Rhetorical Précis

Sentence One Write a sentence that contains Name of the author, genre, and title of text (give date published if you have it as well) A rhetorically accurate verb (“asserts,” “argues,” “implies,” “claims”) That + a clause that states the major assertion of the text Sentence One

Example of Sentence One In his 2003 essay entitled “The Futile Pursuit of Happiness,” Jon Gertner argues that acquiring material possessions will NOT make us as happy as we plan, and will, in fact, lead to consumers entering into an endless cycle of wishing, planning to buy, buying, becoming dissatisfied with the object, and then wishing for some other item to bring happiness. Example of Sentence One

Give an explanation of the evidence the author uses to develop or support his thesis. This sentence tells HOW the thesis is proven. Sentence Two

State the author’s purpose followed by an “in order” statement. Is the author trying to entertain you? Why? Persuade you to change your mind about an issue? Why? Trying to inform you about a particular issue? Why? Sentence Three

Describe the intended audience and the relationship the author establishes with his audience. To whom is the author speaking? Sentence Four