Writing A Summary
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A summary restates the main ideas of a document in fewer words while omitting minor details and examples. It makes the author's ideas clear or clearer. A good summary is much shorter than the original and connects the key points in a cohesive way. When summarizing, readers should preview the document, identify the main ideas, and express the overall thesis in one sentence before writing a draft in their own words and then shortening it further.
Writing A Summary
- 2. A summary restates the main ideas of an author in your own words. Keep the important or the main points from the original passage while eliminating most supporting details such as the examples and illustrations. A good summary makes the author’s ideas clear perhaps even clearer than in the original.
- 3. A summary is generally much shorter than the original text. It includes only key ideas and omits the details. PMR candidates, you need to write not more than 60 words (including the 10 words given) SPM candidates, your summary should not be more than 130 words (including the 10 words given)
- 4. • It may or may not follow the order of the original. You must decide how all of the ideas fit together. • Writing a summary requires more skill than writing a paraphrase. A paraphrase is a list of sentences; a summary is a group of connected sentences, revealing how the author's ideas are related.
- 6. • Preview the article to get an idea of what it is about. Read the title, headings, first paragraph, first sentence of the following paragraphs, and the last paragraph.
- 7. • Then read the whole article carefully. Underline or highlight the main ideas. Be selective. Mark only the main ideas. (Try to limit yourself to no more than 20% of the original). Write the main idea of each paragraph in the margin and also make notes about the purpose of the paragraph (For example, does it provide examples of a main point or serve as a transition to another point?)
- 8. Express in one sentence the main idea of the article.
- 9. Write your first draft, using what you have underlined and written. You can keep this draft simple by following the order of ideas in the original.
- 10. Write a shorter version of your first draft, this time write using your own order on the ideas and make decisions about what information is essential.
- 11. Keep quotations short. If you are permitted to quote directly, it's usually better not to quote entire sentences. Summarize a portion of the quotation and quote only the most important words.
- 12. Read your summary carefully to make sure that the meaning of the original article would be clear to someone who has not read it.
- 13. Ifyou are having trouble understanding an article, either because its ideas are complex or because its organization is confusing, try writing a short paraphrase of each paragraph.
- 14. The meaning will probably be clearer after you have worked your way through the article, so you could then write a shorter version of your paraphrase, trying to eliminate those ideas that don't seem essential.
- 15. Atthis point you should be ready to write a summary, an even shorter version of your paraphrase that suggests your understanding of the way the ideas fit together.
- 16. With Love Always, Po Po Tun