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Tips for Writing a Summary
What is a written summary? It is an objective condensation of the main ideas of another person. It is written to give readers a clear idea of an article or book they may not have read. Let’s consider the notions précis and summary.
Precis
A summary of a passage from a book, report, newspaper, article, etc, which conveys the main idea of the original is called a précis. The word ‘precis’ which is French and the English ‘precise’ both come from the same Latin verb ‘to cut short’. ‘To be precise’ is to be accurate, definite, exact, brief and to the point.
A precis writing is of great importance to any student since it trains them to understand the meaning of what they read, to think clearly, to construct their writing in an orderly and logical way.
The student will find, too, that the effort of making a précis will increase remembrance of a passage much more than readings alone could. The precis is not only an end in itself but a means to an end – to the better mastery of passages of value and the development of the power of expressing ideas simply, clearly and concisely.
A précis is normally made in about 1/3 or ¼ the length of the original. The writer is not supposed to introduce his own judgment or comments, nor can he use the direct speech, conversations or dialogues in précis writing. These should be paraphrased before being condensed. Thus, paraphrase is the first practical step to précis writing.
Paraphrase is the translation of a dialogue or conversation into ordinary prose language. Care should be taken not to confuse it with reported speech which is purely grammatical. We do not stick as closely to the wording of the author or speaker in paraphrasing as we do in reporting. That is, in paraphrasing, we attempt to put the ideas of the speaker or writer into our own words. Paraphrase thus gives excellent practice in expression – the thoughts, ideas and emotions are supplied, and all that is necessary to thoroughly understand and express them in simple prose language.
How to Write a Precis.
Writing an accurate précis is not easy. It requires careful and thoughtful reading in order to grasp the general idea and phrase it in a way which will be at once clear and brief. Here are some suggestions which may prove helpful.
Summary
A summary and a précis have much in common because a summary also conveys the main idea of a passage, an article, etc. However, there are certain points of difference between them.
They seem to be the following:
Suggestions for achieving academic writing style
BUILD A VOCABULARY OF STRONG DESCRIPTIVE WORDS. Favour formal literary words instead of colloquial, informal.
Meeting – encounter,
support – advocate, patronize,
think – consider, reflect, contemplate, meditate, speculate ,
make a mistake – commit a mistake.
Favour one-word not multi-word verbs (phrasal).
Favour strong nouns, adjectives and verbs.
ISSUE – burning, central, critical, crucial, major, vital, controversial, thorny, global, environmental, educational, moral, etc.
verb + ISSUE: raise, debate, consider, address, explore, tackle, focus on, highlight, deal with, etc.
Nice- amazing, fascinating, etc; bad- drastic, dramatic, appalling, etc; topic – issue. A Thesaurus should be at hand as it is not enough to list such words at random.
Divide the summary into three parts:
Opening para (What kind of story is it? Where is the scene set? What is the story about?)
Body (two or more paragraphs describing the events, the conflict or the problem)
Closing para (how the story ends, what happens to the characters) By way of conclusion a student may be required to express his own point of view. The final paragraph must make the reader know that ‘this is the end’. Signal words such as finally, the story ends in|with… etc.
Try to use a mixture of narrative tenses, different lexical and grammar means to make a summary more vivid. For this and similar assignments the following phrases may come in handy. Try to use the ones that are most suitable for the occasion.
Here is a sample list of some commonly used words and phrases which may help you to interpret your passage clearly and accurately:
to want/wish to know that…
to wonder if (why, when, how, etc)…
to think (believe, suppose) that …
to be sure (convinced) that…
to doubt (suspect) that…
to admit that…
to deny that …
to reproach sb… etc.
Note 1: Avoid verbs like ‘tell’, ‘say’, ‘ask’, ‘answer’ which are typical of reported speech.
Note 2: When paraphrasing a passage consult ‘The list of linking words and phrases’ for logical connection of facts are one way of doing this.
Language for writing
Adverbs and adverbial phrases of opinion are often used at the beginning of sentences to indicate the writer’s attitude to the statement that follows.
e.g. Interestingly, the number of women in the workforce has almost doubled in the last decade.
apparently
admittedly
astonishingly
basically
ideally
(not) surprisingly
presumably
characteristically
incidentally
ideally
obviously
naturally
inevitably
typically
undoubtedly
without a doubt
predictably
(un)fortunately
more importantly
generally speaking
frankly
strictly speaking
as a matter of fact
Rephrase the sentences starting with appropriate adverbs or phrases from the list above.
Vocabulary prompts for:
sequencing events: at first (suggests a contrast later), at the beginning (chronological order), in the beginning, prior to, firstly, secondly, by way of introduction, subsequently, eventually, meanwhile, suddenly, gradually, hardly…when, no sooner…than, afterwards, eventually/finally (suggest a long wait, outcome positive or negative), in the end (before there were problems and uncertainty), at last (suggest a long wait, outcome positive), lastly,
comparing and contrasting: however, though (inf), although (frml), despite, in spite of, nevertheless (frml), nonetheless, likewise, in the like manner, similarly, similar to, to have…in common, by analogy, in/by comparison, in exactly/precisely the same way, on the contrary, whereas, in contrast to, unlike, on the one hand/on the other hand, even though (more emphatic), there is a striking resemblance between…
adding: also, as well, besides, moreover, in addition, not only…but also, furthermore, what is more
reasoning: hence, so (inf), therefore (frml), at the same time
expressing cause and result: so…that, such…a, as a result, consequently, subsequently, for this reason, due to, owing to, too…for, not enough …for/to, thus, on account of, since, etc
expressing purpose: to, in order to, so as to, so that, for (non-specific purpose)
giving examples: for example, for instance, such as, by way of illustration, a case in point is…, a good example of this is (how, when,…), etc
summing up/concluding: all in all (mainly spoken), overall, in conclusion, by way of conclusion, in the main, in the end, finally/eventually, at last, all things considered, to conclude, in summary, in the final analysis, to sum up, in sum, summing up
How to Write a Summary in 8 Easy Steps
Writing a good summary demonstrates that you clearly understand a text...and that you can communicate that understanding to your readers. A summary can be tricky to write at first because it’s tempting to include too much or too little information. But by following our easy 8-step method, you will be able to summarize texts quickly and successfully for any class or subject.
1) Divide…and conquer. First off, skim the text you are going to summarize and divide it into sections. Focus on any headings and subheadings. Also look at any bold-faced terms and make sure you understand them before you read.
2) Read. Now that you’ve prepared, go ahead and read the selection. Read straight through. At this point, you don’t need to stop to look up anything that gives you trouble—just get a feel for the author’s tone, style, and main idea.
3) Reread. Rereading should be active reading. Underline topic sentences and key facts. Label areas that you want to refer to as you write your summary. Also label areas that should be avoided because the details—though they may be interesting—are too specific. Identify areas that you do not understand and try to clarify those points.
4) One sentence at a time. You should now have a firm grasp on the text you will be summarizing. In steps 1–3, you divided the piece into sections and located the author’s main ideas and points. Now write down the main idea of each section in one well-developed sentence. Make sure that what you include in your sentences are key points, not minor details.
5) Write a thesis statement. This is the key to any well-written summary. Review the sentences you wrote in step 4. From them, you should be able to create a thesis statement that clearly communicates what the entire text was trying to achieve. If you find that you are not able to do this step, then you should go back and make sure your sentences actually addressed key points.
6) Ready to write. At this point, your first draft is virtually done. You can use the thesis statement as the introductory sentence of your summary, and your other sentences can make up the body. Make sure that they are in order. Add some transition words (then, however, also, moreover) that help with the overall structure and flow of the summary. And once you are actually putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys!), remember these tips:
7) Check for accuracy. Reread your summary and make certain that you have accurately represented the author’s ideas and key points. Make sure that you have correctly cited anything directly quoted from the text. Also check to make sure that your text does not contain your own commentary on the piece.
8) Revise. Once you are certain that your summary is accurate, you should (as with any piece of writing) revise it for style, grammar, and punctuation. If you have time, give your summary to someone else to read. This person should be able to understand the main text based on your summary alone. If he or she does not, you may have focused too much on one area of the piece and not enough on the author’s main idea.