The Rhetorical Precis

      

               

                In her article, “The Rhetorical Précis”, Margaret K. Woodworth suggests that her technique, the rhetorical précis, is super important for teachers to use in all English classes.  She begins by quoting several reliable sources, from universities and studies, stating that summarizing “helps students learn to abstract the main ideas in a unit of discourse” (Woodworth 156) but then goes on to state that summarizing is not enough as students get older and that is where rhetorical précis comes into play.  The apparent purpose of this article is to describe in depth what a rhetorical précis is, what the uses are, its application, and teaching strategies for implementing the rhetorical précis in a classroom in order to demonstrate the invaluable positive effects of its use in all aspects of English and to the students.  In general, Woodworth seems to be specifically speaking to English educator; this is evident by the language that she uses—referring to the students benefit frequently along with teaching strategies and classroom implementation.

Woodworth, Margaret K. “The Rhetorical Précis”.  Rhetorical Review 7.1(1988): 156-164. JSTOR. Web.  20 Jan.2013.