SUMMARY WRITINGKey features: (1) it is shorter than the source; and that

(2) it repeats the ideas of the source in different phrases

and sentences. 1

2

A grammar book that’s hip—how’s that for a contradiction? People frequently ask me to recommend books about grammar and this is the title I suggest. But I like this book because it covers more than grammar, heading toward style—and because it’s both funny and flexible. Hale parses Charlotte Bronte next to Muhammad Ali; she quotes Bob Dylan in her discussion of the verb “lay” and Dr. Seuss in her examination of rhyme and onomatopoeia.

3

This title is not so much a book as it is a daring grudge match against the writing “Bible” and its authors William Strunk Jr. and the incomparable E.B. White. Written with great wit / divided into 8 sections—Flexibility, Freshness, Texture, Word, Force, Form, Clarity, and Contemporaneity . It is not a “how to write” book—it assumes a basic facility with language. Excellent and thorough index. It is full of wise advice, laughs, and inspiration.

4

Weinberg believes that good material lies all around us and that our job as writers is to collect it for future use. His central and oddly compelling metaphor is that writing is like building a fieldstone wall. That is, you collect “stones” (or stories) as you wander through life and you save them for when you might need them for building (writing).

5

6

SUMMARY WRITING

Key features: (1) it is shorter than the source; and that

(2) it repeats the ideas of the source in different phrases

and sentences. 7

YOU CANNOT

WRITE A GOOD

SUMMARY if you don’t understand the source 8

Do not mislead readers

PURPOSE of a SUMMARY:

Convey Understanding Of Text

IMPORTANT feature: FIDELITY to the source

Report accurately & comprehensively

DON’T add own examples & explanations

9

WRITING IS SCORED ON HOW WELL :

• the main ideas of the article are stated;

• identification of the most important details that support the main ideas;

• summary is written in your own words, except for quotations; and

• expression of the underlying meaning of the article, not just the superficial details.

10

STEPS TO SUMMARY WRITING

1. READ & UNDERSTAND THE PROMPT OR WRITING DIRECTIONS

Example: Write a summary in your own words not over 200 words in length of the following excerpt…

11

2. READ, THINK ABOUT, & UNDERSTAND THE TEXT.

• Review the material to make sure you understand it well

• Figure out the meaning of any important words

3. TAKE NOTES. Write down the main ideas & important details of the article.

STEPS TO SUMMARY WRITING

12

4. WRITE A THESIS STATEMENT. In a single sentence, state the main idea of the article.

The thesis statement should mention the underlying meaning of the article, not just the superficial details.

5. ORGANIZE & OUTLINE IDEAS. Write down the important details you need to include in the summary. Put them in a logical order.

Topic sentence, evidence #1, #2, #3

STEPS TO SUMMARY WRITING

13

6. WRITE YOUR ESSAY. FOCUS on the main point of the article and the MOST IMPORTANT DETAILS. Use your own words; avoid copying phrases and sentences from the article unless they’re direct quotations.

7. REVISEHave you captured the main point of the article? Included the most important details? Sentence variety? No short, choppy sentences? Transitional words & phrases to connect ideas? Vocabulary/word choice. Prepositions. 14

8. PROOFREAD & EDIT. Check your spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Is the verb tense consistent? Have you avoided writing run-on sentences and sentence fragments?

9. READ SUMMARY AGAIN. Look for careless spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors, especially omitted words or letters. Cross out errors neatly with a single line and write the correction above.

STEPS TO SUMMARY WRITING

15

MORE POINTERS

BEFORE WRITING THE SUMMARY:For a text, read, mark, and annotate the original.

highlight topic sentence/key points/key words/phraseshighlight the concluding sentenceoutline each paragraph in the margin

TAKE NOTES ON: the source (author--first/last name, title)the main idea of the original (paraphrased)the major supporting points (in outline form)major supporting explanations

(e.g. reasons/causes or effects)

16

AGAIN - Writing Is Scored On How Well :

• the main ideas of the article are stated;

• identification of the most important details that support the main ideas;

• summary is written in your own words, except for quotations; and

• expression of the underlying meaning of the article, not just the superficial details.

17

Again - STEPS TO SUMMARY WRITING

1. Read & understand the prompt or writing directions 2. Read, think about, & understand the text. 3. Take notes. Write down the main ideas & important

details of the article. 4. Write a thesis statement5. Organize & outline ideas6. Write essay7. Revise8. Proofread & Edit9. Read it again 18

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS

19

1. In his recent book, John Brown provides a description of…

2. The article ”XYZ" by Y. Zee, asserts that ...3. Brown concludes his article by ...4. According to John Brown…5. The article discusses…6. The author goes on to say that…7. The author further states that…8. The author also believes that…9. The article provides information on…

20

THE TEXT/ARTICLE/EXCERPT• is about deals with

• presents describes

IN THE TEXT/ARTICLE/EXCERPT• the reader gets to know

• the reader is confronted with

• the reader is told about21

says, states, points out that claims, believes, thinks that describes, explains, makes clear that uses example to confirm/prove that agrees/disagrees with the view/thesis contradicts the view criticizes, analyzes, comments on tries to express argues / suggests that compares X to Y emphasizes his thesis by saying thatdoubts that tries to convince the readers that concludes that

THE AUTHOR

22

EXPRESSIONS

MORE

23

• BRIEFLY adverb / used when you are about to say something without many details

• ALTOGETHER adverb / used for introducing a summary of what you have just said

• IN BRIEF without many details

• IN SHORT used for introducing a summary of something that you have just said

• IN EFFECT used for giving a summary of what you think the situation really is

• ON BALANCE after considering all the relevant facts24

• IN THE FINAL/LAST ANALYSIS used for giving the facts that are most relevant in a situation

• WORDS TO THAT EFFECT used for reporting the general meaning of what someone has said, rather than their exact words Example: Protecting integrity is a game, or words to that effect.

• IN SUMMARY used at the end of a talk or piece of writing for introducing a short statement that gives only basic information or opinions

• IN SUM = TO SUM UP used for giving a summary of what you have said 25

Writing Frames

ESSAY STRATEGY

26

WRITING YOUR SUMMARY:• Organize your notes into an outline which includes

main ideas & supporting points but no examples or details (dates, numbers, statistics).

• Write an introductory paragraph that begins with a frame, including an in-text citation of the sourceand the author as well as a reporting verb to introduce the main idea.

27

WRITING A SUMMARY:In his article “____,” Smith (year) argues/claims/reports/contends/maintains/states that ______________________.

(main idea/argument; S + V + C)EXAMPLES: 1. In his article "Michael Dell turns the PC world inside out," Andrew

E. Serwer(1997) describes how Michael Dell founded Dell Computers and claims that Dell’s low-cost, direct-sales strategy and high quality standards account for Dell’s enormous success.

2. In his book The Pearl, John Steinbeck (1945) illustrates the fight between good and evil in humankind. 28

STRONG ARGUMENT

argue, claim, contend, maintain, insist

COUNTERARGUEMENT

state, report, explain, discuss, illustrate

NEUTRAL

refute the claim, argue against

SUGGESTION

suggest, recommend

CRITICISM

criticize 29

Writing Frames

MORE

30

According to (last name), (yr.), ______________________. (main idea/argument; S + V + C)

Last name’s article on (topic) (yr.)discusses the __________.(main idea; noun phrase)

(Last name), in his/her article, “(title)” argues that_________.(main idea; S + V + C)

31

3. The main idea or argument needs to be included in this first sentence. Then mention the majoraspects/factors/reasons that are discussed in the article/lecture. Give a full reference for this citation at the end of the summary.• For a 1-paragraph summary, discuss each supporting point in a

separate sentence. Give 1-2 explanations for each supporting point, summarizing the information from the original.

• For a multi-paragraph summary, discuss each supporting point in a separate paragraph. Introduce it in the first sentence (topic sentence).

Example: The first major area in which women have become a powerful force is politics. 32

4. Support your topic sentence with the necessary reasons or arguments raised by the author/lecturer but omit all references to details, such as dates or statistics. 5. Use discourse markers that reflect the organization and controlling idea of the original, for example cause-effect, comparison-contrast, classification, process, chronological order, persuasive argument, etc.6. In a longer summary, remind your reader that you are paraphrasing by using "reminder phrases," such as: The author goes on to say that… The article (author) further states that… (Last name) also states/maintains/argues that … (Last name) also believes that… (Last name) concludes that 33

7. Restate the article’s conclusion in 1 sentence.

34

5 Summaries in < 120 words

Writing Practice

35

Text #11. Summarize in < 120 words, how Bombay's existing situation contradicts its flourishing economic status. (4 slides)36

Bombay is often regarded as India's Capital of Hope. Often wonderingwhy this is so, I made a fruitful trip down to the busy city, solving mostof my queries.Bombay consists of 7 islands, joined by land reclamation. Many Indians,especially those from the rural areas, regard Bombay as their paradise,since they could find work relatively easily here, as compared to theirhomelands.Being the pillar for revenue collection, Bombay's economic growth has far outperformed the other cities. In fact, its per capita (head) production of goods and services is about 3 times greater than that of Delhi - India's 2nd

most prosperous city. Despite the economic boom, Bombay gives me an astonishing image of deterioration when I first stepped into the city. 37

The ostentatiously dignified imperial buildings, erected by the British, are so overly populated that they look as if they are toppling over any minute. There are the 1950s kind of black and yellow taxis, which appeared as if brutally thrashed, lining up like ants trails, clotting up the small avenues. Amidst the dins of traffic jams, stood the oppressed-looking buildings of Benetton outlets, foreign car dealerships, croissant-serving outlets and so on.

2/4 slides38

Though unemployment is not a significant problem in Bombay, housing is. A visit in Dharavi, a slum area in Bombay will help clarify our imagination. The Bombayites' so called "houses" are actually movable shacks, built from unwanted bits of tarpaulin, tin and cardboard. There are so many of them that a maze of alleys emerged, passable only when I walked sideways like a crab between them. Curious about the living conditions, I wondered around the maze, meeting groups of scantily clad kids and hungry, stray dogs. Popping my inquisitive head into one of the small huts, I was totally amazed by their living conditions. (Continues next slide)

3/4 slides39

Estimating about twelve or more Bombayites living in each hut, these two-storey houses are usually partitioned by rough platforms with ceilings no higher than five feet from the ground. Furthermore, `these shacks look absolutely bare -- no furniture and I deduced that the inhabitants eat and sleep on the ground.

In spite of the poor living conditions, many Indians still hope to migrate to Bombay. Interviewing a few of the newcomers, a majority of them said that they came to Bombay to find jobs. There are some who regard Bombay as buoyant floats, saving them from natural disasters and tyrannies in their homelands.

5/5 slides40

< 120 words

Sample Summary #1

41

Despite its economic boom, the conditions in Bombay are alwayschaotic. The existing buildings in Bombay are overly inhabited bythe large population. With more immigrants flooding in, theemergence of slums is inevitable. The "houses" there, areactually shacks made from unwanted materials like tarpaulin &cardboard. These shacks flooded the streets, creating a maze,with spaces passable only if one walks sideways. The 2 stories,small huts, divided by rough platforms, often have low ceilingswhich are no more than 5 ft.from the ground. These shabby hutsare also barely furnished. Kids are usually seen running aroundwith minimal clothes on them. Furthermore, traffic jams, usuallycaused by old, shabby taxis are common, daily sights there.42

• Pillar – a very important member or part of a group

• Slum – a very poor and crowded area

• Inquisitive - wanting to discover as much as you can about things

VOCABULARY

43

Text #22. Make a summary < 120 words, describing the emergence of paper money used widely today. (4 slides)44

Buying things today is so simple. Just enter a shop, say a

bookstore, choose the desired book and pay for it. Long ago,

before the invention of money, how did people trade?

(1/5 slides) 45

The most primitive way of exchange should be the barter trade. In this form of transaction, people used goods to exchange for the things that they had in mind. For instance, if person A wanted a book and he had a spare goat, he must look for someone who had the exact opposite, that is, that someone, say person B, must have a spare book of person A's choice and is also in need of a goat. Having found such a person, the problem does not end here. A big goat may worth not only one book, hence person B may have to offer person A something else, say 5chickens. However, he runs the risk of person A rejecting the offer as he may not need the chickens. The above example clearly illustrates the inefficiency of barter trading. 46(2/5 slides)

Many years later, the cumbersome barter trade finally gave way to the monetary form of exchange when the idea of money was invented. In the early days, almost anything could qualify as money: beads, shells and even fishing hooks. Then in a region near Turkey, gold coins were used as money. In the beginning, each coin had a different denomination. It was only later, in about 700 BC, that Gyges, the king of Lydia, standardized the value of each coin and even printed his name on the coins.

47(3/5 slides)

Monetary means of transaction at first beat the traditional barter trade. However, as time went by, the thought of carrying a ponderous pouch of coins for shopping appeared not only troublesome but thieves attracting. Hence, the Greek and Roman traders who bought goods from people faraway cities, invented checks to solve the problem. Not only are paper checks easy to carry around, they discouraged robbery as these checks can only be used by the person whose name is printed on the notes. Following this idea, banks later issued notes in exchange for gold deposited with them. These bank notes can then be used as cash. Finally, governments of today adopted the idea and began to print paper money, backed by gold for the country's use. 48(4/5 slides)

• Today, besides enjoying the convenience of using paper notes as the mode of exchange, technology has led man to invent other means of transaction too like the credit and cash cards.

• barter – to trade goods/services without the exchange of money

• bead – small, round object, used in jewelry

• ponderous – having great weight

2. Make a summary < 120 words, describing the emergence of paper money used widely today. (Sample / 119 words)

49(5/5 slides)

< 120 words

Sample Summary #2

50

Long ago, people bought things through barter trade. However, the difficulty of having to look for the right partner and dividing the goods led people to switch over to monetary transaction. at first, beads, shells and fishing hooks were used as money. Near Turkey, gold coins with irregular denominations were used for trade. Later, King Gyges standardized the individual coin value. People soon found carrying coins around for shopping troublesome and thieves courting. Hence, merchants started to issue checks with names of the users on them to discourage robbery. Following that, banks started to issue cash notes in return for gold deposited with them. Finally, adopting the idea, today, governments printed paper money backed by gold for the country's usage. 51

Text #33. Make a summary < 120 words, describing the various means of transportation. 52

• The means of transportation has changed and improved over many centuries. Long ago, during the times of the kings and knights, animals such as horses, buffaloes and camels were used by man for transportation purposes. These animals no doubt did save man from traveling by foot, they took a long time to complete the journeys, especially when transporting goods.

53(1/5 slides)

• In 1825, George Stephenson's opening of the first railway marked a significant progress in the history of transportation. Railways were in popular demand because they could carry more people and loads. More importantly, they ran faster than animals. Railways improved the communication networks and hence, imports and exports of goods and people traveling out of their towns or even countries to work were made possible. Unfortunately, since the invention of motor vehicles, the popularity of railways has declined.

542/5 slides)

• Motor vehicles were first invented in the eighteenth century. These vehicles were preferred by many people as they do not run on tracks and hence do not have fixed routes. Travelers can then plan their own routes to suit their convenience. This is especially so when the destinations are places like small towns or remote areas. In these places, few or even none of the trains ever reach them; so traveling by the motor vehicle would solve this problem. Over many years of modifications, the motor vehicle is now one of the most commonly used means of transportation. Today, we travel in cars, taxis, buses, lorries or vans almost every day.

55(3/5 slides)

• Another form of transportation is by water. It may be the slowest but definitely the cheapest form of bulktransportation. Though over the centuries of innovations, water transportation has improved from the ancient wind dependent yachts to the modern motor driven ships, journeys by water are still characterized by the dangers and unpredictability of meeting natural disasters like the storms.

56(4/5 slides)

• The evolution of world transportation has reached its pinnacle with the invention of airplanes. Transportation by planes is the easiest and fastest. Planes gliding smoothly in the air are not obstructed by seas, hills, buildings and so on. Though convenient, this means of transport is the most expensive. Despite the popular demand, the transportation network of the planes is still not a balanced and complete one till today. Developed countries tend to make use of air transportation more frequently than the less developed ones as they do more exporting and importing of goods and also have more people traveling to and fro their countries. Hence, the networks in these developed countries are denser. 57(5/5 slides)

3. Make a summary < 120 words, describing the various means of transportation.

• loads – cargo, freight

• bulk – in large amounts

• pinnacle – the most successful/admirable part of a system or achievement

• SAMPLE REVISION - 119 words)

58

< 120 words

Sample Summary #3

59

• In ancient times, man made use of animals like the horses to transport themselves and goods. The journeys usually took a long time. Trains were preferred to animals since its invention, as they carry more people and goods and travel faster. Motor vehicles proved more superior to trains as they do not run on rails. Hence, they are able to reach small towns and remote areas where tracks are not available. Traveling via waters man be slow but it is the cheapest form of bulk transportation. However, journeys by water are often characterized by the danger of meeting a storm. Traveling by plane is the most convenient but expensive way and thus we do not use it for daily purposes.

60

Text #44. Summarize in your own words, the advantages and disadvantages of owning a television. (4 slides)61

With the invention of televisions, many forms of entertainments have been replaced. Lively programs like television serials and world news, have removed from us the need to read books or papers, to listen to radios or even to watch movies. In fact, during the 1970s, when televisions were first introduced, cinema theatres suffered great losses as many people chose to stay in the comforts of their homes to watch their favorite programs.

(1/4 slides)

62

Indeed, the television brings the world into our house. Hence, bystaying at home and pressing some buttons, world happenings areimmediately presented before us. Children nowadays develop fasterin language, owing to the early exposure to television programs. Atsuch tender age, it would be difficult for them to read books orpapers. Thus, television programs are a good source of learning forthem. Furthermore, pronunciations by the newscasters, actors oractresses are usually standardized, hence young children watchingthese programs will learn the 'right' pronunciations too. Owninga television is also extremely beneficial to working parents who areusually too busy or tired to take their kids out for entertainments.Surrounded by the comforts of their home, the family can have achance to get together and watch their favorite television programs.63

Of course, we should not be too carried away by the advantages of thetelevision & overlook its negative points. Watching television programs takesaway our need to read. Why bother to read the papers when we canhearthemfromtheTVnewsreports?Whyreadbookswhenexcitingmoviesarescreened?Thelackofreadingisunhealthyespeciallytoyoungerchildrenastheywillgrowuponlywiththeabilitytospeakbutnotwrite. Ihaveaneighborwhose 6-year-old child can say complete sentences like "I like cats," but whentoldtowriteoutthesentence,isunabletodoso.Notonlyarethewritingskillsofchildren affected, their thinking capacities are also handicapped. Televisionprogramsremovetheneedtothink.Thestories,ideas&factsarewovenintheway television planners wanted. Exposure to such opinions & the lack ofthinking opportunities will hinder the children's analyzing ability.64

Despite the disadvantages of watching television programs, personally, I think that choosing the 'middle path', which is to do selective television viewing and not over indulging in the habit should be the best solution to reconcile both the merits and demerits of owning a television.

(4/4 slides) 65

< 120 words

Sample Summary #4

66

The TV keeps us informed of the world affairs. Early exposure totelevision programs helps to develop language skills of youngchildren. These children can also learn to pronounce wordsaccurately because of the standardized pronunciation in theprograms. In a family where both the parents are working, thetelevision provides the family an opportunity to get together atleisure times. One disadvantages of watching television programs isthat we do less reading and hence our writing skills are affected.Younger children may learn to speak but not write from televisionprograms. Furthermore, television programs often spare viewers,especially the young ones, from pondering upon opinion s presentedbefore the, which will in turn handicap their ability analyze facts. 67

Text #55. Summarize in < 120 words, the advantages and disadvantages of advertisements. (5 slides)68

We are bombarded by many advertisements every day. Vendors try all means and ways to gain our attention and sell us their products or services. Advertisements appear everywhere; on television programs, radios, in the papers, magazines, pamphlets and so on.

(1/5 slides)69

Advertisements are actually very useful though we sometimes feel annoyedwhen they interrupt our favorite TV programs. They provide us with freeinformationontheproductsandservices.Thereare2typesofadvertisements.Theinformativeadvertisementsaretheoneswhichprovideuswiththedetailsoftheproductsorservices.Thisinformationisespeciallyusefuliftheproductorserviceisnew.Forinstance,whenweneedtobuyacomputer,advertisementsdescribing the latest models and their different functions would be extremelyhelpful. However, only a minority of the advertisements are informative ones.Many of them belong to the 2nd category -- the persuasive kind. Theseadvertisements not only tell us more about the products, at the same time,they persuade customers to buy them by claiming that their products aresuperiortotherivalryones.Theseclaimsmaysometimesbeuntrue. 70

Besides being informative and persuasive, advertisements also help to subsidize the prices of magazines and newspapers. Our newspapers are sold at a low price of about one dollar, owing to the advertisements in the papers; otherwise, the price would have been higher.

While advertisements can be good helpers for shopping, they do have their shortcomings. Most advertisements aim to sell only. Faults of the products or services are usually hidden from the consumers. Hence, sometimes, we feel deceived if the product or service we bought does not turn out the way the advertisements claim to be. 71(3/5 slides)

Sometimes, advertisements by rival competitors can get very intensive, especially when there are many firms producing similar products. One common example is the washing powder. There are so many advertisements for the different brands that customers sometimes get confused over what they should buy. Furthermore, having more advertisements would mean that the production cost of the firm would be increased. These rises in cost are usually passed on to the consumers in the form of higher prices.

72(4/5 slides)

Hence, in conclusion, though I do advocate advertisements, I do not deny their flaws. Without them, we might have to buy things based on incomplete information or go through more complicated ways before getting to know the products or services. On the other hand, too many advertisements also complicate our buying decisions. So I would say that we cannot live without advertisements but we must be careful how we live with them.

73(5/5 slides)

< 120 words

Sample Summary #5

74

There are two types of advertisements. Informative advertisementsprovide consumers information about the products or services. Theyare especially useful when we are purchasing new products. Thesecond kind is the persuasive ones which provide us with productsinformation and also persuade us to buy them by claiming thesuperiority of their products. Advertisements also benefit readers ofnewspapers and magazines by helping to subsidize the prices. Onedisadvantage of advertisements is that they sometimes aim to sellonly and cover up the flaws of the advertised products. Consumermay sometimes get confused over buying decisions when too manyadvertisements are advertise. Advertising also raises the productioncosts which in turn increases the prices of the products too. 75

Transitional Words and Expressions

APPENDIX

AGAIN 76