Introduction to Summarizing
Once you become comfortable with summarizing, your English assignments in
college will get easier. You will also be able to use your skills in learning
challenging material, both in and out of school. A summary in English classes is a
shortened version of a reading passage, written in your own words. Any kind of
text can be summarized, but the process cannot be rushed. Reading
comprehension skills are critical for writing a good summary. Understanding the
assignment and having a model summary are two good starting points for
writing a summary. As with all college reading and writing, discussion and
revision improve your process of understanding and your finished product.
What is a summary?
When you summarize, you are giving a shortened account of something, such as
a movie or story you have read. In English classes, a summary is a short version
of a reading passage, written using your own words and containing the important
points made by the author. The statements you write in your summary must be
very clear and concise,* so you must choose your words and write your sentences
carefully. This is not the place for your opinion. You must be careful not to
change the nature of what the author has written. It takes a lot of practice with
different kinds of texts to get good at writing summaries, but—like with all kinds
of writing—everyone can get better at it.
Why learn to summarize?
To use when you have to learn difficult material in school and life
To become a better communicator in both speaking and writing
To give only the necessary information
To explain the gist* of something: a movie, a story, an essay, an article, your day
To be able to complete many kinds of English assignments in college
To ace essay tests
To show your children how astute* your thinking is when you teach them how to
do it
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What skills do you need?
It is impossible to clearly summarize anything you do not fully understand, so
many reading skills are required. You must know how to use the dictionary and
thesaurus (online versions work well). You must already know how to paraphrase
and what makes a good paraphrase. You must already have practice with sorting
out the main idea from supporting details. If you are summarizing an essay, then
it is important for you to understand the definition of a thesis statement. You
should already be comfortable with your own process of annotating. In writing
the summary, knowing some transitional words and expressions to link ideas
together can be very helpful. Finally, you need a clear understanding of what
constitutes* plagiarism.
*concise: covers a lot of ground in a few words
*gist: the essential part, the key information
*astute: clever and smart
*constitutes: makes up or forms
What is the basic game plan for summarizing?
As with all college work, first understand the assignment and audience for your
writing. Get specific details about the assignment: How long should it be? Who
will read it? Are you supposed to use quotations or not? Read the passage once
all the way through. Circle words you do not know and look them up. Read the
passage again. Next annotate, doing your best to locate and paraphrase the
most important ideas. If you have found the thesis statement, restate it in your
own words. In paraphrasing, change the words and sentence structure in order
to avoid plagiarism. Be sure to make use of headings if they exist in your reading
passage, and pay special attention to first and last sentences in paragraphs, and
to first and last paragraphs in essays. If possible, discuss the passage with
colleagues because it really helps to hear and share ideas. It may be helpful to
mark through any sentences in the original passage that are “unimportant” for
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your purpose, such as minor details and lengthy explanations. It may be helpful
to use a highlighter to mark the key information or ideas, but do not overuse your
highlighter!
You may need to combine some of your annotated paraphrases to come up with
your list of the most important ideas. Combining similar ideas helps reduce the
length. Use a graphic organizer for summarizing if you like graphic organizers, or
write your points on note cards. Once you have put the several main points into
your own words, you are ready to write your first draft. Most people try to follow
the same order of ideas that the author used, but that is not always possible. The
first sentence should include the author’s name and the title of the material you
are summarizing. This sentence introduces the original work using the literary
present tense. You will learn more about this in future courses, but for now
follow the model given in the assignment. The easiest way to start is to copy a
model if you have one. Write the summary, linking your ideas with transition
words to help your readers understand what you are saying. As always, ask for
feedback, and revise and edit as needed, staying faithful to the author’s work. If
you get stuck, imagine that you are telling a friend what the passage is about.
How to keep from feeling overwhelmed?
Use this outline and the checklist that follows it.
Outline
1. Get clear on the assignment
2. Read and annotate, looking up words you do not know
3. Try to find the thesis of the passage, and paraphrase it and the other key ideas
4. Pay special attention to the first and last sentences in each paragraph, and to
the first and last paragraph in the passage
5. Try to discuss your annotations with classmates and get their ideas
6. For your first sentence, follow the model in your assignment
7. Write the thesis statement in your own words, followed by the other
important points
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8. Keep it short and clear!
9. If you get stuck, tell a friend what it is about
10. Ask for help at the Writing Center
Checklist
____I really understand the assignment
____I really understand the reading passage
____I have carefully read and annotated
____I have paraphrased the thesis and/or main ideas of the passage
____I have a list of what I want to include in the summary
____I have not included my opinion or changed the author’s meaning
____I have not used the exact phrases of the author
____I have sought help if needed
____I have given myself enough time with this summary
____I have revised and edited
From Source to Summary: A Model
A basic game plan for summarizing
Following some general pointers can assist student as they begin to write
summaries. As with all college work, first understand the assignment and
audience for your writing. Get specific details about the assignment: How long
should it be? Who will read it? Are you supposed to use quotations or not? Read
the passage once all the way through. Circle words you do not know and look
them up. Read the passage again. Next annotate, doing your best to locate and
paraphrase the most important ideas. If you have found the thesis statement,
restate it in your own words. In paraphrasing, change the words and sentence
structure in order to avoid plagiarism. Be sure to make use of headings if they
exist in your reading passage, and pay special attention to first and last sentences
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in paragraphs, and to first and last paragraphs in essays. If possible, discuss the
passage with colleagues because it really helps to hear and share ideas. It may be
helpful to mark through any sentences in the original passage that are
“unimportant” for your purpose, such as minor details and lengthy explanations.
It may be helpful to use a highlighter to mark the key information or ideas, but do
not overuse your highlighter!
You may need to combine some of your annotated paraphrases to come up with
your list of the most important ideas. Combining similar ideas helps reduce the
length. Use a graphic organizer for summarizing if you like graphic organizers, or
write your points on note cards. Once you have put the several main points into
your own words, you are ready to write your first draft. Most people try to follow
the same order of ideas that the author used, but that is not always possible. The
first sentence should include the author’s name and the title of the material you
are summarizing. This sentence introduces the original work using the literary
present tense. You will learn more about this in future courses, but for now
follow the model given in the assignment. The easiest way to start is to copy a
model if you have one. Write the summary, linking your ideas with transition
words to help your readers understand what you are saying. As always, ask for
feedback, and revise and edit as needed, staying faithful to the author’s work. If
you get stuck, imagine that you are telling a friend what the passage is about.
Summary before Paraphrasing
In “A Basic Game Plan for Summarizing,” Lorna Nelson provides some general
pointers for students learning to write summaries. A general approach to
summarizing includes understanding the assignment and reading the passage
carefully. When annotating, paraphrase the most important ideas, being sure to
change the words and sentence structure in order to avoid plagiarism. Combine
annotated paraphrases, and try to put them in the same order that the author
used. The first sentence should include the author’s name and the title of the
material being summarized. Use a model if you have one for this. It is important
to ask for feedback and to revise and edit. If you get stuck, imagine that you are
telling a friend what the passage is about.
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Summary after Paraphrasing
In “A Basic Game Plan for Summarizing,” Lorna Nelson provides some general
pointers for students who are learning to write summaries. To get started,
students need to understand both the assignment and the passage they will be
summarizing. Annotations that include the passage’s key points should be made
in the student’s own words, and these points should be combined logically.
Plagiarism can be avoided if students are careful not to use the author’s original
phrases. For the first sentence of the summary, follow the model given in the
assignment, and include the author’s name and the title of the reading. Make
needed revisions after getting help, if needed. Try explaining the passage to
someone if you want to check your work.
"Introduction to Summarizing" by Lorna Nelson, CVCC, is licensed under CC BY 4.0