SUMMARY WRITING

What is a summary?

A summary is a shortened passage, which retains the essential information of the original. 

A summary means the gist of a given passage in few words as possible.

 We simply report back what the writer has said, without making value judgments.

Characteristics of a good summary

It can be understood without reference to the original.

It is a faithful reproduction of the original.

It should be brief without any unnecessary detail.

It should also include enough details to give a clear and honest picture.

Convey the author's purpose in writing

Summaries shouldn’t contain personal opinion.

Techniques of summary writing

1. Grasp the central ideas

2. Paraphrasing

To paraphrase means to completely and correctly express other people’s ideas in one’s own words.

3. Use condensation methods

            Use synonyms or synonymous phrases

Eg. He had a good command of English. 

(He knew English well.)

           Change the structure of simple/compound sentences

           Turn complex sentences into simple sentences

Eg. My brother has an appreciation of modern art.

(My brother appreciates modern art.)

4. Finding the topic sentence and making an outline

5. Prepare the draft connecting the major ideas

Major steps in Summary Writing

Read the passage carefully several times to get its central idea.

Frame a suitable short title that should express the subject of the passage.

Underline the main points stated in it.

Then prepare a brief outline of the passage.

The outline must be in your own words.

Avoid the use of words and phrases used in the given passage.

Now write a summary in a connected style.

One word substitution is the best tool in summarizing a passage.

Examples:

1)

From the moment we are born, we cannot be alone; We stand in constant need of support from all around us, body and soul and spirit; We need clothes that other men make; Houses, which other men build, food, which other men produce; We earn our living by working for others, others earn their living by working for us.

As children we need our parents to be our comforters and take care of others: we cannot live a day without our peers; We need teachers to educate: books and masters to teach us trades; And when we learn it and settle ourselves in life, we need laws made by other men who died hundreds of years before we were born, to secure for us our rights and property, to secure our comfort in our station; And we need friends to comfort us in our sorrows and share our joys. 

We cannot live alone

 We need support from all around us from the moment we are born. We need clothes, houses, food, and teachers to educate us, laws to secure our rights and property, and friends to comfort us in our sorrows and share our joys. We earn our living by working for others, and we need our parents to be our comforters and take care of others.

2)  We call beautiful anything that gives us pleasure and that depends on things outside of us. Perhaps most people think the sea is beautiful only when it is blue. If one has been in Italy as a child and has grown up beside the grey North Sea, he will think that grey seas are ugly: and nothing can be so beautiful as the blue Mediterranean.

But suppose a Scotsman who loves Scotland should go to Italy. He might find the blue sea too uninteresting after a while. When he goes home and sees the grey sea again, he will see the sea as beautiful. We are made in different ways, and grey can be as beautiful as blue, just as a baby’s cry can be sweeter to someone’s ears than the best notes of the greatest singer of all time. Nothing is beautiful or ugly in itself, but thinking makes it so.

Perspectives on Beauty

Nothing in this world is beautiful or ugly. Things look beautiful or ugly according to our own idea of ​​beauty. The same thing may look different to people raised in different environments. Generally, most people consider beautiful a thing that gives pleasure. But it depends on our perspective. 

3)

Exercise in nature is very beneficial for both physical and mental health. In addition to the general benefits of exercise, such as improving cardiovascular health and increasing muscle strength, outdoor activities also provide an opportunity to experience the beauty and tranquillity of nature. It can increase feelings of well-being and reduce stress and anxiety. It is important to embrace the benefits of outdoor exercise and incorporate it into your regular routine. 

Outdoor exercise has benefits for physical and mental health, including increasing well-being and reducing stress and anxiety. It is important to include outdoor exercise in your routine.