In writing Precis, unnecessarily long sentences may complicate the message whereas short sentences can make a paragraph seem jerky and disconnected. Sentences of moderate length are the best. So, in this post, you will learn to make concise sentences for precis writing.
Concise Sentences for Precis Writing
For writing precis, If you are not listing items, and your sentence has more than three commas, you should consider splitting the sentence into two.
Cut unnecessary conjunctions. Sometimes conjunctions become a burden on the sentence. Find them and decide if your car remove them and make two sentences instead of one.
Remove redundant words in the passage, especially the adjectives. If you remove a word from the sentence and it doesn’t change the meaning of the sentence, you don’t need that word.
Let’s see some of the sentences shortening examples here:
Directions: Rewrite the following sentences in a concise form and compare your sentence with the solution given below in bold.
Sentence 01: My sister, who is employed as a nutritionist at the University of Michigan, recommends the daily intake of mega doses of Vitamin C.
Solution: My sister, a nutritionist at the University of Michigan, recommends daily mega doses of Vitamin C.
Sentence 02: Basically, in light of the fact that Congressman Fuenches was totally exhausted by his last campaign, their expectation on the part of the voters was that he would not reduplicate his effort to achieve office in government again.
Solution: Voters thought that Congressman Fuenches was so exhausted by his last campaign that he wouldn’t seek re-election.
Sentence 03: It is to be hoped that we discover a means to create an absolutely proper and fitting tribute to Professor Espinoza.
Solution: We hope for an appropriate tribute to Professor Espinoza.
Sentence 04: There is a desire on the part of many of us to maintain a spring recess for the purpose of getting away from the demands of our studies.
Solution: We want a spring recess so we can get away from our studies. OR We want a spring recess to escape our studies.
Sentence 05: Joe was an honest and hardworking man. Basically, he never gave much consideration to sitting idly about, doing nothing constructive.
Solution: Honest and hardworking, Joe was never idle.
Sentence 06: At what point in time will a downturn in the stock market have a really serious effect on the social life of people as a whole?
Solution: When will a downturn in the stock market affect society?
Sentence 07: I would call your attention to the fact that our President, who was formerly the Governor of Arkansas, is basically an Indian.
Solution: Our President, formerly the Governor of Arkansas, is an Indian.
Sentence 08: There are millions of fans who desperately want the Hartford Whalers to stay in the city.
Solution: Millions of fans desperately want the Hartford Whalers to stay in the city.
Sentence 09: Bothered by allergies, a condition that made them sneeze, some of the preschool children had sinus troubles that caused them to miss several days in nursery school this spring.
Solution: Bothered by allergies, some children missed several days in nursery school this spring.
Sentence 10: The nursery school teacher education training sessions involve active interaction with preschool children of the appropriate age as well as intensive peer interaction in the form of role-playing.
Solution: Training for nursery school teachers involves interacting with preschoolers and role-playing with peers.
Synthesis of Sentences
Synthesis means the combination of two or more simple sentences into one new sentence.
Following are the chief ways of combining simple sentences into one large simple sentence.
01. He sprang up to his feet. He ran away.
Springing up to his feet, he ran away.
02. She was tired of trying. She decided to quit.
Tired of trying, she decided to quit.
03. This is my mother. Her name is Jameela.
This is my mother, Jameela.
04. Her husband died. She heard the news. She fainted.
On hearing the news of her husband’s death she fainted.
05. He has failed many times. He still hopes to succeed.
(a) In spite of many failures, he still hopes to succeed.
(b) He hopes to succeed despite failures.
06. The watch was expensive. He could not buy it.
The watch was expensive, but he could not buy it.
07. The cot was too small. He could not sleep on it.
The cot was too small, he could not sleep on it.
08. He wanted to pass the examination. He studied hard.
He studied hard to pass the examination.
09. I have some duties. I must perform them.
I have some duties to perform.
10. The sun had set. The travelers had not reached their destination.
The travelers had not reached their destination by sunset.
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
