My Science School

A precis is a summary of a passage. It covers all the essential points in the passage. It is always shorter than the original passage. As a general rule, a precis should contain one-third of the total number of words in the original passage

Here is a sample passage.

The habit of reading needs to be cultivated. It can be one of the most pleasurable activities of your life. In the bargain, you gain knowledge, vocabulary, expression of ideas, and moral values. However, everyone cannot enjoy reading because it requires a certain level of intelligence, language skill, comprehension skill, interest, and above all, concentration. Reading habits can be best developed in childhood. But unfortunately, reading habits have been replaced by other activities such as watching television, playing video games on mobile phones, or just surfing the Internet. Hence, concentration of students is very less. Students are not able to expand their knowledge as the span of attention is very less. You must know that reading good books can change your outlook. It can expand your intellect. It can make you think. It can add meaning and purpose to your life. You can get inspiration by reading books about great people. It can motivate you to set bigger goals for yourself. The company of books is definitely more rewarding than the company of most other things. Hence you should cultivate the habit of reading and make your mind rich and refined.

Here's the precis of the passage on left.

Reading books enriches you knowledge, vocabulary, language, expression, ideas, and moral values. Not all are capable of reading as it requires some skills. The habit of reading should be cultivated at a young age. We do not gain much by watching television, videos or playing games on the mobile but reading can change the way we think and inspire us to achieve great things in life. Hence make reading a habit.

Tips for precis writing:

• Read the passage carefully
• Gather the theme and the main points in the passage
• Delete unwanted details
• Construct sentences in your own words. Do not copy the actual sentence.
• Put the sentences in a logical and concise manner.
• Choose your words carefully.
• Read the precis to see if all the essential points are covered.

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Learning to elaborate short pieces of information is important for improving one's writing skills. Similarly, being able to understand the important aspects of any piece increases one's capacity to quickly grasp what has been said. And that's where making notes comes in

Here's a passage.

Almost all of us suffer from a headache some time or the other. For some people, headache is a regular part of life. The most important step to cope with headaches is to identify the type of headache one is suffering from. The first type of headache is called a tension headache where there is a feeling of tightness around the head along with pain in neck and shoulders. It is caused due to long hours of working on computers, driving, or watching television.

The second type of headache is called the migraine headache, where there is pain on one side of the head, along with nausea, vomiting, and irritability. The pain worsens with noise and bright light. Certain food items such as coffee, tea, chocolate, and smoking can cause migraines.

The third type of headache is caused due to problems in vision, the symptom being inability to read books or see objects. It is caused by deficiencies, watching television, computers, or hereditary reasons.

If the headache troubles you often, visit the doctor. The doctor will study the cause, time, and what triggers it, and tell you what to do after a proper diagnosis. Most headaches can be treated by avoiding certain foods, avoiding long hours on computer or television, doing exercise, and eating nutritious food. Vision problems can be corrected with suitable glasses.

Notes of the passage

Identification of types of headache

1. Tension headache

Symptoms

• Tightness around head
• Pain in neck and shoulders

Causes

• Long hours of working on computers or watching television
• Long hours of driving

2. Migraine headache

Symptoms

• Pain on one side of head
• Nausea, vomiting, and irritability

Causes

• Noise and bright light
• Drinking coffee, tea, eating chocolate, and smoking

3. Headache due to vision problems

Symptoms

• Difficulty in reading
• Difficulty in seeing objects

Causes

• Watching television
• Working on computers
• Deficiencies
• Hereditary reasons

Treatment

• Avoiding certain foods
• Avoiding long hours watching television or working on computers
• Wearing glasses for vision problems
• Taking nutritious food
• Doing exercise

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Phrases

A phrase is a group of words that can act as an adjective, an adverb, or a noun in a sentence. A phrase does not contain a finite verb, but may contain a non-finite verb, a participle, an infinitive, or a gerund. It does not make complete sense but can have meaning through its relation to some part of the sentence in which it stands.

Noun phrase

A group of words that does the function of a noun in a sentence is called a noun phrase.

Example: His sudden disappearance is a mystery.

Adjective phrase

A group of words that does the function of an adjective in a sentence is called an adjective phrase.

Example: My neighbour is a man of had temper

Adverbs phrase

A group of words that does the function of an adverb in a sentence is called an adverb phrase

Example: He behaved in a foolish manner

Verb phrase

A verb phrase contains one of the three non-finites participle, gerund, or infinitive and its objects or modifiers.

Example: You must work hard to get good marks in the exam (infinitive)

He enjoys watching movies at weekends (gerund)

Having done the work, he decided to rest (participle)

Preposition phrase

A prepositional phrase contains a preposition, its objects, and modifiers of the object, if any.

Example: The book is on the table.

Clauses

A cause is a group of words with a finite verb. It forms part of a longer sentence. A clause that does the work of a noun is called a noun clause A clause that does the work of an adjective is called an adjective clause. A clause that does the work of an adverb is called an adverb clause.

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