SUMMARY WRITING TIPS

 HOW TO WRITE A SUMMARY

What is Summary Writing?

Summary writing is when you take a long passage or story and rewrite it in a much shorter form, using your own words. The goal is to include only the most important points or main ideas, leaving out extra details, examples, or opinions.

Example:

Original Passage: "Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Jack who lived with his mother in a small cottage. They were very poor, and all they had was one cow. One day, Jack’s mother told him to sell the cow at the market. On the way, Jack met an old man who offered him some magic beans in exchange for the cow. Jack accepted the offer and returned home with the beans. His mother was angry and threw the beans out of the window. The next morning, a giant beanstalk had grown outside their cottage."

Summary: Jack and his mother were poor. He traded their cow for magic beans. His mother was upset, but the beans grew into a giant beanstalk overnight.

Key Features of Summary Writing:

• Shorter: The summary is much shorter than the original passage.
• Main Points Only: It focuses only on the important parts of the story.
• Own Words: It is written in your own words without copying sentences directly from the original.

Summary writing helps you understand the main ideas and explain them briefly.

 

SOME TIPS OF GOOD SUMMARY WRITING

• Read Carefully: Read the passage or text carefully to understand the main idea. Focus on key points, not minor details.

• Identify Main Points: Find the most important ideas or events in the text. Leave out examples, descriptions, and less important information.

• Use Your Own Words: Write the summary in your own words. Do not copy sentences directly from the text unless absolutely necessary.

• Be Brief and Clear: Keep your sentences short and to the point. Avoid long explanations.

• Follow the Order: Write the main ideas in the same order as they appear in the text.

• Avoid Opinions: A summary should only include facts from the text. Do not add your own opinions or comments.

• Limit the Length: A summary should be shorter than the original text, usually around one-third of its length.

• Check Grammar and Spelling: After writing, check your summary for correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

• Keep the Tone Neutral: Use a neutral tone without exaggerating or making the text sound more dramatic.

• Re-read and Revise: Finally, read your summary to make sure it covers all the important points and makes sense. Revise if needed.
• Title:  Give a suitable title. The title should be short and crispy.