PRÉCIS OF CORRESPONDENCE AND INDEXING

“The more you say, the less people remember. The fewer the words, the greater the profit.”  Fenelon Correspondence:- The object of making a précis of a series of letters or documents is to present briefly and distinctly the substance of the correspondence in the form of a continuous narrative, so that one could master in a short time all the salient points of the original. Hence all the essential points in the original should be presented in a connected and readable shape and expressed as clearly as possible and as concisely as is compatible with distinctness. Before attempting to extract from each letter or document the information necessary for your purpose, go through the whole collection rapidly to form an idea of the general drift. Next re-read slowly and carefully from the beginning, finding out everything that bears so what you have decided to be of prime interest. Mark the important passages. Often a letter supplies a summary of a previous letter. In such a case, the second letter is sufficient by itself, and you can neglect the first. You are not bound to follow the sequence of letters, any one of which may be merely formal for your purpose. If the contents of a letter are months and years anterior to the date of writing, it may require an early place in the narrative. Hence before attempting to make a précis, it is necessary to arrange the letters in their natural order, if they are not already so arranged. In making a précis of evidence given in the courts of law or before a commission, the minutes should be carefully read. The main points to be grasped are – Who is giving the evidence? In what capacity does the witness give evidence? What is the general purport and the conclusion drawn? The answers to these questions should, appear in the narrative form, in the same ways as a précis of a reported speech is written. Avoid the frequent questions and answers given in the original. Abridge the whole in a connected narrative. Avoid using names and titles as far as possible. Market reports, stock exchange reports, and similar topics are treated in a similar manner. Indexing:- For all practical purposes, an index can take the place of a précis. It is to be supplemented by a précis only when the whole matter must be put in a narrative form, as in the case of a report of a correspondence drawn by a secretary for his committees. An index should show at a glance the date of each letter, the names of the correspondent (writer) and the addresses, and the capacity in which they write. It should also indicate briefly the subject of each letter. This is done in a tabular form, which is generally a ruling into four columns, the last of which requires as much space as the first three together, the third being equal to the first and the second. Form or Ruling for Index S. # Date From and to whom Subject 1 2 3 4

How to make a precis-II

7. Finally, revise the précis carefully to make it read as a continuous whole. It should appear like an original composition. It should not read jerky. All jarring elements should be made smooth, and the whole précis should look like a systematically developed and smooth piece of prose. Each sentence should follow naturally and sensibly from the preceding one. When you think you have done your best, you may write out your précis neatly and carefully. Keep as nearly as possible to the same average of words to a line, so that it might help you in counting the words of the précis. State at the end, the exact number of words used by you in the précis. Make the final copy in a neat and legible hand. Mind your spelling and punctuation. Remember that most of the candidates get low marks in précis- writing not because they do it badly but because they write it illegibly and commit mistakes in spelling and punctuations. Spell accurately and punctuate carefully. The first rough draft written on the rough side of your answer book should be crossed out before making a fair copy of it on the right hand side of your answer book. Note:- 1) Nothing foreign should be introduced into the précis. No additions should be made, even though you know much more than what the passage contains. You have not to make any adverse or favourable remarks on the contents of the passage; rather you are required to stick to the original as closely as possible. 2) Be particularly careful about your language. Most o the students fail to make a good précis because they cannot express their ideas in a simple and lucid style. Your language should be as clear and simple as possible. Avoid verbiage. High-flown and ornate style is not desirable. Let the style of your précis be natural and unaffected.

How to Write a Precis

5. Put the original away and write out the first rough draft of the précis. After having read the passage carefully, having supplied a title and sub-headings, and having revised the skeleton plan, you are now in a position to write out a rough draft of the précis. Remember that on no account should the original be consulted at this stage. In the actual writing of the précis you should depend entirely upon your memory, with the skeleton plan to help you. You should overcome the temptation of looking at the original, for then and then alone the précis can be written in your own words, otherwise it will imperil your independence of style and preciseness. A précis must always be written in your own words and not in those of the original. Some students cull certain expressions and phrases from the original and join them with conjunctions and think that they have done what the examiner wants; but they get no marks for such an answer. They must know that a composition which is a hotchpotch of outstanding expressions, phrases, clauses taken from the original is not a précis. Précis in a new composition – a re-expression of another man’s ideas. Arrange your précis in paragraphs. Write the rough draft of the précis on the rough side of the answer book. 6. Count the words in the original and those in your précis. Your précis should, in no case, exceed one-third of the length of the original; but if the examiner has instructed you to keep to a certain limit, you must carry out his instructions. If your précis is longer than that limit, you should decide how many more words you should cut down. Condense again some of your sentences without bringing about any change in the sense of the original passage. Here you can employ several devices, which depend entirely on your mastery of the English language and your ability to express and curtail than on any given set of rules. a. You may cut down the number of words by using one word for several words; b. You may change a clause into a phrase; c. You may avoid un-necessary words and expressions; d. You may see that no idea is expressed in more than one way. Un-necessary repetition of expressions and ideas must be avoided. e. If the original contains illustrations, figures and quotations, they should not appear in the précis. f. You may replace two negative expressions by one positive. Remember that the words of the title are not to be counted in the number of words to be used in making a précis.

How to make a Precis

3. Find sub-headings. Read the passage again and jot down the salient points. If the original consists of paragraphs, find a title for each paragraph; and these titles may serve as sub-headings to your main title. If the original is an un-paragraphed passage you should subdivide it, and set down headings. Thus you will get a skeleton of the ideas contained by the given passage. This is all that is necessary to put on paper before the actual writing of the précis. 4. Read the original again. This reading will give you a correct impression of the relative importance of the ideas in the original. If it does, the skeleton plan must be corrected. If the writer of a passage emphasizes a certain point, you are also required to emphasize that point; and if he has not developed a certain point, you are not required to develop it. You should not give undue importance to any point but you should stick to the sense expressed in the passage. You must make sure that nothing essential has been omitted. In short, your précis must be well-proportioned.

“Brevity is the soul of wit.” - Shakespeare – Hamlet. Act II, Sec.2 1. Read through the whole passage carefully, once, twice or as many times as you feel it necessary to comprehend clearly its broad meaning. Determine the main idea of the passage. Generally speaking, you should read t thrice; but if you do not grasp the sense completely even then, you should read it again. The comprehension of the sense of the passage depends on your mental equipment and also on the style of the passage. The more well-up you are in English, the quicker you will comprehend the contents of the passage. The easier the passage, the less the labour required to understand it; but if the passage is difficult or complicated, it will have to be read many times and with great concentration. A careful and close study of the given passage is to be made not only for making a précis but also for answering any questions on it. However, précis-writing is a good test of your capacity to read intelligently and get the pith of whatever you read; and this is what your examiner, who sets a question on précis-writing, wants to know. 2. Give a suitable title to your précis, indicating briefly the subject of the passage. It should be as concise and pithy as possible. Beware of vagueness. Supply the title even if the examiner does not ask for it. In making a précis of a long speech or discourse, the title will be a long one because it must indicate as to who delivered the speech and on what occasion. In other cases and most especially in descriptive passages, the title must be concise and pithy. ‘Brevity is the soul of wit’ and a brief title lends an impressive colour to the whole précis.

Precis Writing of 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.

Examples of Precis Writing of Complex Sentences containing Noun Clauses

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.

Examples of Precis writing of Simple 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 pharase ‘only for the time being’ can be replaced by the word temporary. 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.”

The Compressing of Sentences to Write a Preci

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 in Precis Writing

“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 text-books 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 grasp and close insight. In short, it is a training in expressing much in a few words.