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Introduction of precis Writing

A précis may be 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. It is a short digest of the essential facts or ideas contained in a given passage. Brevity, conciseness, or  Compression is thus the essence of précis.  The student must possess the judgment to be able to seize upon the essential points in a passage and leave out what is unnecessary or inessential. But e must also have an adequate vocabulary not only to understand the meaning of the given passage but to be able to express its main ides in his own language. An ability to write a good précis is nowadays an essential qualification for working in government offices, newspaper offices, business houses, firms, etc. This ability therefore be of great use and value to students even after they have passed the C S S and P.M.S. examinations. They are vised, for this reason, to try to acquire a certain degree of proficiency in the art of précis writing.

Basic Rules of precis Writing

Most composition books contain a number of ‘rules” for précis writing, followed by a large number of passages r exercise. Now, no rules can be grasped in the abstract; they can be understood cry if their application is actually demonstrated to the readers. Besides, passages are often chosen at random, without regard to their suitability for the purpose. In this book, while “rules” have been given, it is to the actual illustration of these rules that the student must pay close attention. Every passage is followed by
(i) vocabulary
 (ii) hints for the student to write his own précis, and
(iii) a model précis
In the case of the ‘last 15 or 20 passages the model précis has not been given, so that the student can use these for independent exercise. It may also be pointed out that all the passages have been selected with great care so as to suit the needs of students.

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