What Do You Mean By A Summary?
Note-taking is an important aspect of academic studies. Whenever you are in the middle of a lecture, you try to grasp whatever concepts the teacher explains. However, is it practically possible to write down all that the teacher has said? The answer is a definite no. The best thing to do here is to take running notes while listening to your teacher. Then you can rewrite these notes in your own words to form a summary that depicts the central idea of the topic. This article covers summary definition and the process of converting a passage to a summary of your own words which will include all the essential points of the original passage.
[Image will be uploaded soon]
What Is The Definition Of Summary?
The definition of the summary is pretty simple as a summary is a shorter version of a larger text expressed in the writer’s own words. There should be no question of plagiarism in summary. It consists of all the essential points from the original passage, essay, or conversation. A good summary ensures that the writer has understood the passage in detail and knows what the essential and non-essential points are.
[Image will be uploaded soon]
Things To Be Remembered While Summarizing A Passage
As per the summary definition, a summary is a short text. Hence, while writing a summary, a few points should always be remembered. Let us take a look at these points.
Rewrite the passage in your own words. Do not copy the exact original text.
There should be no ambiguousness or vagueness in a summary. It shows that the writer is confused about the topic.
It includes all the main points of the original passage and the writer must include as many important points as possible in the summary.
Try to avoid the use of any repetitive words or sentences. Do not repeat the same concepts.
There should be no personal remarks, criticism, or assumptions in the summary.
As the summary definition states, it should be from the source itself.
Carefully identified to whom, when, where, why, and what has been written in the original text. Maintain those in your summary too.
The length of the summary can be a maximum of one-fourth length of the original passage. It cannot exceed this limit.
Each section of the summary should be logically coherent and linked to the rest of the summary. A point should not suddenly be mentioned in the summary such that it seems to have no link with the passage at all.
Try to avoid using figures of speech like metaphors, alliterations, oxymorons, or any jargon in your summary.
The writing style should be uniform, clear, and crisp. Use short and simple sentences.
You can always conclude with a note of your understanding of the concept, at the end of your summary to reflect the main idea once again.
[Image will be uploaded soon]
Steps For Writing A Summary
Step 1: One should have great reading skills to write a proper summary of a passage. Read the passage at least twice or thrice.
Step 2: Highlight the main and essential points of the passage. Note them separately and maintain the order in which the author has written.
Step 3: Combine all the points and the ideas. Start making the summary after you collect all the main points. The general idea of the original passage should be reflected.
Step 4: Write the first rough draft. Recheck with the original passage and check whether you have missed any points. You can always add or omit pieces of information from your draft.
Step 5: Keep a check on the summary word limit. It should not exceed 25% length of the original passage.
[Image will be uploaded soon]
Solved Examples
Q1· What is the importance of Summary Writing?
Answer: When a person writes a summary, it improves his or her critical reasoning skills. It helps the writer to understand the topic as a whole. Summary writing is extremely necessary for academics and professional fields to take the notes and make summaries out of it.
Q2· State the basic characteristics of a Summary.
Answer: Clear objectives and accurate writing characterize a summary. It should be clear and concise, with no vagueness and language errors.
Fun Facts
As per the summary definition, a good summary does not use any figure of speech like metaphors, but it needs to be stuffed with keywords for keeping the main theme of the original text intact. A perfect summary has got no plagiarism and is written in the writer’s original words. It does not have any extra or unnecessary information but should carry the exact objective of every paragraph in the passage.
FAQs on Text Comprehension and Summarization Steps
1. What are the essential steps to comprehend and summarize a text effectively?
To effectively comprehend and summarize a text, follow these key steps:
- Read and Understand: First, read the entire text carefully to grasp the overall subject and the author's primary intent.
- Identify Main Ideas: Reread the text, this time highlighting or noting the topic sentences and key arguments in each paragraph. Disregard minor details, examples, or repetitions.
- Paraphrase Key Points: Write down the main ideas you identified, but use your own words. This ensures you have truly understood the concepts.
- Draft the Summary: Combine your paraphrased points into a concise paragraph. Start with a sentence that states the author's main thesis or the text's central theme.
- Review and Refine: Check your draft against the original text for accuracy. Ensure your summary is significantly shorter than the original, is written objectively, and flows logically.
2. What are the main techniques used for writing a good summary?
There are three primary techniques for crafting a well-written summary:
- Selection of Ideas: This involves carefully choosing only the most critical ideas, themes, and keywords from the original passage. The goal is to retain the core message.
- Rejection of Ideas: This technique requires you to actively filter out and remove all unnecessary information, such as detailed examples, statistics, anecdotes, or repetitive phrases.
- Substitution of Words: This is the process of replacing the original author's phrases and sentences with your own words (paraphrasing). It also involves combining multiple sentences into a single, more concise one to reduce length.
3. How is a summary different from a critique?
A summary and a critique serve very different purposes. A summary is an objective and shortened restatement of a text's main points in your own words. Its goal is to report what the original author said without any personal judgement or opinion. In contrast, a critique is an evaluative response where you analyse and judge the original text's arguments, strengths, and weaknesses. A critique includes your own opinions and assessment, while a summary strictly avoids them.
4. What are some effective strategies to improve text comprehension skills?
To improve your ability to understand texts, you can use several active reading strategies:
- Previewing the Text: Before reading, look at headings, subheadings, images, and the introduction/conclusion to get a general idea of the topic.
- Asking Questions: Actively ask questions as you read (e.g., What is the main point here? How does this connect to what I already know?).
- Making Connections: Connect the information to your own experiences, other texts you've read, or real-world events.
- Visualizing: Try to create a mental image of the concepts, people, or events being described.
- Pausing and Summarizing: Stop after each section or chapter and try to summarize its key points in one or two sentences.
5. Why is it important to use your own words when summarizing a text?
Using your own words, or paraphrasing, is crucial for two main reasons. Firstly, it forces you to process and internalise the information, which is a true test of your comprehension. If you can't explain a concept in your own terms, you likely haven't fully understood it. Secondly, it helps you avoid plagiarism. Directly copying sentences from the source material without proper citation is considered academic dishonesty. Rephrasing demonstrates original thought and respect for the author's work.
6. How does the skill of summarization help in academic subjects like Business Studies or Economics?
Summarization is a vital academic skill in subjects like Business Studies and Economics. It helps students distil complex theories, case studies, and market reports into their essential components. For example, you can summarize a lengthy business case to quickly identify the core problem, the strategies used, and the outcome. This ability is essential for case study analysis, writing concise exam answers, and making effective revision notes that capture the essence of a topic without unnecessary fluff.
7. What is the role of identifying the author's purpose in text comprehension?
Identifying the author's purpose—whether it is to inform, persuade, entertain, or instruct—is a cornerstone of deep comprehension. Understanding the author's intent acts as a lens through which you can interpret the entire text. For instance, if the purpose is to persuade, you will actively look for biased language, emotional appeals, and the evidence used to support arguments. If the purpose is to inform, you will focus on facts, data, and objective explanations. This awareness prevents misinterpretation and allows for a more critical reading of the material.
