How to Write a Précis, which will Impress Everyone?

DDW Corp (2021). How to Write a Précis, which will Impress Everyone? Accessed on July 8, 2021
from https://assignmentpay.com/how-to-write-precis/

Every future student hopes that college life is pure fun and entertainment with a few assignments
from time to time. However, that delusion ends, when scholars face reality and have to complete tens
of various tasks with a tight schedule.
While some students are dedicated to their studies, others simply want to enjoy youth and all the
benefits of free life. Unfortunately, students can’t miss deadlines, as it may result in low grades and
even influence degree.
When you need to write a submission paper, précis is surely one of the most difficult assignments.
Not every student knows what this task is about, so we have collected all the necessary information to
explain how to write a precis, how it should be completed and what basic features you should know.
Continue reading and get all the useful tips, thoroughly collected by the best writers and experts
in the field!

What is a précis?
So what is a précis? It is a concise summary of a speech, book, article or any other text. As you
already see, this term is of a French origin and means ‘precise’ or ‘brief’. It is a short synopsis of a
publication, whether it is an article, a dissertation or any other text. Any time you sum up ideas of a
literary work, you can call it a précis.
However, it is not paraphrasing, as you don’t have to mention all the discussed issues of the text.
Your précis should explain the main idea of the text and to follow a certain structure. This is what makes
precis writing difficult to students, who lack experience and are not familiar with the most important
writing instruments.
Knowing it you will be able to format your précis properly and avoid the most common mistakes.
Remember, this task is not a critical analysis, so you don’t need to examine all the ideas and content
of the text. You also don’t need to write what you think about the matter.
Cover only key features and points of the source text. Make it brief, precise and always stick to
the main point. That is the best way to define precis and keeping it in mind you will surely have no
worries with the assignment!

What are Précis Characteristics?

When you are assigned with writing a precis, you must be sure that you understand all of its basic
characteristics. They are as follows:
• It is a critical outline of the discussed abstract, free from new details and paragraphs;
• It shouldn’t become an interpretation or paraphrasing of the source text;
• You can insert quotes from the text but never use words of the original;
• It is a summary of the original piece, so always stick to the source text;
• Your précis should be an evaluation of the text;
• It should be approximately ¼ of an original text’s length if else is not indicated;
• Stick to the accepted precis format : thesis of the author, used methods, results and conclusions.
This type of writing is usually assigned to teach students summarizing, critical thinking and
distinguishing the main parts. Mastering all of them will surely help you to improve your academic
score and get new effective instruments for writing any sort of tasks.

Precis is not a:
• Simple plan of the original text, which lacks its understanding;
• Short abstract without any background details;
• List of the most interesting phrases and quotes without any analysis;
• Enumeration of irrelevant facts.

Précis Qualities
Through precis writing you can show the teacher how good your writing skills are and how easy you
can present your thoughts to the reader. To achieve such a goal make sure your work matches the
following criteria:
• Accuracy. Your text should be correct and contain no grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes. In
addition, all the provided dates, facts and figures should be correct and reliable;
• Clearness. You need to make sure that the reader understands what you are trying to say. It can be
achieved by simple words and phrases, accepted structure and general requirements;
• Remain objective. You shouldn’t provide your personal opinion on the source text and stick to facts and
initial data;
• Remain logical. When writing your précis, don’t forget to build logical connections with the initial text
and its ideas. Otherwise the reader may lose interest to your work;
• Conciseness. Don’t add unnecessary information to your assignment. Include main facts, remaining
brief. Wordiness, repetitions and wordy language should be avoided.

How to write a précis? Step by step solution

Short doesn’t mean easy to complete, so when you are assigned with a summary it doesn’t mean that
you will cope with the task quickly. That is why the process of creating a précis should always start with
a thorough research and critical thinking:
1. Attentively read the source text. You need to understand what it is about and what the author wants to
emphasize. Make a list of the bullet points to always have them in front of you;
2. Highlight its main features, arguments and points. Then it will be much easier for you to concentrate on
the work and stick to a proper précis format;
3. Make a list of the used evidence. With its help you will understand what the main ideas and motives of
the author are. Without walking in the author’s shoes you won’t be able to create an awesome work;
4. Research any information you find unfamiliar. This includes terms, definitions, data, statements, etc. You
need to have a clear understanding of what you are writing about. If you have any doubts, research the
subject;
5. Identify call-to-actions. These may become the main motives the author was trying to convey. They are
usually situated in the end of the paragraph or text and urge the reader to move forward, support the
author or act in any particular way. The best precis examples always contain outstanding call-to-actions;
6. Make an evaluation of how the writer showed key points of his work. This may give your readers a better
understanding of the text’s meaning;
7. Make a thesis restatement. It should also consist of one or two statements and indicate general ideas of
the whole work. Your thesis is the heart of the work, so think thoroughly about how to put it into words.
Don’t be in a hurry and write this section only when the whole précis is ready;
8. Write a brief summary for each part of the article. It should explain its key ideas and features, and give
the reader an understanding of what the source text is about;
9. Give explanation of the piece, using your own words. Avoid being too general and never forget about
your own unique style. It is important to show your personality and give a side look on seemingly common
facts and ideas;
10. Reread the initial text and compare it to your summary. They should interlink and your précis must contain
all the key features and points of the source.
Once you are done with these sections, it is a right time to write the final sample of your précis. Always
start with thesis paraphrasing and then reread it to check whether you have rendered the key points,
evidence and all the logical connections.
The last stage is checking the text on any sorts of mistakes, correctness and clarity.

Précis Structure
Any written assignment has structure requirements, which you need to follow in order to explain the
text clearly. This also concerns your précis, so even if it is short and consists of a single page, you need
to meet all the guidelines.
A regular précis consists of the following elements:
• Introduction to give basic information about the source text;
• Body paragraphs, which render your main ideas and goals;
• Conclusion to sum up everything you wanted to discuss.
As you see, précis structure is very common and is similar to all of the papers and essays you have to
face. However, it has its own peculiarities, which you should keep in mind.

Precis Introduction
 Your introduction should be only one sentence long and contain such information, as:
• Author’s name;
• Title of the source;
• Date of publication;
• Power verbs to explain thesis of the author, including ‘proves’, ‘argues’, etc.;
• The thesis.

Many professional writers suggest placing a hook at the beginning of your précis and only then a thesis
restatement. However, others think that this type of writing doesn’t require a hook. That is why it is
better to ask your professor for specific requirements on the format.

Introduction Precis Example

Jason Moore’s article, ‘Factors that influence children from incomplete families’ (2017), enumerates all
the possible factors, which have a negative impact on children and push them to commit crimes.

Body
Every paragraph of your précis should explain a certain section of the source text, giving information
on author’s ideas, purpose and evidence. You need to remain objective, analyzing author’s opinion on
the matter without providing your own thoughts.
Here you can use quotes from the text but always remain brief and appropriate.

Body sample
In his article ‘Reading is no longer popular’ (2002), Henry Smith proves that Americans read more than
ever, although common opinion is completely different. Especially this statement concerns all sorts of
‘high culture’ literature. Smith supports his ideas on modern reading with statistics and facts, which
make a comparison of reading practices now and in the past. He also challenges modern assumptions
by questioning value of reading. His goal is to prove that reading remains popular and to remind how
important it is for our culture.
He has a very modern and lively approach, as he tries to reach teenagers and encourage them to
devote more time to reading.

Conclusion
Your précis’ conclusion should be a restatement of the main goals and ideas of the source text. You
need to summarize all the arguments you have provided and never forget to avoid subjective opinions
and judgments.
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What is a Precis, Format, Outline, and Examples

Alex Cornnor (2018). How to Write a Rhetorical Precis. Accessed on July 7, 2021 from
https://theessaypro.com/write-rhetorical-precis/
The word precis is a derivation of a French word “précis” that means summary or short. So what is a
precis?
A precis is, therefore, a summation of written discourse.
While different scholars continually come up with better definitions of precis, it all boils down to a
clear, logical, and concise summary of a text.
A precise seeks to preserve the essential ideas of a passage in minimal words.
It is different from a critical analysis that gauges a writer’s arguments based on the evidence provided
in an article.
Rhetorical Precis Format and Template
A precise follows a specific format but it is not an essay and neither should it be considered an article
re-write.
Don’t use it to explain or expound on the original passage or speech.
 Instead, use it to provide your readers with a summary that informs the readers of the significance and
worth of the passage you seek to summarize.
For additional precis template, talk to our chat agents or place an order to get writing help.
Stick to conveying the idea of the content you are summarizing without giving personal evaluations.
How to write a rhetorical precis
Any attempt to write down a precis must be preceded by the thorough understanding of the article or
passage you hope to summarize.
Take time to first go through the original work severally while taking notes on the key ideas.
This plays a pivotal role in ensuring that your precise accurately identifies the original message.
Most importantly, your summary must capture and convey the author’s motives.
Such a concept can only be achieved after a thorough understanding of the original work.
You can use a rhetorical worksheet to write down the main points.
Another important tool is the rhetorical precis template.
Precis Outline
Precis outline involves a formation and organization of the paper. You should keep referring to it when
writing your precis. Writing a critical precis follows a fairly rigid format template that sets it apart from any
other form of review or summary.
Start off by introducing the passage that you are about to summarize.
Also, note that a complete precis introduction covers the name of the author and the original title for
the context.
It also covers the genre of the work under reviews such as whether it is an article, essay, poem or novel,
and its publication date.
You are required to include the author’s name in full when introducing his work.
In some cases, you may also add brief facts about his life if it helps your reader understand them or
the content better.
You then need to describe how the author supports the thesis of his work.
The description involves outlining all the key ideas used in the passage.
This section forms the body of the rhetorical precis and must follow a rhetorically correct verb like
‘assert,’ ‘prove,’ or ‘argue’ as well as a ”that” clause.
Go on to describe the purpose of the original article, novel or essay using an “IN ORDER TO’ clause.
Note that unlike a thesis that reflects on the details that the author details in their text, the purpose of
the piece explains the author’s motive when coming up with the content.
You can also use the tone of the written article to back up the purpose of your article.
Conclude the precis outline by describing the article’s intended audience.
Note that authors rarely state their intended audience.
Therefore, identifying this target audience will heavily rely on the language and tone used.
It may also rely on the references cited or your knowledge of the author, primarily based on his
previous works.
What is the Right Precis Format?
While a rhetorical precis follows a specific format, different scholars have varied opinions of what they
consider the correct precis writing format.
Some require that you adhere to a four-sentence setup where each aspect of the precis falls within a
single sentence.
Others prefer basing their arguments on the length of the original article such as a one-fifth or one-
sixth of the piece.
How long should it be?
It is, imperative that you confirm the right length of the rhetorical precis with your professor. The
rhetorical precis rubric provided by your professor should guide you on the length required.
Nonetheless, it is a rule of the thumb that the rhetorical precis doesn’t exceed one-quarter of the original
piece.
Here is the ideal precis writing format based on the four-sentence structure:
1st sentence:
• Include the name of the author
• The original title of the piece
• The date of publishing in parenthesis
 • Power verb like “argues” or “explains” followed by a THAT clause introducing the thesis of the
content.

2nd sentence:
This supports the author’s thesis in chronological order. Ideally, you are supposed to highlight how the
author develops his argument by pointing out to the fundamental concepts involved.

3rd sentence:
At this point, you are free to explain the author’s motive. However, this statement should be informed
by a thorough review of the work in context and not by personal opinions and reactions.

4th sentence:
This covers a description of the intended audience while taking into consideration the relationship the
author has or seeks to build with this target audience. For instance, does he try to inform, reprimand,
critique or entertain the audience?

Precis Example
In his article “The Fixation of Belief” (1877), Charles Peirce argues that human beings have inborn
mechanisms, both social and psychological primarily designed to fix and protect their beliefs. He then
backs up these claims by describing four methods of fixing belief while pointing out to the strengths
and weaknesses of either. Through this article, Peirce purposes to enlighten his readers on the different
methods most people use when establishing a belief in order to provoke their thoughts into considering
how their belief system stems from either of three methods as well as the progressiveness of “the
method of science” in comparison to the other three. Considering the technicality of the language
Peirce uses on the article, this piece targets the well-educated class of audience, especially individuals
with a background in history or philosophy and willing to learn and possibly adopt other methods of
thinking.

Other considerations when writing a precis

Length of a precis
A rhetorical precis is primarily meant to be a summary of an original piece of information.
Only include a brief summation of a particular content but in an understandable manner that captures
the author’s motive.
Unless otherwise directed, stick to the four-sentence rule when writing down a precis.
If possible, write a one-paragraph summary of length between 100 and 200 words.

Using Quotation when writing a precis

Avoid using direct quotes from the article or essay.
Strive only to capture the originality of any given piece of content using your own words.

Can you include Personal opinions in a rhetorical precis?

Note that while writing a rhetorical precis requires that you use own words, this doesn’t amount to text
evaluation of forcing personal views in the precis. Remember that a precis is no more than a summation
or description of an author’s original work. It, therefore, is not your place to support his ideologies or
critique them with personal reactions.
Brief and concise
In old French, “Précis” meant ‘cut short’ implying that the information you provide should be brief and to
the point. Only highlight the theories and statements that bring out and support the author’s thesis.

Characteristics of a rhetorical precis

When writing a critical precis, there are a few factors you have to put into consideration. These form the
primary guidelines informing the structure of the precis:
1. A precis is no more than just a summary of an existing abstract or any other piece of content.
2. Writing a precis doesn’t involve re-writing or evaluating the original work.
3. Rarely are you expected to use direct quotes from the original passage when drafting a precis. Rather,
read and understand the content then use own words to summarize it.
4. Ensure that you capture the meaning of the original work and also explain its value. This, however,
doesn’t equal to giving personal opinions of the original work.
5. As a rule of the thumb, especially in cases where your tutor doesn’t explicitly state the size of the
precis, ensure your writing doesn’t extend beyond one-quarter of the original work.
 6. Ensure your work follows the standard precis writing procedure. Start by stating the thesis and how
the author supports it before describing its intent to the target audience.

What is the importance rhetorical précis writing?

Your professor assigns rhetorical writing assignments to not only help them test your level of critical
thinking.
It also helps measure your ability to spot and highlight critical information in a passage.
Your ability to hand in a brief and concise summary also helps them evaluate your reporting skills.
You can also view these tests as a great way of learning about new things.

Critical qualities of the best precis

Ideally, your piece should exhibit these qualities:
• Clarity: by reading your precis, a reader can understand the message that the original author
intended to pass.
• Accuracy: The accuracy also has to be supported by right punctuation and grammar.
• Concise: When writing a summary, you have to balance between wordiness and factual reporting.
• Coherence: As much as writing precis involves capturing all the key concepts used in an original
work. Ensure that you use them in a logical and interconnected manner.
• Objectivity: avoid biases when writing a rhetorical precis either by way of facts or tone. Stick to
outlining what the author covers in their original work while describing it in a neutral tone.
• Avoid using Rhetorical precis generator online