Summary

How to write a good summary in brief

Remember:

Do not rewrite the original piece.
Keep your summary short.
Use your own wording.
Refer to the central and main ideas of the original piece.
Read with who, what, when, where, why and how questions in mind.
Do not put in your opinion of the issue or topic discussed in the original piece.

How to Write a Summary

Preparing to Write:

To write a good summary it is important to thoroughly understand the material you are working with. Here are some preliminary steps in writing a summary.

1. Skim the text, noting in your mind the subheadings. If there are no subheadings, try to divide the text into sections. Consider why you have been assigned the text. Try to determine what type of text you are dealing with. This can help you identify important information.

2. Read the text, highlighting important information and taking notes.

3. In your own words, write down the main points of each section.

4. Write down the key support points for the main topic, but do not include minor detail.

5. Go through the process again, making changes as appropriate.

When writing the summary there are three main requirements:

1. The summary should cover the original as a whole.

2. The material should be presented in a neutral fashion.

3. The summary should be a shortened version of the material, presented in your own words

The following steps will help you in writing summaries.

Read through the text to be summarized at least twice.
Isolate the information required for the summary.
Check that the points you have decided on are the ones required by the question.
Put the points in the correct order. (There may be a natural sequence, e.g. in a narrative, or you may have to decide on an order to emphasize the points you consider most important.)
Check the number of words.
If the text is too long, you must shorten it, by removing less important information, by combining sentences to reduce the number of words, or by using one word instead of a lengthy phrase. If the text is too short, you must lengthen it, by expanding some of the information already given or adding to it, and by elaborating some of the phrases.
Check your amended draft for length, content and grammatical accuracy.
Write out the correct and final version.

9. When writing your summary, avoid using exact words from the text. Always try to paraphrase the information, using synonymous phrases and different structures.

10. Don’t be tempted to include your own opinion in the summary, even though you may disagree or agree strongly with what is being said.

You should start your summary with:

The article/text under the headline … published in … deals with/is devoted to/is about

You can use the following linking phrases in the body of the summary:

Attention is drawn to the fact that…

In the opinion of the author it is…

The author points out…

The author goes on to say…

The article discusses…

The author of the article takes a critical view of…

The author makes it clear that…

The author expresses the view that…

In the author’s opinion/view…

You can use the following phrases to finish your summary:

In conclusion the author suggests that…

The author comes to the conclusion that…

The author draws the following conclusion that…

The basic approach of the author is…

The following linkers will also help you to structure (signpost) your ideas when writing summaries, reproductions, essays etc.

Linking Words=Connectives

Function

Language

Adding information=

In addition (to)
Besides
Also
Moreover
Furthermore
Above all
Not only,…but also
What is more
Another aspect/issue/problem is

Describing similarities=

Similarly
Likewise
Equally
In the same way
There is a close/striking parallel/analogy/resemblance/similarity between

Contrasting (describing differences)=

But
On the other hand
While
Whereas
By/in contrast (
In contrast to/with
Unlike
This contrasts with
As opposed to
As against
This differs from
There is a sharp/striking contrast between

Concession=

However

Although
Nevertheless=Nonetheles

Introducing examples=

For example
For instance
A good/typical example/illustration of this is

Expressing effect

Therefore
Consequently
That is why=
Thus
So
Hence
As a result
As a consequence
So that
This results in smth.
This leads to smth

Expressing cause

Because (of)
As
Due to
The cause of this is
The reason for this is
On the grounds of
This arises/results/emerges/derives from

Introducing the main topic

The article/book/chapter/paper/report concentrates on/deals with/ is devoted to/focuses on/addresses/examines/explores/reviews/looks at/analyses
The main subject /theme/topic is
The emphasis is on

Mentioning minor related topics and ideas=

As for/to
With regard to
With respect to
As far as smth. is concerned

Introducing the first item in a list

First/Firstly
First of all

Introducing the second and following items

Second/Secondly
Third/Thirdly/
Fourth/Fourthly
Then
Next

Introducing the last item

Finally
Lastly

Reporting in your words what someone has said or written=

The author/writer says/writes/argues/claims/stresses/concludes
In the writer’s opinion/view
According to the writer
The author goes on to say that

Summarizing

In summary
To summarize
To sum up
Summing up
In brief
In short
In a nutshell

Drawing conclusions

In conclusion
To conclude

Time phrases used to sequence events

At first=In the beginning
First
In the end of=At last
But At the beginning/end of smth.
Then
Next
After that/Afterwards
Before
By
While
When
As soon as
Until/Till

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