Summarizing
English 103 By:
Serge Korevaar
What is a Summary?
A summary is a brief re-statement, in your own words(!!!!), of the content of a passage.
Summary Essentials You should focus on the central idea of the passage. ď‚— A summary should be brief, complete, and objective. ď‚—
How to Write Summaries 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Read the passage carefully. Write one-sentence summaries of each stage of thought. Write a one- or two-sentence summary of the entire passage. Write the first draft of your summary. Check your summary against the original passage. Revise your summary. Compare the length of the summary to the original.
Read the passage carefully
Identify the author's purpose. If the thesis or main idea is stated rather than implied, underline it. Analyze the structure of the piece. Are the subtopics highlighted by subheadings? If there are no subheadings, look for clues that indicate shifts in topics, including transitional sentences and paragraph divisions. Once you identify the subtopics, write your own subheadings in the margin. Underline key words and phrases.
Write one-sentence summaries of each stage of thought. Many students write summaries that are merely shortened versions of the original passage. Using your own words to express the ideas in the passage requires a great deal of concentration, for you must truly understand what the author is saying. Writing onesentence summaries of each stage of thought on a separate sheet of paper will help you avoid using the language of the original in your summary
Write a one- or two-sentence summary of the entire passage.
The one- or two-sentence summary of the passage becomes the thesis (main idea?). ď‚— The thesis is the first sentence of the summary, and it includes the passage's subject (and the claim that the author is making about that subject). ď‚—
Write the first draft of your summary. Depending on your purpose for using the summarized passage, you can structure your summary in one of two ways: 1. Combine the thesis with your list of one-sentence summaries. 2. Combine the thesis with your list of one-sentence summaries plus significant details from the passage.
Check your summary against the original passage. 1. 2. 3.
Check to see that your summary is accurate and complete. Check to make sure that you are using your own words. Check for objectivity and revise any indication of personal opinion or critique.
Revise your summary. In revising your summary, combine sentences and insert transitions where necessary to make your summary clear and coherent. ď‚— Edit for grammatical correctness. ď‚—
Thank You