How to write a
Summary?
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Summary
A bridge between reading and writing
what is a summary?
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Definition of a summary
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Differences between
summary and abstract
summary 概要、概括总结
abstract 论文摘要
Abstract is a short-clear-high pointer.
Summary is a little detailed out version of abstract.
A summary reflects what the original contains,
whereas an abstract reflects what the original is
about.
A summary contains the meat of the original,
whereas an abstract contains only its skeletal
structure.
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e.g: a movie
"it is good"or"it is a love story"
——abstract
"there is a hero falls in love with a girl,he
chases her,then they get married etc."
——summary
when you write a paper, an abstract is
needed, but you don't need to write a
summary. We can say summary is a kind of
tool .
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Characteristics of a good summary
a summary must be comprehensive
a summary must be concise
a summary must be coherent
a summary must be independent
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Dos and dont's when writing a summary
 the length of a summary: one-third to
one-quarter of its original size.
 a summary is writen in your own words, not
in the words of the original selection.
 a summary gives only main points of the
text.
 you should decide what type of a summary
based on the needs for the reader.
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Styles of passage
styles
argumentation(议论文)
functions
show the writer's points of
view
narration(记叙文)
describe a person or an event,
with afterthoughts
exposition(说明文)
introduce something or
phenomenon
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Steps of summary writing
reading
writing
modifying
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First: reading
1. Skim and scan the text to identify the
topic and to understand how the information
has been organized.
2. Reading carefully. Make a note of the
writer's main points in your own words.
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Second: writing
1. use your own words
2.write in the third person
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Third:
modifying
1. omit repetition and details
2. revise the writing until you are sure
that you have an accurate summary which
flows logically.
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Some skills of writing a summary
Skill 1 : Omit the details
Skill 2 : Omit the repetitions
Skill 3 : Omit the examples
Skill 4 : Use general (概括性) words instead
of specific (具体的) words
Skill 5 : Put the main points of a dialogue in
the passive voice
Skill 6 : Find out the topic sentence or the
key words
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Some examples
1. You can think of a way to manage your
temper. Here are some tips:
1) We should try to calm down and figure
out what we are really upset about.
2) Keep a diary. It can help you understand
more about yourself and your feelings.
3) We can try to talk with our best friends
to release stressful emotions.
Summary:
There are many tips for you
to manage your temper.
3: Omit the examples
Skill ___________________
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2. Nowadays more and more teenagers try
to be more independent from their parents
and sometimes become very rebellious. They
always want to wear long and strange hair
style, which their parents complain about a
lot. They also spend too much time on the
Internet and playing computer games.
Summary:
Nowadays, there is an increasing
tendency that more and more teenagers try to
behave independently and differently.
1: Omit the details
Skill ____________________
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3. Kate looked at Paul disapprovingly, “You
put too salt on your food, Paul. It's not at all
good for you!” Paul put down his knife and
frowned, “Why on earth not! If you didn’t
have salt on your food it would taste awful…
like eating wood or sand… just imagine bread
without salt in it!”
Summary:
Kate asked Paul not to use too
much salt on his food and told him many
disadvantages of it.
5 : Put the main points of a
Skill ____________________
dialogue in the passive voice
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4.She brought a lot of vegetables such as
cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes,
potatoes and some eggs. She intended to
invite all his friends for her birthday party
at the weekend.
Summary:
To hold her birthday party at
the weekend, she bought a lot of vegetables.
4: Use general words instead
of specific words
Skill ___________________
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understanding
modify/revise
the writing style
topic sentence
Summary
1/3 to 1/4
the 3rd person
key words
your own words
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Thank you !
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