1. The document provides instructions on how to write a summary by condensing large amounts of information from a longer passage into a shorter form including only the main points and supporting ideas. 2. It defines a summary as a brief, clear statement that presents the essence of a longer passage in a cohesive and readable way. The reasons for learning to summarize include improving English reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. 3. The document outlines the steps for writing a summary which include carefully reading the passage multiple times, identifying and numbering key points, removing unnecessary details, arranging the points logically, and writing the summary in clear English sentences.

1. ENG 101
Lesson -41

2. Lesson 41 - Writing a Summary
In today’s lesson deals with another writing
skill – how to write a summary. A summary
is similar to a paraphrase except that a
summary is usually shorter. When you
summarize, you compress large amounts of
information into the fewest possible
sentences. In order to do this you include
only the main points and main supporting
points, leaving out the details.

3. A summary or precis (French word which
means the same as summary) is a brief and
clear statement in a connected and readable
shape of the substance of a longer passage.
Definitions are useful things, even when
they make the thing defined sound dull as
the above definition does. The reasons for
learning how to summarize are really
sensible. They are:

4. Definition:
A summary or precis (French word which
means the same as summary) is a brief and
clear statement in a connected and readable
shape of the substance of a longer passage.

5. i) As a foreign learner of English any
examination you take, the examiners are
likely to test your ability to read, write and
think in English. As summary writing
requires all three, it will give you
ii) good practice both in clear writing and
clear thinking.
iii) It enables you to express in your own
words somebody else’s ideas even if you do
not agree with those ideas.

6. Now summarizing is not only an exercise in
writing concise. English; it is also very useful
mental training. There are many people who
cannot reduce a number of facts to shorter
form or as we say, smaller compass. These
persons feel when they tell a story that they
must give every detail and they do not seem to
be able to pass from particular statements to
general ones – i.e. they cannot generalize. Lets
look at a few examples.

7. - Lets suppose you greatly admire a man for
his public speaking and wish to tell a friend
about this. You will perhaps refer to several
of his fine speeches, and try to show why
they are worth remembering – may be for
the arguments used, or for their narrative or
descriptive power, or for well chosen
language. A conversation can be reported
without using the actual words or repeating
every statement or argument.

8. Similarly, you may find that it may take you
six to ten days to read a certain novel, but in
half an hour you can tell a friend what it’s all
about. And it is the same when you go to see a
film full of excitement and action. You can
relate orally the story of the film in ten
minutes or write the outline of it in a few
pages.
Learning to summarize is one of the most
important kinds of work you can do to
improve your writing in English.

9. It compels you to enter into the mind of a
writer, and, without your knowing it, it slowly
influences your own ways of expression,
increasing your vocabulary, giving you new
models of construction and new points of
view. Now whether you are going to be a
computer scientist, lawyer, teacher, etc… or
whatever profession you decide to follow or
adopt, you will find it of the greatest value to
be able to grasp the gist of any writing, and to
express it promptly without omitting anything
essential.

10. In summary writing you do not have to trust
your memory: the matter which you are
required to reduce is there before you, and
your success depends upon your ingenuity.
Here are a few points which you should
remember.
i) First, you must carefully read the passage
you are asked to summarize. Do this slowly,
for if your hasty you may miss the meaning
or the spirit in which it is written. Very
often English writers say the opposite of

11. what they mean. They do this when they
use irony or sarcasms. So first of all read the
passage slowly that you are sure of the real
purpose of it.
2. Read the passage again if it is long and note
the different points it contains. These should
either be numbered in the margin or written
down on a separate piece of paper,
otherwise you may miss out something
important.

12. 3. When all the points are numbered, go
through them and strike out points that are
not essential to the meaning. You may find
that there are repetitions or redundant
expressions. You may find illustrations, i.e.
anecdotes or comparisons, which are not
necessary to the essential meaning. Or you
may find that there are peculiarities of style,
such as exaggeration or pomposity /
bombast or want / bombast or want of
restraint, which have to be reduced or
deleted.

13. 4. Next see that the points you have are arranged
in the best possible way. You may find that in
order to make the whole summary more
impressive or more convincing, you have to
arrange it more neatly. For it is arrangement that
gives emphasis to what you have to say. At
first you will find it difficult to reduce a passage
or a selection but practice will greatly help you
until you find that you are able to reduce it to
half its original length. Further effort will bring
it down to even one-third.
5. Finally write your summary as carefully as if
you were writing an essay.

14. 1. Read the passage carefully.
2. Read the passage again. Note the different
points it contains. Number the points.
3. Strike out points not essential to meaning,
repetitions, illustrations, anecdotes,
comparisons, etc..
4. Arrange points in the best possible way.
5. Write summary – first draft.
6. Polish the draft

15. Before you have some practice in summary
writing let us examine the definition more
closely.
A summary is a brief and clear statement in
a connected and readable shape of the
substance of a longer passage.
You noticed five words have been
underlined.

16. A summary is a brief and clear statement in
a connected and readable shape of the
substance of a longer passage.
You noticed five words have been
underlined.

17. 1. BRIEF: It means that a great deal of
meaning must be put into as few words as
possible. (A very desirable thing in all
forms of writing). You are usually required
to write one-third the original version. All
words including ‘a’ and ‘the’ count.
2. CLEAR: It is even more important to be
clear than to be brief. The two usually go
together. It is always better to be clear.

18. 3. CONNECTED: In any piece of writing
ideas come in groups and some are more
important than others, but all are linked to the
main point of the passage. In summarizing,
these links of thought must be preserved,
otherwise that result is a collection of
unconnected jerky ideas, the meaning of
which is not clear. An example may make
this clearer. You have two summaries of the
same passage. The first has no connections of
thought, in the second one the connections
have been added. See which one is better.

19. a) In the middle ages people had no ideas of
scientific farming. Spare cattle were killed and
salted for winter eating. Spices were used a lot.
They came from the East. The Turks cut the line
of supply. Voyages of exploration were
undertaken partly to find spices.
b) As people in the middle ages had not idea of
scientific farming, spare cattle had to be killed
and salted for winter eating. This unappetizing
meat led to a demand for spices, and one reason
for the great voyages of exploration was the
shortage of spices when the trucks cut the
overland route of their supply.

20. 4. READABLE: A summary must be written
in normal English in complete sentences.
5. SUBSTANCE: In a summary you have to
say exactly what the writer has said. You
must say no more and no less than what is
said in the original. Second, add nothing of
your own to the original. Third, keep the
facts in the same proportion as the original,
not altering the general balance.

21. The first thing to be done when making a
summary is to cut out all unnecessary words
especially round about expressions and
repetitions. e.g. In the sentence
“It was an experience of an unpleasant
character”. (8 words). The phrase” of an
unpleasant character” adds nothing to the
meaning. “It was an unpleasant experience”.
Both mean the same thing, but the second
one, as it wastes no words, is to be
preferred.

22. Here are some more examples of phrases
that would be better expressed in single
words:
- of a disagreeable nature
- of a delightful description
- in a brief manner
- in a stupid way.
- of a silly kind

23. Here are some more examples that show how easy it is to
write wordily and also how the wordiness might be avoided.
-Boys whose way of
life is cast in an - town boys (2)
urban environment (11)
- Together with the
addition of (5) - also (1)
- Special attention - special attention will
will be paid to be paid to activities
activities with an eye to the to cultivate initiative (10)
cultivation of the qualities
of initiative, etc. (18)

24. -Judged in the light of - Judge by their results (4)
their results (7)
-In this connection it - Here it should be said (5)
should be said (7)

25. Practice 1: Writing Briefly & Clearly:
a) It is not without interest to observe in
connection with the duration of the school team
that punishments show a tendency to increase
in number as the term progresses. (29)
-It is interesting to note that punishments
increase as the school team progresses (13)

26. 2. Having regard to the recent increase in the
number of cases of malaria in this area it is
clearly desirable that the scheme for the
provision of more doctors should be put into
effect. (34)
- The recent increase in the number of malaria
cases in this area requires that more doctors
should be posted (19)
3. Two men sustained serious bodily injury when
their car came into collision with a truck today.
(16)
- Today two men were seriously injured when their

27. REPETIITON: People seem sometimes to
think that what they say twice is more
impressive than what they say once. Actually
repetition shows weakness not strength.
PRACTICE 2: Avoiding Useless Repetition.
-For three months the river is in continuous
flood; this state of affairs goes on for the whole
of that time without cease.
- For three months the river is in flood.

28. 2. In the end we eventually agreed to go by the
shortest route.
- In the end we agreed to go by the shortest
route.
3. Without warning, unexpected, unheralded,
the storm broke on us.
- Without warning the storm broke on us.

29. So far we have considered getting rid of useless
words. But if the passage you have to
summarize is well written how then can you
shorten it ? One way is by leaving things out,
and the second is to put ideas together that are
separate, and the third is by generalization.
Putting Ideas Together: You can do this by
subordinating the less to the more important
ideas e.g.
- It was quite dark; for the sun had set an hour
before and the moon had not yet risen when the
thief carefully opened the door of his house and
prepared to go about his business. (36)
Here there are 5 clauses, but it is possible to turn many of
them into words or phrases. e.g.

30. e.g.
- An hour after sunset one dark, moonless
night, the thief crept to of his house to go
about his business (20 words)
Here we have twenty words instead of thirty six
and the meaning so little changed as to be
almost the same.

31. Putting Ideas Together: You can do this by
subordinating the less to the more important ideas e.g.
- It was quite dark; for the sun had set an hour before
and the moon had not yet risen when the thief carefully
opened the door of his house and prepared to go about
his business. (36)
(Here there are 5 clauses, but it is possible to turn many
of them into words or phrases). e.g.
- An hour after sunset one dark, moonless might, the
thief crept to of his house to go about his business (20
words)
( Here we have 20 words instead of 36 and the meaning
so little changed as to be almost the same).

32. PRACTICE 3: Shorten the following without
losing any of the meaning.
1. His efforts, although they were the best he
could make, ended in failure.
- His best efforts failed.
2. Athar came upon a house that was green
- Athar came upon a green house.
3. His horses, which were two in number, he used
for the single purpose of playing polo, which he
was only able to do on Mondays once in every
two weeks.
- He used his two horses for playing polo on
Mondays every fortnight.

33. Four samples of summary writing.
1.Working conditions in the nineteenth century
seem barbaric today: twelve-to-fourteen hour
work days; seven day weeks; cramped, unsafe
factories; marginal wages, and no legal
protection. Yet employers seldom had problems
motivating their workers: poverty and
unemployment were so widespread that any job
was welcome.
- Widespread poverty and unemployment made
nineteenth-century workers willing to put up
with terrible working conditions.

34. 2. Compromise is a common and effective
way of coping directly with conflict or
frustration. We often recognize that we
cannot have everything we want and that we
cannot expect others to do just what we
would like them to do. We then compromise,
deciding on a more realistic solution or goal
since an ideal solution or goal is not practical.
A young person who loves animals and
greatly wishes to become a veterinarian may
discover he has less aptitude for biology than
he had hoped and

35. that dissecting is so distasteful to him that he
could never bring himself to operate on
animals. By way of compromise, he may
decide to become an animal technician, a
person who works as an assistant to a
veterinarian.
- Compromise is a direct way of coping in
which we decide on a more realistic solution or
goal since an ideal solution or goal is not
practical. For example, a person not good in
biology may decide to be an animal technician
rather than a veterinarian.

36. 3. All family systems can be categorized into
one of two types. The extended family is one
in which more than two generations of the
same kinship live together either in the same
house or in adjacent dwellings. The extended
family, which is commonly found in
traditional, pre-industrial societies can be
very large: It contains 3 generations living
together. In contrast, the nuclear family is
one in which the family group consists only
of the parents and their dependent children.
The nuclear family is the usual type in

37. - There are two basic types of families. The
extended family, which is more than 2
generations living together, is common in pre-
industrial societies. The nuclear family, made
up of parents and their dependant children, is
usual in industrialized societies.

38. 4. Emotions seems to be part of what makes
us human. But what are they for? Do
emotions merely make life more interesting,
or are they actually necessary? Psychologists
asking these questions have identified three
functions of emotions. First, emotions help
prepare us for action. As an example, if we
saw an angry dog charging towards us, our
emotional reaction (fear) would trigger
changes in our nervous system, thus
preparing us to run away. Emotions also help
shape our future behavior.

39. Again, when we feel fear of the dog, we learn
to avoid similar situations. Finally, emotions
help regulate social interaction. Our
observation of other peoples emotional states
determines how we respond to them. For
example, if we notice that another person is
experiencing fear, we may be moved to
comfort and reassure him.
- Psychologists have distinguished 3 functions
of emotions in our lives. Emotions can prepare us
to take action, shape our future behavior, or
regulate our social interaction.

40. Today’s lesson dealt with a very important
writing skill – summarizing – which you will
be required to use very often in life. You were
given practice in summarizing & shown
samples of good summaries.
Allah Hafiz