of the given passage. It
should not omit any important fact or idea.
(ii) Clarity: It should express the meaning of the original passage clearly and be free from
all ambiguities and redundancies. Without reading the original, one should be able to
get the main message through the precis.
(iii) Conciseness: A precis must be brief and precise. It should be a coherent piece of
writing, presenting the argument logically. Naturally, a patched-up thing will not do.
It would be a poor precis indeed if you tried to produce a smaller version of the original
by mere omission of certain words, phrases or clauses. You should remember that a
good piece of writing is an organic whole which loses its meaning if truncated in this
fashion.

TEN STEPS TO PRECIS WRITING

You have already done exercises in comprehension; this should help you in writing a precis. In
fact, comprehension is the first step towards precis writing. But to understand a passage and
to answer a few questions based on it, is one thing and to re-express briefly the chief points
contained in it is another. Practice is essential to acquire this skill. The following steps will
help you write a good precis.
(i) To understand what the passage is about, read it carefully. Put down the main theme
in a sentence or phrase. Also think of a suitable title for it. This exercise will help you
in choosing what is important and omitting what is unimportant in the passage.
(ii) Read through the passage again, and make sure that no hint or suggestion escapes
you. This time underline the key words, phrases, clauses and sentences.
(iii) Select the essential points, jot them down, and reject the rest.
(iv) Prepare your first draft on the basis of underlined key words, phrases, etc., and the
essential points you have jotted down.
(v) Compare your draft with the original to check for any omissions and irrelevancies.
424 Business Correspondence and Report Wri ng

(vi) Check the length of the precis. If it is more than the required limit, go through the draft
again and delete any unnecessary words or phrases or rewrite some sentences to cut it
down to the suitable length.
(vii) Read the revised draft once more, this time paying particular attention to punctuation,
spelling, and grammar. Remember it is just as important to write well in a precis as in
any other composition.
(viii) Prepare the final draft neatly.
(ix) Write the number of words used in brackets at the bottom of your precis in the right hand
corner.
(x) Write ‘Rough’ on the top of your first draft and the list of points you have made and
cross them out.

ABRIDGING SENTENCES
The following are some of the ways of abridging sentences. These may be used when you are taking
the sixth step indicated above. You must learn to re-express ideas concisely through the steps
suggested.

A. By Substituting a Single Word for a Phrase or a Clause

(i) Do not put off till tomorrow what (i) Do not postpone things.
you can do today.
(ii) I watched them while they were (ii) I watched them talking.
talking.
(iii) He is performing the duties of the (iii) He is the honorary secretary of the
secretary of the Management Management Association.
Association, but he is not paid for it.
(iv) His conduct was such that it could (iv) His conduct was inexcusable.
not be excused.
(v) Our country has launched a (v) Our country has launched a
campaign to reduce the number of campaign against illiteracy.
those who can neither read nor write.

B. By Substituting a Phrase for a Sentence or a Clause

(i)
When the officer had inquired into
the matter he found that the worker
was innocent.
(ii) When they had finished their work,
they left.
(iii) So that he may keep fit, he walks to
his office everyday.
(iv) If he had not helped me, I would
not have prepared this report.
(v) He was very pleased when they told
him they were interested in the
proposal.
(i) On inquiry the officer found the
worker innocent.
(ii) Having finished their work, they left.
(iii) To keep fit he walks to his office
everyday.
(iv) Without his help I would not have
prepared this report.
(v) He was very pleased to know that
they were interested in the proposal.
 Precis Wri ng 425

C. By Removing Superfluous and Ornamental Words

(i) When I began to write my first report (i) When I began to write my first report
it occurred to me that one method by I realised that I could make it more
which I could make it more effective effective by including diagrams.
would be to include a series of diagrams.
(ii) We helped the people who were (ii) We helped the people working on the
working on the land so that the crops land to save the crops.
could be saved.
(iii) The rain continued without inter- (iii) The rain continued till dawn.
mission throughout the night and did
not cease for a moment until after the
day had dawned.
(iv) The word ‘phone’ is the shortened (iv) The word ‘phone’ is the abbreviated
form of ‘telephone’ which has been form of ‘telephone’.
abbreviated by dropping the initial
four letters.
(v) We might further state that we would (v) We would be glad to supply any of
be glad to supply any of these these machines on trial.
machines on a trial basis.

D. By Substitution and Generalization

(i) It does not often occur to the parties in (i)
the dispute to find out whether the
facts are correct or not.
(ii) Before you accept such statements you (ii)
should carefully verify them.
(iii) It is impossible for any speaker to say (iii)
all there is to be said upon this subject
in the compass of a single lecture.
(iv) He behaved in such an odd manner (iv)
that we were greatly alarmed and
wondered whether he had taken leave
of his senses.
Now let us attempt the precis exercises given below:
The disputants seldom think of
verifying the facts.
You should accept such statements
after verification.
It is impossible for any one to speak
on this subject exhaustively in a single
lecture.
His odd behaviour alarmed us and
we wondered whether he had lost his
sanity.

EXAMPLE I
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 hoped to win a friend. Again,
different classes of people use different vocabularies, and the ordinary speech of an educated
man may strike to an uneducated listener as showing pride; unwittingly we may use a word,
which bears a different meaning to our listener from what it does to men of our own class. Thus
426 Business Correspondence and Report Wri ng

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.
(151 words)
Let us proceed in the manner we have been talking about to make a good precis of it. What
does the passage deal with? The first reading will give you the answer: the writer is talking
about speech being both a blessing and a curse.
What are the key words, clauses, and sentences? When you read the passage again,
you will underline the following: ‘Speech is a great blessing but it can also be a curse....’ ‘....
different classes of people use different vocabulary....’ and ‘Thus speech is not a gift to use
lightly without thought but one which demands careful handling....’
What are the main points? We may jot down the following:
(i) Speech is a great blessing.
(ii) It can be a curse if we do not use it carefully.
(iii) Words do not always convey the same meaning to all people.
Now if you put these points in continuous form in your own words your precis should read
something as follows:
Speech is a valuable gift, but if we are to make ourselves understood, it should be used
carefully, since we may distort our meaning not only by a careless use of words, but by ignoring
the fact that words do not always mean the same thing to all people.
(49 words)

EXAMPLE II
What happens when one person sends a message and another receive it? First, consider the
nature of language—the words in which most messages are expressed. All words are symbols.
A symbol is a standardized sign, seen or heard, which stands for an object, event, or idea as
agreed upon by senders and recipients of messages. It need not resemble what it stands for.
Thus it differs from a pictorial representation or imitation, such as a portrait, a street plan, or
an organisation chart.
A set of symbols agreed upon by two or more people is called a code. By far the most
important codes are those which form language. In any civilized language there is a primary
code of spoken words, formed from speech sounds. There is also a secondary code of letters
(the alphabet) which can be combined to stand for the speech sounds of the primary code,
as the letters—t, r, e, e—stand for the sound of ‘tree’. Neither letters nor sounds have any
resemblance to what they denote—a tree.
Whenever language is used, a sender must encode his message, and a recipient must decode
it. For language communication to be effective, senders and receivers must agree on all the
details of the language code. If you go to France in ignorance of the French code and meet
people ignorant of the English code, you have to resort to gestures and attempts at direct
representation of what you want to say. How inadequate this can be is shown by the story of
an English tourist, who suffering from hunger in a French street, moved his hands and jaw to
convey his wish to find a restaurant, he was obligingly conducted to a dentist’s waiting-room!
(292 words)
What is the author talking about? In your first reading itself you will discover that the
passage is about symbols and codes and their use in communication.
 Precis Wri ng 427

Now let us go through the passage again and underline the key words, phrases, clauses and
sentences. We would underline the following:
‘All words are symbols. A symbol is a standardized sign as agreed upon by senders and
recipients of messages. It need not resemble what it stands for.’
‘A set of symbols agreed upon by two or more people is called a code.’
‘For language communication to be effective, senders and receivers must agree on all the
details of the language code.’
Now let us jot down the main points:
(i) Words, which are used for sending most messages, are symbols.
(ii) A symbol is a sign which stands for something other than itself. It need not resemble
what it stands for.
(iii) A code is a set of symbols understood by two or more people.
(iv) Languages are most important codes.
(v) Each civilized language has primary and secondary codes.
(vi) Agreement on the details of a code is necessary for effective communication.
Now if we arrange the above points in connected prose we shall produce a precis as
follows:
Words which we use for expressing a message are symbols. A symbol by agreement among
its users stands for something other than itself. There is, however, no similarity between it and
the thing it denotes. A set of symbols understood by two or more people is a code. Language
is the most important code. Each language used by the civilized world has two codes; the
primary, consisting of sound symbols and the secondary, consisting of letters. For effective
communication agreement among the users regarding details of the language code used is
essential. Absence of such an agreement leads to misunderstanding and confusion.
(102 words)

EXAMPLE III
The liberty of the individual is no gift of civilization. It was unlimited before there was any
civilization, though then, it is true, it had for the most part no value, since the individual was
scarcely in a position to defend it. The development of civilization imposes restrictions on it,
and justice demands that no one shall escape those restrictions. What makes itself felt in a
human community as a desire for freedom may be their revolt against some existing injustice,
and so may prove fovourable to a further development of civilization; it may remain compatible
with civilization. But it may also spring from the remains of their original personality, which
is still untamed by civilization. The urge for freedom, therefore, is directed against particular
forms and demands of civilization or against civilization altogether. It does not seem as though
any influence could induce a man to change his nature into a termite’s. No doubt he will always
defend his claim to individual liberty against the will of the group. A good part of the struggles
of mankind centres round the single task of finding an expedient accommodation—one, that
is, that will bring happiness—between this claim of the individual and the cultural claims
of the group; and one of the problems that touches the fate of humanity is whether such an
accommodation can be reached by means of some particular form of civilization or whether this
conflict is irreconcilable.
(253 words)
428 Business Correspondence and Report Wri ng

Key Words, Phrases, Clauses and Sentences

‘The liberty of the individual is no gift of civilization.’
‘The development of civilization imposes restrictions on it.’
‘... a desire for freedom may be their revolt against some existing injustice... favourable to a
further development of civilization....’
‘...also spring from the remains of their original personality... still untamed by civilization.’
‘struggles of mankind centre round the simple task of finding an expedient accommodation
between this claim of the individual and the cultural claims of the group...’
‘One of the problems that touches the fate of mankind is whether such an accommodation
can be reached by means of some particular form of civilization....’

Main Points
(i) Individual liberty is no gift of civilization.
(ii) Development of civilization restricts it.
(iii) Urge for freedom may spring from two sources:
(a) revolt against existing injustice, leading to further growth of civilization, and
(b) remains of man’s original personality, causing hostility to civilization.
(iv) Man will never give up his claim to individual liberty.
(v) Mankind’s struggles centre round the task of finding a solution to the conflict between
individual liberty and the cultural claims of the group.
(vi) Can any particular form of civilization bring about this solution?

Precis
Civilization has restricted the individual liberty of man which he originally enjoyed. His urge
for freedom may be manifestation of revolt against prevailing injustice, leading to the growth
of civilization, or a trait of his original personality, causing hostility to it. Since man’s nature is
unchangeable, struggle between his claim to individual liberty and the will of the people will
continue. One of the problems that affects mankind’s fate is whether any form of civilization
can find a happy solution to this conflict.
(84 words)
We believe you are now ready for an independent attempt. The exercises that follow are
divided into two sections. Section One contains short exercises which will give you practice
in preparatory work. Section Two has fifteen passages which have been carefully graded for
your convenience. The number of words is indicated at the end of each passage to enable you
to work out the length of your precis quickly. Before you attempt these exercises go through
the following checklist carefully:

DO’S FOR PRECIS WRITING

(i) Use your own language as far as possible.
(ii) Keep the same sequence of events, ideas, arguments, etc. which you find in the original
passage; change it only for the sake of achieving clarity.
(iii) Drop figures of speech, examples and illustrations. In a passage entirely devoted to the
illustration of some idea or argument, use the illustration in a compressed form.
 Precis Wri ng 429

(iv) Give maximum information within the required limit.

(v) Use indirect speech and the third person.

DONT’S FOR PRECIS WRITING

(i) Avoid copying from the original.
(ii) Do not give any title unless specifically required.
(iii) Do not divide your precis into paragraphs unless the original passage is very long
(more than 1500 words).
(iv) Do not change any facts.
(v) Do not make any comments.

Exercises
A. Abridge the following sentences:
(i) The manager asked the foreman what he thought about the proposal.
(ii) He refused to accept the explanation given by the shopkeeper.
(iii) The man who is standing over there is our new civil engineer.
(iv) I cannot do this unless I have the equipment which is necessary.
(v) The job that the worker was given was dull and tiring.
(vi) Ram performed his duties exactly in the manner he had been instructed.
(vii) As they has been exhausted by the work, the workers sat down.
(viii) The explanation that you have given is not satisfactory.
(ix) In spite of the fact that he was not really fit, he decided to take part in the games.
(x) Certain parts of the country are completely barren and unproductive.
(xi) When there is nothing else to talk about, we indulge in conversation that deals with
the weather.
(xii) After a thorough investigation had been made, it was decided to make an estimate of
the value of the damaged property.
(xiii) After the day’s heavy rush of work, he was so tired that he was unable to stay awake
any longer.
(xiv) Owing to the fact that there is a shortage of paper, the Government has restricted the
size of daily newspapers.
B. Read the following extracts and try to write down the main idea of each in one or two short
sentences. Use your own words as far as possible. In each case the number of words you use
should be less than those in the extract.
(i) ‘Let me lie like a stone, and let me rise like a loaf’. Whoever it was that coined this
proverb must surely have keenly felt our two most besetting daily problems: getting to
sleep at night, and waking up in the morning.
(ii) When you look at the rainbow in the sky, what strikes you most about it? First of all, I
suppose, its beauty but after that the fact that its many colours melt, almost little by little,
one into the other, so that there is no real line of separation between red and orange or
orange and yellow.
(iii) It is clear that if we want to step out of our rocket and walk about on the moon, we must
bring our own air with us; we shall need an oxygen apparatus such as the climbers on