Précis writing: 2010

Monday, November 15, 2010

Precis Writing Made Easy - Precis Writing Tips.

Précis writing is an art. It should be a pragmatic substitute for the original. The basic concept behind it is to cut short the length of original work without spoiling the main spirit of the work.

This is the only book of its kind where all out efforts are made to cover all the topics relating to précis writing. This book is helpful for those whose mother tongue is English and also fulfill the needs of the students who study English as a foreign language.

Besides giving the reader all the essentials of precise-writing, this book provides large collection of one word substitution, which may help the students a great deal in writing précis in a sophisticated manner.

CHAPTER I

Précis – Its definition and Importance

“Let thy words be few.”

1.1 Précis:

“Précis” is a word of French origin, and is pronounced in English as pres. Its literal meaning is ‘an abridged statement’.

A précis is, therefore, an abridgment of a given passage, briefly expressing its précis meaning. It is general defined as a summary of a given passage, but it is something more dignified, more definitely literary. It is never merely a summary. A summary may consist of disconnected facts but a précis should be connected and well-knitted piece of narrative, possessing all the qualities of an independent original composition. It should be free from inelegance of diction and style. It should be couched in the writer’s own words. We can, therefore, say that a précis is a summary of any piece of printed, written, or spoken matter, containing all the essential points of the given piece and possessing nearly all the qualities of a piece of original composition, viz (a) systematic development of through, (b) absence of jarring and dissonant elements, and (c) smoothness and elegance of style.

We may be asked to make a précis of a paragraph, a series of paragraphs, a chapter, a book, an essay, a letter, a series of letters or other documents dealing with one subject.

1.2 The Importance of Précis-Writing:

Précis is indeed a very important part of English Composition. Its importance cannot be over-estimated. For those who want to acquire proficiency in the art of writing, frequent practice in précis writing is indispensable.

1.2.1 A Government Official:

The ability to write a satisfactory précis is very essential for many purposes in practical life. Consciously or unconsciously we are always making a précis. A person who attends a certain lecture or a sermon is unknowingly making a précis while relating its substance to a friend. A person is making a précis when he is narrating to his friend the gist of an article from a daily, which he has just read. A person sees an interesting play. He is asked to describe what he saw. While doing it, he is unconsciously making a précis of it. If we tell a story of a child, we are making a précis of it. If a student gives to his teacher a brief account of a certain historical event he makes a précis.

Government officers, when deciding cases, have to study many documents. Sometimes, a series of correspondence s to be gone through; but an officer generally has not enough time to go through every document himself. He, therefore, cannot but call for a précis. His assistant or the office head-clerk puts up before him a précis of all the documents in question. This how he can know quickly the substance of a long document or a series of documents. Hence a close and careful training in the art of précis writing is of utmost importance in government offices.

1.2.2 Judicial system: -

The art of précis writing is of invaluable aid to the lawyers, barristers and judges, for they are required to assimilate every day a lot of written material, which can be done quickly only with the help of a good précis.

1.2.3 Student: -

When a student, taking a higher examination, has to answer a question about which he has read many books, he cannot but give the briefest possible digest of all that he has studied. He is, then, making a précis – not of a chapter or a book but of many books.

1.2.4 Journalist:

Journalists and the editors of papers have to give accounts of many events. The best account is of that editor or a journalist who knows and knows well the art of making a good précis.

1.3 Impression on the reader:

The capacity to make a précis varies in individuals; and the greater the proficiency a person possesses the deeper the impression he can create among the reading public.

ONE WORD SUBSTITUTION

“How forcible are right words?”

We notice that sometimes a long speech fails to produce the effect, which is produced by a short and pithy sentence. It is because the latter contains a lot of subject matter condensed in a few words. In order to make our speech effective, we must condense longer sentences into shorter ones; we must be brief. Besides impressiveness, this device enables us to achieve brevity and clarity of expression. Why should we waste so many words when a fewer will convey the sense that we like to convey and that too more effectively? For instance, we say: ‘Mr. Abdullah aims to compass holiness through self-mortification.’ The sense conveyed by this sentence can be expressed better and more forcefully by saying: ‘Mr. Abdullah is an ascetic.’ Hence a student is advised to be brief, while saying what he likes to say. One-word substitution will help him in this matter.

Some of the commonly used words that stand for a phrase or a clause or a sentence are given below. The student s advised to learn them, nay memorize them and what they stand for.

1. Willful setting on fire of another’s other house or similar property or one’s own when insured. Arson
2. The story of one’s own life. Autobiography
3. A place of refuge for criminals or debtors Asylum
4. An assembly of listeners Audience
5. One who plays game for pleasure and not as a profession. Amateur
6. A letter, document or poem of which the writer is unknown. Anonymous
7. Medicine given to counteract poison Antidote
8. An absolute government by one man. Autocracy
9. That which can be absorbed into the system. Assimilable
10. A person who advocates absence of government, disorder and confusion. Anarchist
11. A tank for keeping live aquatic plants or animals Aquarian
12. Liable to be called to account Answerable
13. A diplomatic minister of the highest order sent by one sovereign power to another. Ambassador
14. The gaseous envelope that surrounds the earth. Atmosphere
15. A man who does not believe in the existence of God. Atheist
16. The people found in a country at the time of the earliest known settlement. Aborigines
17. Anything that counteracts putrefaction. Antiseptic
18. One who aims to compass holiness through self-mortification. Ascetic
19. Deviation from the common rule. Anomaly
20. To renounce formally the dignity of the crown or office. Abdicate
21. To do away with a rule Abrogate
22. To make like to or to absorb in the system. Assimilate
23. To turn friends into enemies Alienate
24. To increase the gravity of an offence Aggravate
25. To bolt out of existence Annihilate
26. To increase the speed of Accelerate
27. Able to use left hand as well as right Ambidextrous
28. Uncertainty of meaning Ambiguity
29. A general pardon granted by the government to political offenders. Amnesty
30. One who cannot see Blind
31. One who breaks or fails in business. An insolvent debtor. Bankrupt
32. Liable to be easily broken Brittle
33. A system of government centralized in graded series of officials. Bureaucracy
34. The act of talking impiously about sacred things. Blasphemy
35. One blindly and obstinately devoted to a particular creed or party. Bigot
36. A lover of books, especially a collector of rare books Bibliophile
37. A person of fair complexion and light auburn-colored hair Blond
38. A woman of fair complexion and light auburn-colored hair Blonde
39. A woman with dark skin and brown hair Brunette
40. The crime or the state of having two husbands at a time. Bigamy
41. The crime or the state of having two wives at a time. Polygamy
42. A door in the back part of a building. Secret means of approach. Back-door
43. The science of vegetable life Botany
44. Speaking two languages Bilingual
45. Persons belonging to the same time Contemporaries
46. A list of the names of books Catalogue
47. A person recovering from sickness Convalescent
48. One studied in textual criticism Critic
49. Too ready to believe Credulous
50. A person or heart insensible to kind thoughts of sympathetic feelings. Callus
51. Sufficiency of means for living; ability for a task. Competence
52. Men who work in the same institution. Colleagues
53. (Person) free from local or national prejudices. Cosmopolitan
54. The state of being unmarried Celibacy
55. Use of many words where few would do. A roundabout way of speaking. Circumlocution
56. Forcibly restrain or impel (person) into quiet, obedience, or any course. Coerce
57. Belonging to one from birth Congenital
58. To burn with hot iron or caustic Cauterize
59. To accuse falsely Calumniate
60. One averse to change or progress Conservative
61. One who cannot hear Deaf
62. One who cannot speak Dumb
63. A language that is no long spoken Dead
64. A match in which neither party wins. Drawn
65. A place where medicines are dispensed especially to the poor, gratis. Dispensary
66. Government by the people Democracy
67. An animal that is kept by or living with man. Domestic
68. The quantity drunk at a time. Draught
69. Want of rain or of water Drought
70. The extent of bishop’s jurisdiction Diocese
71. Childishness of old age. Dotage
72. To think carefully about a matter. To weigh well in one’s mind. Deliberate
73. To deprive a thing of its sacred character. Desecrate
74. To express disapproval of. Deprecate
75. To lower he worth of Depreciate
76. To depart from the main subject temporarily in speech or writing Digress
77. To speak ill of Defame
78. Skill in managing international relations Diplomacy
79. Fit to be eaten Edible
80. More like a woman than like a man Effeminate
81. (Spoken) without preparation. Extempore
82. A man who thinks of the freeing of the lower classes from their disabilities. An advocate of the emancipation of slave. Emancipationist
83. One who thinks and speaks too much of himself Egoist or Egotist.
84. One given to sensual enjoyment. One who is choice and dainty in eating and drinking. Epicure
85. The science that treats of the origin and history of words. Etymology.
86. To make compete atonement for (one’s sins) Expiate
87. (Branch of government) concerned with executing laws, decrees and sentences Executive
88. A feeling of weariness or disgust from satiety; Mental wariness from lack of occupation or interest. Ennui
89. To unearth by digging Excavate
90. To make lucid or clear Elucidate
91. Stated in detail Explicit
92. Able to produce the result intended Efficacious
93. A disease affecting a number of persons simultaneously, in such manner as to show a distinct connection with certain localities. Endemic
94. To free (a person) from the burden of blame. Exonerate
95. One who rides on horseback. Equestrian.
96. To work out (a plan) in all its details. Elaborate
97. To lay stress upon (word in speaking) Emphasize
98. To clear from the charge of a fault or crime. Exculpate
99. Words inscribed on the tomb of a person. A commemorative inscription on a tombstone or monument. Epitaph
100. (A man) of unusual habits. Not conforming to the common rules. Eccentric
101. To pull out by the roots Eradicate
102. Purify (book etc.) by removing objectionable matter. Expurgate.
103. Capable of double meaning. Equivocal
104. A disease or accident that ends in death Fatal
105. A man with a good reputation. Famous
106. A person excessively enthusiastic especially on religious matters. Fanatic.
107. A man interested in the welfare of woman. Feminist
108. To bring to nothing Frustrate
109. One who believes in the doctrine that events are subject to fate and happen by unavoidable necessity? Fatalist.
110. Disinfect or purify with fumes Fumigate
111. A native of another country Foreigner
112. A person given to much talking Garrulous
113. (Substance) having power to destroy (especially disease-germs) Germicide.
114. The deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group. Genocide
115. Completely or approximately universal, including or affecting all or nearly all parts. General
116. One who sets glass in window-frames Glazier
117. A day of gaiety and festivity Gala-day
118. Done or given for nothing. Gratuitous
119. Where merchandised are stored. Godown
120. Organized priesthood in successive grades; priestly government. Hierarchy
121. Writer of a history, especially official historian of a court. Historiographer.
122. Work for which no salary is paid. Honorary
123. One who kills a human being. Killing of a human being. Homicide.
124. Belonging to an enemy. Showing enmity. Hostile.
125. One skilled in hygiene Hygienist
126. One who cannot be selected under the rules. Ineligible.
127. One who cannot read or write Illiterate
128. One who cannot pay his debts. Insolvent.
129. One who is incapable of making a mistake. Infallible
130. One who does not get tired. That cannot be fatigued or wearied out. Indefatigable
131. That which cannot be read. Illegible
132. That which cannot be bounded. Illimitable
133. That which cannot be described. Ineffable
134. That which cannot be heard. Inaudible
135. That which cannot be done. Impossible
136. That which cannot be seen. Invisible
137. That which cannot be endured. Intolerable
138. That which cannot be blotted out or effaced Indelible
139. That which cannot be understood Incomprehensible
140. That which cannot be corrected Incorrigible
141. That which cannot be separated Inseparable
142. That which cannot be surmounted or overcome. Insuperable
143. That which cannot be communicated Incommunicable
144. That which cannot be believed. Incredible
145. That which cannot be exhausted Inexhaustible
146. That which cannot be solved Insoluble
147. That which cannot be repaired Irreparable
148. That which cannot be imitated Inimitable
149. That which cannot be reached or approached. Inaccessible
150. That which cannot be penetrated Impenetrable or Inscrutable
151. That which cannot be conquered Invincible
152. That which cannot be wounded Invulnerable
153. That which cannot be valued. Invaluable
154. That which cannot be dispensed with Indispensable
155. That which cannot be replaced. Irreplaceable
156. That which cannot be recalled or altered Irrevocable
157. That which cannot be taken by arms. Impregnable
158. That which cannot be put into practice Impracticable.
159. That which is prohibited by law. Illicit
160. That which is not to be repressed or restrained. Irrepressible
161. That which cannot be imitated. Inimitable
162. That which does not apply (to matter in hand) Irrelevant
163. Worship of idols Idolatry
164. A breaker of images. Iconoclast.
165. Incapable of being exhausted Inexhaustible
166. Liable to catch fire easily. Inflammable.
167. One who travels from place to place, especially a judge. Itinerant.
168. Murder of an infant after birth, especially with mother’s consent. The murder of an infant. Infanticide.
169. A peculiarity of temperament or constitution. Idiosyncrasy.
170. To urge (a person to do something evil). Instigate.
171. Not subject to variation in different cases. Immutable.
172. To involve one in accusation. Incriminate
173. To make insertions in a book so as to give false impressions as to date, etc. Interpolate.
174. That which cannot be avoided. Inveigh
175. A place where scientific experiments are systematically carried on. Library.
176. A person skilled in foreign languages. Linguist
177. A person given to much talking. Loquacious.
178. One who advocates greater freedom in political institutions. Liberal
179. The first public speech made by a person. Maiden
180. A book or document written by hand. Manuscript.
181. A building used for storing and exhibition of objects illustrating antiquities, natural history, art etc. Museum
182. A public place for the purposes of buying and selling. Market
183. Birds moving from one place to another. Migratory
184. The murder or murderer of one’s own mother. Matricide.
185. A hater of marriage. Misogamist.
186. The practice of being married to one at a time. Monogamy
187. A hater of woman. Misogynist
188. A hater of mankind. Misanthrope
189. Hatred of reasoning or reasoned argument Histology
190. Metals that can be beaten out by hammering. Malleable
191. The civilian dress of one who wears a uniform on duty. Mufti
192. To reduce to the smallest possible proportions. Minimize
193. The daily morning service of the Church of England. Matin
194. A strict disciplinarian, especially in the army or navy. Martinet
195. Of the Middle ages. Mediaeval
196. A building in which dead bodies are kept for a time. Mortuary.
197. Tendency to lay stress on material aspects of objects. Materialism.
198. The land belonging to a nobleman. Manor
199. A soldier who fights for the sake of money Mercenary
200. A man with an evil reputation. Notorious
201. A laborer employed in excavating etc. for canals, railways, roads etc. Navvy
202. A medicine producing sleep. An addictive drug, such as opium, that reduces pain, alters mood and behavior, and usually induces sleep or stupor. Narcotics
203. Coining or using of new words; new coined word. Neologism
204. A person affected with nervous disorder (Drug) affecting nervous system. Neurotic
205. Undue favor from holder of patronage to his relatives. Nepotism
206. That which is open to objection. Objectionable.
207. One who is all powerful Omnipotent
208. One who knows everything. Omniscient
209. One who is present everywhere at the same time. Omnipresent
210. One who looks at the bright side of thing. Optimist
211. No longer in use. Obsolete
212. An institution for orphans education etc. Orphanage
213. Government by a small exclusive class Oligarchy
214. An eight-sided figure. Octagon
215. A person who is eight years old. Octogenarian
216. To exclude from society, favor, or common privileges. Ostracize
217. Government of rich people. Plutocracy
218. One who looks too much on the dark side of things. Pessimist.
219. One who is liked by the people. Popular
220. One who is born after the death of his father. Posthumous
221. One who walks on foot. Pedestrian.
222. The murder or murderer of one’s own father Patricide
223. Common place remark, especially one solemnly delivered. Platitude
224. One who exerts himself for the well being of his fellow men. Philanthropist.
225. A lover of women. Phylogenies.
226. A universal remedy. Panacea
227. The practice of having more than one spouse. Polygamy
228. Readiness or inclination to fight Pugnacity
229. A plant or an animal living in or upon another and drawing nutriment direction from it. This is also used for a man who depends on others. Parasite.
230. A lover of learning. Philomath
231. Medical examination of a body made after death. Post-mortem
232. Property inherited from one’s father or ancestors. Patrimony
233. A writer who steels from the writings or ideas of another. Plagiarist.
234. One who is excessively pure or nice in the choice of words. Purist
235. To take for one’s own use money or property entrusted to one’s care. Peculate.
236. An allowance granted over and above the settled wages. Perquisites
237. One who, or that which, indicates the approach of an event. Precursor
238. A play or entertainment in dumb show. Pantomime
239. Marriage with many husbands. Polyandry
240. Rights of succession belonging to the eldest child. Primogeniture
241. The system of routine in government and other public offices. Red-tapism
242. The murderer of participator in the murder of a king. Regicide.
243. The sum paid to a man for a piece of work. Remuneration.
244. Person who rises in arms against, resists, or refuses allegiance to, the established government. Rebel
245. Reserved in speech. Reticent
246. Having reference to the past or enforcement from an earlier date. Retrospective
247. To restore to like. Reanimate.
248. A form of government with a monarch in which the supreme power is vested in representatives elected by the people. Republic
249. An office with salary but without work. Sinecure
250. Intentional self-slaughter Suicide
251. Occurring at the same time. Simultaneous
252. A hospital especially for convalescents or consumptive : a health station. Sanatorium
253. One who looks on especially at a show, game, etc. Spectator
254. One who speaks for others; representative. Spokesman
255. One who walks in his sleep Somnambulist.
256. One who talks in his sleep. Somniloquist.
257. A person who helps a stranger or helpless person in difficulties. Samaritan
258. One indifferent to pleasure or pain. Stoic
259. Profanation of a sacred place or thing: the breaking into a place of worship and stealing there from. Sacrilege
260. To destroy bacteria or other microorganisms. Sterilize.
261. A speech addressed to one’s self Soliloquy.
262. Attempt to escape censure or defeat n argument by evading the issue. Subterfuge.
263. To furnish with a subsidy, grant or regular allowance. Subsidize
264. Occur at the same time. Synchronize
265. To mark the skin with indelible patterns by pricking in coloring matter. Tattoo
266. To pursue time-serving policy. To yield to circumstances. Temporize.
267. All of one mind. Unanimous
268. To move like waves. Undulate
269. One long exercised in any service, especially in war. Veteran
270. One who uses to advocates a diet or vegetable foods, to the exclusion of meat. Vegetarian
271. Containing more words than are wanted. Verbose.
272. Of one’s own free will. Voluntary
273. Word for word. Verbatim
274. To move from side to side. Vacillate
275. (A person) of weak health. Valetudinarian
276. Act of speaking, or uttering sounds in such a manner that the voice appears to come from other source than the speaker. Ventriloquist.
277. To attempt to degrade by slander; to defame. Vilify.
278. Evening prayer in the Church of England. Vespers
279. One who may be sold or got for a price Venal
280. A fault that may be forgiven. Venial
281. A room or portable closet for robes or cloths. Wardrobe
282. Not tamed or cultivated. Wild
283. Impervious to water Water-proof
284. A place where birds, animals, etc. are kept. Zoo
285. The science of animal life. Zoology.

Rules of Precis Writing - The Use Of Indirect Form In Presi Writing

The précis writing tells us or reports in a brief way what some one also has said. He has, therefore, to change the direct statements in the original passage into the reported or the indirect form of narration. Hence the indirect form or narration must always be used when writing a précis, i.e. a précis must be written in the past tense. However, an exception to it is made only when a universal truth is expressed.

While writing the précis of a speech or lecture, an introductory verb must be used, such as: “He said … he remarked … he ordered … He advised.” The choice of this verb will depend upon the form of the speech to be reported. Always use the third person in your précis.

Rules regarding the reporting of statements, questions, reports, commands and exclamations should also be revised thoroughly and assimilated.

No doubt, while making a précis of a speech or a sermon or a dialogue, all the rules for changing the Direct Form into the Indirect Form of Narration are to be observed, yet the précis-writer must remember that the précis, even of such passages s not to be given in the words of the original but as far as possible, in the précis-writer’s own words. His task is not merely to change the direct into the indirect form of narration; t s also to discriminate the essential and the inessential points and to retain the former and leave out the latter.

When you are making the précis of a dialogue, arrange the précis clearly so that the reader may understand without difficulty what each person says.

You should be careful about using the personal pronouns as he, she, and they. Pronouns are limited in number and sometimes ambiguity arises when the same pronoun is used for two persons or groups of persons. In such cases, some proper noun should be used occasionally to avoid ambiguity and to make the sense clear.

MODEL PRECIS

Original Passage: -

Greatest fear of the peoples, who dwell n Southern Asia, Africa, Northern Australia, Southern Europe and South America is a short black insect called the locust, for this winged terror which breads and multiplies at a prodigious rate has, since the days of Pharaoh been the cause of more death and destruction than any human army. In these countries unfortunate to be favored by this past, utter famine s the inevitable result of the visitation by this terribly destructive insect. Once it begins its devastating march, millions of rupees worth of crops are consumed, fertile land is turned into desert and entire population are left destitute and starving. Due to the consequent famine, death comes within a short time to the poor folk who had sweated and toiled over land and crops.

The chief difficulty is the amazing fertility of the insect. The female deposits her eggs in the soil in packets, each of which may contain anything from thirty to one hundred eggs. In the really tropical countries the eggs hatch in two or three weeks. Development is rapid and in one year several generations may be hatched so that a single pair of locusts alone can multiply enormously. Locust’s breeding grounds are estimated to contain millions upon millions of the insects and on one occasion a swarm in flight in East Africa measured sixty miles by three miles and even larger swarms have been observed and recorded.

It has been realized in recent years that the locust peril cannot be wiped out effectively except by concerted and coordinated efforts of every affected country and by attacking the insect before it begins its migratory flight, in other words by ruthless extermination in their breeding grounds.

(286 words)

Application of the Rules to the Model Précis

1. Main Idea

After reading the passage a few times, you find that the main idea it contains is about the winged terror of the locusts.

2. Title: -

Any one of the following will serve the purpose: -

a) The locust peril.
b) The locust terror.
c) The winged terror of the locusts.

3. Sub-headings or salient points: -

By following the passage more closely, the three paragraphs in the original are found to contain three different ideas about the locusts, viz (1) destruction caused by the locusts, (2) their amazing fertility, and (3) their examination.

4. Read the given extract again to determine proportion.

This reading gives you the impression that the writer of the passage emphasizes the destruction caused by the locusts more than he emphasizes any other point. The visitation of the locusts brings five things in its wake, viz famine, destruction of crops, conversion of fertile lands into deserts, starvation and death of population. The next point, which he emphasizes a little than this one is the amazing fertility of the locusts. The third point is their extermination about which he makes only a reference towards the end of the passage.

Now the skeleton plan will be somewhat like this: -

i. Destruction caused by locusts.
a. Famine.
b. Destruction of crops.
c. Conversion of fertile lands into deserts.
d. Starvation.
e. Death of population.

ii. Their amazing fertility.

The female lays eggs in packets, each containing thirty to one hundred eggs. Several generations breed in a year.

iii. How to exterminate them.

5. First draft of the précis: -

The Locust Terror

The locust is the greatest terror of the inhabitants of the southern half of the world. Since Pharaoh’s time it has caused more destruction than any human army. Famine, destruction of crops, conversion of fertile lands into deserts, starvation and death of people follow its visitation.

It is astonishingly, fertile. The female lays eggs in packets, each containing thirty to one hundred eggs, which are hatched in a few weeks. Several generations breed in a year, thus multiplying them in billions.

It is realized that to efface this danger, the affected countries should strive together to exterminate the locusts in their breeding grounds.

6. Count the number of words: -

The number of words in the original passage is 286. Their number in précis should be 95. Their number in the rough draft is 103. It means that you have still to curtail the number of words in the rough draft of the précis by 8.

Now you have to determine which other words and expressions can be deleted without changing the sense of the original passage. Another close reading of the rough draft suggests that the following words and expressions may further be deleted: -

Second paragraph: ‘Thus multiplying them in billions’.
Third paragraph: ‘It is realized that’.

After deleting them, the number of words left in the précis is 95.

7. Final précis:

Read the rough draft of the précis again and if, after curtailing it by nine more words, there is no jarring element left, re-write it in a legible handwriting. Take care of your spelling and punctuation.

Your précis will, then, appear as follows: -

The Locust Terror

The locust is the greatest terror of the inhabitants of the southern half of the world. Since Pharaoh’s time it has caused more destruction than any human army. Famine, destruction of crops, conversion of fertile lands into deserts, starvation and death of people follow its visitation.

It is astonishingly, fertile. The female lays eggs in packets, each containing thirty to one hundred eggs, which are hatched in a few weeks. Several generations breed in a year.

To efface this danger, the affected countries should strive together to exterminate the locusts in their breeding grounds.
(94 words)

Exercises of Preci Writing - abridging sentences and pharases

Exercises: -

A. Condense the following as far as possible, retaining the exact sense:-

1. The enemy at that moment took flight.
2. You are in reality under a mistake.
3. A fossil possesses no value in itself.
4. His feelings were beyond expression.
5. At what time I shall see you is uncertain.
6. The battle was without definite result.
7. He shall be with you in a short time.
8. A sense of right and wrong is to be found everywhere.
9. Organic substances are sometimes found turned into stone.
10. The effect of his father’s advice on his was not to be described.

B. Reduce the following sentences to a minimum number of words by using a noun or adjective or adverb or a phrase in place of the subordinate clauses, without in any way changing the meaning: -

I

1. I know that he is ill.
2. That he will succeed is certain.
3. That he told a lie is quite clear.
4. Every body says that he is honest.
5. What he says is quite true.

II

1. This is the house, which Abdullah built.
2. We should admire a man who has the courage to call a spade a spade.
3. The man who had been injured told me how the accident happened.
4. Once there lived in Persia a very brave warrior whose name was Rustom.
5. The room where I sleep s at the tope of the house.

III

1. The mice will play when the cat is away.
2. When I heard of his arrival, I went to meet him.
3. Where you go I will follow.
4. Misers save money in order that they may grow rich.
5. He passed his Masters Examination with distinction because he had worked hard.

C. Compress the following sentences, retaining the clause, which contains the main idea and changing the other clauses, wherever possible, into a word or a compound expression or a phrase. The sense of the original sentence is not to be changed.

1. His park stretched for miles round the palace in which he dwelt.
2. His people, who loved him very dearly, began to be afraid that he too would fall ill and die.
3. Now, on a certain day, there came up to the king a woman whom he had never seen before.
4. He treated the woman more kindly than anyone else who had spoken to her.
5. He talked to her of all the good things that his dear wife used to do.
6. The nobles and the people were glad to see that their king was happy once again.
7. The merchants told the servants that they had been forbidden by the queen to sell her anything.
8. You own beauty is so great that you have no need of fine dresses or any other ornaments.
9. One of them who was more cunning than the others, quite changed the drift of the talk.
10. At the appointed hour the prince came to carry off his dear one in a flying chariot, which had been given to him by a friend.

Examples of abridging phrases and sentences

I. Simple Sentences: -

a) The reports were the same in every respect. The phrase ‘the same in every respect’ can be replaced by the word ‘identical’. This sentence will then become: - ‘The reports were identical.’

b) This arrangement is only for the time being. The word temporary can replace the phrase ‘only for the time being’.

c) The driver of the bus was very clever. This sentence can be curtailed by putting it in the following form: - ‘The bus driver was very clever.’

d) Your friend spends his time in an idle manner. This sentence can be changed into the following: - Your friend spends his time idly.

e) He should not put too great a stain upon his strength. Here the expression ‘put too great a strain upon’ can be curtailed into ‘overtax’. He sentence will then become: - ‘He should not overtax his strength.”

II Complex Sentences containing Noun Clauses: -

Consider the following sentences: -

a) That he will be promoted is quite certain. The clause ‘that he will be promoted’ is a noun clause standing in place of a noun.

We could express the same thing by saying: His promotion is quite certain. Here we have substituted the noun promotion for the noun clause.

b) All people know that he is a coward. The clause ‘that he is coward’ is a noun clause doing the work of a noun and serving as the object of the word ‘know’. The same could be put in the following form, without effecting any change in the meaning: All people know of his cowardice, or His cowardice is known to all people.

I told him that he should not bother you in future. It can be converted into the following sentence without injuring the sense it conveys: I told him not to bother you in future.

III. Complex sentences containing Adjectival Clauses: -

Examine the following sentences:

a) The house that was supposed to be haunted, was demolished.

The clause ‘that we supposed to be haunted’ is a subordinate adjective clause qualifying the noun house. The sentence can be put in the following form: The supposedly haunted house was demolished.

b) Hebrew is a language, which is no longer spoken. In this sentence, ‘Which is no longer spoken’ is an adjectival phrase qualifying the noun ‘language’. This sentence can be written as follows: Hebrew is a dead language.

c) Examine the sentence: The clock that is on the wall struck four. ‘That is on the wall’ s an adjective clause and it can be replaced by ‘on the wall’ – an adjective phrase. The sentence will then become: The clock on the wall struck four.

IV Complex Sentences containing Adverbial Clauses: -

It is not easy to change an adverbial clause into a simple adverb; it will have often to be converted into a phrase.

a) Do your home-task, before you do anything else. In this sentence, ‘before you do anything else’ is an adverbial clause. It can be replaced by the word ‘first’. The sentence will then become: Do your home-task first. Here we have substituted an adverb in place of an adverbial clause.

You talked to him in a serious mood. It may be changed to” You talked to him seriously.

b) When he won the game, he began to shout. Here ‘when he won the game’ is an adverbial clause, which can be replaced by an adverbial phrase, ‘Having won the game’. The sentence will then become: Having won the game, he began to shout.

V Study the following compound sentence: -

They reached the top of the hill and took rest. Here one of the two clauses – other than the one containing the main statement can – but turned into either of the following phrases:

a) “Having reached the top of the hill’; and (b) ‘On reaching the top of the hill’; but this change does not shorten the length of the sentence in this case.

It is to be noticed that the compressed sentences are often inferior to the originals in directness and force. Hence while compressing sentences, we should ask ourselves: -

a) Which form best suits the context?
b) Which one expresses the meaning best?
c) Which is the clearest statement?
d) Which has the most pleasing sound?

We may not hit upon a statement that may satisfy all these requirements, but the construction selected should fulfill some of them.

The Compressing of Sentences

“Let thy speech be short, comprehending much in few words.”
- Ecclasiasticus, XXXII, 8

A passage consists of sentences; and a sentence, other than simple, consists of clauses. It is, therefore, proper that while learning how to make a précis, a student should begin with the compressing of clauses into phrases and phrases into words. After sufficient practice in this, he should begin making précis of passages.

Before discussing the man devises to shorten a sentence, let me ask you to study the following: -

1. Before his arrival.
2. Before he arrived.
3. She died before he arrived.

The first group of words has a meaning and makes sense; but it does not make complete sense. Such a group of words is called a phrase. A Phrase is, therefore, a group of words that makes sense, but not complete sense. It has neither a subject nor a predicate.

The second group of words makes sense, but not complete sense. It requires some other words to complete its sense. Though it has a subject and a predicate of its own, yet it cannot stand-alone. Such a group of words is called a clause. A clause is, therefore, a group of words, forming part of a longer sentence, and having a subject and a predicate of its own.

The third group of words makes complete sense and is called a sentence. A Sentence is, therefore, a group of words that contains a finite verb and makes complete sense.

The best device to curtail a sentence is to change a clause into a noun or adjective or adverb or phrase. Sometimes a clause can be replaced by a single word. This substitution of a word in place of several words is very helpful in making the précis of a given passage or in curtailing a sentence, but this device should be resorted to only, if the new word does not appear to be unusual or uncommon.

Let us now take concrete examples of abridging phrases and sentences:

1.4 How to get proficiency

“Practice makes a man perfect”, is a maxim, which is never so true when applied to any branch of art or literature, as it is when applied to précis writing. By acquiring the habit of making a précis, we can improve our mental powers, and can make a skillful précis when required to do so.

Students should be taught how to make a précis at a very early stage and the start once given should be followed up in all the classes of a school or a college. The teacher of English n a high school or a college should always keep in mind the fourfold aim of teaching English to those students who study it as a foreign language, viz. (a) to speak English, (b) to understand spoken English, (c) to write English, and (d) to understand spoken English. He should often find out whether his students understand or not what they read. To ascertain this, he can employ various devices. While teaching a lesson to his students, he may ask them to close their books and reproduce what he has been teaching. In college-classes, the lecturer after having read a paragraph and having explained the difficulties and the references that it contains can ask a student to give the substance of the paragraph in a sentence or two. If he has been delivering a lecture on a certain topic to an advanced class, and has been discussing many points in the lecture, he can ask his students to reproduce briefly what he said about a certain point. Such devices will not only make the students mentally alert, but will also teach them how to cultivate the habit of intelligent reading and making a précis. However, the best way of testing whether the students have understood a passage or not, is to ask them to summarize it.

Students in high classes should be asked to write a précis once a week. The passage may be selected from their prescribed textbooks and from dailies and weeklies, suited to their standard. Practice in making a précis is indispensable for the college students. For this purpose, the passages should invariably be selected from newspapers, weeklies and books of standard authors. The method of making a précis should be thoroughly discussed with them and also illustrated. The habit of making a précis will teach the students how to read correctly and how to understand exactly. They will learn to discriminate between the essential and the inessential parts of what they read. They will also know how to arrange matter in a logical order. They will acquire the ability to use the right word to convey a certain sense in a concise and striking manner. They will learn how to write a piece of continuous narrative.

Précis writing, therefore, a great help to mental development and is, consequently, of much worth in educational training. It provides training in concentration, clear thinking, intelligent grasps and closes insight. In short, it is a training in expressing much in a few words.

Precis Writing Made Easy