1. A writing and reading strategy
The Rhetorical Précis
The process of writing a rhetorical précis as described in this slide show is taken from: Woodworth, Margaret K. "The Rhetorical Precis." Rhetoric Review 7.1 (1988): ERIC. EBSCO. Web. 27 Oct The sample article used in the examples is: Marzano, Robert J. "Summarizing To Comprehend." Educational Leadership 67.6 (2010): 83. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 6 Sept
A writing and reading strategy

2. pré·cis prāˈsē,ˈprāsē/
noun
a summary or abstract of a text or speech.
rhe·tor·i·cal rəˈtôrək(ə)l/ adjective
of, relating to, or concerned with the art of rhetoric.
"repetition is a common rhetorical device
rhet·o·ric ˈredərik/ noun
the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.
synonyms: oratory, eloquence, command of language, way with words
"a form of rhetoric"

3. What is a Rhetorical Précis
“A rhetorical précis is a highly structured four-sentence paragraph that acknowledges the rhetorical situation in which any discourse occurs. The précis records the essential rhetorical elements involved in writing and in reading discourse: the name of the speaker/writer, the context of the delivery, the major assertion, the mode of development and/or support, the stated and/or apparent purpose, and the relationship established between the speaker/writer and the audience.”
Woodworth, Margaret K. "The Rhetorical Precis." Rhetoric Review 7.1 (1988): ERIC. EBSCO. Web. 27 Oct

4. Sentence 1 The first sentence should include: the author’s name(s)
the title of the work
the date of publication in parentheses
a rhetorically accurate verb (such as asserts, argues, suggests, implies, claims)
a that-clause containing the major assertion (thesis statement) of the work

5. Sentence 1
An Example:
Sam Roberts in How Pokémon Go Is Changing the World (2016) asserts that society will see an advancement in engaging media entertainment and an increase in positive social interactions as a result of the revolutionary nature of a fully-matured Pokémon Go game.

6. Sentence 2 The second sentence should explain :
how the author develops and/or supports the thesis.
should discuss methodology—how the article works; that is, how the author accomplishes his/her task.
should also support the strong verb used in SENTENCE 1.
should cite where to locate the specific points addressed.
The second sentence of the rhetorical précis will most likely be the most complex sentence in the summary; this sentence is combining the most relevant supporting details from the body of the article/passage. This can be a challenge for students to synthesize large amounts of information into one sentence. It is a valuable summarizing skill and writing skill as it forces students to break down information and then turn it into their own words.

7. Sentence 2
An Example:
Roberts supports this assertion by describing with playful anecdotes about the current engaging state of the Pokémon Go game play, the game’s strengths (digital interacting in real life with people across broad cultures) and weaknesses (bugs, under-designed game play, etc.) , and he argues the game is a important step in advancing an emerging medium that will successfully change the way “we all engage with, discover, and consume media” (Paragraph 5).

8. Sentence 3 The third sentence should state:
State the author’s apparent purpose, followed by an in order to (to, for) phrase

9. Sentence 3
An Example:
The writer concludes that even though the game is not perfect, it is a crucial step in order to advance towards an optimistic future where players from all walks of life interact in a digitized world of experiences and story telling( Paragraph 10).

10. Sentence 4
The fourth sentence should:
Describe the intended audience and/or the relationship the author establishes with the audience.
Identify the audience and/or the purpose of the essay.

11. Sentence 4
An Example:
The writer establishes a humorous and informative tone to convince his audience of both net enthusiasts and net skeptics of the revolutionary nature of Pokémon Go to positively impact our future technology-integrated society.

12. Give the MLA Citation
Head each précis with the MLA-style citation for the article or book:
Roberts, Sam. “How Pokemon Go Is Changing the World.” CNN, 14 Jul
pokemon-go-opinion-sam-roberts/. Accessed 19 Sept

13. Sample Rhetorical Précis
Roberts, Sam. “How Pokemon Go Is Changing the World.” CNN, 14 Jul
pokemon-go-opinion-sam-roberts/. Accessed 19 Sept
Sam Roberts in How Pokémon Go Is Changing the World (2016) asserts that society will see an advancement in engaging media entertainment and an increase in positive social interactions as a result of the revolutionary nature of a fully-matured Pokémon Go game. Roberts supports this assertion by describing with playful anecdotes the current engaging state of the Pokémon Go game play, the game’s strengths (digital interacting in real life with people across broad cultures) and weaknesses ( bugs, under-designed game play, etc.) , and he argues the game is a important step in an advancing an emerging medium that will successfully change the way “we all engage with, discover, and consume media” (Paragraph 5).The writer concludes that even though the game is not perfect, it is a crucial step towards an optimistic future where players from all walks of life interact in a digitized world of experiences and story telling( Paragraph 10). The writer establishes a humorous and informative tone to convince his audience of both net enthusiasts and net skeptics of the revolutionary nature of Pokémon Go to positively impact our future technology-integrated society.

14. Why use the Rhetorical Précis?
“The processes involved in précis writing help students develop as language users. The reading and rereading accelerate acquisition of the written language system (see Falk, Kroll, Krashen); the extensive writing and rewriting accelerate learning by providing guided practice in a variety of writing tasks such as thesis formation, sentence structuring (e.g., subordination and parallel construction), punctuation, word choice, and even techniques of documentation.”

15. Chapter 1 of The Shallows
Use the steps that follow to write a rhetorical precis for Chapter 1 of The Shallows.

16. Sentence One Nicholas Carr in The Shallows “Chapter One: Hal and Me”(2010) asserts that the internet is fundamentally changing the social and analytical thinking patterns of those who use it with uncertain results.

17. Sentence 2
Carr supports this argument by using personal anecdotes and the research of experts to explain his personal transformation, at the expense of his linear mind, as he started to increasingly rely on the internet, and explores the impact of the internet on modern society that includes both positives (such as faster processing of information, easier access to information, greater connectivity and productivity, etc.), and the negatives (such as lack of patience and concentration, and losing the ability to read and comprehend complex texts, etc.) (5-10).

18. Sentence 3
The author concludes that our way of thinking is being changed by the technology in order to make his audience realize that the focused, non-technological mind may be becoming obsolete (10).

19. Sentence 4
The writer establishes a personal tone to connect with his audience of intelligent readers to encourage them to consider all the implications of our living in a new, digital world.