PRECIS INSTRUCTIONS

The précis is a highly structured four sentence paragraph that records the essential elements of a unit of spoken or written discourse, including the name of the speaker/writer, the context of the delivery, the major assertion (the claim), the mode of development and/or support, the stated and/or apparent purpose, and the relationship established between the speaker/writer and the audience (the last element is intended to identify the tone of the work). Each of the four sentences requires specific information; be sure to integrate a brief quotation to convey the author’s sense of style and tone.

Format:

1.     Name of author [optional: a phrase describing author to flout their credibility], genre and title of work [date and additional publishing information in parenthesis]; a rhetorically accurate verb (such as "asserts," "argues," “suggests," "implies," "claims," etc.); and a THAT clause containing the major assertion (the claim) of the work.

2.     An explanation of how the author develops and/or supports the claim (for instance, comparing and contrasting, narrating, illustrating, defining, relating personal experience, using examples, etc.), usually in chronological order – always identifying the rhetorical mode(s) employed.

3.     A statement of the author's apparent purpose followed by an IN ORDER TO phrase in which you explain what the author wants the audience to do or feel as a result of reading the work.

4.     A description of the intended audience and/or the relationship the author establishes with the audience and the tone the author uses.