Question

How do I begin to write a précis?

Answer 1

If I were to write a summary myself, I would first make sure that I have a clear understanding of what the article is about. If you don't understand your article, you'll have no idea what to say. To start your summary, you need to write a thesis statement. This is generally the first sentence or the last sentence of your introductory paragraph. Once you have your introductory paragraph, you can follow the outline of the article, paragraph by paragraph. Hope this helps. :)

Answer 2

Read and annotate the article or other text.
Reflect on the author's purpose.
Consider the kinds of evidence the author uses.
Restate the author's thesis in your own words.
Write a one or two sentence summary of each section or subdivision of the article.
Reread the article to compare it with your summary notes.
Begin writing, using your paraphrase of the thesis and your one or two sentence summary statements.
Review your précis to confirm that you have explainedthe main point of the article, identified the supporting evidence that the writer uses, and have used the same logical structure as the text.
Finally, check for clarity, coherence, and correctness.