Different Stages of Writing Precis (Explained)

Precis writing is like an art. You can get good marks if you understand the basic concept of the given passage. That’s why it is more important if you know how you can attempt a Precis by dividing it into different stages. Therefore, in this post, I am going to share with you the different stages of writing precis so you can good score.

Stages of Writing Precis

Precis writing is a formative process in which different stages are involved. It is necessary to understand these stages. There are two main stages of writing a precis:

1. Reading the passage
2. Writing the precis

Reading Stage

Precis writing is basically a test of your reading skills.

• Be mentally prepared that your first engagement with the passage is not going to be a comfortable experience; but rest assured, the text will become friendly after the second or third reading.
• Never get bogged down by difficult words and expressions in the passage; reading is not all about words and meanings, it involves a lot of commonsense and conjecturing.
• You may come across words in the passage that are unknown to you but you can still get to the message of the passage.
• Difficult words, catchy phrases, and technical terms are hurdles in your way of understanding; do not try to demolish them, just evade them.
• Keep in mind that it is not necessary that the writer has used words according to their dictionary meanings, words can be used in a figurative sense also.
• Look for the contextual meanings of words. Context and tone of the writer play an important role in giving meanings to words.
• Go for the overall sense of the passage, instead of focusing on individual words and sentences.
• There are always easier parts in the passage. Never underestimate and ignore such parts; they are vital to the understanding of the passage.
• Never let your prior knowledge of the subject interfere with your reading of the passage. Candidates have a tendency to impose their own ideas on the text. For example, if the passage is about laziness, they would interpret the views of the author in light of the traditional ideas about laziness, even if the writer admires laziness. The reader should forget what he thinks about the subject and pay full attention to what the author is saying.

Writing Stage

After reading, comes the stage of writing the precis.

• The precis must be written in correct and simple language.
• Avoid writing long, intertwined sentences.
• Try to write in your natural style.
• Do not twist or comment upon the writer’s ideas.
• There is no need to change the keywords of the passage, and there is no harm in using the words of the passage unless you have a better choice. Good words should never be replaced by bad ones.
• Clarity is the chief quality of a precis and ambiguity is its fatal flaw.

Rough Draft

After omitting all the unnecessary details, you should prepare a rough draft of the precis.

Final Draft

Remove mistakes from the rough draft and try to improve the quality of the sentences by pruning and trimming. Get rid of the superfluous contents.
Giving a Title to Precis.

If precis is the essence of the passage, the title is the essence of the precis. Take utmost care while giving a title.

Importance of Giving Title to Precis

• The title should not be generic; it must touch the subject as well as the theme of the palace For example, if the passage is about university education, “University Education” will be a bad title. It must include the particular aspect of university education that the author wants to highlight. The particular angle from which the subject has been discussed must be reflected in the title.
• The title should not be a complete sentence. Always void using a verb in the title. Instead of saying, “Lying is a curse”, you should write, “Lying: a curse”.
• Make sure that title is not about a supporting fact or piece of information; it must cover the main argument.
• Think of more than one title and select the best one.
• You can omit articles (a, an, the) in the title unless really required.
• The title should be neither too long nor too short. Always avoid one-word titles.
• Capitalizing the first letter of words of the title is only a matter of style, not mandatory. A title can be written in both sentence case and upper-lower style. However, we do not capitalize articles and words comprising two or three letters. An all-cap title is undoubtedly undesirable.

Relevant to this post:

• English (Precis & Writing) Notes & Study Material
• 10 Golden Rules of Precis Writing
• Tips and Tricks for Writing a Good Scoring Precis