Summarizing
- 1. Summarizing
- 2. What it means… Summarize Summary O (v) to state or express in a concise form O (n) a brief statement or account of the main points of something
- 3. Summary Paragraph O Should be 3-5 sentences, depending on the length of the text you are summarizing O Includes the main idea or central point of the text O Include important details – not all of the details O Should be in your own words, but based only on the text you are summarizing O Indicate the author and text you are summarizing in the first sentence O Example: In the book Anthem, the author Ayn Rand tells the story of Equality’s struggle with his collectivist society and his eventual rebellion.
- 4. Sample Summary Paragraph O The following paragraph is a summary of “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” O In the short story “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,”author James Thurber humorously presents a character who fantasizes about himself as a hero enduring incredibly challenging circumstances. In his real life, Walter Mitty lives an ordinary, plain life; he is a husband under the control of an overbearing, critical wife. Thurber uses lively dialogue to give readers an understanding of Mitty's character. The story takes place over a period of about twenty minutes; during this brief time, Mitty drives his wife to the hairdresser and runs errands that his wife has given him while he waits for her. In between his worrying that he is not doing what she wants him to do, he daydreams about himself as a great surgeon, brilliant repair technician, expert marksman, and brave military captain. This story shows that fantasy is often a good alternative to reality.