Guidelines for Writing a Rhetorical Précis
A rhetorical précis differs from a summary in that it is a less neutral, more analytical condensation of both the content and method of the original text. (“Précis” means “concise summary.”) Its structure is designed for presentation of insights about a text from the perspective of a rhetorical reader. If you think of a summary as primarily a brief representation of what a text says, then you might think of a rhetorical précis as a brief representation of what a text both says and does. Although less common than summary, a rhetorical précis is a particularly useful way to sum up your understanding of how a text works rhetorically.
Part summary and part analysis, the rhetorical précis is also a powerful skill-building exercise often assigned as a highly structured four-sentence paragraph. As laid out below, these sentences provide a condensed statement of a text’s main point (the summary part), followed by brief statements about its essential rhetorical elements: the purpose, methods, and intended audience (the analytical part). Note the Précis’ Format:
How to Structure a Rhetorical Précis (in APA format)
Sentence 1: Include genre, “Title of work”, (publication year parentheses), name of author; a
rhetorically accurate verb (such as “claims,” “argues,” “asserts,” “suggests”); and a THAT clause
containing the major assertion or thesis statement in the work.
Sentence 2: An explanation of how the author develops and supports the thesis, usually in
chronological order (Does the author use stats? summarize data? use personal experience? etc.).
Sentence 3: A statement of the author’s apparent purpose, followed by an “in order to” phrase.
(The author’s purpose is to_____, “in order to” _____).
Sentence 4: A description of the intended audience and /or the relationship the author establishes
with the audience (who is the intended audience, and what is your assessment of the intended
audience based on?).
Example
In her online article “Seven secrets to a great nap” (2007), Sarah Kliff reports that
mid-afternoon naps are good for adults and lists seven tips from researchers for getting the most
out of a nap. Kliff supports her claim by summarizing advice from a sleep researcher on the
benefits of drinking coffee just before a nap, on the best ways to schedule a nap, and on ways to
avoid problems with naps. Her purpose is to inform readers that naps are beneficial from a
scientific perspective and to offer surprising, helpful, and positive information about naps in an
upbeat, easy to digest way in order to encourage her readers to try napping. Her intended
audience seems to be busy young professionals who surf the Web (this is an online article) and
who must be hooked into a quick read through casual vocabulary (such as “sleep doc,” “cup of
joe,” “snoozing habits”), and upbeat advice.
*Remember that the precis must be typed using APA format–times new roman, 12 pt font, double spaced, etc., and it must follow the 4-sentence order outlined above.
Word Bank: Feel free to use any of the words below to help you complete the rhetorical précis.
Genre:
news story,
magazine article,
book review,
editorial personal
essay, research
report
Rhetorically
Accurate
Verbs:
analyzes,
argues,
asserts,
discusses,
focuses,
explains,
suggests
How author
accomplishes
his/her goal:
comparing,
contrasting,
comparing,
retelling,
explaining,
justifying, pointing,
highlighting.
Author’s
Purpose:
argue, call
attention to,
deny, point out,
prove, suggest,
persuade,
convince.
Tone:
humorous,
emotional,
friendly,
reasoned,
logical,
exaggerated.
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