Writing Exercise #4

“The purpose of the rhetorical precis is to offer a short account of an article that does more than summarize the content. The rhetorical precis, which is four sentences long, accounts for the author and his or her main assertion, the way the author develops or supports the thesis, the author’s purpose in writing, and a description of the intended audience and relationship the author establishes with the audience.

Sentences of the Precis:

  1. Name of author (and credentials or a phrase describing the author), genre and title of work, date in parentheses; a rhetorically accurate verb; and a THAT clause containing the major assertion (thesis) of the work.
  2. An explanation of how the author develops and/or supports the thesis (nature of evidence)
  3. A statement of the author’s apparent purpose, followed by an “in order” phrase.
  4. A description of the intended audience and/or the relationship the author establishes with the audience”

Example:

(1) Jeneva Anderson in her Ph.D. dissertation entitled “Characterization of Helicobacter pylori Autoinducer-2 Binding Proteins Involved in Chemorepulsion and Biofilm Dispersal” (2015) asserts that chemorepullsion from autoinducer-2 (AI-2) small molecules promotes biofilm dispersal in Helicobacter pylori (2) Anderson provides evidence that H. pylori chemotactically respond to AI-2 via two proteins and that mutants of these proteins causes decreased biofilm dispersal through a mix of in vitro and in vivo experiments. (3) The purpose of this dissertation is to describe her graduate work on the mechanism and function for AI-2 sensing in this important human pathogen, and so that we may learn more about how to treat infections with this pathogen. (4) Anderson establishes a scholarly relationship with academics both in microbiological research, as well as other specialties within the biological sciences.

Choose one of the primary research or clinical trial articles that was in your reference list for your midterm audience essay, and write a rhetorical precis on the article.

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