EASY TIPS OF SUMMARY WRITING:

 

Writing a summary is a great way to process the information you read, whether it’s an article or a book. If you’re assigned a summary in school, the best way to approach it is by reviewing the piece you’re summarising. Read it thoroughly and take notes on the major points you want to include in your summary. When you get to writing your summary, rely on your memory first to make sure the summary is in your own words. Then, revise it to ensure that your writing is clear and the grammar, punctuation, and spelling are all perfect.

How to Write a Summary:

• A summary begins with an introductory sentence that states the text’s title, author and main thesis or subject.
• A summary contains the main thesis (or main point of the text), restated in your own words.
• A summary is written in your own words. It contains few or no quotes.
• A summary is always shorter than the original text, often about 1/3 as long as the original.  It is the ultimate “fat-free” writing.  An article or paper may be summarised in a few sentences or a couple of paragraphs. A book may be summarised in an article or a short paper.  A very large book may be summarised in a smaller book.
• A summary should contain all the major points of the original text, but should ignore most of the fine details, examples, illustrations or explanations.
• The backbone of any summary is formed by critical information (key names, dates, places, ideas, events, words and numbers). A summary must never rely on vague generalities.
• If you quote anything from the original text, even an unusual word or a catchy phrase, you need to put whatever you quote in quotation marks (“”).
• A summary must contain only the ideas of the original text. Do not insert any of your own opinions, interpretations, deductions or comments into a summary.
• A summary, like any other writing, has to have a specific audience and purpose, and you must carefully write it to serve that audience and fulfil that specific purpose.

EXAMPLE:

v SHORT STORY:

    "The Necklace"

v AUTHOR:

    Guy De Maupassant

SUMMARY:

 Matilda, a beautiful youthful wife, is proud, vain and unrealistic lady. Her eyes reflect dreams of pomp and show off which never came true. Being a wife of a clerk, she could not enjoy luxury which she was extremely desirous of. Luckily, her husband is caring and does his best to console her. He wanted to divert her attention from the boring household chores his wife was unhappy with. In one such effort, her husband brought an invitation for a ball at a minister's residence. She refused to go because she had no "nice dress". She had other excuses for jewelry too. Her husband spent all his saving and bought her a nicer dress. But Matilda was still unhappy. When asked, she revealed the reason of her gloom. She wanted to wear jewelry and she had none. Her husband allowed her to borrow a necklace from her friend, Mrs. Loisel. However, our poor Matilda was never aware of the fact that the jewelry of Mrs. Loisel was artificial. She went to the party and enjoyed it. She appeared like a princess. Everyone praised her. Matilda's joys were boundless. She thought it was the happiest day of her life but who knew that chance would intervene and prey upon Matilda's fatal error. Soon the party was over and it was really over for Matilda and her husband. Unfortunately, she lost the necklace. They searched it everywhere. They looked for it in the party hall. They searched all carriage she came home in. They wandered on the road all night to look for the lost necklace but it was not to be found. Matilda had no option but to return the necklace but how the thing was to take place. They went to market and got estimate of a similar necklace. Then they borrowed money to buy a gold necklace for the artificial one they had lost. Though they managed to return the necklace to the friend of Matilda but it took them ten years to repay. During this time, they led a life of pain, misery and drudgery. Matilda became coarse. She lost all her beauty; she lost the gold of her complexion for the gold necklace she paid to her friend. The irony of fate mocked her when she met Mrs. Loisel. Poor Matilda was told that the necklace she lost was artificial. This was the most horrific of facts of her tragic life when they came to know that the necklace was artificial! The story does bear the moral that an artificial life often makes you pay!

👆Read it carefully and then write your own summary .