Eng 99
Summary Tips
1. Weave the author’s name throughout your summary. Use the author’s full name in the first sentence,
and then his/her last name only in the rest. Don’t use the author’s first name after the first sentence of
your summary – academic convention is that we use the last name only. Don’t use “author” like a
proper noun – always use “the” before it. Use the correct gender pronoun to refer to the writer. Your
sentences need subjects – and most of the time the subject will be the author!
2. Use the active voice when you write for college.
The active voice: The subject, the thing being talked about or person doing the action, comes first in
the sentence – before the verb. Because the subject comes first, it gets the most emphasis or focus
(more than the object or the prepositional phrase).

A BP drilling explosion created an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Subject

Verb
Object
The president made an announcement on CNN.
Subject
Verb
Object
The opposite of the active voice is…
The passive voice: The object comes before the verb, and the verb is in a different voice (passive).
The subject may or may not be in the sentence – at the end, after “by.” The passive voice can be used
effectively in some situations – when you want to emphasize something or when someone wants to
avoid responsibility – but it is generally to be avoided in academic writing. This is often tricky for
native and non-native English speakers alike.

An oil spill was created in the Gulf of Mexico. (no responsible party)

An oil spill was created in the Gulf of Mexico by a BP drilling explosion. (responsible
party at the end)

An announcement was made. (We don’t know who did it.)

An announcement was made by the president. (Responsible party at the end – emphasis is
on the announcement and not on the speaker.)

An announcement was made on CNN by the president. (Again – responsible party at the
end – this lessens the president and puts the focus on the fact that an announcement was
made and that it was made on CNN!)
3. Don’t use references to space in the original text. Your summary doesn’t have to/shouldn’t be
chronological. This means that you shouldn’t say things like “In the first sentence” or “in
paragraph two” or “next” or “Then.”
4. Proofread for grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation! PLEASE proofread for comma
splices, fragments, and run-ons. You won’t have time to deal with them in 101.
5. Much better and varied word order in first sentences – thank you! Also, your verb choices were much
better. But be careful about them – a strong verb like “argues” or “asserts” can’t come with a wishywashy opinion. For example, Applebaum can’t argue whether or not torture is effective. She wrote
her piece to argue one side, and to get you, the readers, to agree with her.
6. Don’t use quotes. The directions for the exit exam clearly state “your own words.” Also, avoid words
that are too close to/exactly the author’s. For example, Applebaum uses nasty. She chose this word
for a reason – it’s not a typical, journalistic word. She is making her point by using a specific
vocabulary and tone. If you use nasty, you are just copying her words (very close to plagiarizing!).
Instead, you need to show the reader that you understand the idea she’s trying to convey by using
this word. Other common words I saw in your summaries were self-deceptive, self-destructive, and
self-defeating. Again, Applebaum used these three words right next to each other – they will stick
out in a reader’s mind. You don’t get to use them in your summary . They’re hers.
7. Be specific. Especially in your topic sentences!
Vague: In “The Torture Myth,” Anne Applebaum discusses torture.
Specific: In “The Torture Myth,” Anne Applebaum argues that torture doesn’t work.
Vague: I agree with the author.
Vague: I agree with the author’s opinion.
Specific: In my opinion, Applebaum is mistaken: torture does work.
8. Keep working on figuring out main idea vs. details. Some of you are getting trapped in specifics and
wasting summary-space with too much detail about one small piece of the original. How can you
figure it out?
Before you do anything, you need to be able to answer this question:
What’s the author’s point?
What’s her thesis? Is is explicitly stated or do we have to figure it out? Why did
he/she write this text? The answer can only be ONE IDEA.
The answer to that question will somehow be featured in your first sentence. Before you start
writing, though, ask yourself these questions:
How does the author support that point?
Does he give examples?
Does she use staticstics?
Does he use a certain tone?