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How to Write a Rhetorical Precis: Template, Steps & Example

What is a precis.

A precis is a summarizing method in which the author maintains the meaning, proportions, and tone of the original text. In other words, precis refers to a summary of a reading one has completed. Writing a precis requires a lot of work, starting with reading and brainstorming on other people’s work.

The length of a precis is not strictly defined and as such, it can vary greatly. In most cases, a precis is 100 to 200 words long or approximately, it takes one-fifth or one-sixth of the original reading’s size.

Even though this is basically a summary, there’s a difference between the two terms. In summaries, the writers cover the main points of the text in a more succinct manner, while in precis, the size of the content is at least 1/3 of the total words from the original content.

To be more, a summary takes a broader approach toward the main events and is more generalized. Precis writing, on the other hand focuses on details and analyzes the situations more thoroughly.

What is a Rhetorical Precis?

A rhetorical precis is an analytical, less neutral summary of the content, as well as methods found in the original text. If summary is a brief representation of the original text, this is a representation of two things – what’s said and done in the original text.

Generally speaking, summaries are far more widely used and assigned than rhetorical precis. Even so, chances are you’ll be asked to write at least one precis during your studies, which makes it crucial for you as a student to learn how to write a rhetorical precis.

This is a type of academic writing that recapitulates the main arguments, ideas, and points of the selected work. In it, the primary goal of the author is to provide the most accurate details about the text in question. In a couple of paragraphs, precis writing must analyze the text itself, as well as the delivery of written discourse, all while answering questions such as ‘’how’’, ‘’what’’, and ‘’why’’.

Rhetorical Precis Structure

Academically speaking, the rhetorical precis structure includes the following elements:

• Introduction
• Body paragraphs

Basically, it has an essay structure where the introduction ends with a thesis statement, and the body paragraphs summarize the main arguments and concepts.

If you want to learn how to write a rhetorical precis, one essential thing to know is the widely-accepted, 4-part structure of this assignment. A four sentence precis is basically a guide that helps you include the four key elements this assignment requires. They are:

• First sentence includes: name of the author, date in parenthesis, title of the work, a rhetorical verb, and a that clause (one that contains the thesis statement of your work).
• Second sentence gives an explanation of how you supported and developed the thesis statement i.e. your that clause claim.
• Third sentence gives a statement of your purpose and uses an ‘’ in order’’ phrase.
• Fourth sentence describes the relationship of the author with the intended audience.

How to Write a Rhetorical Precis? Step by Step Guide

If you haven’t written this type of paper before, you probably have no idea how to start a precis – or finish it afterward. This is why we’ve created a short guide, a list of steps that will help students understand how to write a rhetorical precis.

Step 1: Introductory paragraph

The introduction of a rhetorical precis starts with an attention-grabbing, summary-like statement. The following sentences, usually one or two, provide the central claims presented by the author, as well as the context of the composition. Lastly, the final sentence is the thesis statement where the writer includes a that clause.

Step 2: Summary paragraph

In many cases, a rhetorical precis template also has a summary paragraph that fits between the introduction and first body paragraph. Some consider this to be part of the body of the precis. Anyways, this section highlights the paper’s main concepts from a more practical perspective, usually in a chronological order. The idea is to provide a short overview of the paper.

Step 3: Body paragraphs

If you check any quality rhetorical precis example, you’ll see that they always include at least 3 body paragraphs. In every paragraph, the author discusses one of the main points. These paragraphs are connected with transitions and end with statements that add to the central claim. This is what we call ‘’the sandwich rule’’.

Step 4: Conclusion paragraph

The conclusion of this assignment starts by restating the thesis statement. But, if you check a rhetorical precis example, you’ll see that the thesis statement is not copied word for word. In a good conclusion, it is used to summarize the results and introduce the author’s conclusion about the original work being summarized.

Rhetorical Precis Template

To make things easier for writers, people often come up with a rhetorical precis template. What is this? This is basically a rhetorical precis example, but one where you have to fill in the gaps. To write the essay, the author still needs to evaluate the work in the selected text and fill in the gaps. Basically, you’re getting the structure.

In fact, an experienced precis writer might choose to create such a unique template on their own before they start writing the assignment. It’s a great way to outline the ideas and set forth the format and structure of the precis assignment.

How to Write a Rhetorical Precis Template

Any good precis writer will create the template in a way that structures and formats the writing accurately. This means that they’ll start by outlining the introduction, body, and conclusion. Let’s take a look at the step-by-step approach.

Step 1: Introduction template

The opening paragraph begins with a hook that will grab the attention of the reader. Depending on the source, the author can decide to use different rhetorical devices and attention-grabbing phrases. In addition to this, the paragraph includes information about the original text, as well as introduces the purpose of the article.

In the template, it’s important to follow a chronological order that sows readers how the author supports their thesis, what’s the author’s apparent purpose, and who’s their intended audience.

Step 2: Body paragraphs template

In this part, you need to given an account of any significant concepts from the source. In the first paragraph, the author usually summarizes shortly the article discussed. The next paragraphs show how the text appeals to rhetorical aspects. And of course, these must follow the sandwich rule:

• Topic sentence i.e. the main argument of the paragraph
• Supporting evidence
• Explanation of how the evidence relates to the main point
• Closing sentence that connects it with the next paragraph

Step 3: Conclusion template

Here are some tips for this part:

• Use the last sentence to connect back to the introduction i.e. the hook you used in it
• Do not copy the thesis statement
• Avoid adding new details to this part

Rhetorical Precis: Example

Now that you know how a precis should be structured, let’s see a nice example.

Sentence 1:

• Name of author (may also include a phrase that describes the author)
• Type and title of the work (date in parentheses)
• A rhetorical verb that describes the author’s work in the text
• That clause for the thesis statement

Sentence 2:

• An explanation of the author’s methods for developing or supporting the thesis
• Presented in the same chronological order as in the original work

Sentence 3:

• Statement of the author’s purpose
• An In order to phrase where you demonstrate the purpose

Sentence 4:

• Describe the intended audience
• Describe the relationship that the author establishes with his audience

What are rhetorical precis verbs?

Some common verbs used in precis writing include: argue, define, call attention to, deny, point out, show, prove, inform, suggest, disclose, persuade, convince, and report.

In addition to this, rhetorical precis papers include specific terminologies that allow the writers to respond to questions like:

• What – the response tells the readers about the source under analysis (journal article, news or magazine article, research report, book review, biography, bibliographical essay, editorial, etc.)
• How – the response tells the reader about the action that the writer took to write the precis paper. This part usually includes the aforementioned verbs such as ‘’analyze’’, ‘’assert’’, ‘’argue’’ or ‘’explain.
• Why – answered by stating the factors that led to the creation of the precis paper. In this part, the writers usually include terminologies like ‘’call attention to’’, ‘’deny’’, ‘’show’’, ‘’prove’’, ‘’point out’’, etc.
• Whom – this answer shows the readers who the target audience for the summarized text is, as well as its nature. In this case, the writers use terminologies like ‘’formal’’, ‘’casual’’, ‘’impersonal’’, ‘’informal’’, ‘’emotional’’, ‘’logical’’, ‘’humorous’’, etc.

Need Help and Support? Ask Precis Writers at A-Writer!

Writing a precis is not a simple task to do. Not only should you read someone else’s work, but you also need to evaluate it and go into details while describing it in your writing. On top of that, you need to turn your writing into a very well-structured text by using the right rhetorical verbs and phrases, connecting all paragraphs with each other, all while discussing someone else’s work.

This can be troublesome, especially if you haven’t written such a piece before. It becomes even more challenging if you don’t like or don’t understand the work of the writer of the original text. In many cases, students cannot understand the purpose or goal of the writer, which makes it impossible to craft a quality precis task.

For all of these students, there’s a simple solution – you can use A-writer professional writer service to help you with this task.

If you give us a call or place an order on our website, you can get a fully-crafted rhetorical precis paper without any trouble. We’ll take over the entire process – reading and evaluating the author’s work and turning it into a professional summary that will land you a high grade.

Our people are experts at creating this type of assignment. Having written many of them over the years, we know exactly what to say – and how – all to help you get a high grade.

Let’s Summarize

A rhetorical precis assignment is a type of academic writing intended to summarize another piece of text written by a different author. This assignment is given to students to teach them better research skills, allow them to analyze other people’s work, etc.

Basically, this type of work provides readers with an insight into an author’s work. The primary aim is to provide details about the issue and topic discussed in the original piece.

If all this sounds like too much of a hassle for you, which is definitely the case if you haven’t written anything similar before, you can solve your problems quickly – just hire an expert who has done hundreds of these for students just like you!

Writing a Summary or Rhetorical Précis to Analyze Nonfiction Texts

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Academic writers across all disciplines analyze texts. They summarize and critique published articles, evaluate papers’ arguments, and reflect on essays. In order to do these things, they have to read complex texts carefully and understand them clearly.

This page is about how you can read and analyze nonfiction texts. When you’ve read a text well, you can then discuss it in class, think critically about it, incorporate it into your writing, consider it in light of other texts, and advance or push against its ideas. We believe two productive strategies for approaching this kind of reading and analysis are active reading and rhetorical précis writing. This page provides a guide to these strategies and practical ways to help you evaluate, compare, and reflect upon nonfiction texts.

Active Reading

Introduction to the rhetorical précis, parts of a rhetorical précis, using a rhetorical précis to guide analysis.

Active reading requires you to slow your reading down, engage more intentionally with the text, think about it, and focus your attention on its ideas. When you read actively, you can’t just flip pages and daydream about tomorrow’s plans. Much has been written about active reading, but generally we recommend that when you read you:

• Skim over the text before reading it. Look to see how long it is, where it’s published, how it may be divided into sections, what kind of works cited list it has, whether there are appendices, etc. Use the title to help you predict what the text is about and what it argues. This overview will help you to understand the context, genre, and purpose of this piece as well as help you gauge how long it will take you to read it and how it might be relevant to your class, paper, or project.
• Take notes about the text’s key ideas and your responses to those ideas. Depending on the text and your preferences, these notes could be made on your copy of the text or article or in a separate place. Notes will help you remember and process what the text is about and what you think about it.

In addition to these strategies, we firmly believe that one of the best ways to understand a book, article, essay, blog post, etc. is to write a summary of it. Specifically, we recommend that you use your reading to generate a rhetorical précis.

“Précis” is French for “specific” or “precise.” It’s also a particular kind of writing. When you write a précis you have to exactly and succinctly account for the most important parts of a text. If you write a successful précis, it is a good indication that you’ve read that text closely and that you understand its major moves and arguments. Writing a précis is an excellent way to show that you’ve closely read a text.

Disclaimer: There are different kinds of précis for different contexts. A legal précis is different from what we’re talking about here. Some précis are longer or shorter than others. If you are writing a précis as a course assignment, be sure to follow your instructor’s guidance on what this should consist of and how it should be formatted.

Sometimes rhetorical précis writing is a course requirement. However, even if you aren’t required to write a précis for a class, writing one can help you in a number of ways. Writing a précis guides your reading and directs your attention to the key aspects of a text. Précis writing prepares you to discuss a text and sets you up for that important next step: analysis. A rhetorical précis can even help you structure your annotated bibliography annotations or provide you with summary sentences to include in a paper as you account for your sources.

A rhetorical précis, as developed by Margaret K. Woodworth and described in her 1988 article “The Rhetorical Précis” (published by Rhetoric Review), consists of four dense but direct sentences.

• The first sentence identifies who wrote the text, where and when it was published, and what its topic and claim are.
• The second sentence explores how the text is developed and organized.
• The third sentence explains why the author wrote this, her purpose or intended effect.
• The fourth and final sentence describes the “for whom” of the text by clarifying who the intended or assumed audience of this text is.

Let’s look more closely at those four parts.

First Sentence: Who, Where, When, and What?

Start by identifying the author and offering any information that might help clarify who this person is in relation to this text. Is this a scholar? If so, what is her field? Is she a public official or a prominent blogger? Is he a public intellectual? A reporter? A spokesperson? Has he written other stuff? Locate a bio in the journal or the book cover. Do a quick internet search. Figuring out who the writer is will help you understand some of the texts’ context.

Next up, the publication. What is its title? Is it a book in a series or an article in a special collection? Does it appear in the leisure section of a local newspaper? Sometimes the title of the journal is self-explanatory, but at other times it’s unfamiliar or not clearly connected to a specific discipline. Explain it as necessary. Add the date in parentheses after the title of the text. Unless it’s a newspaper, magazine, or time-sensitive online article, usually just the year will suffice.

The rest of the sentence should be about the article’s topic—what it is about. In order to make this part particularly precise, use a rhetorically strong verb to describe the author’s claim. For example, the author may suggest, argue, analyze, imply, urge, contrast, or claim something.

Second Sentence: How?

In this sentence, provide a very condensed outline of how the author develops, structures, and supports the argument. What kind of evidence does the article draw upon? How is the case built? Perhaps by comparing and contrasting, illustrating, defining, or providing context? Perhaps the text starts out with a narrative and then moves into a description of several research studies? This sentence should account for all the most important moves made across this piece.

Third Sentence: Why?

What does the writer want the reader to do, believe, feel, or think about all this? What was the purpose of this text? In the first sentence, you told us what that author is arguing; now it is time to consider why the author has done all of this. Use an “in order to” phrase in this sentence to very clearly indicate the purpose.

Fourth Sentence: For Whom?

In the final sentence, identify the author’s intended audience and offer some rationale for how you know that to be the audience. Look back at the publication and think about who is likely to read this kind of magazine, journal, or book. Pay attention to the language used in this piece and how much background the writer provides. What does the writer assume readers believe, know, or value? Identifying the audience helps you consider how rhetorically effective this text is.

An Annotated Sample of a Rhetorical Précis

Take a look at this annotated précis of William Cronon’s 1995 article “The Trouble with Wilderness: Or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature.” It closely follows the précis structure outlined above.

In “The Trouble With Wilderness: Or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature” (1995), the opening essay of the edited collection Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, renowned environmental historian William Cronon [Comment: The information about who Cronon is was very easily located at the end of the article and through a quick internet search.] critiques the romantic idolization of supposedly untouched, vast wilderness and argues that such a perspective of wilderness negatively affects humankind’s relationship with nature. Cronon builds a historical case for wilderness as a human construct, explores the cultural and literary foundations for the belief that wilderness is a sublime frontier, identifies the problematic paradoxes inherent in this belief, and outlines the detriments of and possible paradigm–shifting solutions to this environmental problem. [Comment: One of the challenges of the second sentence is to decide what not to include. In this case, more could be said about what those paradoxes and detriments are, but since the focus here is on the “how” instead of the “what,” they have been left out. If those kinds of unidentified details are important enough, there is room to mention them more thoroughly in the third sentence.] Cronon opposes the perspective of wilderness as an idealized, non–human space in order to persuade his readers to live rightly in relationship to nature and embrace the reality that “home” as a welcoming, responsibility–requiring place encompasses both “wilderness” and “civilization.” [Comment: Often there is more than one “why,” so be on the look out for this as you actively read.] According to his specific identification, scholarly presentation, and publication venue, Cronon’s primary audience includes American environmentalist academics. [Comment: In the later third of this essay, Cronon uses the pronoun “we” to identify himself and his assumed readership. Often authors aren’t this useful in helping to identify an audience.]

Writing a good précis is a lot of work. It takes dedicated time and consideration. But, it can be useful in and of itself and productive in the development of additional academic writing. Of course, the most obvious application of a précis is connected to its function as a summary. In academic writing, we summarize sources all the time. Once you have written a précis, you can incorporate some of its sentences or ideas into your writing when you need to quickly account for a text’s argument, content, or purpose.

But a rhetorical précis is even more powerfully useful for writing analysis.

Etymologically, “analysis” comes from the Ancient Greek terms for “throughout” and “loosening.” When you analyze something, you deconstruct it, extract its parts, peer inside to see how everything fits together. You thoroughly loosen it in order to understand it better. When you’ve used a précis to lay out the primary elements of this text (the author; the argument’s what, how, and why; and the audience) in front of you, you’re ready to move on with your analysis. Analysis of nonfiction texts can take several forms, but three common ones are: evaluation and critique, comparison, and reflection.

Evaluation and Critique

Evaluating a text requires you to use your analysis to consider and critique the strengths and weaknesses of that piece of writing. Look back at the argument and audience and ask yourself some of these questions:

• Is this a persuasive argument for this group of readers?
• How well is the author’s argument developed and clarified through the structure of the text?
• Where does the logic of the argument and its supporting evidence cohere or fall apart?
• Do the author’s background, tone, evidence, and assumptions foster credibility?
• Does the piece achieve what the author intended?

Detailed answers—with examples—to any of these or similar questions could generate enough material for a close, analytical evaluation. Make sure that you are connecting your assertions about what works and doesn’t work in this text to the author, the argument’s development and purpose, and the audience. Make sure that you are looking deeply at how and why various elements of the text and its argument succeed or falter.

Through comparison, you bring together an analysis of more than one text. Start by writing a précis for each piece you have to compare. Then look at each précis side–by–side and ask yourself about how a sentence in one précis relates to the corresponding sentence in the other précis. Here are some questions to guide your thinking:

• Are all texts addressing a parallel idea?
• Are they making similar or different arguments?
• Have they employed similar methods to arrive at their arguments?
• Are they using the same kind of structure to develop those arguments?
• What is different about their intended audiences?
• Is one more or less successful or persuasive than the other?

Let what you identify as being similar and different about these texts guide your comparative analysis.

Reflection provides you with space to analyze a text in light of your experiences, perspectives, and ideas. In this kind of writing, you get to talk about yourself. In a way, a reflective analysis is kind of like a comparative analysis where the second text is you. Look back at that rhetorical précis and ask yourself questions like these, or other questions that connect what you know and have experienced with the text you have read:

• What else have you read or experienced that furthers or complicates the argument made by this text?
• How do you see that these ideas fit into the larger context of what you’ve been studying in this course?
• Why do you have a particular opinion or response towards this piece of writing?
• Moving forward, how can this text, its argument, or its presentation be influential in shaping your thinking or research?

In order to analyze a text, you need to understand key elements of it. Closely reading that text and summarizing it through a rhetorical précis can help you understand it better. In large part, the quality of your analysis will be dependent on the quality of your comprehension. So, give yourself the time you need to read carefully, think deeply, and analyze effectively.

Works Cited

Cronon, William. “The Trouble with Wilderness: Or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature.” Environmental History , vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 7–28.

Woodworth, Margaret K. “The Rhetorical Précis.” Rhetoric Review , vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 156–64.

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How to Write a Precis - A Step-by-Step Guide

It is common for students to confuse a précis with rhetorical analysis, reflection essays, and critical analysis. We get to clarify the confusion in just a moment.

However, for what it is worth, college life prepares you for the unforgiving life that awaits after graduation. One way it does this is through regular assignments that are timed. You can never afford to submit an assignment late if you want to be classified for a college degree.

When undertaking a college education, précis writing is one of the most important yet challenging tasks. At least, from our internal survey, it emerged that 3 out of 5 students find it hard to write a précis. The students also do not understand what a précis is and how to write a précis step by step.

In this article, we have compiled important facts on how to write a précis, explained its meaning and rules, and given you links to précis examples.

What is a Précis?

It would be prudent to begin by first reflecting on what a précis contains.

Well, it entails the thesis of the author and the main message or idea of the author. So, when you are asked to write a précis, you need to write a summary of the essential ideas of a longer composition between several texts.

It's also known as a position paper, which means you create a claim based on what you see as the connections between the text. What do these texts have in common? Are there similar ideas that appear in the readings so far? What are they?

A rhetorical précis can be defined as a summary of an original piece of text that includes the main ideas, arguments, and insights of the thesis of the author in that text.

It is a clear, accurate, and concise summary of a longer text in a connected, readable, and elaborate manner. You can also refer to it as an academic summary as it involves summarizing the main argument of a piece of academic writing, such as a peer-reviewed article.

In simple terms, a précis is like a synopsis of a text, article, or literature. Précis is a term borrowed from French, which means summary or

It should never be a narrative of what the author said in sequence. Rather, it is more of providing a skeleton of the arguments in the piece of work. A précis is also not rewriting or an essay.

Qualities and Features of a Rhetorical précis

When you are assigned to write a précis, here are some important elements that must feature in your paper:

• A précis summarizes the original article or academic text's content.
• Start your précis by creating a context (setting) and stating the main idea of the piece. Then, you should begin presenting the author's method for defending this thesis.
• Formal writing reveals the meaning and value of an original text.
• A rhetorical précis gives people who have no time to read an entire text the chance to understand its main points.
• Explains the core of the text in a structural format making it easy to spot the major points without skimming through pages.
• A précis can be written on a scholarly article, published work, or dissertation.
• Always state the name of the article/document, the author, and the source (is it from a magazine, book, encyclopedia, etc.)
• It is never a critical or interpretive piece of writing.
• It helps identify areas to concentrate on when reading.
• It is meant to improve the writing skills of the writers
• Titles of texts should be put in italics OR underlined
• When writing about history, use the past tense.

Précis writing is important as it helps the writer distinguish between what is regarded as useful and what is never. It is a comprehension exercise that allows the writer to present the gist of a passage in their own words.

Rules (or Do's) of Précis Writing

There are ten golden rules when writing a précis: you can call them the Dos of précis writing.

• Read the passage/text and determine its theme . While reading, focus on the theme or major argument expressed by the author.
• Précis writing means the art of remodeling. Your précis writing should reflect your prowess in using your own words to express the meaning of a text.
• Be concise, accurate, and clear. précis writing is never complete without brevity, yet it should not come at the expense of clarity or accuracy. Throw in some economy with words, and avoid ambiguity, obscurity, and vagueness.
• It should convince even those who have not read the text.  When writing a précis, ensure it is intelligible to anyone who has not read the original text. By reading your thesis, the reader should engage with the original text.
• A précis uses your own language.  Remember that a précis does not mean paraphrasing. Read and comprehend, then write.
• Forever stick to the third person.  Begin your  précis by identifying what the author says.
• Do not give a personal opinion.  Never give your personal comments or reflection on the piece of work. You will be deviating from précis writing. It should follow the order of the original text.
• A précis, by the rule of thumb, should be a third of the original text. Academic précis writing suggests that it should be between 100 and 200 words. A précis of a 20-page book or article should be between 2-3 pages. Look at how to write a  précis for a research article .
• Balance your précis.  Make sure you are filling the space not just with words but with substance from the text.
• When statistics are involved, use discretion . Unless the statistics are inevitable and utterly important, drop them when writing your précis.

The Don'ts when writing a Précis

When writing a précis, avoid doing these:

• Never use complicated vocabulary that might make your précis complex. Simplicity always has its place in academic writing. Overcome the urge to use tough vocabulary that are otherwise fillers.
• Never use the first-person pronoun when writing a précis. You are not allowed to use I or we when writing a précis.
• Never mention additional information other than your author's thesis, methods the author uses to present the thesis, the results, and their conclusion.
• Do not use abbreviations or contractions.
• Avoid words like big, good, bad, little, and a lot. Also, do not use the phrase "throughout history." This is cliché.
• Never copy sentences as they are from the original unless you are quoting, where you must also provide the right in-text citation.
• Avoid addressing wrong figures and facts. Every fact that you reference in your précis must be from your original.
• Do not use the words "in this article." Use the style "Crane argues that the most significant contribution of the Czechs was ... "
• When looking at primary sources, you should note the document's origin, purpose, value, and limitations.)
• Count your "and."

Remember, a rhetorical précis demonstrates that you have mastered the art of writing and can express your thoughts cogently and intelligibly. Therefore, you must uphold high clarity, correctness, objectivity, conciseness, and coherence.

The Structure/Format of a Précis

Although a critical or rhetorical précis is not an essay like an argumentative or expository essay , it follows the same structure.

A précis has an  introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion .

The introduction is usually a sentence with the author's name, the title of the original piece, the date of publishing, and the author's thesis statement. You can use verbs such as argues, explains, proves, expands the argument, demonstrates, etc.

Some writing experts and professors have suggested that you start your précis with a hook and then restate the thesis of the author of the original piece.

Each body paragraph of your précis should explain different parts of the original piece. Focus on the ideas, purpose, and evidence presented by the author.  

Do  not interpret, criticize, or analyze the arguments of the author . Where necessary, use quotes or phrases from the text but intelligibly. For instance, Paulo Coelho's quotation, It's part of the human condition to want to share things, thoughts, ideas, and opinions, could become Humans want to share ideas with others.

The conclusion of your précis should restate the main idea, summarize everything, and avoid making any personal judgments about the original piece.

How to Write a Précis Step-by-Step

So, you get a prompt like this one from your English 1102 class:

OBJECTIVE: Practice summarizing evidence and conclusions of academic articles in the rhetorical précis format to, ultimately, compose an annotated bibliography using sources that pertain to a topic of your interest.

PART I: Précis

• Select 2 relevant sources for examination. Both should be scholarly/peer-reviewed.
• Read carefully, looking for the main conclusions and the evidence to support those conclusions.
• Write a short paragraph for each source following the rhetorical précis model found on pp. 212 of the Guide to First-Year Writing.

You first wonder what you should do, how you can start, and how you will complete the paper. Instead of panicking, follow these eight steps and write a rhetorical précis that appeals to your professor : one they will forever use as an example. So how do you get to do it step-by-step? Here is how to proceed with writing your précis:

First Step: Read the prompt

Like other assignments, you must begin by reading the rhetorical précis essay prompt. In most cases, the prompt specifies the number of words. For instance, your professor might require you to write an 800:1000-word essay in MLA format. The prompt will also specify the exact pages or chapters if it is a book.

Second Step: Read the original piece

Read the text on which you are to write a précis several times. If it is short, 2-5 times is recommended; otherwise, two times is the standard for long texts. Use the headings and subheadings as your guide to getting the gist of the text.

Ensure that you read the assigned readings and understand each article's essence.  In other words, what is the central argument related to the theme discussed in class?

Third Step: Re-read the original and take notes

Annotate or mark the text as you read. Here is where you highlight the major points that stick out. You can do this by underlining or highlight the most important points in the original text. If you are reading using PDF readers, you can use the power to highlight and add notes. It helps you knit together the thesis of the author.

Fourth Step: Put together the highlighted ideas

If the author or novel words use evidence, take a keen interest and look them up. Also, study the statistics used to corroborate facts in the text.

Collect these highlighted passages in point form. Write a list of two or three main ideas the essays, articles, or original pieces share.

Fifth Step: Develop the thesis

Restate the authors' thesis in your own words. When doing this, be clear, accurate, and concise. If it is a long piece, try to find the major arguments that the author is bringing forth. Write a brief outline of your argument. 

Sixth Step: Breakdown your précis (outline)

Provide one to two sentence summaries of each paragraph from the author's work. If the text is long, divide it into sections or chapters and give a summary. Division by chapter would be prudent for a précis on a novel.

Seventh Step: Write the précis

write the précis. It should feature a short introductory paragraph, usually one sentence. Develop the body paragraph as outlined in the previous sections. Conclude the précis by summarizing the facts and restating the thesis.

Think of it this way: you summarize the lecture for a friend who missed the class, and the material will be on an upcoming test. Also, you may want to include a brief statement about the article's tone, audience, or purpose.

Ensure that you do great work when citing a précis. Consistently place the in-text citations per the recommended formatting style, such as MLA, APA, or Chicago formats.

Also, ensure that at the end of your paper, you have works cited, reference, or reference list page. Likewise, have an outstanding title page .

Eighth Step: Proofread, edit, and polish

Proofread, edit, and submit the précis paper on time. Consider revising the assignment prompt/instructions. Also, compare your précis with the original text and weed out any similarities. Focus on your grammar and spelling while ensuring you maintain coherence and clarity. You can read it aloud or use a third eye, such as online editing services .

Paragraphing: The Four-Sentence Rhetorical Précis

When writing your précis, you can adopt the four-sentence rhetorical précis paragraph format. This highly structured paragraph records the essential elements of the discourse, whether spoken or written.

Notably, each of the four sentences bears specific information, as we shall see shortly. When writing with this format, the précis might have brief quotations that convey the author's sense of style, unique voice, and tone.

First Sentence

• Name of the author (if possible, a description of their credential)
• The genre (essay, lecture, research paper, book chapter, book review, editorial, etc.
• Date (in parentheses)
• A rhetorically accurate present tense verb (argues, asserts, suggests, implies, claims, questions, concurs, explains, etc.
• The THAT clause, comes before mentioning the assertion or thesis statement from the author's text.

Second Sentence

• An explanation of how the author develops or supports the thesis (narration, comparison and contrasting, illustration, listing, telling, or definition, etc.)
• Explanation in chronological order as the items of support are presented in the original text
• Uses present tense verbs

Third Sentence

• Statement of the author's purpose in the original text
• An IN ORDER TO clause that explains what the author wants the audience to feel or do after reading the piece

Fourth Sentence

• A description of the author's tone: formal, informal, condescending, sarcastic, humorous, contemptuous, etc.
• Description of the intended audience

The four-sentence précis Template

First Sentence: (Author's full name) _______________________________________,  in his/her (essay, novel, poem, article, painting, short story, etc.) _______________________ (year for APA attribution)__________, asserts that ________________________________________. Second sentence: (Author's last name) ____________________________________ supports this assertion by (showing, offering, using, citing, challenging, etc.) _______________________________examples of______________________________________________________ . 

Third sentence: His/her purpose is to __________________________________. 

Fourth sentence: He/She (establishes, creates, constructs, suggests, offers, presents, etc.)   ____________________ a/an ______________________________________________________with/for his/her audience of ______________________________________________________________________________ who _________________.

Sample four-sentence rhetorical précis

Here are some examples of well-written précis paragraphs.

Sandra M. Gilbert, professor of English at the University of California, Davis, in her essay Plain Jane's Progress (1977), suggests that Charlotte Brontë intended Jane Eyre to resemble John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress in that Jane's pilgrimage through a series of events based on the enclosure and escape motif eventually lead toward the equality that Brontë herself sought. Gilbert supports this conclusion by using the structure of the novel to highlight the places Jane has been confined, the changes she undergoes during the process of escape, and the individuals and experiences that lead to her maturation concluding that "this marriage of true minds at Ferndean : this is the way" (501). Her purpose is to help readers see the role of women in Victorian England in order to help them understand the uniqueness and daring of Brontë's work. She establishes a formal relationship with her audience of literary scholars interested in feminist criticism who are familiar with the work of Brontë, Bunyan, Lord Byron, and others and are intrigued by feminist theory as it relates to Victorian literature.

Adapted from Source

Sheridan Baker, in his essay "Attitudes" (1966), asserts that writers' attitudes toward their subjects, their audiences, and themselves determine to a large extent the quality of their prose. Baker supports this assertion by showing examples of how inappropriate attitudes can make writing unclear, pompous, or boring, concluding that a good writer "will be respectful toward his audience, considerate toward his readers, and somehow amiable toward human failings" (58). His purpose is to make his readers aware of the dangers of negative attitudes in order to help them become better writers. He establishes an informal relationship with his audience of college students who are interested in learning to write "with conviction.

Analysis of the précis paragraph

NOTE that the first sentence identifies the author (Baker), the genre (essay), the title and date, and uses an active verb (asserts) and the relative pronoun that to explain what exactly Baker asserts. The second sentence explains the first by offering chronological examples from Baker's essay, while the third sentence suggests the author's purpose and WHY (in order to) he has set out that purpose (or seems to have set out that purpose -- not all essays are explicit about this information and readers have to put the pieces together). The final sentence identifies the primary audience of the essay (college students) and suggests how this audience is brought into/connected to the essay's purpose.

Toni Morrison, in her essay "Disturbing Nurses and the Kindness of Sharks," implies that racism in the United States has affected the craft and process of American novelists. Morrison supports her implication by describing how Ernest Hemingway writes about black characters in his novels and short stories. Her purpose is to make her readers aware of the cruel reality of racism underlying some of the greatest works of American literature in order to help them examine the far-reaching effects racism has not only on those discriminated against but also on those who discriminate. She establishes a formal and highly analytical tone with her audience of racially mixed (but probably mainly white), theoretically sophisticated readers, and critical interpreters of American literature.

In her article Who Cares if Johnny Can't Read? (1997), Larissa MacFarquhar asserts that Americans are reading more than ever despite claims to the contrary and that it is time to reconsider why we value reading so much, especially certain kinds of high culture reading. MacFarquhar supports her claims about American reading habits with facts and statistics that compare past and present reading practices, and she challenges common assumptions by raising questions about reading's intrinsic value. Her purpose is to dispel certain myths about reading to raise new and more important questions about the value of reading and other media in our culture. She seems to have a young, hip, somewhat irreverent audience in mind because her tome is sarcastic, and she suggests that the ideas she opposes are old-fashioned positions.

Adopted from this  source .

Statesman and philosopher, Thomas Jefferson, in The Declaration of Independence (1776), argues that God-given rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness entitle the colonists to freedom from the oppressive British government and guarantee them the right to declare independence. He supports his claim by first invoking the fact of our inalienable rights, then he establishes the circumstances under which a people can throw off an oppressive government; he next proceeds to show that these circumstances have been created by King George II whose oppressive rule now forces the colonists to the separation. The purpose of this document is to convince all readers of the necessity to officially declare independence from Great Britain in order to establish a separate independent nation, the United States of America. Jefferson establishes a passionate and challenging tone for a worldwide audience, but particularly the British and King George III.

Sample précis Questions

Here are two examples of précis homework assignment questions:

1. Write the précis of" liberation, division, and war." 

Write a précis which contains the following elements:

• What is the author's thesis
• How the author develops the thesis?
• Why you chose this reading? (If this helped you? how?)

2. Writing a précis

Lippi-Green, Teaching Children to Discriminate

Checklist of a Good précis

We cannot conclude our précis writing guide without exploring some of its great features. Here is a checklist to ensure your précis stands out.

• It should be clear, correct, objective, coherent, and concise.
• Has a mix of short and long sentences.
• The précis should have a unique title.
• Do not have irrelevant facts on the author or piece of work.
• Should only involve arguments of the author in the particular work.
• A précis that is not a critical analysis or reflection of the text.
• It is not a merely paraphrased version of the original text.
• Devoid of grammar or spelling mistakes.
• Formatted, styles, and organized in MLA, APA, Chicago, or Harvard.

Our Final Thoughts on Précis Writing

Our insights in this comprehensive guide can help you understand how to start and complete writing a précis. To be clear, no professor likes reading mediocre précis. So, make sure yours stands out.

Now that you know how to write a précis, we wish you well.

Related Read: Titling an article in an essay.

However, in modern times, students might seek help writing different essays. When you have a part-time job, no time to complete assignments, or you suck at writing, writing a précis can be torturous, so you should trust online custom writing services .

Our  paper writing service can come in handy and help you cover more work. We have professionals who are proficient in writing précis essays.

A skilled essay writer will read the text and write a précis for you. It is never a shame to seek help, as you have no other option, and failing is not an option in the competitive world.

Let us help you navigate the turbulence of college education. Above all, reading this article will inform you more about writing a précis. You are ready for the challenge; write it like a pro!

Gradecrest is a professional writing service that provides original model papers. We offer personalized services along with research materials for assistance purposes only. All the materials from our website should be used with proper references. See our Terms of Use Page for proper details.

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Rhetorical Precis

How to Write Rhetorical Precis? - A Step-by-Step Guide

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Precision Writing 101: How to Write a Precis

Picture this: you're handed a dense article, and your professor expects you to not just understand it but to distill its essence with clarity and precision. 

Sounds challenging, right? 

That's where rhetorical precis comes into play. Rhetorical precis are like the secret code for comprehension and analysis of those complex articles.

In this guide, we'll discuss how to write a perfect rhetorical precis. We will break down the step-by-step process with examples. So make sure you read through the end to understand the basics of writing a rhetorical precis.  

Let’s get started!

• 1. What is Rhetorical Precis?
• 2. How to Write Rhetorical Precis?
• 3. Rhetorical Precis Format
• 4. Rhetorical Precis Example
• 5. Tips for Writing a Good Rhetorical Precis

What is Rhetorical Precis?

Looking at the rhetorical precis definition:

A rhetorical precis is a concise and structured four-sentence paragraph summary that captures the essential elements of a written or spoken text. 

Rhetorical precis is a powerful tool that helps you break down and understand complex texts. It's like creating a condensed roadmap for the main ideas of an article. In simple terms, it's a structured summary that captures the author's key points, purpose, evidence, and style. 

Think of it as a decoder – turning complex passages into clear, manageable insights.

Origin and Historical Context

Originating from the Latin word "praecisus," meaning precise or concise. It embodies the essence of refining lengthy content into manageable summaries. Over time, it evolved into a structured approach, emphasizing clarity in articulating the core elements of scholarly works.

Importance of Rhetorical Precis 

• They break down complex texts for clearer understanding.
• They teach how to identify the main ideas and key arguments.
• Rhetorical precis enhances the ability to articulate ideas concisely and coherently.
• They encourage deeper engagement with academic material.
• Lastly, they help convey the essence of scholarly works with clarity .

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How to Write Rhetorical Precis?

While there isn't a rigid set of rules for writing a rhetorical precis, there are generally accepted guidelines to ensure an effective and accurate summary. 

Here are some basic steps to follow:

Step 1: Actively Read the Content

Before attempting to write a rhetorical precis, immerse yourself in the text. Read it carefully, paying close attention to the author's main arguments, supporting evidence, and overall message. Take notes on key concepts, phrases, and any significant literary devices used.

Example: For instance, consider an excerpt from Martin Luther King Jr.'s " I Have a Dream " speech. Read through the speech, identifying his main points about racial equality, justice, and the dream of a harmonious society.

Step 2: Create a Rhetorical Precis Outline

Creating an outline is a crucial step in the rhetorical precis process. It helps you identify the major components of the text and organize your thoughts coherently. When outlining, focus on pinpointing key themes, arguments, and the overall structure of the text. 

Here's a template for organizing the rhetorical precis structure using Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech as an example:

Step 3: Write the Opening Sentence (Introduction)

Craft an opening sentence that introduces the author, title, and the context of the text. This sentence sets the stage for the rest of the precis. 

For example:

Step 4: Write Down the Summary Sentence (Body)

Compose a sentence that concisely summarizes the main ideas of the text. Capture the essence of the author's message without delving into specific details. 

For King's speech, it could be something like this:

Step 5: Draft the Purpose Sentence (Body)

Articulate the author's purpose in writing the text. Consider why the author chose particular words, examples, or persuasive techniques.

For the example above, you might write: 

Step 6: State the Closing Sentence (Conclusion)

Conclude your rhetorical precis by summarizing the significance of the text. Reflect on the broader implications of the author's message. 

For Example:

Step 7: Refine with Proofreading

Once you've drafted your rhetorical precis, take a moment to proofread. Look for any grammatical errors, ensure clarity in your statements, and check the precis against the original text to guarantee accuracy.

This step is crucial to maintaining the integrity of your precis and ensuring it accurately reflects the author's intended message. Consider using a rhetorically accurate verb in your thesis statement to emphasize the writer's technique.

Step 8: Revise for Precision

After proofreading, revise your rhetorical precis with a focus on precision. Evaluate each sentence to ensure it aligns with the overall thesis statement of the work. 

Utilize a verb such as "asserts" to highlight the author's conviction, emphasizing the strength of their argument. Also, consider the intended audience.

If you looking for general steps to write a precis make sure to read our “ How to write a precis ’ blog! 

Rhetorical Precis Format

When formatting a rhetorical précis, it typically follows a specific structure with four sentences. Here's a breakdown of each rhetorical précis 4 sentences:

• Name of the author, the title of the work, the date in parentheses:

Provide the author's name, the title of the work, and the publication date (if available). This sentence should be a clear and concise introduction to the text.

• A statement of the author's main argument or purpose:

Summarize the main argument or purpose of the text. Focus on the author's thesis and the key points that support it. This sentence should be specific and to the point.

• A summary of the text's key points:

Highlight the major points or evidence the author uses to support their argument. This sentence should provide a condensed overview of the key ideas in the text, focusing on the most important elements.

• A statement of the author's method and tone:

Describe the author's tone and any rhetorical strategies used to convey their message. Consider the author's style, tone, and any notable techniques employed. This sentence should convey how the author presents their argument.

Here's an example of a rhetorical précis in the specified format:

Rhetorical Precis Example

When tackling an assignment for the first time, reading examples can be very useful.  They help you understand the basic concept and writing structure. 

Here are some rhetorical precis pdf examples to help you get started:

Rhetorical Precis Sample

Rhetorical Précis AP Lang

Rhetorical Precis Worksheet

Tips for Writing a Good Rhetorical Precis

Here are some essential tips that you will find helpful while writing a precis: 

• Keep your precis brief and to the point . Aim for clarity and brevity, avoiding unnecessary details or elaborations.
• Write in the third person . This means using the author's name and avoiding personal pronouns like "I" or "you."
• Write in the present tense to convey the enduring nature of the text's content. This adds a sense of immediacy to your summary.
• A rhetorical precis is not the place for personal opinions . Stick to presenting the author's ideas without adding your interpretation or critique.
• Ensure that your precis is clear and coherent. Readers should be able to understand the main points of the text without referring back to the original.
• Use precise and accurate language . Be mindful of your word choices to capture the nuances of the original text.
• While summarizing main ideas, avoid repetition . Each sentence should contribute new information to the overall summary.
• Your goal is to present the author's work objectively. Avoid injecting personal biases or emotions into your summary.
• Reflect on the author's logical progression of ideas . Ensure that your summary flows in a way that mirrors the structure of the original text.

Moving towards the end!

This guide has taken you through the essential steps, format, and outline for crafting a rhetorical precis. By exploring practical examples, we aimed to simplify the process, offering a clear understanding of how to approach this nuanced form of summarization.

We hope that this blog has equipped you with the necessary tools to confidently undertake rhetorical precis assignments. However, if you find yourself in a time crunch don't hesitate to reach out to our professional writing service at MyPerfectWords.com .

Place your " do my essay " request today to enhance your writing experience!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the benefit of writing a rhetorical precis.

A precis is a great way to show that you've read and understood the text. In addition, it improves your critical thinking skills.

Do you use quotes in rhetorical precis?

Yes, you can easily use quotes in rhetorical precis.

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What is a rhetorical précis?

A précis is a highly structured summary of a text, focusing on the text’s argument and presentation.  It is a type of academic writing presenting factual information only, without opinions of the précis writer.

The opening sentence names the text, its author, genre and publication date followed by a clause naming the thesis of the work.

The second sentence explains how the author develops the thesis, with information usually presented in the same order as in the original text.

The third sentence explains why the text was written, often followed by an “in order to” phrase.

The fourth sentence either describes the intended audience or the tone of the text.

Let’s look at a précis I wrote about the Declaration of Independence:

In the Declaration of Independence (July 1776), Thomas Jefferson argues that because King George III usurped the liberties of British citizens in the North American colonies, those citizens were declaring their independence from Britain.  Jefferson divides the Declaration into four parts:  the preamble, a short paragraph explaining that the world has a right to know why the colonies are separating; second, the most quoted part, the philosophical justification for the separation; third, the longest section, the list of grievances against King George III; and fourth, another short paragraph declaring independence.  Jefferson’s purpose was to present a logical and legally sound justification for the separation in order to gain the support of all 13 colonies and of potential international allies.  The author’s tone is formal as befits the seriousness of the purpose.

Why are students asked to write a précis?  A précis demands summarizing, analyzing and culling a text into a concise format, eliminating opinion.  Writing a good précis proves whether a student understands a text and whether a student can write.

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How to Write a Rhetorical Precis – with Examples

Rhetoric is any form of communication, written or spoken, that’s meant to persuade or be persuasive. A rhetorical precis summarizes an argument that includes the author’s opinion, thesis statement, and conclusion. Rhetorical précis is also sometimes called rhetorical impression or rhetorical analysis.

The rhetorical precis should be concise, clear, and engaging. It is a good idea to show the reader how you will approach your document for them to understand what they can expect at its conclusion.

This post will provide examples as well as tips on how to write a good rhetorical précis.

Just follow the simple steps below!

What is the Definition of Rhetorical Precis?

‘Précis’ is a French word meaning summary. A rhetorical précis is a summary essay that analyzes the main ideas in an academic text. Rhetoric is any form of communication, spoken or written discourse, that’s meant to persuade or be persuasive

A rhetorical précis usually contains two or three paragraphs about what you read, as well as quotes and paraphrasing phrases to show how they all tie together and make sense with each other.

What is the Purpose of Rhetorical Précis?

The purpose of a rhetorical précis is to quickly summarize and analyze what someone has written, often used as introductions to a thesis statement or for assigned readings.

Types of Rhetoric Precis

Persuasive, argumentative, decision-making, informative, and definitional. It is essential to decide which type of rhetorical precis you will write before writing it.

Persuasive rhetoric is more common than the other types, and it usually includes providing a solution for a problem or question. For example, “I think that we should ban all guns in America because then we can prevent mass shootings like the one in Las Vegas.”

Informative: The goal of an informative precis is to describe a work, not provide a solution. For example, “The author wants to show that religion has been disconnected from modern society and psychoanalysis helps us understand life better.”

Decision-making: A decision-making precis helps the reader decide on if they should read more on the subject or not. For example, “I think that we should ban all guns in America because then we can prevent mass shootings like the one in Las Vegas.”

Definitional: A definitional precis helps the reader understand or explain a concept to themselves or others. For example, “I think that psychoanalysis is the process of uncovering unconscious thoughts and feelings through dialogue with a psychoanalyst.”

 What Are the Steps to Write a Rhetorical Précis?

The steps to writing a précis are as follows:

Step 1: Find the Topic Sentence

The topic sentence is usually found within or near the thesis statement, and it tells you what position the author takes on that particular issue.

It should offer a concise overview of their stance on this issue to orient your reader about where they are heading with this argument.

Step 2: Find the Evidence for that Position

Find the evidence for that position and other pieces of information needed to make an informed assessment about it (i.e., contextual background or historical viewpoint). You may also find multiple arguments within one piece of content.

Identify which points support your thesis and add those as evidence while leaving out any that contradict your position. Craft a precis that is relevant and stands on its own, not just for repetition of the original text

Step 3: Find the Conclusion of the Argument

Find the conclusion of this argument, either within or near the author’s conclusions (or sometimes their rebuttal). This is where you tie everything together and convey what point you are trying to make about this issue analytically.

Step 4: Write a Concise Introduction

The introduction to a rhetorical précis should be short and concise. You’ll want to let the audience know what you are trying to accomplish. Give enough background information, so they understand where this argument is coming from.

An example of an intro paragraph would go like this: “This essay will explore how persuasive techniques can be used to persuade the public, creating a better understanding of how those techniques work.”

Include all three parts in your essay-preamble, body paragraphs, and conclusion. The preamble should introduce what you are going to discuss. The body paragraphs should address the main idea of what you are talking about. The decision should summarize your argument.

What is a Good Rhetorical Précis?

There are certain things you will want to follow to create a successful rhetorical precis.

• To write a solid rhetorical précis, carefully analyze the critical elements found in the passage before writing your opinion about what is being said by the author.
• Keep your introduction short and concise with plenty of background information.
• Present all potential sides of an issue before drawing any conclusions about it. Ensure the analysis follows in chronological order.
• Use evidence to support your argument and to create a strong rhetorical precis.
• Ensure you keep the content engaging and concise even though it is an analytical paper.

Examples of Rhetorical Précis

In the introduction of his book, The Freudian Ethic: Psychoanalysis and Modern Moral Problems Phillip Rieff (1973) begins by setting the tone of his work. He states that “It is my purpose to understand why we cannot today offer a religious account of life, and to do so I shall make use of psychoanalysis” (3).

Here, Rieff immediately calls out Freud’s psychoanalysis as the tool he will use to understand his thesis better. This sets up an idea of what the book aims to do. The reader should be aware that this work will not necessarily offer religious answers but rather understand why religion might not work. Using psychoanalytic theory, Rieff suggests that religion has been disconnected from modern society and thus fails to answer questions about life. Despite this disconnection, the author argues that Freud’s psychoanalysis is a way for contemporary thinkers to understand life better.”

Rieff establishes his thesis in the first sentence of The Freudian Ethic.

First, Rieff (1973) writes in the first person and directly quotes from his book a rhetorical analysis.

In the first sentence, the introduction, he says, “it is my purpose to understand why we cannot today offer a religious account of life; and to do so, I shall make use of psychoanalysis” (3).

Here, Rieff is establishing that his thesis is that religion has been disconnected from modern society and Freud’s theory helps us understand life in modern society better. Psychoanalysis will give us a better understanding of life in the contemporary world. The second sentence is another quote from Rieff’s book, which directly explains to the reader what the author is trying to do with his work.

Lastly, we can see a small reference in parentheses at the end of this sentence, which provides us with information about the writer and where he got his information from.

In this article, I have provided you with an example of a rhetorical precis that is persuasive, well-defined, and includes citations.

The author’s thesis is that religion has been disconnected from modern society and Freudian psychoanalysis helps us understand life better.

In his article, “Criminal Law and the Psychoanalytic Theory of Motivation: Some Problems in Conceptualization,” Wendell E. Gardner (1961) argues that there are many problems to be solved when applying psychoanalytic theory to crime.

First, he argues that it is difficult to understand why people commit crimes because there is no one-to-one correspondence between criminal behavior and neurotic symptoms.

For example, he says that “a psychoanalytically trained mind may view all human behavior as being determined by irrational motivation. To the extent that this attitude is accepted, it tends to discredit all efforts toward formulating generalizations of the basis for specific forms of behavior” (38).

Here, Gardner is saying that there are many problems to consider when applying psychoanalysis to criminal law. In particular, he says that it is difficult to understand why people commit crimes.

However, the psychoanalytic theory does not give us a one-to-one correspondence between neurotic symptoms and criminal behavior, which can discredit all efforts to understand human behavior. This complicates psychoanalytic theory as a way to understand criminal behavior better.

Gardner (1961) writes in the third person and provides supporting evidence for his arguments such as “a psychoanalytically trained mind may view all human behavior as being determined by irrational motivation.”

Gardner also provides a quote from another scholar, Kenneth Benne, making it an outside source.

The first sentence of the introduction gives some background information on Gardner’s work. He states, “that criminal conduct is behavior which society purports to punish; and that, while its sanctions prevent many people from engaging in such conduct (i.e., they act as deterrents), other persons persist despite these sanctions” (36). This helps the reader understand where Gardner is trying to go with his arguments.

The third sentence is a thesis statement for the article. It says, “that criminal behavior is determined by other than neurotic factors and that society must develop ways of dealing with such conduct other than punishment” (36).

The author’s thesis goal is to explain why we cannot apply psychoanalysis as the basis for understanding human behavior in legal contexts.

How Many Words Should a Rhetorical Precis Be?

A rhetorical precis should be about 300 words long. The introduction to a rhetorical precis should be short and concise. You’ll want to let the audience know what you are trying to accomplish. Give enough background information, so they understand where this argument is coming from.

Where Does a Rhetorical Précis Go?

A rhetorical precis should go near the end of your thesis. A commonplace to put it is in a list immediately before you wrap up with a conclusion paragraph. The paragraph briefly summarizes what you’ve written and then suggests another article or book for readers who want more information on this topic.

Alternatively, if there are other articles about a similar topic, the writer might want to write a series of rhetorical analyses. In this case, a writer might decide to put the rhetorical précis first.

Qualities and Characteristics of Rhetoric Precis?

The term “rhetorical precis” refers to the process of distilling an article’s content down to its most essential points to make it easier for your intended audience to read, understand, and remember.

• Your précis writing should be precise, informative, and clear. It typically takes the form of a list, with each point you make about your topic starting with a subheader. During précis writing, do not include unnecessary details. Your analysis should flow in chronological order.
• Rhetorical précis contains all the necessary information, which is concisely written in simple and easy wordings.
• The goal of a rhetorical précis is not simply to summarize the original piece but also to analyze what the text means.
• The author’s purpose should include paraphrasing and direct quotes from the original text to illustrate their points about it. Include brief quotations to support your analysis. Be careful not to have too many, or your summary will sound like a patchwork of quotes.
• A rhetorical precis should be written in the third-person point of view and should indicate what stance the writer is taking on the topic.

What Should Be Avoided in Precis Writing?

A good rhetorical analysis should not have any of the following:

• First-person point of view,
• Excessive use of quotes from the original text to make a point,
• Excessive use of citations and footnotes,
• Mathematics or numbers,
• Excessive use of bullet points or numbers, and
• Long sentences.

A rhetorical précis is an analytical essay that summarizes the main points of a longer text and analyzes it from different perspectives to give readers a better understanding. Rhetoric is any form of communication, spoken or written discourse, that’s meant to persuade or be persuasive.

They are often used in academic writing as introductions to an article or as summaries for reading assignments. Rhetorical précis can also be helpful if you have many readings to review for a particular topic.

To write an effective rhetorical précis, a writer will need to:

• Select the appropriate text
• Craft an argument that stands on its own and addresses all three parts of the essay–preamble (introduction), body paragraphs, and the summarizing part.
• In the preamble, mention what you are going to discuss. The body paragraphs should address the main ideas of your article, and the conclusion should summarize it.
• A good rhetorical précis will always have some analysis to it. If there is no analysis, it’s just a summary. Your analysis should flow in chronological manner-organize events as they follow.
• Use an engaging style and tone in your argument. It will keep your readers focused on what you are trying to say. Include examples to illustrate how effective the rhetorical précis can be for academic writing.

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Writing a rhetorical précis

Structured summaries to remember and retrieve what you read

October 7, 2022

Photo by Maksym Kaharlytskyi on Unsplash

What is a rhetorical precis?

A rhetorical precis is a short summary and analysis of a piece of writing, which considers both the content and the delivery of the piece.

A rhetorical precis serves to summarise and analyse the text through:

• an accurate bibliographic reference to the text,
• a list of keywords relating to the text,
• a highly structured four-sentence paragraph providing a summary and analysis of the text.

Why write one?

Keeping a rhetorical precis for each text that you read is a fantasitc way to build the skills of active reading and succinct writing. A rhetorical precis is more informative than a bib entry and more easily reviewed (read: waded through) than a stack of annotated papers.

Taken collectively, a set of rhetorical precis summaries provide a reading record that can be a tremendously useful when trying to recall the contents of a paper or book long after you originally read it.

How to store them?

Writing and storing these reading summaries electronically can make them even more useful. This allows you to search for topics, target audiences or keywords.

For this reason it can be helpful to keep them all together in one word document or plain text file. Alternatively, having a single folder with each summary as a plain text or markdown file works well if you are comfortable with searching at the command line. The same can be achieved by writing these summaries within a reference manager, if that is something you are invested in already.

Just to prove that I’m not making all this up:

A rhetorical precis analyzes both the content (the what) and the delivery (the how) of a unit of spoken or written discourse. It is a highly structured four-sentence paragraph blending summary and analysis. Each of the four sentences requires specific information; students are expected to use brief quotations (to convey a sense of the author’s style and tone) and to include a terminal bibliographic reference. Practicing this sort of writing fosters precision in both reading and writing, forcing a writer to employ a variety of sentence structures and to develop a discerning eye for connotative shades of meaning. Attribution: lumenlearning.com

Four sentences summarising the aim of the work, how this is addressed, why it is important and a description of the target audience.

• Name of author, [optional phrase describing author], genre and title of work, date in parentheses (additional publishing information in parentheses); a rhetorically accurate verb (such as “asserts,” “argues,” suggests,” “implies,” claims,” etc.); a THAT clause containing the major assertion or thesis statement of the work.
• An explanation of how the author develops and/or supports the thesis, usually in chronological order.
• A statement of the author’s purpose followed by an “in order to” phrase.
• A description of the intended audience and/or the essay’s tone

A (self-indulgent) example

Here is a rather self-indulgent example of a rhetorical precis.

varty2021inference

Title: Inference for extreme earthquake magnitudes accounting for a time-varying measurement process. {ArXiV preprint, 2021} (20 pages).

Authors: Zak Varty, Jonathan Tawn, Peter Atkinson and Stijn Bierman.

Key words: extreme value , earthquake , threshold selection , magnitude of completion , seismology , bootstrap.

In this paper, Varty et al (2021) propose a new threshold selection method for modelling earthquake catalogues, where the magnitude distribution is stationary but detection of small events improves over time. The paper generalises the Gutenberg-Richter law to the GPD and uses metrics based on PP and QQ plots to balance between bias and variance when selecting a time-varying threshold. This procedure more than doubles the usable catalogue size for Groningen earthquakes and gives the first emprircal evidence that the magnitude distribution in this region has a finite upper end point. The paper is targeted at applied and research statisticians with an interest in EVT but would also be accessible to a statistically-minded seismologist.

A template for new entries

firstauthorYYYYkeyword

Title: Title goes here. {Journal, YYYY} (NN pages).

Authors: Author One, Author Two and Author Three. (optional affiliations)

Key words: key word 1 , key word 2 , key work 3 .

• What is the document and what does it say?
• How do they do / show this?
• Why are they bothering to do this in the first place?
• Who is the intended audience for this work?

In this DOC_TYPE, AUTHOUR VERB that THESIS_STATEMENT. They DO/SHOW this by ACTIONS. This is important to PEOPLE because REASONS. This work would be useful when PEOPLE are doing ACTIVITY.

In order to continue enjoying our site, we ask that you confirm your identity as a human. Thank you very much for your cooperation.

How to Write a Precis: Definition, Guide, & Examples

A précis is a brief synopsis of a written piece. It is used to summarize and analyze a text’s main points. If you need to write a précis for a research paper or the AP Lang exam, you’ve come to the right place.

In this comprehensive guide by Custom-Writing.org , you’ll find:

• explanations of different précis formats,
• a step-by-step writing guide,
• 4 précis samples,
• answers to frequent questions.
• 📚 Précis Definition
• 📝 Format Types
• ✅ Step-by-Step Guide
• 📋 Précis Examples

🔍 References

📚 what is a precis.

Précis is a type of writing that represents crucial ideas of the text and has a fixed structure. It’s close to an essay in format, but it consists of only 4 sentences with specific content:

• Author’s name, genre, and title of work. It also contains the thesis statement (what the author claims or suggests.)
• How the author reveals the thesis. It’s usually discussed in the same order as in the original text.
• Explanation of the text’s purpose. This part answers the questions “why?” and “what for?”
• Description of author’s tone and the audience. This sentence discusses who the author appeals to.

Writing a précis can be helpful in many cases, such as:

• preparation for complex text analysis,
• creation of an annotated bibliography,
• writing of a research paper summary,
• improvement of critical thinking and analytical skills.

Difference between Summary and Precis

Even though “ summary ” is a synonym of “précis,” there are some crucial differences between these two things. The main distinction lies in structure: a précis always consists of 4 sentences, while a summary’s structure can vary. Have a look at the comparison below.

📝 Precis Format Types

Now you know what a précis is, but that’s not all of it. There are also different formats of précis writing: critical, rhetorical, research, and literary . In this section, we will examine their features and structure.

Critical Precis Definition & Structure

A critical précis focuses on an argument and reveals the text’s reasoning. It’s also the most common précis format. While working on a critical précis, follow these writing rules for each sentence:

• Formulate an argument expressed in the original piece of writing.
• Point out the author’s reasoning and its essential steps.
• Analyze the evidence on how this reasoning supports the author’s argumentation.
• Discuss what kind of audience the author appeals to.

Rhetorical Precis Definition & Structure

A rhetorical précis is an analytical review of the original text’s content and persuasion methods. It reveals the most crucial points of the paper and shows how it works rhetorically. This format is one of the AP Lang assignments.

Each of the 4 elements of a rhetorical précis structure expresses specific information:

• Background information and thesis statement .
• The author’s argument used to support the thesis.
• Explanation of the text’s purpose .
• Analysis of the rhetorical devices the author uses to persuade the audience.

Research Precis Definition & Structure

Research précis is similar to the critical one, but it’s aimed to give a brief structured synopsis of a research paper. The 4 elements of this précis type are as follows:

• Description of the research’s purpose and issues raised by the author.
• Summary of all the methods used by the researcher.
• Summary of the research results and findings .
• Explanation of the research’s significance .

Literary Precis Definition & Structure

Literary précis is an argumentative summary of a text with attention to its literary devices. The purpose and contents of this type differ from other précis types. Have a look at this format’s structure:

• The text’s title, genre, and central theme .
• Plot summary : the principal characters, place and time of the narration, and the main conflict.
• The text’s overall purpose : what thoughts and feelings the author wants to evoke in the minds of their audience.
• The analysis of literary devices the author uses to achieve the desired effect.

✅ How to Write a Precis Step by Step

Now, let’s see what exactly you need for writing an excellent précis.

We’ll start with the pre-writing stage . As soon as this stage is done, the writing will be far more manageable. The following tips can help you with it:

• Start with reading the original text thoroughly and note down the essential information.
• Summarize each paragraph in a single sentence.
• Don’t forget to mention the text’s central thesis, methods, and purpose in your notes.

It can be beneficial if you use the mind mapping method for organizing the main ideas from the reading. Putting all the main points to the chart or diagram helps you organize your thoughts and create a good plan for your essay. When you do this, you only need to connect the points you’ve already outlined. Check out this article by the University of Kansas to learn more about mind mapping and other pre-writing techniques .

Precis Outline

Below you’ll find a detailed outline that explains how to write a précis. Check it out to make your writing process easier:

Step #1. Give some background information about the text.

• State the text’s title and the author’s name. You can also add some publishing information, such as the number of the edition.
• Mention the text’s central idea or theme.

Step #2. Show how the author develops their arguments and supports the thesis.

• Focus on the evidence used by the author rather than the specific details of their reasoning.
• When writing the literary précis, focus on literary devices the author uses to develop the theme.

Step #3. Clarify the purpose of the work.

• If you’re writing a rhetorical or critical précis, build your sentences using the phrase “in order to.”
• Avoid repeating the thesis. Instead, analyze the author’s motive and goals.

Step #4. Demonstrate what type of audience the author appeals to.

• To detect the intended audience, analyze the text’s theme, thesis, and tone.
• The type of audience usually depends on the author. For example, scholars typically appeal to their colleagues interested in the topic. Writers of fiction can appeal to any social group or society as a whole.

Rhetorical Precis Template

To help you structure your précis, we’ve created a sample template that you can download in PDF format below. All you need to do is to print it out and fill in the blanks.

• [Name of the author] in his/her [type of the text] titled [the text’s title] argues that [the text’s main argument].
• The author supports his/her arguments by [evidence presented by the author].
• The author’s purpose is to [what the author wants to achieve] in order to [the text’s intended effect on readers].
• The author writes in a [description of the text’s tone] tone for [the type of audience].

Rhetorical Precis: Verbs & Sentence Starters

Want to make your précis stand out? You can do it by using certain clichés and rhetorically accurate verbs. They will help you describe the writer’s reasoning precisely.

Check out this list of common précis words and sentence starters that you can use:

Precis Format Tips

When you finish the writing, it’s time to start proofreading your text. Proofreading means looking for grammar and spelling errors in your text, and it helps you improve your text and correct all the mistakes. Here are some tips for proofreading your text successfully:

• If you have doubts about the sentence structure, it’s better to use simple sentences.
• Check the spelling errors. If you can’t use a dictionary, it’s better not to use words that you barely know.
• Give your text to someone else to check if everything is correct.
• You may also use grammar and spell checkers.

It’s also crucial to format your text correctly. Be sure that you’re following style requirements:

• Use 12 font size and double space intervals and at least 1-inch margins on all sides.
• Write your name at the end.
• Write in the author’s voice instead of reporting their words indirectly.
• Keep the same order of ideas as in the original text.

Precis Writing Checklist

Now you’re all set to start working on your précis. To make things even easier for you, we’ve prepared a checklist you can use while writing:

📋 Precis Examples: Different Types

We’ve prepared for your high school and college examples of different précis to help you write one of your own. Feel free to use them as inspiration.

Critical Precis Example

Rhetorical Precis Example

Research Precis Example

Literary Precis Example

Precis Essay Topics

• Précis of Everyday Use by Alice Walker
• Write a summary of COVID-19 related articles
• Synopsis of On the American Working Class
• Create a précis of Wearables by Linnie Greene
• Present a brief summary of Overview of the Immune Response
• Write a synopsis of 3 lung cancer articles
• Précis of an article by Douglas C. Engelbart
• Summary of the article Maternal Stress and Sensitivity: Moderating Effect of Positive Affect
• Write a concise synopsis of Consider the Lobster
• Present a précis of a journal article
• Summary of the article Coming to the Aid of Women in U.S. Prison by D.S. McClellan
• Come up with a synopsis of an article in Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry
• Summary of the article The HR Challenges Shaping the Healthcare Industry
• Write a synopsis of a research paper on evidence-based interventions for anxiety
• Make a précis of the study Practice Nurse Use of Evidence in Clinical Practice
• Present a short summary of the article Robotic Kidney Transplantation: One Year After the Beginning
• Create a synopsis of an article critique
• Short summary of the film The Great Debaters
• Summary of the article Breast Cancer and Exercise
• Write a synopsis of the article Assessment and Management of Sexual Dysfunction in the Context of Depression
• Précis of the article Maternal Stress and Sensitivity: Moderating Effect of Positive Affect
• Make a reading summary of two social articles
• Summary of Examining Evidence-Based Interventions to Prevent Inpatient Falls
• Short synopsis of the article You Know Nothing, John Doe!
• Précis and analysis of the article My Turn: $15 an Hour Minimum Wage Would Slow Economy
• Summary of McCallum’s Followership
• Present a comparative synopsis of Woolf’s and Brady’s feminist articles
• Précis of Business Careers with High Pay
• Summary of Women Should Have to Register for the Draft
• Write a synopsis of The Spirit in Creation by D. Williams
• Précis of sports and organizational conflict articles
• Write a summary and analysis of the article New Bases of Competitive Advantage
• Synopsis of Asleep on the Job
• Précis of Sleep, Health, and Wellness at Work
• Summary of Leadership Characteristics and Digital TransFormation
• Present a synopsis of Tweeting Social Change by Guo & Saxton
• Précis of the article The Nature of Things: Biomimicry
• Summary of How to Develop a Strategic Mindset
• Synopsis of Coalition Brings Pressure to End Forced Uighur Labor
• Write a précis of 2 gender inequality articles
• Present a summary of Chopin’s The Story of an Hour
• Synopsis of The Necklace
• Make a précis of The Garden Party by Catherine Mansfield
• Summary of Zika Virus Disease: A Public Health Emergency of International Concern
• Write a synopsis of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House
• Create a short précis of Letter from Birmingham Jail
• Make a summary of Seven Jewish Children by Caryl Churchill
• Synopsis of A Rose For Emily by Faulkner
• Present a précis of Googling Your Date by Martha Irvine
• Write a summary of Get Your Bonds Ready for a Fed Rate Boost

Now you’re ready to write your précis! Use this guide every time you need to write a task for college or if you need to prepare for AP Lang exams. We wish you best of luck with your writing assignments!

Further reading:

• How to Write an Abstract Step-by-Step: a Guide + Examples
• How to Write a Reflection Paper: Example & Tips
• How to Write a Critical Thinking Essay: Examples & Outline
• How to Write a Personal Essay: Topics, Structure, & Examples

❓ Precis Writing FAQs

1. Write the author’s name and title of the text. Briefly recap the thesis 2. Write a summary of the text. 3. Explain the text’s purpose. 4. Describe what rhetorical devices the author used to persuade the readers.

In British and American English, the word “précis” is pronounced as pray-see (with the stress on the 2nd syllable.) It comes from the French language. Originally this word meant “summary,” and it’s related to the word “precise.”

Précis size can vary depending on the format and original text. According to précis writing rules, the rhetorical format should consist of 4 sentences, each being a separate paragraph. A précis is supposed to be about 100-200 words long. Sometimes it can be 1/5 of the original text’s length.

Rhetorical précis is a type of writing used to summarize and analyze a text. Rhetorical précis represents both the content and method of the analyzed text. This type of précis differs from the summary as it shows how the text works rhetorically.

The word “précis” has plural meanings. It can be a synonym for “summary” or a separate type of academic writing. A précis represents crucial ideas of the text and has a specific structure. This word is derived from French and originally means “precise.”

• A Review of Critical Reading Skills: Palomar College
• Writing a Summary or Rhetorical Précis to Analyze Nonfiction Texts: University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Rhetorical Précis: Lumen Learning
• Writing a Useful Précis for a Research Article: University of Washington
• Précis: Texas A&M University
• How to Write a Précis: Monmouth University
• Writing a Précis: Wilfried Laurier University
• Mapping: Gallaudet University
• The Rhetorical Précis: Folsom Cordova Unified School District
• All about Précis Writing: Purdue University
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Precis Writing: How to Summarize Complex Ideas in Simple Terms

Table of contents

• 1.1 Summary vs Précis
• 1.2 Rhetorical Précis Structure Parts
• 2 Key Elements of a Précis
• 3.1 Step 1: Read the Original Text
• 3.2 Step 2: Start Brainstorming Ideas
• 3.3 Step 3: Make an Outline
• 3.4 Step 4: Re-read the Original Text
• 3.5 Step 5: Write a précis
• 3.6 Step 6: Proofread and Edit
• 4 Precis Format
• 5.1 Do’s
• 5.2 Dont’s
• 7 Brevity With Brilliance

While many students will not know the term, precis is important in academic writing, research studies, and the composition of scientific reports. The word “precis” comes from French, which translates as precise or to the point . College professors tend to ask for it to evaluate students’ writing skills and ability to write concise summaries. Let’s continue learning about the evaluation criteria.

By completing this article, you will learn how to write a precis and master the following aspects:

• The purpose of a precise writing.
• Explanation of rhetorical precis.
• Key elements of a precis and steps to composing a perfect precis.
• Formatting rules.
• A precise writing example.

What is a précis?

Precis represents a short synopsis of another written piece, like a book or a scholarly article. The purpose is to summarize the principal ideas without turning them into a critical analysis. Still, you must provide your target audience with the summary of specific ideas from the original piece with the help of your précis writing, simply making it clearer and using brevity as the driving force.

When composing a precis, you must summarize the author´s argumentation instead of craft an article summary of the original piece. The trick is to use the same level of precision that you implement when writing an essay. A precis should represent a logical sequence where you convey each vital point in a logical flow of ideas. Avoid including irrelevant details or information from external sources, as it´s not the purpose here. Remember that precis writing is always composed in the third person, making explaining important details more objectively and less biased easier.

Summary vs Précis

Although composing a precis might remind you of a summary, it is not the same. A summary always aims to explain the main points of a given content in bullet-like points. It also provides a general idea and description of the work.

A precis has a different function because you should go beyond the generalization of the article in your own words. The key difference is that you must write about a particular narration part as you summarize. It can be a book chapter or a play in a dramatic scene. This way, you must focus on that segment’s specifics and outline all the important information.

Rhetorical Précis Structure Parts

When asked to write a rhetorical precis, students usually face certain difficulties. In this case, the structure is usually shorter and must be narrowed down to a single paragraph. One should not mix up a rhetorical precis with a rhetorical analysis writing. The main purpose here is to explain the main idea presented by the author and provide a brief analysis of how the main arguments have been presented. It must be done in no more than four sentences.

A rhetorical precis writing process must include the following elements:

• Bibliographical information that includes the author´s name, the title of the original piece, and the publication date.
• The main statement explains the author´s methodology as you summarize things in your own words.
• Details regarding how the author has developed their main argument.
• Explanation of how the reader´s attention has been captured.

Key Elements of a Pr é cis

Start writing a precis only after studying the original content. Remember that your sentences should be concise without being overly complex. Think about eliminating unnecessary details by proofreading your precis more than once. Don’t start with the word count when writing an essay , but simply ensure that certain ideas’ core information is presented correctly.

Keep these guidelines in mind when writing:

• A title must describe the content properly.
• A precis is always written in the third person.
• The sentences have a natural flow and explain the author´s ideas clearly and logically.
• A precis is mostly written in the present tense. Still, the past tense is more appropriate when discussing past or historical events.
• A precis must be 1/3 or 1/4 of the original content presented for analysis.
• Your arguments, in your own words, must be unbiased, objective, and logical.
• Proofread things twice to eliminate grammar and spelling mistakes.

6 Steps for Precise Writing

Now that we have explored the theoretical part, it’s time to learn how to write a precis correctly by focusing on the practical steps. Unless you have been provided with precise instructions, the following six steps should suffice:

Step 1: Read the Original Text

Sometimes, a college professor will provide you with a piece you must read, but in most cases, you are free to choose the original writing. If you have the freedom to find something to write about, choose something that motivates and inspires you. It will help you complete the work for your precis much faster. It will also be much easier to research things if you write about something compelling compared to a subject you know less about.

As you explore and look through the original piece, remember to take lots of notes and write down precise words. The quotes that stand out usually represent´ the author´s key points and ideas. It should help you analyze things and develop the key paraphrasing elements.

Step 2: Start Brainstorming Ideas

Brainstorming is the creative part of coming up with a strong précis paper. This is where you can write down all that comes to mind and use your notes and quotes that you have previously written down. Once your mind is free to brainstorm and think, the key is to outline your ideas and pick the most important based on your reading. It is even possible to write a short essay using your notes and important points you have discovered.

The most important is to develop a clear statement as you look through ideas. Some students find using paper notes to create a mind map helpful. Others find it helpful to reflect and write down several thesis statements. Even if some important points you come up with don’t fit the precis format, you can simply eliminate them or use different wording.

Step 3: Make an Outline

Now it´s time to combine your research work with the quotes and facts you collected from the original author´s work. Ensure that your outline structure is precise and reflects only the facts the author has mentioned. These points that you outline must be conveyed to the target audience.

Step 4: Re-read the Original Text

Returning to the original piece to re-read and check whether you have all the vital information and facts already mentioned is crucial. Check for supporting arguments in case you need any. If the original text is too complex for comprehension, you may consider turning to a trained expert who can write a literature review for you without breaking the bank. Ensure that all the points you have outlined for your precis are supported by at least one piece of evidence.

Step 5: Write a précis

The next step will depend on whether you have been given précis assignment guidelines or must remain within the classic structure. If you have a grading rubric, check the rules twice before you start. All of the adjustments must be made during the outline stage. As you write, these bits must be addressed:

• Ensure that every basic idea that you mention is unbiased and objective.
• Keep the personal opinion out.
• Come to your conclusion based on facts, all the details, and evidence in the original passage.

Helpful Tip: Check the formatting section below before composing your precis!

Step 6: Proofread and Edit

Once done with the previous steps, you must edit and proofread your precis. While the editing part is mostly clear to an average student, proofreading stands for reviewing your text and checking for grammar and spelling mistakes, among other things. Many students tend to use grammar and spell checkers, especially if English is not their native language. It´s also possible to consider showing your work to a trusted friend who may check it for you. You may consider PaperOwl writing service for text editing and composition work when all else fails. After all, it never hurts to have an expert have a look at your freshly composed precis assignment!

Precis Format

While the precis formatting rules may differ between diverse subjects, there are universal bits that will work in most academic scenarios. The structure may appear somewhat limited, yet it´s more of an advantage than a shortcoming. You won´t have to wander around looking for different options and can narrow things down more easily and follow the formatting.

In most precis assignments, you will encounter a standard essay format that includes an introduction, a body paragraph, and a conclusion. The practical applicability will depend on the provided instructions and the length of the original piece. Composing a precis based on a short story will differ from a precis related to a lengthy novel. If you find it hard to start, you can make an essay order and receive assistance from academic research professionals. Whether it´s inspiration or assignment writing, help is out there.

Helpful tip: Always ask your academic advisor if something is unclear before diving into specifics. They might provide you with a precis layout or a helpful writing template.

Without a doubt, if the text is several pages long, your precis must be longer than four sentences. Here is the typical format for a four-sentence precis:

Introductory sentence: the first sentence should have the author’s name and title of an article or book. You may include rhetorical parts and outline the author´s purpose using comprehensible words.

Body sentences: Here is where you summarize the author´s purpose by explaining every vital point clearly made by the author. Think about how the claims have been made. You may implement an “in order” phrase to develop the sentence. If you are limited to only four sentences, the third should discuss the audience and the elements that capture the reader’s attention. Think and write about how the connection with the readers has been established.

Conclusion: Start with a restatement of the author’s thesis, like in a classic essay structure. Provide brief and final comments about the main arguments if you find them helpful.

Do’s and Dont’s

Narrowing things down after knowing the necessary steps is never easy, which is why you should focus on these tips and tricks that help you keep your precis optimized.

• Keep the structure concise by focusing on facts supported by evidence.
• Provide the author´s background information, including name, content title, and publishing date.
• Make the flow of your concise summary passage feel natural and within the same tone.
• Your writing should become a short representation of the original text. Readers must have a good idea of what the original passage is about.

Dont’s

• Don’t add your opinion and criticism to your precis.
• Avoid posing any questions.
• Do not exceed the volume of the original passage.
• A precis is NOT a summary of the prior research.
• Avoid assumptions and provide only the facts.
• Your passage interpretation is not necessary.
• Do not focus on a single idea unless the original passage reflects that.
• Use quotes wisely with quotation marks, and do not overdo that.

Here is an example of a typical four-sentence precis that uses all of the rules and formatting conventions mentioned above:

In Martin Luther King´s ‘I Have a Dream´ speech (1963), the author stresses that all Americans should be given equal rights regardless of their skin color and/or heritage. He distributes his points by using powerful anecdotes and metaphors that clearly portray the inequality in the United States at the given time period. He also repeats the signature words “I have a dream” as a goal that all people must strive for and aims to persuade his audiences that the rules enforcing segregation are wrong and lead to conflicts in our society. King’s tone is earnest and sincere as he addresses the usual American people and government officials.

Brevity With Brilliance

The main purpose of precis writing is to show whether you can focus on the main points of a subject or a prompt. Creating a unique precis is difficult, yet the trick here is to find the precise passage meaning and express your ideas and thoughts clearly in simple words. Focus on essential information and proofread it aloud to evaluate how it sounds. While there are many practices for creating a unique precis, the key is to avoid critical analysis but offer a summary of the principal ideas and author’s thesis statement in a written piece.

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How to write a rhetorical precis.

September 10, 2020

What is precis? The word precis is derived from the French word précis, which means the essence. So, how do you define précis? A precis is the summary or abstract of a text or speech.

What is a Rhetorical Precis?

What is rhetorical precis? In this section, our expert academic writers will help you fully understand the rhetorical precis definition. So, what is a precis? Precis is derived from the French word précis, which means the essence. So, how do you define précis?

A precis is the summary or abstract of a text or speech. However, a rhetorical precis differs from a summary in some ways. It is less natural and more analytically condenses the method and content of the original text.

To make it clearer, if we think of a summary as a brief declaration of what a text says, then we may consider a rhetorical precis to be a concise declaration of both what a text says and does. A rhetorical précis is less common than a summary. However, it comes in handy when you have to sum up how well you understand how a text world rhetorically.

I bet you now know how to define precis. The precis definition may differ from article to article, but the precis meaning and general idea remain the same. In precis writing, you have to use a power verb. You, as the precis writer, will determine which power verb to use.

Rhetorical Precis Format

What is the best precis format to use? Here, I’ll show you the best rhetorical precis outline that will help you to write the perfect rhetorical precis. Let us explore this precis outline.

The first precis paragraph is the introduction. Here, you have the author’s name, the text title, and the publishing date (in parentheses). Use power verbs to describe the author’s work and how it relates to your thesis.

The subsequent precis paragraphs explain different sections of the original text. It provides the evidence, purpose, and ideas of the author. Feel free to use quotes, but be brief and attribute them correctly. Do not avoid deviation from the message of the original work.

Your conclusion should reiterate the main idea. Be succinct and remember to avoid any personal statements about the original piece.

How to Write a Rhetorical Precis

Would you like to know how to write a precis? You’ll be given a precis template that will help you in writing a precis. This guide will show you how to write a precis step by step. There are three formats you can apply whenever you want to write a precis.

Examples of some power verbs are: argues, asserts, believes, claims, declares, identifies the fact, points out, reports, states, reveals, suggests, illustrates, expounds the idea, and so on.

A general rule is that you should be original in writing your sentences about the text, as this goes a long way in determining the quality of your precis. Let’s explore the precis template below. Try your hands on different template types so that you sound unique every time you write. Let’s explore the rhetorical precis rubric below

• In the (text type), (text title) (year of publication), author (author’s first & last name), (credentials of author), asserts that (the argument) and suggests (followed by the explanation of the sub-claims or resolution).
• He/she proves this claim is right by doing the following: first, he/she _______; next, he/she ________; last, he/she ________.
• (Author’s last name) seems to write in expectations of (state the purpose of the author’s writing) in order to (state the author’s aim)
• Because of the author’s ________ tone, it seems as if he/she writes for a _______ and _______ audience.
• In his/her (type of text) (title of text) (year of publication), (credentials of author) (fist and last name of author) asserts that (state the argument) by addressing ________, ________, and ________.
• By giving the reader information about ________ and _______, (state the last name of the author) shapes his/her claims about ________.
• (Name of author) wishes to show his/her readers the importance of (state the purpose of the author’s writing) so as to (state the author’s aim).
• The audience of the author possibly consists of that have interests in _______ as evidenced in his/her references to _______ and _______; he/she addresses his/her readers with a _______ and _______tone.
• (Credentials of the author), (first and last name of author), in his/her (type of text), (title of text), published in (info on the publishing), addresses the (state the topic of the text) and claims that (argument).
• He/she supports this argument by ___________, then ___________, and finally ____________.
• (State author’s last name) purpose is to (state the author’s purpose in writing) so as to (state the author’s aim).
• He/she adopts a(n) __________ manner of tone for his/her readers of (state the details of the publication) and others that have interest in the topic of ______________.

Example of Rhetorical Precis

Let’s examine the rhetorical precis example below.

In her essay, titled “Plain Jane’s Progress” (1977), Dr. Sandra Gilbert advocates that Charlotte Brontë wrote in a such a way that the character, Jane Eyre, will bear striking resemblance to John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. This is because of Jane’s pilgrimage through various events…(continue with thesis statement) She ascertains an official relationship with her audience which are literary scholars that are familiar with the work of Brontë, Bunyan, and Lord Byron. These literary scholars are also interested in feminist criticism and are fascinated and captivated by the feminist theory as it relates to Victorian literature (conclusion)

In the sample precis above, the name of the author, title of the essay, year of essay release, and power verb are all italicized. The precis then continues with the body and ends with the conclusion.

But how long should a precis be? There is no fixed number of words for a precis. It can be about 100-200 words or roughly one-fifth of the length of the original text.

So, What is a Critical Precis

A critical precis is an elucidative writing style that is similar in structure to an essay. This type of essay, however, contains a summary of another text. The write up gives an overview of the main ideas, arguments, and abstractions within the text. This text is summarized into a passage of considerably shorter length and provides insight into the thesis of the original author.

Now that you know the definition of precis and how to write a precis, you should have no problem writing an engaging article or book precis. You just need to choose good research sources . Make use of these tips and bring that A+ home! Best of luck!

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Using the rhetorical precis for literature reviews and conceptual syntheses

An important component of writing is reading and summarizing the literature . This exercise helps the author situate his/her work within the broader set of related works. I maintain a systematic process of reading and writing article summaries , but I normally do so in the form of long-form memoranda. Earlier this year, I had a conversation earlier in the year with my friend Dr. Theresa MacPhail, we discussed the precis (what many call, the rhetorical precis), a brief and systematic summary of journal articles. We talked about how they differ from a memo .

@raulpacheco At Berkeley, ours had to be analytic and reflective, far past a summary. Idk if that's how everyone does it. — Mac (@MacPhail) May 7, 2015

For me, a rhetorical precis in the way it is normally taught wouldn’t be long enough and wouldn’t have the level of reflection I need. I write extended, extensive, detailed, in-depth memorandums full with the article’s citation and entire paragraphs or sentences extracted for in-manuscript quotations.

But it then occurred to me that I have pretty much never experimented with writing simple rhetorical precis. I did a bit of research on different formats for the rhetorical precis and found this particular model( from this website ) very useful.

The Rhetorical Précis Format a) In a single coherent sentence give the following: -name of the author, title of the work, date in parenthesis; -a rhetorically accurate verb (such as “assert,” “argue,” “deny,” “refute,” “prove,” disprove,” “explain,” etc.); -a that clause containing the major claim (thesis statement) of the work. b) In a single coherent sentence give an explanation of how the author develops and supports the major claim (thesis statement). c) In a single coherent sentence give a statement of the author’s purpose, followed by an “in order” phrase. d) In a single coherent sentence give a description of the intended audience and/or the relationship the author establishes with the audience.

Most websites I checked use a similar format, like this one and this one . I plan to test this model for a week with the new literature I need to review and see how it works. I can see this model being useful for a busy professor who asks his/her research assistant for rhetorical precis from a set of articles, and then upon reading them, chooses a specific sub-set for memo-ing. This process enables the researcher to be strategic about what he/she chooses to read more in-depth . Also, having a full set of rhetorical precis available may help the researcher decide whether they have reached concept saturation . I also suppose you could dump all your rhetorical precis in an Excel concept worksheet (modifying the columns, obviously!)

I’ll be reporting back on how this model works for me and my own literature review processes.

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Tagged with academic writing , AcWri , rhetorical precis , writing .

By Raul Pacheco-Vega – October 24, 2016

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• How to Do a Rhetorical Precis: Important Guidelines

Learn the Right Way to Do a Rhetorical Precis – Best Advice

Doing a precis of an article is not easy. One has to be very insightful to be able to analyze the content and understand everything in depth critically. Only then can a good precis be written.

You are probably having a tough time trying to do a precis. But don’t worry. We provide you with guidelines that will help you make a precis of any article you want. There are certain basic rules you have to respect. Once you learn the approach, you’ll find the competence to do a good precis within you.

To make a rhetorical precis, it’s vital that you are clear on the goals and quality of the content of the article. Therefore, reading the article until you fully understand it can’t be stressed enough. Try these guidelines, and you’ll be all set to do a wonderful precis without anyone’s assistance:

• Start by carefully reading the original piece.
• Even if it takes going through the entire article several times, it’s worth it.
• Keep a notepad with you so you can take notes of the main arguments and points.
• Take a good look at the supporting material or evidence used by the article’s author.
• If you discover any unfamiliar material in the article, do research it.
• You should fully comprehend all definitions, words, statements, and data used in the article.
• Try to find out the appeals that the author has used.
• Evaluate the process of conveyance of meaning by the author.
• Reiterate the article’s thesis in your own words.
• Divide the article into sections and summarize each in one to two sentences.
• The right precis format starts with information of the author, the statement of the thesis, summary, and culminates with an evaluation of the evidence.
• Try to narrate the synopsis to yourself before starting to write the actual precis for clarity of understanding.
• After you have written the precis, go through the whole article one more time to ensure that you have covered all the main points and haven’t missed out any important information.

Many students are not clear how to write a precis. But it seems more difficult than it actually is. It’s all about how well you can understand the content, critically analyze it, and convey it to the audience without infusing your personal opinions or bias in it.

As you start writing the precis, first paraphrase the article’s thesis and make one to two sentence statements. Read your statements and ensure that they identify the evidence. It is critically important to write a logically constructed precis. There should not be any jumps, left-out content, or unexplained things in the precis. While trying to make it brief and concise, make sure that the reader finds coherence between progressive ideas, and has a smooth reading experience of your precis.

You’ll find a perfect precis example in this article as well. Read it carefully so that you get the gist of precis making. Find some interesting articles over the Internet and try to write their precis in the same way.

What Is a Precis – Is It a Summary of the Text?

Many students don’t know how to write it. One reason for this is that teachers don’t sufficiently train the students for this kind of writing work. Accordingly, the students basically have no idea what is a precis.

Have you ever wondered what the precis meaning is? The word has a French origin, and its meaning is ‘a summary.’ As you try to write the summary, you have to ensure that all essential ideas of the passage are preserved in the precis. It is essential to know the specification and peculiarities of a precis before starting to write one.

If you ask someone to define precis, he/she might say that the article summarizes that it’s about. But that’s not true. While a precis does contain a summary of the article, it offers its complete unbiased analysis by the writer as well. So a summary only makes a part of the precis.

You might confuse it with commentary as well. No, it’s not even that. A commentator is free to insert his/her personal opinions about the situation or article as well. However, in precis writing, it’s important to avoid giving personal opinions. All points the writer makes have to be grounded in facts. The writer takes points from the original text and constructs logical rhetoric to elaborate on the meaning of the author, but makes sure that he/she stays unbiased in the analysis.

A precis writer helps the audience understand the real meaning of the article. It’s a significant field of writing because it helps increase the comprehension and thus, the readership of an article. Many times, articles are written very formally or technically. It is difficult for a common man to really grasp the writer’s meaning. In such cases, writing a precis helps produce an informative article for the readers so that they can understand the writer well.

How to Write a Rhetorical Precis – Things to Consider

Before you even begin to write it, it’s important to not only go through the article but also understand every word of it. You should be aware of what kind of language the writer used in the article, the purpose it served, the goal the writer wanted to achieve by producing the article, and its targeted audience. The points below will help you learn how to write a rhetorical precis. It’s a step-by-step process. You need to complete each step before moving over to the next. They include:

• Reading the article.
• Making notes.
• Building the precis outline
• Writing the precis.
•  Proofreading.

How to Do Quick Yet Effective Reading for Precis

This is the most time-consuming step. At the same time, it’s the most important as well. It might take reading a whole book to write even one precis paragraph. But there’s a way to go through this process quickly. If you can manage, and you have that kind of time – nothing like reading the whole book. But if you have to do as much reading as possible in a limited time, some sections demand more attention as compared to the others.

Let’s take the task of reading a book, for example. The first thing you should do is read the cover page and the back page. Have a good look at the cover design, and try to understand the theme. Then read the brief summary written at the back cover and have a second look at the cover. This will help you attain a basic understanding of the content.

Then look at the table of contents. Read the titles of all the chapters, and try to create a synopsis in your mind. The initial, middle, and ending chapter is the most important, so try to read them in full. For the rest, you may skim through the book, attempting to make the most out of your reading.

Points to Ponder While Creating a Precis Outline

The first step in the process of making a precis is the development of an outline. A good outline gets the writer started in the right direction. It also makes the process of precis development structured as you know exactly what information to look for in the article. Here are some points you must take care of while developing your rhetorical precis outline :

• Create the outline knowing that the complete precise will be roughly a quarter of the length of the original article.
• Things that must be included – the author’s thesis, methods of representation used by the author, and results derived from it.
• Summarize the article concisely.

The main purpose of assigning the task of producing a precis of an article to the students is to polish their critical thinking skills. The teachers want to enable the learners to do the rhetorical analysis of articles. The students learn how to differentiate between crucial and less important information in an article and how to highlight the main ideas. And of course, the learning fostered by looking at an article this deeply cannot be achieved otherwise.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Creating a Precis

A good precis enables the readers to rightly guess the content and meaning of the original article even if they have not yet read its abstract. Teachers generally elaborate on the rhetorical precis format that the students are supposed to follow. Nevertheless, it’s important to know what to do and what to deter while writing your precis. Here are a few essential guidelines:

• Don’t look at precis as a re-writing of the original article. Rather than telling the core essence of the article, it summarizes the main ideas so that the readers learn about the article’s worth and significance.
• Do explain the structure and main points of the article.
• Don’t evaluate the content or give your own reactions to the content.
• Do talk about the value offered by the piece of writing to the audience.
• Don’t interpret the original article.
• Do try to limit the size of your precis to a quarter of the original article, unless otherwise specified.
• Don’t use words that form part of the original article verbatim or precise in a sentence. Try to substitute them with their synonyms.
• Do include some quotes from the article if necessary.
• Don’t use a first-person pronoun, i.e. ‘I’ or ‘we’ in the precis.

Here’s a Good Precis Sample – Try to Write Like This

You can come up with an excellent precis using the guidelines provided in this article. However, there’s nothing like a good sample to really get to the bottom of this skill. Therefore, we provide you with a precis sample here:

Micheal D. Floor, Associate Professor of English Literature from the Dunhill University, in his article “The Silent Mountains” (1999) proposes that Nisa Truce wanted Charlotte Gemb to climb up the mountain that Nisa had envisioned in a dream. Micheal used this novel as a means to propagate the idea that places seen in dreams can exist in real life, even though one may not have ever seen or heard about it. Charlotte climbs up the hill following Nisa’s suggestion and finds a note written on a tree trunk at the top reading “the line between fantasy and reality is thin” (202). Michael has written several books on dreams including After the Lights Turn Off and In the Dark and his purpose of writing this book is to teach an understanding in the readers that dreams need to be reiterated, interpreted, and understood since they have hints for the future. Michael interests his audience by conveying his message using a dramatic plot.

The above sample will have given you a good idea of what is a rhetorical precis. If you notice, it has all the elements that typically form part of a precis. The precis is absolutely free of any personal opinions of the writer.

It starts with a mention of the author of the article together with his profession, and the title of the article that is used for writing the precis. Facts and evidence substantiate all points. For example, the writer knows the names of the books the author has previously written and that they are oriented around the theme of dreams. Alongside, the precis sums up the entire plot in three to four lines to generate a quick summary.

Try to be as concise and to-the-point while writing the precis as possible. Each sentence and word of your precis should be carefully selected to convey the most meaning to the readers with the use of the least number of words. Its conciseness, to-the-point analysis, and evidence-based discussion make it an excellent rhetorical precis example. Want to get an original precis written? Order it here.

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31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

What is a rhetorical device and why are they used.

As with all fields of serious and complicated human endeavor (that can be considered variously as an art, a science, a profession, or a hobby), there is a technical vocabulary associated with writing. Rhetoric is the name for the study of writing or speaking as a means of communication or persuasion, and though a writer doesn’t need to know the specific labels for certain writing techniques in order to use them effectively, it is sometimes helpful to have a handy taxonomy for the ways in which words and ideas are arranged. This can help to discuss and isolate ideas that might otherwise become abstract and confusing. As with the word rhetoric itself, many of these rhetorical devices come from Greek.

Ready, set, rhetoric.

The repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables

wild and woolly, threatening throngs

Syntactical inconsistency or incoherence within a sentence especially : a shift in an unfinished sentence from one syntactic construction to another

you really should have—well, what do you expect?

Repetition of a prominent and usually the last word in one phrase or clause at the beginning of the next

rely on his honor—honor such as his?

A literary technique that involves interruption of the chronological sequence of events by interjection of events or scenes of earlier occurrence : flashback

Repetition of a word or expression at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses especially for rhetorical or poetic effect

we cannot dedicate—we cannot consecrate—we cannot hallow—this ground

The repetition of a word within a phrase or sentence in which the second occurrence utilizes a different and sometimes contrary meaning from the first

we must all hang together or most assuredly we shall all hang separately

The usually ironic or humorous use of words in senses opposite to the generally accepted meanings

this giant of 3 feet 4 inches

The use of a proper name to designate a member of a class (such as a Solomon for a wise ruler) OR the use of an epithet or title in place of a proper name (such as the Bard for Shakespeare)

The raising of an issue by claiming not to mention it

we won't discuss his past crimes

An expression of real or pretended doubt or uncertainty especially for rhetorical effect

to be, or not to be: that is the question

Harshness in the sound of words or phrases

An inverted relationship between the syntactic elements of parallel phrases

working hard, or hardly working?

A disjunctive conclusion inferred from a single premise

gravitation may act without contact; therefore, either some force may act without contact or gravitation is not a force

The substitution of a disagreeable, offensive, or disparaging expression for an agreeable or inoffensive one

greasy spoon is a dysphemism for the word diner

Repetition of a word or expression at the end of successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses especially for rhetorical or poetic effect

of the people, by the people, for the people

Emphatic repetition [ this definition is taken from the 1934 edition of Webster's Unabridged dictionary ]

An interchange of two elements in a phrase or sentence from a more logical to a less logical relationship

you are lost to joy for joy is lost to you

A transposition or inversion of idiomatic word order

judge me by my size, do you?

Extravagant exaggeration

mile-high ice-cream cones

The putting or answering of an objection or argument against the speaker's contention [ this definition is taken from the 1934 edition of Webster's Unabridged dictionary ]

Understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of the contrary

not a bad singer

The presentation of a thing with underemphasis especially in order to achieve a greater effect : UNDERSTATEMENT

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them ( Metaphor vs. Simile )

drowning in money

A figure of speech consisting of the use of the name of one thing for that of another of which it is an attribute or with which it is associated

crown as used in lands belonging to the crown

The naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it

A combination of contradictory or incongruous words

cruel kindness

The use of more words than those necessary to denote mere sense : REDUNDANCY

I saw it with my own eyes

A figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by "like" or "as"

cheeks like roses

The use of a word in the same grammatical relation to two adjacent words in the context with one literal and the other metaphorical in sense

she blew my nose and then she blew my mind

A figure of speech by which a part is put for the whole (such as fifty sail for fifty ships ), the whole for a part (such as society for high society ), the species for the genus (such as cutthroat for assassin ), the genus for the species (such as a creature for a man ), or the name of the material for the thing made (such as boards for stage )

The use of a word to modify or govern two or more words usually in such a manner that it applies to each in a different sense or makes sense with only one

opened the door and her heart to the homeless boy

MORE TO EXPLORE: Rhetorical Devices Used in Pop Songs

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