12.1 What a Précis Is (and Is Not)

A précis is a miniature of a passage — about one-third of the original length — that preserves its central idea, essential arguments, tone, and logical order, entirely in the précis-writer's own words. It is a test of two skills at once: comprehension (finding the skeleton) and compression (rebuilding it small).

12.2 The Rules

1. Reduce to one-third of the original word count (state the count at the end if asked).
2. Write in one paragraph, in your own words — no lifted sentences.
3. Use third person and indirect speech; convert dialogue and questions into statements.
4. Preserve the author's idea and emphasis — add nothing, argue with nothing.
5. Omit examples, illustrations, repetitions, rhetorical flourishes, and lists of instances (keep one representative if essential).
6. Give a title that captures the theme in a few words.
7. Keep the logical order and the author's tone (a warning stays a warning).

12.3 The Method: Six Steps

1. Read once for the gist; ask "what is this passage fundamentally saying?"
2. Read again with a pencil: underline topic sentences; bracket examples and asides for deletion.
3. Write the theme in one sentence — this becomes your compass and usually your title source.
4. List the essential points in order (typically 3–5 for a 150–200 word passage).
5. Draft in your own words; connect points with transitions, not "and then."
6. Count and polish: trim to one-third; verify nothing essential is lost and nothing foreign has crept in.

12.4 Worked Example 1

Original (118 words): "It is a common belief that examinations measure a student's knowledge. In reality, they often measure something narrower: the ability to recall selected facts under pressure of time. A student who reads widely, questions deeply, and connects ideas across subjects may score less than one who memorises likely questions from previous papers. This is not an argument for abolishing examinations, for institutions need some instrument of assessment, and no perfect instrument exists. It is an argument for redesigning them. If papers rewarded application and original thinking — open-book formats, problem-based questions, viva examinations — preparation itself would change, and the vast machinery of coaching centres built on prediction and rote would lose its foundation overnight."

Précis (41 words): "Title: Redesigning Examinations. Examinations commonly test timed recall rather than genuine knowledge, sometimes ranking rote memorisers above thoughtful learners. Since institutions nevertheless need assessment, the writer urges redesign, not abolition: application-based formats would transform preparation and undermine rote-driven coaching."

Commentary: The three examples of formats are compressed to "application-based formats"; the concession ("not... abolishing") is kept because it is structural, not decorative; the tone (reformist, not hostile) is preserved; length is almost exactly one-third.

12.5 Worked Example 2

Original (132 words): "The smartphone has been blamed for shortening attention spans, and the accusation is partly fair. Notifications interrupt thought dozens of times an hour, and each interruption exacts a cost, for the mind takes time to return to its task. Yet the deeper problem is not the device but the design. Applications are engineered to reward checking; unpredictable rewards, like those of gambling machines, keep users returning. Blaming individual weakness therefore misses the point. The practical responses are structural: silencing non-essential notifications, keeping the phone physically distant during study, and scheduling fixed windows for messages. Willpower fails against professional design; environment defeats it. Students who reshape their environment reclaim, according to several studies of study behaviour, an hour or more of usable attention each day."

Précis (45 words): "Title: Design, Not Willpower. Smartphones do fragment attention, but the true culprit is app design that rewards compulsive checking like gambling. Blaming personal weakness is misguided; structural remedies — silenced notifications, physical distance, fixed message windows — beat willpower, and students who adopt them recover substantial daily attention."

Commentary: The gambling comparison survives because it is the argument's core mechanism; the "studies" citation is generalised; the imperative practical list is compressed but retained since the passage's purpose is advisory.

12.6 Common Mistakes

1. Copying whole phrases from the original (paraphrase failure).
2. Adding your own opinion or examples.
3. Deleting a concession or qualifier, which changes the author's position.
4. Writing in fragments or bullet points — a précis is connected prose.
5. Ignoring the word limit in either direction.
6. A title that names the topic but not the theme ("Smartphones" vs "Design, Not Willpower").

🎯 Exam Focus

1. Define précis. State any six rules of précis writing.
2. Distinguish précis, summary, and paraphrase in a table.
3. Why must examples and illustrations be omitted, while concessions are usually retained?
4. Describe the six-step method of writing a précis.
5. What makes a good précis title? Evaluate: "Examinations" vs "Redesigning Examinations."
6. A passage of 240 words appears in your exam. State your target length and the three faults you will check before submitting.