METHOD OF PROCEDURE
You must make up your mind from the beginning that precis-writing means
intensive brain-work. There is no easy shortcut to summarising a passage. To
tear the heart out of a passage means concentrated thought, and u must b
prepared 4 close attention and hard thinking.
1 READING
a) First read the passage through carefully, but not too slowly, to get a general idea of its meaning. If one reading is not enough to give u this clearly, read it over again, and yet again. The more u read it the more familiar will it become to you, and the clearer will b:
its subject,
what is said about that subject?
Ask yourself,
"What is it I am reading?
What does the author mean?
What is his subject?
What is he saying about it?
Can I put in a few words the pith of what he says?"
b) Usually u r required to supply a title 4 ur precis. This is a good stage at
which to do this. Think of some word, phrase, or short sentence that will sum up
briefly the main subject of the passage. Sometimes it is supplied by what we may
call a key sentence. This may b found at the beginning or at the end of the
passage. In its absence,u must get a clear idea of the subject from the passage
as a whole, and then sum it up in a suitable heading.
The effort to find a suitable title at this stage will help you to define in ur
mind what exactly the subject or main theme of the passage is.
c) Further reading is necessary to ensure that u understand the details of the
passage as well as its main purport. Take it now sentence by sentence, and word
by word. If the meanings of many words are not clear, look them up in a
dictionary. This is important coz a phrase, a sentence, or even a word may b of
prime importance, and misunderstanding of it may cause you to miss the whole
point of the passage.
c) U should now b in a position to decide what part parts of the passage are
essential and what parts are comparatively unimportant and can b omitted
widout any loss. The process of selection must not b in a haphazard or
mechanical way. Discard incidental and unimportant details.
Jot down ur conclusions in brief notes_the subject, the title, and the details
which u consider essential.
2) WRITING
a) Rough drafts
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