SummaryWritingOutline?Definition?Uses/functions?Requirementsofgoodsummarywriting?Writingtechniques?SamplesWhatisaSummary?Bysummary,wemeanabriefrestatement,inyourownwords,ofthecontentofapassage.Asummary,then,isabriefstatementoftheessentialandtheoriginalthoughtofalongercompositionoressay.Thisrestatementshouldfocusonthepassage'scentralidea.Itshouldindicateallthemainpointsinthepassagethatsupportthiscentralideaandtherelationshipsbetweenthem,includingtheirorderandtheiremphasis.Inthecaseoflongerpieces,itshouldalsoincludeaveryfewimportantillustrationsorexamplesfromthepassage.Anditshouldindicatethebias,andpossiblyeventhetoneofthepiece,iftheseareimportant.Butthesummaryshouldnotcontainanyofyourownideas,opinions,orconclusions.UsesofSummaryWriting?Summarywritingisagoodexerciseforimprovingreadingcomprehension.Itencouragestheessentialhabitofclose,accurate,thoughtfulreading.?Summarywritingishelpfultocompositionwriting.Ittrainsonetoexpressone’sthoughtclearly,conciselyandeffectively.Itisalsoanexcellentwayofencouragingyourwritinghabitsingeneral,sinceagoodsummaryexhibitsalmostallofthequalitiesofanyotherpieceofgoodwriting:unity,clarity,coherence,accuracy,tightness,stylisticmaturity,andofcoursegrammaticalcorrectness.?Summarywritinghaspracticaluses.Forscientists,businessmen,lawyers,andgovernmentofficialsthisabilityisnotonlyimportantbutnecessary.QualitiesofaSummary?Objectivity:Noideathatisnottheauthor'sshouldbeincludedinthesummary,andnoopinionofthesummarywritershouldbeinthesummary.Nojudgmentsarepermittedinasummary.?Completeness:Dependingontheassignment,thesummaryshouldcontaineverymainideainthearticle.Statingonlythefirstmainideaoronlyonemainideaanddetailstosupportitwillnotgivethereaderacompleteideaofwhatthearticlewasabout.?Balance:Givingequalattentiontoeachmainideaandstressingideasthattheauthorstresseswillresultinanaccuratesummary.HowtoWriteSummaries?Hereisafive-stepprocessforwritingsummaries:?1.Readthearticlecarefully,trytounderstanditaccuratelyandlookformainideas.?2.Writealistofpointsinnoteformwhilereadingthepassageorthearticle.?3.Connectyourpointstowritearoughdraftofthesummaryinyourownwords.Refertothepassageorthearticleonlywhenyouwanttomakesureofsomepoints.Donotcountthenumberofwordsuntilyouhavefinishedyourroughdraft.?4.Revisetheroughdraft,insertingtransitionalwordsandphraseswherenecessarytoensurecoherence.?5.Writeafaircopyofthesummarywithinthewordlimitaftercheckingforgrammaticalcorrections,punctuationandspelling.?Youshouldbearinmindthefollowingrequirements:?Yoursummaryshouldnotbelongerthanathirdoftheoriginalpassage;itshouldbefaithfultotheoriginal,withnochangeinfactsorviews,andnoimportantpointsleftout;anditshouldbewrittenincontinuousprose,notintheformofanoutline.Howtocompress??Omitthedetails?Reducetheexamples?Simplifythedescription?Eliminatealltherepetitions?Compresswordysentencesandchangephrasestowords?Usegeneralwordsinsteadofspecificones.?Usetheshortestpossibletransitions.Oftensemi-coloncantaketheplaceofatransitionalword.?Putthemainpointsofadialogueinindirectspeech.Someothertips?Asummaryshouldusuallybeaboutone-thirdtoone-fourthaslongastheoriginalpassage.?Thesummaryshouldbeallinyourownwords.Itmustnotbeapatchworkmadeupofphrasesandsentencesquotedfromtheoriginalpassage.?Youshouldfollowthelogicalorderoftheoriginalpassageifpossibleanddesirable.Ideasandfactsneednotberearranged.?Thesummaryshouldbe...
