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Short summaries (one or two sentences ) will do. Longer and more complete summary will indicate, in condensed form, the main points in the passage that support or explain the central idea, It will reflect the order in which these points are presented and the emphasis given to them. It may even include some important examples from the passage. But it Will not include minor details. II, Features of a summary 1. Using the same order of facts and ideas as the original 2. Using all the information from the original 3.
Using none of the same vocabulary as the original 4. Using different grammatical structures from the original 5. Emphasizing the points you feel are important in the original 6. Giving your opinion about or commenting on the original Ill. Procedures Of writing 1. First it is important to decide why you are summarizing. Are you going to use this information in an essay? DO you need only the main ideas or are the details also important? Perhaps only sections of the text are relevant; in which case you need to be even more selective. 2.
Before you attempt to summarize, it is essential that you understand the material you plan to summarize; if the ideas in the material are not clear to you, then they will not be clear to the reader when you express them in writing. 3. Read the passage carefully. Determine its structure and identify the authors purpose in writing, ( This will help you distinguish between more important and less important information. ) 4. Reread. Divide the passage into sections or stages of thought. The authors use of paragraphing will often be a useful guide. Make each section or stage of thought. Underline key ideas and terms. A. If you are summarizing a paragraph, find the topic sentence and then the main supporting ideas of that paragraph. B. If you are summarizing an essay, find the thesis statement and topic sentences of body paragraphs. Then find the main supporting ideas. C. If you are summarizing a larger work, find the main ideas and main support. For example, in addition to looking for topic sentences in the paragraphs, you may want to kick for chapter titles, headings, and/or subheadings in the longer work. 5. It is useful to take notes.
The first reason for this is to clearly identify the main points of the text, and the second reason is to use these as the basis for writing the summary. 6. Write a thesis: a one-sentence summary of the entire passage. The thesis should express the central idea of the passage. For newspaper stories, contain he factors like What, Who, Why, Where, When, and How of the matter. For persuasive passages, summarize in a sentence the authors conclusion. For descriptive passages, indicate the subject of the description and its key features, 7. Write a brief outline of the main ideas in the same order as they appear in the original work.
Be sure to write only words and short phrases in your outline. This way you can make sure the summary wording is not exactly the same as the original wording. 8. Write the first draft of your summary using your own notes as a stimulus- put the original text away. If you follow the text, it Will make it more difficult to summarize in your own words. 9. After you write the summary, read both the original work and the summary again. A. Check to see that you have included only the main idea(s). B. Check the wording of the summary to see that you did not use too many of the same words used in the original. . Check that you did not include your opinion in the summary. 10. Revise your summary, inserting transitional words and phrases where necessary to ensure coherence. Combine sentences for smooth, logical flow of ideas. Check for grammatical correctness, punctuation, and spelling. IV. N. O, W. Approach When summarizing you can use N. O. W. Approach: NOTE down key points ORGANIZE the points WRITE your summary using these points V. Sample and Practice 1. Look at the following short extract from a text on Environment Problems and Management.
Imagine you have been asked to: a) identify the main points; b) make notes c) write a summary based on your notes The following is one way Of carrying out this assignment. Stage One: Decide on the purpose for summarizing the extract. This is very important because your purpose Will determine Which particular points you Wish to summaries from the text. Stage Two: underline the key points. ( This is the NOTE Stage Of the summary process. ) Interest in the environment is not a recent phenomenon; the environment has always affected the growth and development of humankind, both as a source of materials as well as a refuge for the human spirit.
The recent interest in protecting the environment is a reflection of both the demand of society for a better quality of life, which may include using the environment as a haven, as well as the need to replenish sources. The difference between the present day and the pre-sass era is the extent to which concern tort the environment has come important; there is much greater interest, Stage Three: Make a list of the key points in note form, using your own words where appropriate. ( This is the ORGANIZE stage of the summary process. 1: interest in envy. = not just recent: always nit. As source of raw materials + “refuge for human spirit” 2: reasons for recent nit. = nit. In teeter quality Of life” + need to replenish sources of raw materials 3: CB. Current interest with pre- sass=environmental concerns now given more priority Stage Four: Write the summary based on your notes. ( This is the WRITE stage of the summary process. ) Sample summary Man has always had an interest in the environment both as a source of raw materials and as a “refuge for the human spirit.
Nowadays, the two main environmental interests are based on the concept to a “better quality of elite”, as well as the need to replenish the sources of raw materials. In comparison with the pre-sass, much greater interest in the environment is currently being expressed. 2. Read the following paragraph and write a summary, Are you having trouble learning new information in a class? You may want to find out more about your unique learning style Your learning style is the bay you prefer to learn.
It is not related to how intelligent you are or what skills you have, but it is related to how your brain works more efficiently to learn new information. Your learning style has been a part of you since you ever born. Summary one: Everyone is born With an individual learning style. A learning style is each person’s own way of learning new things, and it is related to how his or her brain processes information. Summary two: A learning style is each person’s way of learning new information according to how his or her brain works. Each person’s learning style may be unique because we are all born with our own individual way of learning.