HOW TO WRITE A WELL PRECIS : KEY POINTS FOR VARIOUS COMPETITIVE EXAMINATIONS

Well, as all we know that precis is "the expression, in condensed terms, of the principal contents of any piece of writing. In summarizer's own words it sets forth briefly the central idea of the original, generally understood to be an orderly condensation that preserves the main though organisation and tone of the original."

HOW TO SET ABOUT WRITING A PRECIS

• You should read the passage carefully two or three times, until you have a clear idea of its general purport. Some people say the exact opposite of what they mean. They do so when they are making use of irony. Great importance should be attached too this, for until the gist of the passage is clearly grasped, it is useless to begin writing down the abstract.
• When you are satisfied about the main idea, consider the passage in detail. On careful reading you will find that the argument generally resolves itself into certain well-defined sections. Observe carefully the connections between them and write down a suitable heading for each section.
• Note down the important points and number them at the side. Otherwise you may miss something important. When all the points are numbered, go through them and strike out which are really not essential to the meaning. You may find that there are repetition or what are called redundant expressions. You may find illustrations which are not necessary to the meaning. Or you may find that there are stylistic effects, such as exaggeration or expansion or bombast or lack of restraint, which have to be removed.
• No additional matter should be inserted by way of personal comment or historical explanation.
• All superfluous details such as long quotations or lengthy enumerations, added merely to illustrate the argument, must be omitted. 
• When the process of selection and elimination is completed, proceed to weave the various ideas into a concise and lucid narrative. To do this effectively requires considerable experience in the use of felicitous and comprehensive words.
• Now you also see whether the points are arranged in the best possible way in the passage before you. For it is the arrangement which gives point or emphasis to what you want to say.
• Before you begin to write you must remember that your are going to translate the ideas and the spirit. Every writer has his own style and your own style too is different from that of the writer of the passage. You will be tempted to reproduce the style as well as the matter but if you do reproduce the whole phrase in your precis, you are not likely to score high marks.
• Further, your precis will not be lucid unless the principle of continuity is observed. It is not sufficient that the sentences should express the ideas of different sections as briefly as possible, but they must also follow each other in logical sequence, and welded together by means of suitable connectives into a vigorous and organic whole.
• In the competitive examinations, the incidents of the passage given for making a precis refer to the past and therefore, the past tense should be used throughout. It is advisable to use third person unless it is found that the form of the original extract does not admit of its being converted into indirect speech.
• A precis is always in indirect speech except in very rare cases where it is necessary to incorporate a few words in the precis in their original form so that the meaning is not distorted.
• Finally, the cardinal requirements of a good precis may be summed up in three words: clarity, coherence and brevity. 

TITLE OF PRECIS

The title of a precis should give the central idea of the precis. It should not exceed five or six words. A precis title neither contains a verb nor forms a question.

IN BRIEF PRECIS SHOULD BE:

1. It should be brief and concise.
2. It should be lucid and clear.
3. It should be written in your own words and the order of ideas should remain the same.
4. It should be read as a continuous whole.
5. It should contain only the essential points.
6. It should be written in the Indirect for of speech and the Active voice.
7. It should have the same tense throughout, generally, the Past Tense.
8. It should be written in the third person.
9. Its length should generally be one-third of the original.
10. The title should be able to sum up the central idea of the precis.