The document discusses different types of summaries and how to write them effectively. It describes descriptive, informative, and evaluative summaries, noting that descriptive summaries state the topic but not specifics, informative summaries can replace reading the original, and evaluative summaries include the writer's assessment. The document provides guidance on writing each type of summary, emphasizing including key details for informative summaries, and opinions for evaluative summaries. It also reviews best practices for summarizing both written and oral sources accurately.

1. Chapter 5
SUMMARIES

2. Chapter 5 Learning Objectives
 In this chapter, you will learn how to:
 Understand the differences among the several
kinds of summary
 Write informative descriptive summaries
 Compose detailed informative summaries
 Create convincing evaluative summaries
 Accurately summarize both written and oral
sources
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3. Summaries—An Overview
 Briefly capture the essential content of
something heard, seen, or read
 Are organized logically with clear and
concrete terminology
 Highlight key points with an awareness
of what to leave out
 Most commonly take the form of
abstracts and executive summaries
that accompany long reports
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4. Understand the Differences Among
the Several Kinds of Summaries
 Descriptive
States what the original document is
about but does not convey specific
information
Functions like a table of contents in
paragraph form

5. Kinds of Summaries, continued
 Informative—most common form of summary
 Presents document’s content in greatly
compressed form
 May allow reader to skip the original
altogether
 Conveys main ideas in shorter form
 Includes hard data—names, dates, statistics
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6. Kinds of Summaries, continued
 Evaluative
Is fully developed, like an informative
summary
Includes writer’s personal assessment
of the original
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7. Write Informative
Descriptive Summaries
 Purpose: Help reader determine summarized
document’s value in a given situation
 Does not include recommendations or
findings of the document
 See page 87 of the text for a sample descriptive summary
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8. Compose Detailed
Informative Summaries
 Purpose: May allow reader to skip the source
document
 Include source’s findings and
recommendations
 Include some factual details such as
names/dates/statistics
See pp. 87-88 of text for a sample informative
summary

9. Summaries Accompanying
Long Reports
 Abstract
 Provides an overview of the report
 Appears near the beginning
 Executive Summary
 Assists management in making decisions without having to read the
report
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10. Create Convincing
Evaluative Summaries
 Purpose: Provide summary writer’s assessment of
the source document, in addition to informative
summary
 Are more fully developed than informative
summaries
 Include summary writer’s subjective value
judgments throughout
 See p. 88 of the text for an evaluative summary
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11. General Characteristics
of Good Summaries
 Retain emphasis of original
 Do not introduce new or additional information
(unless writing an evaluative summary)
 Use simplest possible terms and complete sentences
with clear meaning
 Are organized coherently so that summary can
stand alone
 Are limited to no more than 25 percent of original
document’s length

12. Accurately Summarize Both Written
and Oral Sources
 Oral sources
 Take notes quickly without missing anything
Use personal system of shortcuts—
abbreviations, symbols, etc.
 Use hand-held recorder or download source
Take notes to highlight important points
Use notes to find points in recording
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13. Accurately Summarize Both Written
and Oral Sources
 Written sources
 Read entire document straight through
 Watch for context clues
 Go back and underline or highlight most important
sentences in each paragraph
 Edit sentences you selected, compressing, combining,
and streamlining
 Reread summary and insert transitions as needed
 Include concrete facts as appropriate
 Do final edit and proofreading
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14. Types of Context Clues
Study these four common types of context clues. Think about what
information in the sentence is useful and what is not. Turn to your
neighbor and discuss each one. Can you come up with different
examples for at least two of the types?
Definition–the word is defined directly and clearly in the sentence in
which it appears.
“ The arbitrator, the neutral person chosen to settle the dispute,
arrived at her decision.”
Antonym (or contrast)–often signaled by the words whereas, unlike,
or as opposed to.
“Unlike Jamaal’s room, which was immaculate, Jeffrey’s room was
very messy.”
“Whereas Melissa is quite lithe, her sister is clumsy and awkward.”

15. Synonym (or restatement)–other words are used in
the sentence with similar meanings.
“The slender woman was so thin her clothes were
too big on her.
Inference–word meanings are not directly
described, but need to be inferred from the
context. “Walt’s pugnacious behavior made his
opponent back down.”
“ The man gigged the large fish, but he needed his
friend to enlarge the hole to drag it out of the frigid
water.”

16. Review Question 1
1. Which type of summary best fits each of the following
descriptions? (Choose from descriptive, informative, or
evaluative.)
a. This type of summary is the most fully developed and includes the
summary writer’s personal assessment of the original document.
b. This type of summary contains hard data from the original
document, but does not include the summary writer’s perspective.
c. This type of summary states the topic of the original document, but
does not give enough information to substitute for reading the
original document.
Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.

17. Review Question 1
1. Which type of summary best fits each of the following
descriptions? (Choose from descriptive, informative, or
evaluative.)
a. Evaluative. This type of summary is the most fully
developed and includes the summary writer’s personal
assessment of the original document.
b. Informative. This type of summary contains hard data
from the original document, but does not include the
summary writer’s perspective.
c. Descriptive. This type of summary states the topic of the
original document, but does not give enough information
to substitute for reading the original document.
Learning Objective—
Understand the difference among the several kinds of summariesCopyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.
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18. Review Question 2
2. What is the main purpose of a descriptive
summary?
a. To enable a busy reader to skip the original
document altogether, if necessary
b. To help a reader determine whether the summarized
document is of any potential use in a given situation
c. To provide the writer’s personal assessment of the
original document
d. To provide a replacement that is at least half as long
as the original
Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.

19. Review Question 2
2. What is the main purpose of a descriptive summary?
a. To enable a busy reader to skip the original document
altogether, if necessary
b. To help a reader determine whether the summarized
document is of any potential use in a given situation
c. To provide the writer’s personal assessment of the
original document
d. To provide a replacement that is at least half as long as
the original
Learning Objective—
Write informative descriptive summaries
Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.

20. Review Question 3
3. What is the main purpose of an informative
summary?
a. To enable a busy reader to skip the original
document altogether, if necessary
b. To help a reader determine whether the summarized
document is of any potential use in a given situation
c. To provide the writer’s personal assessment of the
original document
d. To provide a replacement that is at least half as long
as the original
Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.

21. Review Question 3
3. What is the main purpose of an informative summary?
a. To enable a busy reader to skip the original document altogether, if
necessary
b. To help a reader determine whether the summarized document is of
any potential use in a given situation
c. To provide the writer’s personal assessment of the original document
d. To provide a replacement that is at least half as long as the original
Learning Objective—
Compose detailed informative summaries
Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.

22. Review Question 4
4. The summary writer’s personal opinion should
appear
a. In every type of summary
b. Only in an evaluative summary
c. Only in an executive summary
d. Only in an abstract
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23. Review Question 4
4. The summary writer’s personal opinion should appear
a. In every type of summary
b. Only in an evaluative summary
c. Only in an executive summary
d. Only in an abstract
Learning Objective—
Create convincing evaluative summaries
Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.

24. Review Question 5
5. Details about the original document’s
recommendations and conclusions, as well as
hard data (names, dates, and statistics), should be
included in which of the following?
a. A descriptive summary
b. An informative summary
c. An evaluative summary
d. All of the above
e. Both (a) and (b)
f. Both (b) and (c)
Copyright © 2017, 2014, 2011 by Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.

25. Review Question 5
5. Details about the original document’s recommendations and
conclusions, as well as hard data (names, dates, and statistics),
should be included in which of the following?
a. A descriptive summary
b. An informative summary
c. An evaluative summary
d. All of the above
e. Both (a) and (b)
f. Both (b) and (c)
Learning Objective—Write clear, concise, and complete summaries