Phrases to be used in a précis

The passage is an extract from …

The extract I am dealing with is taken from …

The text under consideration is a fragment from …

The text I am going to comment on is a story by …

This extract presents an act from the play … by the English playwright …

* * *

The plot of the story is concerned with (upbringing of children…)

The subject matter of the passage is (a description of a certain Mrs. General, a snobbish and pretentious lady…)

The story tells of (the tragic fate of a young poet…)

The writer unfolds the sad story of (a boy who was brought up by his distant relatives, cruel and hard-hearted people…)

The story gives a deep insight into (the life of the common people, “the little man’s” existence…)

The play sums up many burning problems of the time, such as …

The story shows the drama of (the character’s inner world…)

The chapter gives a true picture of (contemporary social and family relations in American society…)

The story depicts (the plight of the city poor, and the striking contrast between their miserable existence and the life of the privileged few…)

* * *

The action takes place in (the imaginary town of … in the 19^th century)

The scene is set in (an old English estate…)

The setting for the play is (a lodging house owned by …)

The main characters are …

The plot is very simple…

The plot, as such, is practically eventless…

* * *

These are the main facts that make up the plot of the story.

This is the gist of the extract.

Such is the plot of the extract/ story …

Phrases to be used in the analysis of the text

The story is told in the third person (this is a third person narration; the narrative is in the first person).

The story is told from the point of view of one of the characters, namely …

The narrator is (an onlooker who does not take part in the events but whose keen interest in them is quite obvious). The narrator focuses his attention on …

The character’s perception of the vents permeates the whole story and makes it dramatic (appealing, humorous…).

In this story we can observe the conventional sequence of compositional elements: an exposition, a gradual mounting of tension, with final climax and denouement.

The opening paragraph presents (an exposition of the story…).

It is a description of …/ an account of…, etc.

The story opens with a description of …

The opening paragraph introduces (the main characters and gives some details of their life).

The first part of the text, which presents an exposition to the events is written in the form of a description blended with dialogue.

The atmosphere and details of living are described convincingly (perfectly/ exactly as in life).

The landscape is not simply the background (it plays a definite role in the development of the plot; highlights certain features of a character…).

The description of (the place of action…) gives a deeper insight into the situation. From this description we understand that (the imaginary state of … is an artistic incarnation of the existing American states, with their landscape, customs and history).

The basic compositional feature of this story is suspense. It is created by a number of relevant details, which intensify the tension of the situation. These details include…

This part of the text is written in the form of a narration, which conveys the dynamic development of the plot.

The tense rhythm of the narration is interrupted by/ accentuated by (dialogues in which the reader’s attention is drawn to a new topic…).

The narration is closely interwoven and interlaced with the monologue of the character who gives an insight into (the character’s state of mind…).

The next paragraph adds some more details to the reader’s knowledge of the situation.

The episode of the argument (the character’s meeting …) is the climax of the story. This scene is (dramatic/ solemnly impressive/ humorous…)

This episode presents the crucial point of the story. The reader understands that …

The concluding paragraph presents the denouement. Everything is made clear… The story ends with …

* * *

Two characters are presented in this extract…

The personages are given a profound and true-to-life psychological characterization.

The character is presented as (weak-willed, passive, a man lacking in firmness, helpless, a person with a clear conscience…).

The description brings out (the characteristic features of Mr.X’s personality, such as his dignity; his yearning for a new life; his splendid calm…).

All the details of his appearance (the full ruddy face, the keen look, the mockingly condescending smile…) speak of the man’s (sanguine temperament, intelligence, confident dignity, composure, devotion to his convictions, remarkable will-power…).

Mr.X’s personality is revealed to the full through his own words and the remarks of other personages. He is described as a (cruel, hard-hearted, haughty, greedy, tactless, hypocritical, dishonest, narrow-minded, rude, irritable, ill-bred, fussy…) man. The dialogue discloses (the character’s state of mind, his wit, naiveté, purity of heart, loneliness, disappointment in friends).

His actions enumerated in the narration characterize him as a (good-natured, kind-hearted, sociable, generous, self-possessed, sensible, stubborn, reliable, resourceful, persistent, shrewd person).

She is characterized by (reserve, reluctance to allow anybody to get an insight into her inner state…).

There were certain traits in her character that were alien to her husband such as…

All these details underline (the character’s social position, his absolute lack of breeding…). The characters are convincing and well drawn. The characters are typical and authentic and their psychology is well-rendered.

* * *

The mood prevalent in the extract is (cheerfulness, humour, irony, gloom, nervousness, bleakness, melancholy, pensiveness, happiness…).

The humorous tone (the meditative tone of the reminiscence…) is established from the very first lines and is sustained up to the end of the text.

The tone of the extract is tensely dramatic. The author lays bare the spiritual drama of …

The story is full of jokes, witticism, light-hearted jest. This tone lends the story the air of a lively and uninhibited conversation.

The humor sometimes borders on irony and satire. But the irony is subtle and one has to read between the lines.

The story is distinguished by its cheerful tone.

The extract has a tragic ring.

The mood of wretchedness, anxiety permeates the text/ the story is permeated with …

The extract is complex in mood: although there is a hint of sadness for the transience of human life, it affirms the greatness of man.

In the story the comic goes side by side with the tragic.

The story reflects life, and in life everything is mixed up together: the profound with the trivial, the great with the petty, the tragic with the comic.

Minute details add to the matter-of-fact and logical tone of the narration.

The author clearly displays his sympathy for the character…

* * *

The author’s message is expressed very clearly. The writer raises his voice in defense of (human dignity…).

The book exposes (racial discrimination, hypocrisy, selfishness…).

The extract shows the poet’s concern for (the destiny of his country, the ordinary people…).

This story depicts a life-like situation. It is characterized by (a deep penetration into human psychology…).

The author is concerned with a number of problems, such as the relationship between people; man and nature; man’s inner world.

The writer leads the reader from realistic detail on to philosophical generalizations. We realize that the seemingly common place episode reveals the conflict between …

The book contains a great deal of what was topical at the time the writer lived in, the burning issues of his day and at the same time it deals with the problems which do not change in time and fashion, such as …

The writer exaggerates the ugly and the comical to underline the degeneration of people in the atmosphere of hypocrisy.

The book portrays life as it is.

An undercurrent of alarm (humour, irony) runs through the story.

The story has definite undercurrents.

The story seems to be devoid of any emotional colouring only on the surface. Beneath the surface the reader finds intense emotions, meditations, suffering…

The emotional drama of the character is expressed in the title…

The story strikes the reader with its sincerity and authenticity. It gives the reader food for thought, makes him analyze situations taken from everyday life.