HOW TO WRITE A SUMMARY

1. HOW TO WRITE A SUMMARY HOW TO WRITE A SUMMARY Presented by Xie Haixian Presented byXie Haixian Gaozhou Senior High School Gaozhou Senior High School

2. What is a Summary? What is a Summary? It is a short—but thorough—objective restatement of the main idea and key points of a passage. A summary may also mention some of the examples the author used to illustrate key points. What does not belong in a summary? What does not belong in a summary? Your opinions and thoughts, as well as the details of the passage.

3. REMEMBER: REMEMBER: A summary should be brief, complete, objective, in the writer's (you) own words, and accurate.

4. How to Write a Summary? How to Write a Summary? • Reread, label and underline. • Write one or two sentence summaries. • Read the passage carefully. • Write a thesis-a one-sentence summary of the entire passage. • Write the first draft of your summary. • Check your summary against the original passage. • Revise your summary.

5. Some hints for writing a summary Some hints for writing a summary • Concentrate on main ideas and omit examples, details, and minor supports. • The summary should be all in your own words. • Do not include your own opinion in the summary • Write in the presenttense (he shows, we work, they allow) • Introduce the author and title of the work in the opening sentence of your summary. • Summary writing is an exercise in compression. In writing a summary, you may: next

6. Omit the details or categorize them. • Reduce the examples. • Simplify the description. • Eliminate all repetitions. • Compress wordy sentences and change phrases to words.

7. “His courage in battle might without exaggeration be called lion-like.” He was very brave in battle. “John fell into the river and, before help could reach him, he sank.” John was drowned in the river. “He was hard up for money and was being pressed by his creditor.” He was in financial difficulties. Back

8. Checklist for group work Checklist for group work • Examples, details, and minor supports omitted? • Your ideas included? • Plagiarize? • Important parts left out? • Any grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes?

9. Two Possible Versions: Two Possible Versions: (1)Some people think that children’s learning mistakes should be corrected by themselves. Children learn by comparing their behavior, including their speech, with more skilled people. But in school teachers always point out and correct their students’ mistakes, making the students dependent on them. So children should learn by correcting their own mistakes and helping each other instead of having their mistakes corrected by their teachers.

10. (2)The author says that children’s learning mistakes should not be corrected by their teachers. He takes a child learning to talk as an example. And he believes that children would become dependent on the teacher if they were made to correct their mistakes with the teacher’s help. So children should be allowed to work out their problems all by themselves.

11. Thanks for listening. Thanks for listening.

12. Knowing how details are related helps you summarize. Instead of listing every detail, just write the name of the category hammer; saw, screwdriver ingredients I overslept; I missed my bus; there was a lot of traffic tools excuses flour; sugar; eggs; butter murder; robbery; mugging crimes Back