What is a summary?
Working definition
A summary is a shortened version of writing in which
you use your own wording to express the main idea of a
longer piece of information.
N.B.: Summarizing is a real-life skill used by everyone:
news reporters, police officers, you, et cetera.
What three points are emphasized in learning
summary skills?
When learning summarizing skills, three points
should be emphasized:
(1) summaries are shorter than original texts,
(2) they contain the main ideas of a text, and
(3) they are written in reported speech and present
tense.
How do I distinguish between relevant and
irrelevant details?
Relevant vs Irrelevant details
Relevant: Finding the Main Idea
The main idea is defined as one or two sentences that
say what the author is trying to tell us about something.
It is not usually a sentence that comes straight from the
reading, but one that you have to come up with that
summarises what the reading (paragraph, long passage,
article, story, etc.) is mainly about.
Irrelevant: Elaborating details
When you read your original the second time, mentally
or physically with a pencil, exclude any of the following:
1. Minor details
2. Opinions
3. Repetitions
4. Examples
5. Figures of speech
6. Evaluations/conclusions
7. Dialogue/ Quotations
8. Statistical data
Or MORE FEDS
The process can be broken into these steps:
STEP I – Analyse the INSTRUCTIONS to make sure
you understand how to answer.
…what to focus on? Relevant details
… how to write? Continuous prose
… word limit? 120 exact
STEP II – Read the passage ONCE to get a general
understanding; TWICE to start making notes.
STEP III – Make NOTES of the main ideas in the text.
1. Identify theme/topic that is mentioned throughout
passage (what is extract talking about?)
2. Create a topic sentence that summarises main points
3. Ask yourself, what is writer trying to tell me about
topic?
*list FIVE main points
*use your own wording as far as possible to
paraphrase in sentence form what you found
(these become the main points/relevant info.)
*ensure you do not have any MORE FEDS
4. Organize main points sentences sequencially, which
means they do not have appear in order presented
in passage
STEP IV – Add transitions to make coherent
Use appropriate transitions to join and transition
sentences.
STEP V – Read over and proofread
þ Your range of vocabulary is helpful as you condense
a number of words/details
þ Change any direct speech into reported speech
þ Keep the language: (SC²)
Simple – easy to understand
Clear – easy to see
Concise – brief and to the point
Processes involved in paraphrasing
1. Combining-linking ideas together
2. Rewording- dropping some words and replacing
with other without distorting the facts
3. Conflating- combining or blending words into a
whole idea
4. Condensing- shortening paragraphs or sentences
5. Synthesising- writing the information in a new form
A FEW MORE NOTES BEFORE YOU ALL BEGIN!!!
While students MUST use their own words, ― "in your
own words"/wording does not require avoidance of key
words of the passage. The technical jargon (scientific
terms, specialized vocabulary) of some passages
cannot be avoided when students are writing
summaries.
- Students need to undertake extensive practice in
organizing their answers, using transition words to help
the reader with understanding and readability and using
simple, correct language.
- Students should be reminded that to reuse the words
of the passage entirely (whether as a whole chunk or by
joining phrases from all over) attracts no marks — as
the student has not presented any of his/her own words
for assessment. Staying within the word limit is another
area for practice.
- Build vocabulary and spelling skills to help with
comprehension.
Helpful Links
Summary Writing for CSEC:
Introduction to Summary Writing - CSEC English - January 28 2021
Writing Activity
Read the passage below about some benefits of
cars and complete the questions that follow, which
give practice in paraphrasing information without
changing the writer’s intention and the overall
meaning of the passage:
If you were asked which invention has the greatest
impact on our daily lives in modern times, what would
you say? Satellites/cable TV? Computers? Microwave
ovens? Some writers have answered ‘the motor car’.
Cars have given us greater mobility and freedom.
We are no longer restricted to places reached by
public transportation and times that do not suit us. Cars
have added to the convenience of doing business too,
whether this involves transporting goods, shopping or
attending school and work.
Because of cars, designers, manufacturers,
mechanics, valets… have all gained employment. Plus
after a dull or tiring day, cruising the road in a classy car
can be a really pleasurable recreation.
Activity 1: Understanding the structure of a passage
1. According to the passage, which invention does the
writer think has had the greatest impact on our daily
lives?
2. What is the text structure of the passage? Give
examples from the text to support your choice
a. Giving information by making comparisons
b. Sequencing information
c. Cause and effect relationships
d. Giving information through description
e. Outlining problems and solutions
3. List the four benefits of cars that the writer notes in
the passage
Activity 2- Producing equivalent sentences
When you are summarizing or reporting on the
information given in a factual piece of writing, one of the
strategies that allows you to remain loyal to the writer’s
intention and the overall content of the passage is your
ability to produce equivalent sentences.
1. Read the following sentences, which are taken from
the passage about some benefits of the car, and
write a sentence for each that conveys the same
meaning.
a. Cars have given us greater mobility and
freedom.
b. Cars have added to the convenience of doing
business, whether this involves transporting
goods, shopping or attending school or work.
c. Because of cars, designers, manufacturers,
mechanics, valets…have all gained
employment.
d. After a dull or tiring day, cruising the road in a
classy car can be a really pleasurable
recreation.
2. Look back at the equivalent sentences you have
written. Use them to build a short paragraph about some
uses of the car. Re-order the sentences, if necessary, to
make your paragraph more effective.
3. Check your paragraph to make sure that what you
have written is giving the same information as the
original passage.
