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Hints for begginers on precis-writing
.Precis writing can not b neglected as compared of other subjects.It is one of the most important subject for css aspirants.
A precis may b defined as a summary or shortened form of a piece of writing,in which matters of detail are left out and only the important points are retained.The student must possess the judgement to b able to seize upon the essential points in a passage and leave out what is unnecessary but he must have an adequate vocabulary not only to understand the meaning of the given passage but also to b able to express its main ideas in his own language.
Most compostition books contain a number of "rules" for precis writing,followed by a large number of passages for exercise.Now,no rule can be grasped in the abstract; they can b understood only if their application is actually demonstracted to the readers.Besides,passages are often choosen at random,without regard to their suitability for the purpose.
In this hints,while "rules" have been given,it is to the actual illustration of these rules that we must pay close attention.Every passage is followed by
1.vocabulary
2. Hints to write own precis
3. A model precis
Rules of Precis writing
1. Read the given passage carefully at least three times in order to be able to grasp what the writer has said or grasp the main idea.
2. Underline the important points to be included in your precis.A point is important if it is intimately conneted with the main subject and if it is essential for a clear exposition of the theme.
3. Use your own language in the precis.While words and phrases from the original may be used in the precis,Wjole sentences should never be liften out of the original to be included in it.
4. The precis should be roughly one-third of the original passage.Always prepare a rough draft first and count the words.If you find that it is too long,Shorten it by removing what seems inessential and by condensing phraseology.If it turns out to be too shorten,Read the original to see what more can be added to the precis.
5. Examples,illustrations and comparison should be left out of the precis. Figure of speech should be removed and the ideas expressed in clear,direct language.
6. You own comments on the ideas of the precis are absolutely forbidden.Do not express any oppinion,favourale or unfavourable ,about the ideas in the original passage.
7. Be very careful about the language you write.Mistakes of grammar and spelling are penalized as much in the precis as in other forms of composition.
8. See that your precis is a piece of readable english and that its ideas can be understood even by a person who has not gone through the original.This is very important.
9. Your precis should be a connected whole.As such it should not be divided into paragraph.(this rule does not apply to very long original pieces of writing such as those set in the competitive examinations).
10. Do not use the direct form of speech in the precis.If the author has written in the first person pronound using "I" and "my", you should write in the third person pronoun : "he" and "his".The precis may in such cases begin thus : "the author says............",or"according to author......".In case the name of the author,Chesterton or Johnson , is given at the end of the passage ,The preis should begin thus : "According to Chesterton.........",or "Macaulay says......" or "Johnson expresses the view........".
11. Think of a suitable title for the precis. The title should ordinarily not be a complete sentence.A title must be supplied even though it may not have been asked for.
12. Indicate the number of words in your precis at its end.
Note: General hints are remain to share but had to cut off the session because deficiency of time.inshallah i ll accomplish this session as soon as possible and i m also looking for yr comments if i m going devious from any aspect.
GENERAL HINTS ON PRECIS WRITING
1. When a list of things is given in the original, a general word should be used to express the idea
for example: " There were dogs,cats,hens,ducks,geese and pigs barking,squealing,crowing,quacking and growling all over the farmyard."
In compressing this,we shall convey the idea in the following manner:
Different animals and birds were makingg various noises over the farmyard.
The number of words used here is more than one-third of the original,but that is because the original passage is too short to allow a precis one-third in length.This is only an illustration to convey the technique.
Now take the following sentence:
"Carpenters,blacksmiths,tailors,shoemakers and those engaged in similar other trades had assembled there to voice grievances and to seek redress."
This may be shortened as follows:
Artisans of various kinds had gathered there to seek the redress of their grievances.
2. It is useful to learn one-word substitutions,that is,single words which convey the meaning expressed in a group of words.
For instance:"They arrived at the same time"may be written in a precis as "they arrived simultaneously".
A couple of more examples may be added here.
For instance:"you are liable to be called upon to explain your action".
Shortened form : "you are answerable for your action".
For example:"you have many weaknesses.One of them is that u easily believe what people tell u and that u dont verify the facts"
Shortened form :"One of your weaknesses is that you are too credulous"
3. Among the rules given above,it has been said (rule 5) that figurative language should be changed into a simple and direct expression.
Here is example:
"I have grown to feel that the ambition which we preach and the success for whih we prepare are very often nothing but a missing of the simple road,a troubled wandering among thorny bypaths and dark mountains".
Here the second part of the sentence is written in a figurative style.That is,"road","thorny bypaths" and "dark mountains" are not used in their literal sense.So while shortening it we have to use simple words in place of the figurative language.We may write as follows:
" I feel that the ambition and the success which we aim at often take us away from the right path and involve us in difficulties".
But we must not forget rule 10 also.We must not use the first person pronoun. The correct way of writing,therefore,would be:
"The author`s feeling is that the ambition and the success which people aim at often take them away from the right path and involve them in difficulties".
Here is another example of the use of figurative language:
"And then he came.He was like a powerful current of fresh air that made us stretchh ourselves and take deep breaths, like a beam of light that pierced the darkness and removed the scales from our eyes,like a whirlwind that upset many things but most of all the working people`s minds".
In this passage the word "fresh air","stretch ourselves and take deep breaths","a beam of light.....darkness","scales","like a whirlwind" are all used in a figurative sense.
We can simplify and condense this passage in the following manner:
"And then he came,He was a powerful enlightening influence. He changed people`s thinking and made them progressive".
4. Sometimes a writer may have written several sentences whichh can b compressed into one.
for instance:"Truthfulness is an important quality of greatness.Honesty is a requisite of greatness. Purity of character,too, is expected in a great man. Initiative and a spirit of enterprise are other qualities which we look for in a great man".
This passage may be compressed as follows:
"Truthfulness,honesty,purity of character,initiative and a spirit of enterprise are essential qualities of greatness"
5. Now we take a few examples of unnecessary matter whih has to be eliminated from a passage.Consider the following passage.
For instance:"Finally,a word about what a national language spoken. wrotten and thought might do for the theatre in pakistan. With the new awakening in social life, the need for the common tongue is being increasingly felt.Much work is being done to hammer out a common linguistic medium. The day when it is accepted will be a great day for the pakistani theatre,as it will be for all art in the country. But the theatre, because its life blood is the spoken word, will gain most".
Here the subject is the relationship between the theatre in pakistan and a common language for the whole country. The writer wishes to point out that the theatre will gain very much if a common spoken and written language is accepten by the whole country. the second and third sentences in the passage above may,therefore, be completely ignored in writing the precis while the rest of the passage may be compressed as follows:
"A national language,spoken and written,can greatly benefit the theatre in pakistan.The acceptance of a common language by the country will, therefore , by a great day for the theatre".
Now take the following passage:
" We are told by some ancient authors that socrated was instructed in eloquence by a woman.I have indeed very often looken upon that art as the most proper for the female sex and I think the universities would do well to consider whether they should not fill the rhetoric hairs with she-professors.It has been said in the praise of some men that they could talk whole hour together upon anything, but it must be owned to the honour of the other sex, that there are many among them who an talk whole hours together upon nothing".
Here the first sentence may be completely ignored as it merely serve to introduce the main idea of the paragraph.The student should not think that , because Socrates was a great philosopher ,the name of Socrates must be brought into the precis. Again ,the suggestion that she-professors should fill the chairs of rhetoric in universities need not be brought into the precis, as it is merely an illustration. The main idea of the paragraph is women`s capacity for talking for long hours even when they have nothing worth while to talk about.There is also a comparison bw men and women in this connection. Accordingly, We can shorten the passage given above in the following manner:
"The author regards eloquence in speech-making as an art which belongs chiefly to women.They have a greater capacity than men for talking. They can talk for hours together even they have nothing to talk about".
Very helpful tips indeed, plus i also happened to come across these :
STEPS IN READING A PASSAGE FOR THE PRECIS.
1. Read the whole passage attentively.
2. Begin to recognize the author's tone and viewpoint.
3. Re-read the passage several times if necessary for clear comprehension (understanding) of ideas.
4. Note and disregard parts of the author's work that are introductory.
5. Underline key phrases, make notes in the margin.
6. Observe the emphasis or approach used by the author.
7. Assume the importance of ideas that the author develops with the use of supporting
facts and examples.
8. Do not use the specific examples, figures of speech or quotations cited by the author
in developing your precis.
9. When you are selecting ideas from a passage, ask yourself the
following question: If this idea were omitted, would the fundamental
meaning of the passage be changed?
Writing the Precis
1. Try to limit your precis to no more than 1/3 the length of the original passage.
2. Use clear, factual expressions, do not attempt to copy the style of the original source.
3. Do not introduce ideas of your own. Do not criticize or change the author's ideas.
I think I should also mention the source: :)
A precis may b defined as a summary or shortened form of a piece of writing,in which matters of detail are left out and only the important points are retained.The student must possess the judgement to b able to seize upon the essential points in a passage and leave out what is unnecessary but he must have an adequate vocabulary not only to understand the meaning of the given passage but also to b able to express its main ideas in his own language.
Most compostition books contain a number of "rules" for precis writing,followed by a large number of passages for exercise.Now,no rule can be grasped in the abstract; they can b understood only if their application is actually demonstracted to the readers.Besides,passages are often choosen at random,without regard to their suitability for the purpose.
In this hints,while "rules" have been given,it is to the actual illustration of these rules that we must pay close attention.Every passage is followed by
1.vocabulary
2. Hints to write own precis
3. A model precis
Rules of Precis writing
1. Read the given passage carefully at least three times in order to be able to grasp what the writer has said or grasp the main idea.
2. Underline the important points to be included in your precis.A point is important if it is intimately conneted with the main subject and if it is essential for a clear exposition of the theme.
3. Use your own language in the precis.While words and phrases from the original may be used in the precis,Wjole sentences should never be liften out of the original to be included in it.
4. The precis should be roughly one-third of the original passage.Always prepare a rough draft first and count the words.If you find that it is too long,Shorten it by removing what seems inessential and by condensing phraseology.If it turns out to be too shorten,Read the original to see what more can be added to the precis.
5. Examples,illustrations and comparison should be left out of the precis. Figure of speech should be removed and the ideas expressed in clear,direct language.
6. You own comments on the ideas of the precis are absolutely forbidden.Do not express any oppinion,favourale or unfavourable ,about the ideas in the original passage.
7. Be very careful about the language you write.Mistakes of grammar and spelling are penalized as much in the precis as in other forms of composition.
8. See that your precis is a piece of readable english and that its ideas can be understood even by a person who has not gone through the original.This is very important.
9. Your precis should be a connected whole.As such it should not be divided into paragraph.(this rule does not apply to very long original pieces of writing such as those set in the competitive examinations).
10. Do not use the direct form of speech in the precis.If the author has written in the first person pronound using "I" and "my", you should write in the third person pronoun : "he" and "his".The precis may in such cases begin thus : "the author says............",or"according to author......".In case the name of the author,Chesterton or Johnson , is given at the end of the passage ,The preis should begin thus : "According to Chesterton.........",or "Macaulay says......" or "Johnson expresses the view........".
11. Think of a suitable title for the precis. The title should ordinarily not be a complete sentence.A title must be supplied even though it may not have been asked for.
12. Indicate the number of words in your precis at its end.
Note: General hints are remain to share but had to cut off the session because deficiency of time.inshallah i ll accomplish this session as soon as possible and i m also looking for yr comments if i m going devious from any aspect.
GENERAL HINTS ON PRECIS WRITING
1. When a list of things is given in the original, a general word should be used to express the idea
for example: " There were dogs,cats,hens,ducks,geese and pigs barking,squealing,crowing,quacking and growling all over the farmyard."
In compressing this,we shall convey the idea in the following manner:
Different animals and birds were makingg various noises over the farmyard.
The number of words used here is more than one-third of the original,but that is because the original passage is too short to allow a precis one-third in length.This is only an illustration to convey the technique.
Now take the following sentence:
"Carpenters,blacksmiths,tailors,shoemakers and those engaged in similar other trades had assembled there to voice grievances and to seek redress."
This may be shortened as follows:
Artisans of various kinds had gathered there to seek the redress of their grievances.
2. It is useful to learn one-word substitutions,that is,single words which convey the meaning expressed in a group of words.
For instance:"They arrived at the same time"may be written in a precis as "they arrived simultaneously".
A couple of more examples may be added here.
For instance:"you are liable to be called upon to explain your action".
Shortened form : "you are answerable for your action".
For example:"you have many weaknesses.One of them is that u easily believe what people tell u and that u dont verify the facts"
Shortened form :"One of your weaknesses is that you are too credulous"
3. Among the rules given above,it has been said (rule 5) that figurative language should be changed into a simple and direct expression.
Here is example:
"I have grown to feel that the ambition which we preach and the success for whih we prepare are very often nothing but a missing of the simple road,a troubled wandering among thorny bypaths and dark mountains".
Here the second part of the sentence is written in a figurative style.That is,"road","thorny bypaths" and "dark mountains" are not used in their literal sense.So while shortening it we have to use simple words in place of the figurative language.We may write as follows:
" I feel that the ambition and the success which we aim at often take us away from the right path and involve us in difficulties".
But we must not forget rule 10 also.We must not use the first person pronoun. The correct way of writing,therefore,would be:
"The author`s feeling is that the ambition and the success which people aim at often take them away from the right path and involve them in difficulties".
Here is another example of the use of figurative language:
"And then he came.He was like a powerful current of fresh air that made us stretchh ourselves and take deep breaths, like a beam of light that pierced the darkness and removed the scales from our eyes,like a whirlwind that upset many things but most of all the working people`s minds".
In this passage the word "fresh air","stretch ourselves and take deep breaths","a beam of light.....darkness","scales","like a whirlwind" are all used in a figurative sense.
We can simplify and condense this passage in the following manner:
"And then he came,He was a powerful enlightening influence. He changed people`s thinking and made them progressive".
4. Sometimes a writer may have written several sentences whichh can b compressed into one.
for instance:"Truthfulness is an important quality of greatness.Honesty is a requisite of greatness. Purity of character,too, is expected in a great man. Initiative and a spirit of enterprise are other qualities which we look for in a great man".
This passage may be compressed as follows:
"Truthfulness,honesty,purity of character,initiative and a spirit of enterprise are essential qualities of greatness"
5. Now we take a few examples of unnecessary matter whih has to be eliminated from a passage.Consider the following passage.
For instance:"Finally,a word about what a national language spoken. wrotten and thought might do for the theatre in pakistan. With the new awakening in social life, the need for the common tongue is being increasingly felt.Much work is being done to hammer out a common linguistic medium. The day when it is accepted will be a great day for the pakistani theatre,as it will be for all art in the country. But the theatre, because its life blood is the spoken word, will gain most".
Here the subject is the relationship between the theatre in pakistan and a common language for the whole country. The writer wishes to point out that the theatre will gain very much if a common spoken and written language is accepten by the whole country. the second and third sentences in the passage above may,therefore, be completely ignored in writing the precis while the rest of the passage may be compressed as follows:
"A national language,spoken and written,can greatly benefit the theatre in pakistan.The acceptance of a common language by the country will, therefore , by a great day for the theatre".
Now take the following passage:
" We are told by some ancient authors that socrated was instructed in eloquence by a woman.I have indeed very often looken upon that art as the most proper for the female sex and I think the universities would do well to consider whether they should not fill the rhetoric hairs with she-professors.It has been said in the praise of some men that they could talk whole hour together upon anything, but it must be owned to the honour of the other sex, that there are many among them who an talk whole hours together upon nothing".
Here the first sentence may be completely ignored as it merely serve to introduce the main idea of the paragraph.The student should not think that , because Socrates was a great philosopher ,the name of Socrates must be brought into the precis. Again ,the suggestion that she-professors should fill the chairs of rhetoric in universities need not be brought into the precis, as it is merely an illustration. The main idea of the paragraph is women`s capacity for talking for long hours even when they have nothing worth while to talk about.There is also a comparison bw men and women in this connection. Accordingly, We can shorten the passage given above in the following manner:
"The author regards eloquence in speech-making as an art which belongs chiefly to women.They have a greater capacity than men for talking. They can talk for hours together even they have nothing to talk about".
Very helpful tips indeed, plus i also happened to come across these :
STEPS IN READING A PASSAGE FOR THE PRECIS.
1. Read the whole passage attentively.
2. Begin to recognize the author's tone and viewpoint.
3. Re-read the passage several times if necessary for clear comprehension (understanding) of ideas.
4. Note and disregard parts of the author's work that are introductory.
5. Underline key phrases, make notes in the margin.
6. Observe the emphasis or approach used by the author.
7. Assume the importance of ideas that the author develops with the use of supporting
facts and examples.
8. Do not use the specific examples, figures of speech or quotations cited by the author
in developing your precis.
9. When you are selecting ideas from a passage, ask yourself the
following question: If this idea were omitted, would the fundamental
meaning of the passage be changed?
Writing the Precis
1. Try to limit your precis to no more than 1/3 the length of the original passage.
2. Use clear, factual expressions, do not attempt to copy the style of the original source.
3. Do not introduce ideas of your own. Do not criticize or change the author's ideas.
I think I should also mention the source: :)
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