How to Write a Summary of Readings Paragraph

Writing a Summary

Asummary is a short explanation of the main ideas in a text. Learning to summarize is a very important skill. When writing and responding to a text (essay, article, lecture, story, novel, or video), as you are often expected to do in higher, y'all volition exist expected to summarize what yous read, ofttimes in the introduction of each essay you lot write. It takes a conscientious reading of a text to write a adept summary, and writing a good summary volition illustrate your level of comprehension of a text.

When y'all write a summary, you are answering the question, "What was the essay (or commodity, or lecture, or story, or video) really about?" Summaries vary in length depending upon the purpose of the summary and/or scope of the specific assignment given. A full general summary differs from a detailed summary in that fewer supporting details are stated.

Summary Dos and Don'ts

Practise:

• Report the overall topic right away
• Begin with the name of the essay and the writer
• Write in present tense
• Depict the main points covered in the text
• Include supporting details as needed depending upon the length and depth of the summary desired
• Mention any of import conclusions drawn
• Utilize reporting verbs (see list beneath) to bear witness that these are the writer's ideas, not yours

Exercise not (unless the assignment asks you lot to):

• include your ain opinion near the text
• include quotations from the original text
• exceed half the length of the original text

Reporting Verbs

When writing a summary, information technology is very important to make it clear that you lot are describing the ideas in the text, non your own ideas. The employ of reporting verbs shows that yous are reporting on someone else's (the author's) ideas. Larn more than near verbs. Below are some reporting verbs that you might use:

The article

• presents
• reports on
• deals with
• focuses on
• examines
• covers
• describes
• addresses

The author

• states
• claims
• argues
• criticizes
• describes
• concluded with the idea
• concluded by saying

The researchers

• state
• claim
• study

Examples of summaries

Summary of an Article

Beneath is an case summary of Michael Moore'due south article, "Why Doesn't GM Sell Crack?"

Notice that the summary has the following strong aspects:

• It begins with the title and writer.
• It is much shorter than the orginal.
• Information technology focuses on the virtually important parts of the argument
• It uses reporting verbs
• It remains objective

In the article "Why Doesn't GM Sell Cleft?" Michael Moore argues that companies demand to be regulated then that they do not accept actions that hurt the community or environment. He explains that many people believe that companies should have the right to practice whatever will make the virtually money. However, he disagrees with this philosophy. He gives the example of selling crack, which would be very profitable for companies but bad for the consumers and community. This example shows how the government does make some laws to restrict companies and protect guild. Moore points out that most Americans concur that a company should non exist able to sell scissure just to brand a profit. Therefore, he argues, nosotros might extend this reasoning to other harmful actions, such as polluting the surround or treating workers unfairly. Moore believes that companies should be restricted from committing actions that hurt society.

Notice that the summary uses reporting verbs such as "argues" and "shows" to indicate that the viewpoint in the paragraph comes from Moore's commodity, not from the writer of the summary. Also find that the summary is objective; it does not give any stance near Moore's argument merely simply reports it equally accurately every bit possible. Finally, notice that the summary covers the essay'due south main ideas, with a few brief supporting examples.

Summary of a Story

Below is an example summary of the Brother's Grimm version of the story "Little Cerise Riding Hood." While "Piddling Red Writing Hood" is not an belligerent/non-fiction piece of work (the type y'all'll nigh likely exist expected to summarize in college) it is a story that most people know, making it a skilful story to summarize and provide as an example. Go to Wikipedia entry on "Little Red Riding Hood."

Notice that the summary has the following strong aspects:

• It begins with the championship and author.
• It is much shorter than the orginal.
• Information technology focuses on the most important parts of the story rather than the details.

Summary of "Little Red Riding Hood"

The Brother's Grimm version of the traditional tale "Piddling Ruby-red Riding Hood" is a story near a girl who wears a red riding hood and who is asked by her mother to take some food to her ailing grandmother who lives across the woods. Little Blood-red Riding Hood, who is quite young, walks from her house, through the woods from her firm to her grandmother'due south business firm, carrying a handbasket of food. On the way to her grandmother's house, she meets a wolf who asks her many questions about what she'south doing and where she'due south going. After a scrap, the wolf goes on his way, leaving Red Riding Hood to go on on her manner lonely. In one case at her grandmother's house, Piddling Cherry-red Riding Hood, notices that her grandmother looks different, that her optics, ears, nose, and teeth are much bigger than she remembers. Afterward a long conversation about the "grandmother's appearance," the wolf, who had eaten Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother and had dressed in her wearable, jumps from the bed and eats Piffling Red Riding Hood. At the very stop of the story, a hunter comes by the grandmother's firm and cuts the grandmother and Petty Cherry-red Riding Hood from the wolf's stomach and they are removed alive.

Notice this summary begins with the championship of the story and the author and that the summary is much shorter than the original version of the story itself. Also notice that it is written in the present tense, every bit is necessary to exercise when writing near a text – even ane that was read a long time agone and/or that was written in the past tense.

This summary does not go into a lot of detail; it simply focuses on the plot (if this were a summary of an essay, information technology would focus on the essay'due south main points rather than plot). The details in the story of "Footling Carmine Riding Hood" that would be tempting to focus on, but unnecessary, are the lines of dialogue between Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf, regarding the wolf's appearance: "'My grandma, what big optics you have,'" said Little Red Riding Hood. 'The better to see you with, my love,' responded the wolf." To include details near the dialogue, and/or quotes from this part of the story, would be unnecessary, as they are not totally important to the plot, and tin can easily be summarized. Lastly, it's important to find the employ of phrases like, "On the fashion to her grandmother'south firm," "Afterward a long conversation with the wolf about the grandmother's appearance," and "At the very end of the story," and recognize that these phrases are stand-ins for the kinds of details not necessary to include in a summary.

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Source: http://www.laspositascollege.edu/raw/summaries.php

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