A precis is a summary of a passage. It covers all the essential points in the passage. It is always shorter than the original passage. As a general rule, a precis should contain one-third of the total number of words in the original passage
Here is a sample passage.
The habit of reading needs to be cultivated. It can be one of the most pleasurable activities of your life. In the bargain, you gain knowledge, vocabulary, expression of ideas, and moral values. However, everyone cannot enjoy reading because it requires a certain level of intelligence, language skill, comprehension skill, interest, and above all, concentration. Reading habits can be best developed in childhood. But unfortunately, reading habits have been replaced by other activities such as watching television, playing video games on mobile phones, or just surfing the Internet. Hence, concentration of students is very less. Students are not able to expand their knowledge as the span of attention is very less. You must know that reading good books can change your outlook. It can expand your intellect. It can make you think. It can add meaning and purpose to your life. You can get inspiration by reading books about great people. It can motivate you to set bigger goals for yourself. The company of books is definitely more rewarding than the company of most other things. Hence you should cultivate the habit of reading and make your mind rich and refined.
Here’s the precis of the passage on left.
Reading books enriches you knowledge, vocabulary, language, expression, ideas, and moral values. Not all are capable of reading as it requires some skills. The habit of reading should be cultivated at a young age. We do not gain much by watching television, videos or playing games on the mobile but reading can change the way we think and inspire us to achieve great things in life. Hence make reading a habit.
Tips for precis writing:
- Read the passage carefully
- Gather the theme and the main points in the passage
- Delete unwanted details
- Construct sentences in your own words. Do not copy the actual sentence.
- Put the sentences in a logical and concise manner.
- Choose your words carefully.
- Read the precis to see if all the essential points are covered.
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