The Precis
I first learned about the precis from a colleague at the CSUN Writing Project Invitational Summer Institute of 2011, named Erin Bach. She did an excellent job teaching it to our cohort because I then in turn started teaching this precise academic response format.
The Précis: summary in 4 sentences
Sentence 1: Author, genre, title, (date and source of publication for articles), active verb*, and a THAT clause containing the main assertion
Sentence 2: Explanation of how the author develops this assertion and what he or she uses as evidence to support the assertion
Sentence 3: Statement of the author’s apparent purpose, followed by an IN ORDER TO phrase
Sentence 4: Description of the intended audience and the relationship the author establishes with the audience via tone.
*Active verbs: analyzes, argues, attests, clarifies, confirms, conveys, depicts, discusses, emphasizes, explores, exposes, explains, identifies, implies, infers, indicates, maintains, observes, outlines, postulates, presents, refutes, speculates, suggests, validates
The Précis: summary in 4 sentences
Sentence 1: Author, genre, title, (date and source of publication for articles), active verb*, and a THAT clause containing the main assertion
Sentence 2: Explanation of how the author develops this assertion and what he or she uses as evidence to support the assertion
Sentence 3: Statement of the author’s apparent purpose, followed by an IN ORDER TO phrase
Sentence 4: Description of the intended audience and the relationship the author establishes with the audience via tone.
*Active verbs: analyzes, argues, attests, clarifies, confirms, conveys, depicts, discusses, emphasizes, explores, exposes, explains, identifies, implies, infers, indicates, maintains, observes, outlines, postulates, presents, refutes, speculates, suggests, validates
