What is Precis Writing?
Precis Writing is a summary. It is an exercise of compression. A precis writing is a gist of any passage in as few words as possible. A precis should mention all important details of the original paragraph so that anyone who is reading it is able to understand the idea of the original passage.
The word ‘precis’, though now part of the English language, is a French word signifying summary, substance, abridgement, abstract, condensed statement or epitome (Greek, epi-tom-e). These words all mean the same thing at bottom.
इस तरह किसी Passage को संक्षेप में सारपूर्ण ढंग से लिखना संक्षेपण कहलाता है।
जिस प्रकार बिना Passage को समझे Comprehension नहीं बनाया जा सकता है, उसी प्रकार precis-writing passage समझने की क्षमता पर आधारित कला है जिसके लिए कुछ खास बातों पर ध्यान रखना पड़ता है जो निम्नलिखित हैं
Point to Remember
1. मुख्य बिन्दुओं एवं महत्त्वपूर्ण statements को चिन्हित करना एवं सहायक और छोड़ने योग्य बातों को छोड़ना
2. मुख्य passage को बार-बार पढ़ कर ऐसा संक्षेपण बनाना कि ऐसा न लगे कि किसी passage का सारांश है बल्कि precis एक प्रकार का passage ही लगे।
3. Precis अपने शब्दों में लिखना सरल एवं सुगम भाषा में लिखना एवं तुलना, उदाहरण, अलंकार आदि को छोड़ना।
4. Precis प्राय: एक-तिहाई शब्द में ही लिखना; इसके पहले Passage के सारे शब्दों की सही गिनती करना।
5. अन्त में कोई ऐसा शब्द, वाक्य या कहावत चुनना जो title (शीर्षक) के रूप में सही लगे।
6. Precis का एक-दो rough work करना, फिर fair बनाना।
Explain With Examples
There were tears in the king’s eyes. He looked at all his courtiers with great affection, but his mind was made up. He took off his royal robes and dropped them gently on the ground. The chief minister picked them up tenderly and kissed them and sobbed like a child. Then the king took off his crown and held it in his hands. He raised his eyes to heaven and said, ‘O God, I back to Thee the gift of kingship which Thou hadst bestowed upon me!’ Then he addressed his courtiers and said, ‘My friends, I go into the forest to pray for the rest of my life in order to find peace of mind. I sincerely hope that he whom you choose as your next king will be just and merciful. One day I will return to you, not as your king, but as your servant, the servant of all human beings. He dropped the crown, which rolled down the steps of the throne. In perfect silence, he walked out of the hall. 176 Words
Precis
Title: The King’s Renunciation
The king, who loved humanity more than his subjects, renounced kingship, thus returning to God His gift. Telling his courtiers that he would devote himself to prayer in the forest and that one day he would return to them as the servant of mankind, he silently left the hall.
Total number of Word in Precis is 176 / 3 = 58
(60 words)
Speech is a great blessing, but it can also be a great curse, for, while it helps us to make our intentions and desires known to our fellows, it can also, if we use it carelessly, make our attitude completely misunderstood. A slip of the tongue, the use of an unusual or an ambiguous word, and so on, may create an enemy where we had hoped to win a friend. Again, different classes of people use different vocabularies, and the ordinary speech of an educated man may strike an uneducated listener as showing pride; unwittingly we may use a word which bears a different meaning for our listener from what it does to men of our own class. Thus, speech is not a gift to use lightly without thought, but one which demands careful handling; only a fool will express himself alike to all kinds and conditions of men.
It is physically impossible for a well-educated, intellectual, or brave man to make money the chief object of his thoughts, just as it is for him to make his dinner the principal object of them. All healthy people like their dinners, but their dinner is not the main object of their lives. So, all healthy-minded people like money-making-ought to like it and enjoy the sensation of winning it, it is something better than money. A good soldier, for instance, mainly wishes to do his fighting well. He is glad of his pay-very properly so, and justly grumbles when you keep him ten years without it-still, his main notion of life is to win battles, not to be paid for winning them. So of clergymen. The clergy- man’s object is essentially to baptize and preach, not to be paid for preaching. So of doctors. They like fees no doubt,-ought to like them; yet if they are brave and well-educated, the entire object of their lives is not fees. They, on the whole, desire to cure the sick; and if they are good doctors, and the choice were fairly put to them, would rather cure their patient and lose their fees than kill him and get it. And so with all the brave and rightly trained men; their work is first, their fees second-very important always, but still second.
(230 words)
Precis
Tittle : Money-making-not principal Object of Life
Money-making is not the sole object of the lives of cultured, intellectual, or brave men. Their work comes first, their fee second. A good soldier fights bravely and wins battles; to him bay is of secondary importance. A clergyman cares more for the welfare of the people than for his pay. A good doctor desires to cure his patient far more than to get his fee.
Total number of Words in Precis is 230 / 3 = 75
(75words)
It’s, no doubt, true that we cannot go through life without sorrow. There can be no sunshine without shadow. We must not complain that roses have thorns, but rather be grateful that thorns bear flowers. Our existence here is so complex that we must expect much sorrow and suffering. Many people distress and torment themselves about the mystery of existence. But, although a good man may at times be angry with the world, it is certain that no man was ever discontented with the world who did his duty in it. The world is like a looking-glass: if you smile, it smiles; if you frown, it frowns back. If you look at it through a red glass, all seems red and rosy; if through a blue, all blue; if through a smoked one, all dull and dingy. Always try then to look at the bright side of things; almost everything in the world has a bright side. There are some persons whose smile, the sound of whose voice, whose very presence seems like a ray of sunshine, and brightens a whole room. Greet, hence, everybody with a bright smile, kind words and a pleasant welcome. It is not enough to love those who are near and dear to us. We must show that we do so. While, however, we should be grateful, and enjoy to the full the innumerable blessings of life, we cannot expect to have no sorrows or anxieties. Life has been described as a comedy to those who think, and a tragedy to those who feel. It’s indeed a tragedy at times and a comedy very often, but as a rule it is what we choose to make it. (282 words)
Precis
Title : Looking at the Bright Side of Life.
We cannot go through life without sorrow and suffering. Although life is complex and mysterious, no man can be discontented who does his duty. The world is like a looking- glass and reflects our innerself. We must always look at the bright side of things. Some persons radiate happiness wherever they go. We must therefore be kind and pleasant, and enjoy heartily the blessings of life. We can make our life a tragedy or a comedy as we choose.
Total Number of Words in Precis is 280 /3 = 93
(90 words)
Use of Precis Writing ⏸
People often want to go through the highlights of books, movies, meetings, an article, report, news, etc. This is when precis writing works to deliver the main points to the audience without making any modifications in the proportion, tone, or theme of the content. Precis writing plays an essential role in the following areas:
- Precis writing can be used to describe a chapter so that students get the gist of the basics.
- Precis writing is also used in companies for job descriptions, meeting highlights, etc.
- The use of precis writing is also seen in movies to describe the main events or plot of the film.
- Precis writing is also used in scientific reports and researches to give the gist of its content.
