How to write summaries

1、Summary: a brief restatement of the content of a piece of writing in your own words. It should focus on the central idea, indicate all the important points and their relationship, order and emphasis. But it should not contain any of your own ideas, opinions, or conclusions.Qualities of a summary:Obj

2、ectivity; Completeness; BalanceFive-steps process for writing summaries:1. Read the article carefully, try to understand it accurately and look for main ideas.2. Write a list of points in note form while reading the passage or the article.3. Connect the main ponits to write a rough draft of the summ

3、ary in your own words. Refer to the article only when you are not sure of some points.4. Revise the rough draft, inserting transitional words and phrases where necessary to ensure coherence.5. Write a fair copy of the summary within the word limit after checking for grammatical corrections, punctuat

4、ion and spelling.Suggestions on writing summaries:There are many ways to make a summary brief and clear. Here are some suggestions:Omitting the details.Reducing the examples.Simplifying the descriptions.Eliminating all repetitions.Using phrases instead of clauses or sentences.Using general words ins

5、tead of specific words. Using the shortest possible transitions.eg. but, then, thus, yet and for ; not at the same time, on the other hand etc.Avoiding figurative language.Putting the main points of a dialogue in indirect speech.In short, the summary has to omit what is unneccessary and condense wha

6、t should be reproduced. Therefore, suppression and compression are two most useful methods.Rewrite the following sentences and make them brief.His courage in battle might without exaggeration be called lion-like.(He was very brave in battle.)2. The account the witness gave of the incident made every

7、one that heard it laugh.(The account of the witness made people laugh. )3. They acted in a manner that rendered them liable to prosecution.(They acted illegally.)4. John fell into the river and, before help could reach him, he sank.(John was drowned in the river.)5. He was hard up for money(拮据) and

8、was being pressed by his creditor. (债权人 )(He was in financial difficulties.)Rewrite the following paragraph in one sentence:She brought home several Chinese and English novels, a few copies of Time and Newsweek, and some textbooks. She intended to read all of them during the winter vacation.She brou

9、ght home a lot of books and magazines to read during the vacation.Rewrite the following paragraph by using only the key words:Beautiful montains like Mount Tai, Lushan Mountain, and Yellow Mountain were visited by only a few people in the past. Today, better wages, holidays with pay, new hotels on t

10、hose mountains, and better train and bus services have brought them within reach of many who never thought of visiting them ten years ago.Beautiful montains like Mount Tai, once visited by only a few people, are today accessible to many, thanks to better wages, paid holidays, new hotels and better t

11、ransportation.Rewrite the following paragraph. Try to turn the main points in the dialogues into indirect speech. Kate looked at Paul disapprovingly: “You use too much salt on your food, Paul its not at all good for you!” Paul put down his knife and frowned: “Why on earth not! If you didnt have salt

12、 on your food it would taste awful like eating cardboard or sand just imagine bread without salt in it, or potatoes or pasta cooked without salt!” kate was patient. She didnt want to quarrel with Paul. She wanted to persuade him. She said firmly: “But too much salt is bad for you. It causes high blo

13、od pressure and later on, heart-attacks. It also disguises the tastes of food, the real tastes, which are much more subtle than salt, and which we have lost the sensitivity to appreciate any more.”Kate suggested to Paul that he should eat less salt. She thought that eating too much salt would do harm to Pauls healt