1. Summary writing

2. What is the Summary?
The summary is a re-statement, in shortened form, of the topic and chief ideas of a text.
A summary answers the following question:
“What is the essay/newspaper article/short story/drama scene/… about;
what does it entreat?
what does it deal with?”
The length of a summary is rarely more than a third of the original text and may be only one fifth.

3. What is the Summary?
a summary gives only the gist of a text and leaves out:
repetitions, examples, illustrations,
comparisons,
colourful adjectives
other rhetorical elements or stylistic ornaments.

4. Whose Point of View?
A summary is written entirely in the words of the person summarizing, i.e., in your own words,
Avoid copying phrases or sentences of the original text.
A summary is written from the point of view of the author of the original text.

5. Writing a summary
Writing a summary means reading carefully the text to be summarized – twice, if necessary.
Underline important points as reading progresses.
Text aside, ask : “What does the author want to say?”
Answer the question in one sentence so as to form a clear idea of the subject or topic of the text. Without looking at the original text – which points are closely linked to this topic.

6. Draft Formulate points remembered in your own words. Keep it simple!
While writing, leave a wide margin on both sides, and space lines well apart – for later corrections and additions.
This first version summary is called the draft.

7. Synonyms or Actual Concepts
If the text contains technical terms which are indispensable, retain them; if not, find, synonymous expressions for “keywords” and include a few of them in one term that is more general.

8. Fluency and coherence Arrange the main points in logical order.
Write the summary not like a list of points.
Combine sentences by using connectives such as “but”, “yet”, “however”, “therefore”, “consequently”, “nevertheless”, “still”, “all the same”, “as a result”, “in addition” etc.
Subordinating some of the ideas to the others by means of words like “although”, “since”, “as”, “because”, “in order to”

9. Check Re-read the written summary.
Check maximum number of words (if such a maximum was given in the assignment); if not, condense further.
Improve word choice (e.g. avoid repetitions).
Check and improve links (i.e., the logical development of ideas).
Check sentence structure and vary, if monotonous.

10. References