SlideShare a Scribd company logo
1 of 21
PASSAGE - 1 -
ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS
A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO LEARNING SUMMARY WRITING SKILLS
COMPILED AND PRESENTED
BY
MTONGA DICKSON G.
LATAZ CHAIRPERSON
NORTH-WESTERN PROVINCE
ZAMBIA
ON
25TH
SEPTEMBER 2009
AT
PROVINCIAL LATAZ CONFERENCE
HELD IN
ZAMBEZI
1. INTRODUCTION
A summary is a shortened version or form of a story or a passage. It contains only the important facts or
points. To be able to write a good summary, you need to decide what information is relevant for your
summary task. To differentiate the various ways of summarizing, we usually divide them into two types,
namely, Note Summary and Prose Summary.
PASSAGE - 2 -
Note Summary is listing of required information in brief form. The style is which notes are written is
known as abbreviated style. It may involve omission of non-content words, for example, auxiliaries, relative
pronouns or articles. It can also involve the use of conventional standard abbreviations themselves.
Prose Summary is the writing of required information in full sentences and in paragraphs but in brief to the
point. A Grade 12 candidate needs adequate preparation in prose summary as it is the one that is examined
although you need to have acquired good note taking skills to arrive at the prose summary.
2. SUMMARY WRITING SKILLS OR TECHNIQUES
In the first place, you should understand the aim of learning or acquiring summary writing skills. The aim of
learning summary is two-fold:
a) To acquire and develop skill in extracting what is relevant or significant from a given passage or
written material and to express the extracted points clearly and concisely (precisely or briefly to the
point);
b) To equip you to deal satisfactorily with the summary situations you are likely to meet in real life in
terms of brevity in speech and writing.
Secondly, you should understand that summary writing requires a whole lot of languages skills to be used if
you have to do well in summary. These include comprehension, composition and grammatical usage. In
order to do well in these components of English Language learning, therefore, you should master the
following skills or competences:
PASSAGE - 3 -
a) Comprehension Skills:
i) Reading Skill of Skimming
a. Reading at Glance: Skimming is such a valuable skill that you will want to develop its many uses. Skimming
is reading for particular information from a book, a magazine or a newspaper using the table of contents, the
title or front page, the index, a chart, or a list by letting your eye run quickly over the material until you find
what you want.
b. Skimming for Words or Numbers: To develop skill in moving your eye rapidly up and down the page, it is
good practice to begin with a list of items to see how quickly you can find a word, a number, a date, or a phrase.
In practice, skimming you may be used to read various lists, such as directories, the table of contents of any
textbook, the almanac, or even the dictionary. With more practice, you will soon find that you can be used to
skip over the words, which do not interest you at the moment.
c. Skimming for a Paragraph: This same kind of eye movement can be used to skim over larger areas of print,
such as a paragraph. You will see more than you expect, and your eyes will usually catch what you are looking
for.
d. Skimming to locate Brief Thoughts: The kind of skimming you have done so far requires little thinking, since
you were merely locating a word or a phrase. You were able to skim at full speed, stopping only briefly to note
where the information was located. There is another kind of skimming which takes a little longer because you
are required to find answers to certain questions, not just to that part of the article quickly. For example, if the
question asks ‘How long ago?’ the selection itself may not contain those exact words. There you must keep
your mind alert for a date or for something that means time, such as years or centuries. You will still be
skimming, because you will be passing over the material quickly to locate the brief thought.
ii) Identification of what is significant or important (relevant)
Comprehension requires different kinds of critical skills which are tools you need when you classify,
analyze, and interpret information. These powerful tools can help you solve difficult problems, draw
reasonable conclusions, and make informed decisions. Learning the techniques of classifying can help
PASSAGE - 4 -
you with many different tasks, such as arranging a file drawer, sorting your research notes, organizing
an outline, or planning an assigned essay. A class is a group of items sharing a common feature or
features, such as color, taste, place, function, sound, or shape. The class name describes those features.
Precision and accuracy are important to effective classification. A classification is precise (exact or brief
to the point) when the class name defines and limits the common features shared by the members. A
classification is accurate when all class members share the same common features.
Moreover, classification can help you understand the organization of a paragraph, which has two parts,
namely, a main idea and details. The main idea of the paragraph also defines and limits the topic. The
idea should be precise, that is, neither too general nor too specific. The details of the paragraph describe,
prove, or explain the main idea. Details must also be accurate.
The main idea of a paragraph is usually stated in a topic sentence and restated or referred to in a
concluding sentence. The topic sentence tells what the paragraph is about and indicates how the details
are related. An effective topic sentence should not be too general or too specific for the purpose of the
paragraph.
iii) Selection of points relevant to the task specified for you
Let’s come to the issue of relevant and irrelevant details. Classifying can also help you to distinguish
between relevant and irrelevant details in your reading, writing, speaking and listening. Facts and
examples that support a given topic are relevant details. Facts and examples that do not fit with the
subject are irrelevant details. Irrelevant details are distracting, misleading, or confusing to your reader or
listener because they draw attention away from the main idea. The classification is inaccurate because
one member does not belong in the class. Consequently, the paragraph contains an irrelevant detail in
the paragraph by applying what you have learned about classify information.
iv) Understanding of grammatical and lexical (word) meaning, that is, of the structures and lexical
items in the passage.
PASSAGE - 5 -
a) Understanding Grammatical Meaning in a passage
It is important to keep the main thought of the paragraph in mind when you try to understand
apparently difficult sentences. When the sentences are fairly short and easily understood, the main
idea of the paragraph can be recognized without trouble. However, long, complicated sentences
should not frighten you. They are easily understood when you know what to do with them.
b) Understanding Lexical Meaning in a passage
v) Awareness of the relationships between connected points.
vi) Awareness of cause and effect
vii) Awareness of time sequence or logical order.
b) Composition Skills: The following composition writing skills are important in summary writing:
i) Conciseness or precision that is, expressing what is significant in the briefest way possible.
ii) Clarity that is, expressing meaning most overtly or clearly.
iii) Organization of material so that it is easily seen, understood, remembered, and referred to.
iv) The expression of material in note form.
c) Grammatical Usage Skills: You will be required to produce complete sentences in your summary
tasks at Grade 12 Ordinary level examination in English Language Paper Two (2). This means that
you must correctly construct sentences and use the correct structures and punctuation marks. You
vocabulary should also be up to date because you may be required own words in writing the sentences
in your understanding. For example, you can give an account of the original text by finding words of
your own to sum up two or more original statements. A good summary is, therefore, likely to be a
judicious blend of the original author’s phraseology and phrases of your own. This is what they call
‘word economy’.
PASSAGE - 6 -
d) The Basic Method in Prose Summary Tasks
In writing summary, always bear in mind that you must write in brief whether it is note form or prose
form. In your final Examination in English Language, you may need to use the following basic
method or process in coming up with your prose summary:
i) Study the question and write or jot down the essentials of it at the top of the page in order to
ensure that you know exactly what you are looking for.
ii) Read the passage twice thoroughly in the light of the question to give you an understanding of
the passage as a whole and help you locate the areas where the information you want lies.
iii) Select your information critically, that is, leaving aside what is irrelevant or not important to
your summary task such as illustrations, repetitions, and lengthy ways of saying things.
iv) As you select the main points, write them down in note form and make sure they are precise and
well laid out to ensure that you understand the main points and it forces you to select none but
the main words (i.e. it is precise). Here, write the notes one under the other rather than one after
the other.
v) Then, write a rough draft or version of the required summary from your notes generated in (iv)
and only consult the passage to check a piece of information or a word. This is a trial run and
you can cut and change it as much as you like for the examiner will not look at it. This rough
version also ensures that you get a chance to express your notes and not just copy the lengthy
expression of the passages.
vi) Finally, check this rough version for clarity, correctness of expression, grammatical structures
and spelling, and also for the length of the summary before your final version is written and
submitted. If you examine your rough version carefully, you will find a lot of points that are not
clearly expressed or that there are mistakes of punctuation or structural nature. Write the final
PASSAGE - 7 -
version when you are satisfied with your corrections to your rough draft and submit it for
marking.
Note that time is always difficult to manage in order to follow the above outlined method, but
with practice you will internalize these steps so that you will be able to do them very
unconsciously!
Now that you are conversant with the steps in writing prose summary, let us see if we can work
together the following tasks. Please, take note of the comments for each task worked out.
3. SAMPLE OF PROSE SUMMARY QUESTION AND ANSWER
Read the following passage carefully before you attempt to answer the question that follow. Mistakes in
spelling, punctuation and grammar may be penalized in your answer.
1. Forty years ago ‘tourism’ was a word rarely used by most people. Today, it is
understood by people the world over; many now regard holidays as part of everyday life
and foreign travel is taken for granted. Consequently, holiday-making has become a
major business. It has created a vast number of jobs and it is currently estimated that in
some countries one in five persons is employed in work related to the tourist industry.
2. The immediate reasons for this incredible explosion in tourism are not hard to find.
Leisure time has increased for many people as technology takes over routine chores at
work and in the home. This same technology has made industries more efficient,
bringing increased wealth for their employees, and with that wealth greater opportunity
for travel. But the technological advances in transport have proved the biggest single
PASSAGE - 8 -
factor promoting world travel. Planes fly faster and further than ever before, carrying
large numbers of passengers at a relatively cheap cost, and in a degree of comfort
unknown thirty or forty years ago.
3. Less obvious, but just as significant, are the social reasons behind the modern urge to
travel. Foreign journeys were at one time expensive and difficult for most post people to
organize, in fact, a luxury for the wealthy. Today, cheap air fares and package holidays
have made foreign travel fashionable for a great many, especially those who spend their
working lives in crowded cities and in industry. Travel to foreign countries is now
within reach of families who only thirty years ago would hardly have dreamed of such a
thing. Indeed, for some it has become a matter of personal pride to boast of time spent
abroad, and the more glamorous and far-flung the destination the better. Europeans are
now looking beyond the beaches of the Mediterranean to the mountains of Nepal or the
plains of Africa for a new and vastly different experience. Travel companies have been
quick to advertise the cultural and educational advantages of such holidays, selling
wildlife exploration trips or tours of the ancient temples of the East just as earnestly as
they once did the ‘magic of Rome’ or the ‘splendor of ancient Athens’.
4. If modern holiday-makers have benefited so much from the growth of the tourist
industry, what of the countries that attract visitors in the first place? On the face of it,
local people are sharing the new-found wealth of the foreign traveler. Where once there
were only undeveloped stretches of coastline, hostels have spring up, creating
employment for the local population. The visitors, with money to spend, encourage
business, in particular the restaurant trade, while craftsmen can find a ready, though
seasonal, market for their products. Whereas the local people once had to work hard on
the land or at sea to earn a slender wage, tourism now provides a more substantial
income.
PASSAGE - 9 -
5. One might expect that the ever-growing demands of the tourist trade would bring
nothing but good for the countries that receive the holiday-makers. Indeed, a rosy
picture is painted for the long-term future of the holiday industry. Every month sees the
building of a new hostel somewhere, and every month another rock-bound Pacific
island is advertised as the ‘last paradise on earth’. All this means more jobs for yet more
people.
6. However, the scale and speed of this growth seem set to destroy the very things tourists
want to enjoy. In those countries where there was a rush to make quick money out of
sea-side holidays, over-crowded beaches and the concrete jungles of endless hotels have
begun to lose their appeal. Besides, the holiday towns cannot support the massive influx
of visitors. Sewage spills untreated into the sea and this soon becomes known; visitors
neither begin to look elsewhere for safer beaches and safer waters to swim in. nor are
the sea-side resorts the only places to suffer from the stranglehold of tourism. Such is
the magical appeal of winter sports for tourists that hundreds of square kilometers of
forests have been destroyed in the mountains of Austria and Switzerland to make way
for hotels, roads, ski lifts and ski runs. But a series of mild winters and frequent rain has
seen severe flooding and caused landslides; the trees that would have kept the earth
intact are no longer there.
7. Those countries with little experience of tourism can suffer the most. In recent years,
Nepal set out to attract foreign visitors to fund developments in health and education. Its
mountains and valleys, its forests full of wildlife and rare flowers, were offered to
tourists as one more untouched paradise. In fact, the landscape all too soon felt the
effects of thousands of holiday-makers trekking through the forest land. Ancient trails
PASSAGE - 10 -
became major routes for the walkers, with the consequent destruction of precious trees
and plants. One area of Nepal is invaded by 36,000 walkers a year and their demands
for daily provisions and accommodation have quickly outstripped the natural resources
of the countryside and its inhabitants. Nor have these inhabitants benefited financially
from the tourists. Only a small amount of the visitors’ money comes their way, since the
bulk of what the tourists spend is on goods and food imported from outside Nepal.
8. Not only can the environment of a country suffer from the sudden growth of tourism.
The people as well rapidly feet its effects. Farmland makes way for hotels, roads and
airports; the old way of life goes. If earning a living from the soil was hard, at least it
gave man independence. Also, the higher wages that can be earned in the new luxury
hotels have to be paid for. The one-time farmer is now the servant of some multi-
national organization; he is no longer his own master. He must smile at all times. Once
it was back that took the strain; now it is his smile that is exploited. No doubt he
wonders whether he was not happier in his village working his own plot of land.
9. Thankfully, the tourist industry is waking up to the responsibilities it has towards those
countries that receive its customers. The protection of wildlife and the creation of
national parks go hand in hand with tourist development and in fact obtain financial
support from tourist companies. Such projects employ people in a dignified fashion.
Their skills and knowledge are needed in organizing holidays for the tourists, not
simply their obedience. At the same time, tourists are being encouraged to respect not
only their countryside they visit but also its people. Their way of life is not something
they are ‘viewed’ as part of a package-holiday spectacle. An evening watching
traditional dances or block-pipe demonstrations tells tourists little or nothing about how
the local people really live or how they, the tourist, ought to behave towards them.
PASSAGE - 11 -
Already, a major European airline provides information for its passengers about life in
countries they are about to visit and the behaviour expected of the tourists there.
10. The way tourism is handled in the next ten years will decide its fate and that of the
countries we all want to visit. Their needs and problems are more important than those
of the tourist companies. Increased understanding in planning world-wide tourism can
preserve the market for these companies. If not, in a few years’ time the very things that
attract tourists now may well have been destroyed.
(Source: Charles Tyler, ‘A Phenomenal Explosion, reproduced by permission of
Geographical Magazine, August/October 1989, excerpted from, Red-spot Publishing,
English Language O-Level Exam Papers 1994-2007 Yearly WORKED Solutions,
Lahore, Pakistan.)
QUESTION:
Using the information provided in the passage, summarize the benefits and disadvantages tourism can bring
to countries. Your summary, which must be in continuous writing (not in note form), must not be longer than
160 words, including the ten (10) words given below. This question is worth 20 marks.
Begin your summary as follows:
Countries benefit from the growth of tourism, for local people….
Before you can attempt to answer this question, let me remind you of the basic steps you should take to
answer it in the best way possible:
PASSAGE - 12 -
a) Reading: Read and understand the passage thoroughly (1st
Reading for understanding the main
subject matter and 2nd
reading for intensive study of the passage in the light of the Question or task
given). At this point, you should also understand the vocabulary and structures used in the passage
relevant to the question. Ask yourself side questions as you read. For example:
i. Winter sports are said to have a ‘magical appeal’ for tourists. What does the expression
‘magical appeal’ mean here? By ‘magical appeal’ the author means that large numbers of
tourists are attracted to it and the reasons are not apparent or they are questionable.
(Paragraph 6)
ii. The tourists have made ‘demands’ on the inhabitants of Nepal. State in your own words
what these ‘demands’ are. The demands are: items for daily living or necessities of life and
places to stay. (Paragraph 7)
iii. These demands have ‘quickly outstripped the natural resources of the countryside and its
inhabitants’. What is the author saying here? The author is saying that because of the
demands of tourism, the country has lost its natural resources and its people have lost their
way of life. (Paragraph 7)
iv. The author describes the change in the farmer’s life as follows: ‘Once it was his back that
took the strain; now it is his smile that is exploited’. State in your own words what this tells
you about the nature of the life the farmer once led and the life he leads now. The farmer
was at one time working his own land, independent and proud. In contrast now he/she has
no land, he/she has to work for others to make a living and he/she has to please others in
order to live happily. (Paragraph 8)
b) Note-taking: Remember to critically select your essential points and exclude supporting details like
examples, illustrations, repetitions (for emphases), and write down the points in note form without
PASSAGE - 13 -
paying much attention to language rules like grammatical forms like auxiliary verbs but just write
content words. They should be to the point.
c) Rough Summary Draft: When your short notes are enough. Do not waste time but go straight to
writing the notes into complete sentences. This time you should be use all the necessary supporting
words like auxiliary verbs, prepositions, and all important parts of speech in sentences. The sentences
should be precise without extra-explanations. This is what is called a ‘Rough Draft’. At this stage, do
not care too much about the correctness of grammar because you will need to correct it shortly before
you can submit your final summary task for marking.
d) Final Summary Draft: Finally, revise your rough draft making any corrections in terms of clarity,
correctness of expression and vocabulary, grammatical structures and spelling. It is better you take a
little bit more time to correct your draft to avoid loss of marks because all this count in Summary
examinations! Then, after you are satisfied and within the required time and length of the summary,
you can now submit your work for the examiner with your head high! Be sure that your examiner will
enjoy your work.
Now let’s see how you can do it. I assume here that you have already read the passage carefully as
instructed and you have understood the question or task given. So, I will suggest some of the short
notes you can include in your preliminary note summary:
Notes (Only jot down relevant and important facts:
Benefits of tourism to countries
 Locals share the wealth of tourists
 Locals enjoy employment in serving the tourists at beaches - getting good paying jobs
 Local businessmen also sell their merchandise to tourists – provide good market to local
products.
PASSAGE - 14 -
Disadvantages of tourism to countries
 Environmental hazards
 Defacing appearance of sea-side holiday spots due to overcrowding and pollution
 Damaging natural landscape and due to leisure activities due to tourist demands
 people’s ways of life get disturbed also
Rough Summary Draft:
Now, let’s join the above notes into sentences so that we come up with paragraphs of the summary.
Check this one.
Countries benefit from the growth of tourism, for local people get to share the
wealth that tourists bring to the tourist towns or places. This is so in many ways.
They get well paying jobs for them to make a living. Tourists provide good market
for local merchandise that tourists like.
However, not all is well with tourism. Two things suffer most due to tourism. The
environment is the victim of tourism in the sense that the appearance of the sea-
side spots and landscape is destroyed due to tourist activities such overcrowding,
pollution and winter sports. The way of life of the local people is, therefore,
disturbed as they lose their independent life on account of good economic
advantages tourism brings.
PASSAGE - 15 -
Now, let’s go through some of the things that we can modify in the rough draft above.
Count the number of words used to make sure you comply with the required length of the
summary (160 words). The number of words used is 122. What this means is that it is too
brief. The allowance in examinations is not more than 5 words more or less that required
length. So, we should go back and see where we have been too brief and add more
details. See the way I have used the words which were not originally used in the passage
such as
Make sure that the summary contains the same sense as in the original passage. We
should avoid too much paraphrasing and giving pedestrian answers, but state your
summary in your own words as much as possible to show your understanding of the
passage and task. For example, The environment is the victim of tourism …= Not only
can the environment of a country suffer from the sudden growth of tourism… (The
opening sentence from paragraph 7 in the passage).
Observe also that I have used complete sentences, not in note form, and I have come up
with two paragraphs. Now, since the first paragraph is shorter than the second one, I need
to look back and search for more detail to add to this paragraph. In fact, there are more
details on advantages than disadvantages of tourism to countries.
Finally, I will also look at the way the sentences have been constructed and polish up! I
can also add some transition words to connect the sentences and unify them.
Final Summary Draft:
Let’s see if the above observations can be considered as the final version is written for marking.
PASSAGE - 16 -
Countries benefit from the growth of tourism, for local people now share the
wealth that tourists. Undeveloped beaches now have hotels providing employment
for local people. From having to work hard to make a living, they now find well
paying jobs. Business is encouraged, especially the restaurant trade and local
craftsmen. So, tourists provide good market for local merchandise that they like.
However, not all is well in tourist countries in spite of the prevailing optimism for
tourism. The environment is the victim of tourism at the same time, in the sense
that the appearance of the seaside spots and landscape is destroyed due to
tourist activities such overcrowding, pollution and winter sports. Seaside holiday
spots are losing their appeal because of overcrowding and pollution. Tourist
demands caused severe damage to the land and people‘s way of life. This is making
the local farmers lose their independent life in exchange with the good economic
advantages tourism brings to their countries. (160)
Note:
Although I have managed to get 160 words as required, it is not always possible to do this in real
examination situations. Just remember not to use too many words as compared to what is required in
the task. You should also notice that note all the sentences in the rough draft appear in the final
summary draft. This is what we call editing, revising or proofreading. Now I can submit this summary
for marking or examination.
PASSAGE - 17 -
4. A PRACTICAL EXERCISE
For the following question, use the passage below to work out the answer. Provide the notes but you should
write in one or two paragraphs in answer to the question.
Theordoson and Theordoson (1969) have contended that
socialization is the basic social process by which individuals
become integrated into a social group or society by learning
that group’s culture and their role in that group. Defined thus,
socialization is a lifelong process. A critical phase in the
socialization process occurs in childhood when children
internalize the values, skills, attitudes and roles that shape
their personality and result in their integration in society.
Adults also undergo socialization as they have to learn how to
play or fit into various roles enabling them to function as
community members. The impression should not, however,
be created that individuals are passive recipients of these
processes. In the actual fact, they are actively engaged in
assessing, accepting and rejecting them.
In Zambia, a major socialization variable of consideration
centres on sex. The argument is that males and females are
differentially inducted into society as children, adolescents
and adults. They end up with different life chances, different
work orientations and different work behavioural patterns. The
message is that as children, females are taught to be ladies
(i.e. nice, non-aggressive and non-contradictory of parents or
adult wishes and commands). Childhood socialization centres
on the proper role of the different sexes in terms of family.
Adolescent socialization which occurs during the period
individuals are in elementary and high school contuse this
message. In terms of school curricula, females are
encouraged, if not forced, to take such subjects as domestic
science, cookery and knitting which are designed to prepare
them for their envisaged adult roles of wives and mothers.
Alternatively, with the increasing realization that everybody
has to work, females are encouraged or forced to take
subjects such as commerce, office practice, arts and biology
designed to prepare them for life in such occupational ghettos
as secretarial work or nursing. For the females not in school
or dropping out of school early, traditional rites of passage
(initiation ceremonies among other things) emphasize the role
of girls as good housewives, subservient to their husbands
and to males in general.
Adult female socialization is along the same lines, as females
experience job discrimination. Sex-segregation of
occupations overcrowds women into a few job categories
(occupational ghettos) thereby reducing the competition in
certain jobs occupied by men, making it appear as if females
are not really fit for the working place. Female occupational
value socialization dictates that women be nice, be good at
interpersonal relations, be feminine by concentrating on their
PASSAGE - 18 -
manner of speech, on their dress, and on cultural etiquette.
Thus gender relations seemingly impose all sorts of obstacles
through processes of obtaining cultural capital (credentials),
managerial promotional practices and the like which are at
the base of the differential female-male work performance or
work orientations.
In terms of our present study, if the socialization argument is
correct, we would expect that males and females, in so far as
they undergo different socialization practices, will display
significant differences in attributes related to work behaviour.
That is, there will be significant differences between females
and males in terms of work role self-esteem, self-investment
in work, and management styles of flexibility and participation.
Does this argument stand a rigorous empirical test?
(Source: Mufune, P. O. and Mwansa, L. K.,
1993, Supervisory Women and Men in
Zambian Work Organizations, Gaborone: M
and M Ltd, pp. 53-54)
Question:
Summarize in not more than 70 words the ways advanced in this passage as to how differently females are
socialized in the Zambian society.
………………………..………………………………………
………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………
PASSAGE - 19 -
………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………........................
NOTE:
Remember the following Rules in writing any summary:
a) Read the question before you read the passage to find out what you are required to do.
b) Read the passage quickly to find out its theme, that is, the main idea(s) and how the author develops it
(or them).
c) Read the question again very carefully. Find out exactly what you must do.
d) Read the passage again but more carefully than before. Make rough notes of the important and
relevant points. This means that if you have to write a summary ‘not more than 100 words’, your
rough notes should contain about 60 words, or less than the required ones.
e) Use your rough notes to write your draft (or final draft if you are good at this work especially in
examination situations), but check for the following at this stage:
 Check that you are answering the correct question.
 Add or omit words as necessary to make your final summary fluent.
 Check for length as you add or omit words to get the right length as required in question.
 Leave out details, examples and illustrations from the passage, but write their
generalizations in your own words.
 Check and correct any errors of spelling, punctuation or grammar as these may cause
you to lose marks.

PASSAGE - 20 -
f) Don’t do these things: Don’t
 Add information to a passage or comment on information given in the passage. Just give
a summary of the main points whether you agree with them or not.
 Write on alternate lines. Some examiners complain that this is a waste of paper and
makes the work more difficult to read.
 Draw vertical columns and put one word in each column. This is an artificial way of
writing. The examiners have asked schools not to do this.
 Forget to cross out (very clearly) any rough work or draft summaries. An examiner gets
annoyed if he marks a summary and then turns over the page to find the final summary
on the other side.
5. REFERENCES AND RESOURCES
Chinodya, Shimmer (1992), Step Ahead New Secondary English Students’ Book 3. Harare, Longman
Zimbabwe (Pvt)
English Language GCE O-Level Exam Papers 1994-2007 Worked Solutions. Model Town, Lahore,
Pakistan: Redspot Publishing
Examinations Council of Zambia, School Certificate and GCE Examiners’ Reports October/November
2005-2008 Examinations
PASSAGE - 21 -

More Related Content

Similar to Summary_Writing_Skills_in_English_Langua.doc

WEEK2-English for Academic and Professional Purposes.pptx
WEEK2-English for Academic and Professional Purposes.pptxWEEK2-English for Academic and Professional Purposes.pptx
WEEK2-English for Academic and Professional Purposes.pptxJeonJihyeon1
 
EAPP-week-5-outlining.pptx
EAPP-week-5-outlining.pptxEAPP-week-5-outlining.pptx
EAPP-week-5-outlining.pptxMarichellAbande
 
Lecture of english presentation
Lecture  of english presentationLecture  of english presentation
Lecture of english presentationBILAL ABDULLAH
 
Academic Writing Advice
Academic Writing AdviceAcademic Writing Advice
Academic Writing AdviceALEX CARSON
 
Advice on academic writing
Advice on academic writingAdvice on academic writing
Advice on academic writingPaulaChapelet
 
academic writing
academic writingacademic writing
academic writingAnita Dorre
 
Lesson 1 Academic Language used from Various Disciplines.pptx
Lesson 1 Academic Language used from Various Disciplines.pptxLesson 1 Academic Language used from Various Disciplines.pptx
Lesson 1 Academic Language used from Various Disciplines.pptxSheryl Padel
 
BBA111Week4.pptx
BBA111Week4.pptxBBA111Week4.pptx
BBA111Week4.pptxRuthPhiri17
 
Writing skills precis writing, Report writing and _240124_111102.pdf
Writing skills precis writing, Report writing and _240124_111102.pdfWriting skills precis writing, Report writing and _240124_111102.pdf
Writing skills precis writing, Report writing and _240124_111102.pdfDr. Anshu Raj Purohit
 
Writing skills precis writing, Report writing and _240124_111102.pdf
Writing skills precis writing, Report writing and _240124_111102.pdfWriting skills precis writing, Report writing and _240124_111102.pdf
Writing skills precis writing, Report writing and _240124_111102.pdfDr. Anshu Raj Purohit
 
WritingProcessForBusinessAnalysis-Guide
WritingProcessForBusinessAnalysis-GuideWritingProcessForBusinessAnalysis-Guide
WritingProcessForBusinessAnalysis-GuideJas Mahay
 
Academic A Quick Referencing Guide
Academic A Quick Referencing GuideAcademic A Quick Referencing Guide
Academic A Quick Referencing GuideNat Rice
 
Advice on Academic Writing
Advice on Academic WritingAdvice on Academic Writing
Advice on Academic WritingMelisa Panzardo
 
ENG101- English Comprehension- Lecture 33
ENG101- English Comprehension- Lecture 33ENG101- English Comprehension- Lecture 33
ENG101- English Comprehension- Lecture 33Bilal Ahmed
 
Guidance for aesthetic medicine qualifications
Guidance for aesthetic medicine qualificationsGuidance for aesthetic medicine qualifications
Guidance for aesthetic medicine qualificationsThe QCCP
 

Similar to Summary_Writing_Skills_in_English_Langua.doc (20)

WEEK2-English for Academic and Professional Purposes.pptx
WEEK2-English for Academic and Professional Purposes.pptxWEEK2-English for Academic and Professional Purposes.pptx
WEEK2-English for Academic and Professional Purposes.pptx
 
Reading skills
Reading skillsReading skills
Reading skills
 
EAPP-week-5-outlining.pptx
EAPP-week-5-outlining.pptxEAPP-week-5-outlining.pptx
EAPP-week-5-outlining.pptx
 
Lecture of english presentation
Lecture  of english presentationLecture  of english presentation
Lecture of english presentation
 
Academic Writing Advice
Academic Writing AdviceAcademic Writing Advice
Academic Writing Advice
 
Advice on academic writing
Advice on academic writingAdvice on academic writing
Advice on academic writing
 
academic writing
academic writingacademic writing
academic writing
 
Lesson 1 Academic Language used from Various Disciplines.pptx
Lesson 1 Academic Language used from Various Disciplines.pptxLesson 1 Academic Language used from Various Disciplines.pptx
Lesson 1 Academic Language used from Various Disciplines.pptx
 
BBA111Week4.pptx
BBA111Week4.pptxBBA111Week4.pptx
BBA111Week4.pptx
 
Academic writing Lee4
Academic writing Lee4Academic writing Lee4
Academic writing Lee4
 
Writing skills precis writing, Report writing and _240124_111102.pdf
Writing skills precis writing, Report writing and _240124_111102.pdfWriting skills precis writing, Report writing and _240124_111102.pdf
Writing skills precis writing, Report writing and _240124_111102.pdf
 
Writing skills precis writing, Report writing and _240124_111102.pdf
Writing skills precis writing, Report writing and _240124_111102.pdfWriting skills precis writing, Report writing and _240124_111102.pdf
Writing skills precis writing, Report writing and _240124_111102.pdf
 
WritingProcessForBusinessAnalysis-Guide
WritingProcessForBusinessAnalysis-GuideWritingProcessForBusinessAnalysis-Guide
WritingProcessForBusinessAnalysis-Guide
 
Academic A Quick Referencing Guide
Academic A Quick Referencing GuideAcademic A Quick Referencing Guide
Academic A Quick Referencing Guide
 
Advice on academic writing
Advice on academic writingAdvice on academic writing
Advice on academic writing
 
Cs ppt
Cs pptCs ppt
Cs ppt
 
Advice on Academic Writing
Advice on Academic WritingAdvice on Academic Writing
Advice on Academic Writing
 
Academic Writing LEE4
Academic Writing LEE4Academic Writing LEE4
Academic Writing LEE4
 
ENG101- English Comprehension- Lecture 33
ENG101- English Comprehension- Lecture 33ENG101- English Comprehension- Lecture 33
ENG101- English Comprehension- Lecture 33
 
Guidance for aesthetic medicine qualifications
Guidance for aesthetic medicine qualificationsGuidance for aesthetic medicine qualifications
Guidance for aesthetic medicine qualifications
 

Recently uploaded

call girls in Kamla Market (DELHI) 🔝 >༒9953330565🔝 genuine Escort Service 🔝✔️✔️
call girls in Kamla Market (DELHI) 🔝 >༒9953330565🔝 genuine Escort Service 🔝✔️✔️call girls in Kamla Market (DELHI) 🔝 >༒9953330565🔝 genuine Escort Service 🔝✔️✔️
call girls in Kamla Market (DELHI) 🔝 >༒9953330565🔝 genuine Escort Service 🔝✔️✔️9953056974 Low Rate Call Girls In Saket, Delhi NCR
 
POINT- BIOCHEMISTRY SEM 2 ENZYMES UNIT 5.pptx
POINT- BIOCHEMISTRY SEM 2 ENZYMES UNIT 5.pptxPOINT- BIOCHEMISTRY SEM 2 ENZYMES UNIT 5.pptx
POINT- BIOCHEMISTRY SEM 2 ENZYMES UNIT 5.pptxSayali Powar
 
ECONOMIC CONTEXT - LONG FORM TV DRAMA - PPT
ECONOMIC CONTEXT - LONG FORM TV DRAMA - PPTECONOMIC CONTEXT - LONG FORM TV DRAMA - PPT
ECONOMIC CONTEXT - LONG FORM TV DRAMA - PPTiammrhaywood
 
mini mental status format.docx
mini    mental       status     format.docxmini    mental       status     format.docx
mini mental status format.docxPoojaSen20
 
The Most Excellent Way | 1 Corinthians 13
The Most Excellent Way | 1 Corinthians 13The Most Excellent Way | 1 Corinthians 13
The Most Excellent Way | 1 Corinthians 13Steve Thomason
 
A Critique of the Proposed National Education Policy Reform
A Critique of the Proposed National Education Policy ReformA Critique of the Proposed National Education Policy Reform
A Critique of the Proposed National Education Policy ReformChameera Dedduwage
 
Accessible design: Minimum effort, maximum impact
Accessible design: Minimum effort, maximum impactAccessible design: Minimum effort, maximum impact
Accessible design: Minimum effort, maximum impactdawncurless
 
Solving Puzzles Benefits Everyone (English).pptx
Solving Puzzles Benefits Everyone (English).pptxSolving Puzzles Benefits Everyone (English).pptx
Solving Puzzles Benefits Everyone (English).pptxOH TEIK BIN
 
Organic Name Reactions for the students and aspirants of Chemistry12th.pptx
Organic Name Reactions  for the students and aspirants of Chemistry12th.pptxOrganic Name Reactions  for the students and aspirants of Chemistry12th.pptx
Organic Name Reactions for the students and aspirants of Chemistry12th.pptxVS Mahajan Coaching Centre
 
Paris 2024 Olympic Geographies - an activity
Paris 2024 Olympic Geographies - an activityParis 2024 Olympic Geographies - an activity
Paris 2024 Olympic Geographies - an activityGeoBlogs
 
Interactive Powerpoint_How to Master effective communication
Interactive Powerpoint_How to Master effective communicationInteractive Powerpoint_How to Master effective communication
Interactive Powerpoint_How to Master effective communicationnomboosow
 
KSHARA STURA .pptx---KSHARA KARMA THERAPY (CAUSTIC THERAPY)————IMP.OF KSHARA ...
KSHARA STURA .pptx---KSHARA KARMA THERAPY (CAUSTIC THERAPY)————IMP.OF KSHARA ...KSHARA STURA .pptx---KSHARA KARMA THERAPY (CAUSTIC THERAPY)————IMP.OF KSHARA ...
KSHARA STURA .pptx---KSHARA KARMA THERAPY (CAUSTIC THERAPY)————IMP.OF KSHARA ...M56BOOKSTORE PRODUCT/SERVICE
 
Class 11 Legal Studies Ch-1 Concept of State .pdf
Class 11 Legal Studies Ch-1 Concept of State .pdfClass 11 Legal Studies Ch-1 Concept of State .pdf
Class 11 Legal Studies Ch-1 Concept of State .pdfakmcokerachita
 
Software Engineering Methodologies (overview)
Software Engineering Methodologies (overview)Software Engineering Methodologies (overview)
Software Engineering Methodologies (overview)eniolaolutunde
 
Introduction to ArtificiaI Intelligence in Higher Education
Introduction to ArtificiaI Intelligence in Higher EducationIntroduction to ArtificiaI Intelligence in Higher Education
Introduction to ArtificiaI Intelligence in Higher Educationpboyjonauth
 
microwave assisted reaction. General introduction
microwave assisted reaction. General introductionmicrowave assisted reaction. General introduction
microwave assisted reaction. General introductionMaksud Ahmed
 
Presiding Officer Training module 2024 lok sabha elections
Presiding Officer Training module 2024 lok sabha electionsPresiding Officer Training module 2024 lok sabha elections
Presiding Officer Training module 2024 lok sabha electionsanshu789521
 
Sanyam Choudhary Chemistry practical.pdf
Sanyam Choudhary Chemistry practical.pdfSanyam Choudhary Chemistry practical.pdf
Sanyam Choudhary Chemistry practical.pdfsanyamsingh5019
 

Recently uploaded (20)

call girls in Kamla Market (DELHI) 🔝 >༒9953330565🔝 genuine Escort Service 🔝✔️✔️
call girls in Kamla Market (DELHI) 🔝 >༒9953330565🔝 genuine Escort Service 🔝✔️✔️call girls in Kamla Market (DELHI) 🔝 >༒9953330565🔝 genuine Escort Service 🔝✔️✔️
call girls in Kamla Market (DELHI) 🔝 >༒9953330565🔝 genuine Escort Service 🔝✔️✔️
 
POINT- BIOCHEMISTRY SEM 2 ENZYMES UNIT 5.pptx
POINT- BIOCHEMISTRY SEM 2 ENZYMES UNIT 5.pptxPOINT- BIOCHEMISTRY SEM 2 ENZYMES UNIT 5.pptx
POINT- BIOCHEMISTRY SEM 2 ENZYMES UNIT 5.pptx
 
ECONOMIC CONTEXT - LONG FORM TV DRAMA - PPT
ECONOMIC CONTEXT - LONG FORM TV DRAMA - PPTECONOMIC CONTEXT - LONG FORM TV DRAMA - PPT
ECONOMIC CONTEXT - LONG FORM TV DRAMA - PPT
 
mini mental status format.docx
mini    mental       status     format.docxmini    mental       status     format.docx
mini mental status format.docx
 
The Most Excellent Way | 1 Corinthians 13
The Most Excellent Way | 1 Corinthians 13The Most Excellent Way | 1 Corinthians 13
The Most Excellent Way | 1 Corinthians 13
 
A Critique of the Proposed National Education Policy Reform
A Critique of the Proposed National Education Policy ReformA Critique of the Proposed National Education Policy Reform
A Critique of the Proposed National Education Policy Reform
 
Accessible design: Minimum effort, maximum impact
Accessible design: Minimum effort, maximum impactAccessible design: Minimum effort, maximum impact
Accessible design: Minimum effort, maximum impact
 
Solving Puzzles Benefits Everyone (English).pptx
Solving Puzzles Benefits Everyone (English).pptxSolving Puzzles Benefits Everyone (English).pptx
Solving Puzzles Benefits Everyone (English).pptx
 
Organic Name Reactions for the students and aspirants of Chemistry12th.pptx
Organic Name Reactions  for the students and aspirants of Chemistry12th.pptxOrganic Name Reactions  for the students and aspirants of Chemistry12th.pptx
Organic Name Reactions for the students and aspirants of Chemistry12th.pptx
 
Paris 2024 Olympic Geographies - an activity
Paris 2024 Olympic Geographies - an activityParis 2024 Olympic Geographies - an activity
Paris 2024 Olympic Geographies - an activity
 
Interactive Powerpoint_How to Master effective communication
Interactive Powerpoint_How to Master effective communicationInteractive Powerpoint_How to Master effective communication
Interactive Powerpoint_How to Master effective communication
 
Staff of Color (SOC) Retention Efforts DDSD
Staff of Color (SOC) Retention Efforts DDSDStaff of Color (SOC) Retention Efforts DDSD
Staff of Color (SOC) Retention Efforts DDSD
 
Model Call Girl in Bikash Puri Delhi reach out to us at 🔝9953056974🔝
Model Call Girl in Bikash Puri  Delhi reach out to us at 🔝9953056974🔝Model Call Girl in Bikash Puri  Delhi reach out to us at 🔝9953056974🔝
Model Call Girl in Bikash Puri Delhi reach out to us at 🔝9953056974🔝
 
KSHARA STURA .pptx---KSHARA KARMA THERAPY (CAUSTIC THERAPY)————IMP.OF KSHARA ...
KSHARA STURA .pptx---KSHARA KARMA THERAPY (CAUSTIC THERAPY)————IMP.OF KSHARA ...KSHARA STURA .pptx---KSHARA KARMA THERAPY (CAUSTIC THERAPY)————IMP.OF KSHARA ...
KSHARA STURA .pptx---KSHARA KARMA THERAPY (CAUSTIC THERAPY)————IMP.OF KSHARA ...
 
Class 11 Legal Studies Ch-1 Concept of State .pdf
Class 11 Legal Studies Ch-1 Concept of State .pdfClass 11 Legal Studies Ch-1 Concept of State .pdf
Class 11 Legal Studies Ch-1 Concept of State .pdf
 
Software Engineering Methodologies (overview)
Software Engineering Methodologies (overview)Software Engineering Methodologies (overview)
Software Engineering Methodologies (overview)
 
Introduction to ArtificiaI Intelligence in Higher Education
Introduction to ArtificiaI Intelligence in Higher EducationIntroduction to ArtificiaI Intelligence in Higher Education
Introduction to ArtificiaI Intelligence in Higher Education
 
microwave assisted reaction. General introduction
microwave assisted reaction. General introductionmicrowave assisted reaction. General introduction
microwave assisted reaction. General introduction
 
Presiding Officer Training module 2024 lok sabha elections
Presiding Officer Training module 2024 lok sabha electionsPresiding Officer Training module 2024 lok sabha elections
Presiding Officer Training module 2024 lok sabha elections
 
Sanyam Choudhary Chemistry practical.pdf
Sanyam Choudhary Chemistry practical.pdfSanyam Choudhary Chemistry practical.pdf
Sanyam Choudhary Chemistry practical.pdf
 

Summary_Writing_Skills_in_English_Langua.doc

  • 1. PASSAGE - 1 - ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO LEARNING SUMMARY WRITING SKILLS COMPILED AND PRESENTED BY MTONGA DICKSON G. LATAZ CHAIRPERSON NORTH-WESTERN PROVINCE ZAMBIA ON 25TH SEPTEMBER 2009 AT PROVINCIAL LATAZ CONFERENCE HELD IN ZAMBEZI 1. INTRODUCTION A summary is a shortened version or form of a story or a passage. It contains only the important facts or points. To be able to write a good summary, you need to decide what information is relevant for your summary task. To differentiate the various ways of summarizing, we usually divide them into two types, namely, Note Summary and Prose Summary.
  • 2. PASSAGE - 2 - Note Summary is listing of required information in brief form. The style is which notes are written is known as abbreviated style. It may involve omission of non-content words, for example, auxiliaries, relative pronouns or articles. It can also involve the use of conventional standard abbreviations themselves. Prose Summary is the writing of required information in full sentences and in paragraphs but in brief to the point. A Grade 12 candidate needs adequate preparation in prose summary as it is the one that is examined although you need to have acquired good note taking skills to arrive at the prose summary. 2. SUMMARY WRITING SKILLS OR TECHNIQUES In the first place, you should understand the aim of learning or acquiring summary writing skills. The aim of learning summary is two-fold: a) To acquire and develop skill in extracting what is relevant or significant from a given passage or written material and to express the extracted points clearly and concisely (precisely or briefly to the point); b) To equip you to deal satisfactorily with the summary situations you are likely to meet in real life in terms of brevity in speech and writing. Secondly, you should understand that summary writing requires a whole lot of languages skills to be used if you have to do well in summary. These include comprehension, composition and grammatical usage. In order to do well in these components of English Language learning, therefore, you should master the following skills or competences:
  • 3. PASSAGE - 3 - a) Comprehension Skills: i) Reading Skill of Skimming a. Reading at Glance: Skimming is such a valuable skill that you will want to develop its many uses. Skimming is reading for particular information from a book, a magazine or a newspaper using the table of contents, the title or front page, the index, a chart, or a list by letting your eye run quickly over the material until you find what you want. b. Skimming for Words or Numbers: To develop skill in moving your eye rapidly up and down the page, it is good practice to begin with a list of items to see how quickly you can find a word, a number, a date, or a phrase. In practice, skimming you may be used to read various lists, such as directories, the table of contents of any textbook, the almanac, or even the dictionary. With more practice, you will soon find that you can be used to skip over the words, which do not interest you at the moment. c. Skimming for a Paragraph: This same kind of eye movement can be used to skim over larger areas of print, such as a paragraph. You will see more than you expect, and your eyes will usually catch what you are looking for. d. Skimming to locate Brief Thoughts: The kind of skimming you have done so far requires little thinking, since you were merely locating a word or a phrase. You were able to skim at full speed, stopping only briefly to note where the information was located. There is another kind of skimming which takes a little longer because you are required to find answers to certain questions, not just to that part of the article quickly. For example, if the question asks ‘How long ago?’ the selection itself may not contain those exact words. There you must keep your mind alert for a date or for something that means time, such as years or centuries. You will still be skimming, because you will be passing over the material quickly to locate the brief thought. ii) Identification of what is significant or important (relevant) Comprehension requires different kinds of critical skills which are tools you need when you classify, analyze, and interpret information. These powerful tools can help you solve difficult problems, draw reasonable conclusions, and make informed decisions. Learning the techniques of classifying can help
  • 4. PASSAGE - 4 - you with many different tasks, such as arranging a file drawer, sorting your research notes, organizing an outline, or planning an assigned essay. A class is a group of items sharing a common feature or features, such as color, taste, place, function, sound, or shape. The class name describes those features. Precision and accuracy are important to effective classification. A classification is precise (exact or brief to the point) when the class name defines and limits the common features shared by the members. A classification is accurate when all class members share the same common features. Moreover, classification can help you understand the organization of a paragraph, which has two parts, namely, a main idea and details. The main idea of the paragraph also defines and limits the topic. The idea should be precise, that is, neither too general nor too specific. The details of the paragraph describe, prove, or explain the main idea. Details must also be accurate. The main idea of a paragraph is usually stated in a topic sentence and restated or referred to in a concluding sentence. The topic sentence tells what the paragraph is about and indicates how the details are related. An effective topic sentence should not be too general or too specific for the purpose of the paragraph. iii) Selection of points relevant to the task specified for you Let’s come to the issue of relevant and irrelevant details. Classifying can also help you to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant details in your reading, writing, speaking and listening. Facts and examples that support a given topic are relevant details. Facts and examples that do not fit with the subject are irrelevant details. Irrelevant details are distracting, misleading, or confusing to your reader or listener because they draw attention away from the main idea. The classification is inaccurate because one member does not belong in the class. Consequently, the paragraph contains an irrelevant detail in the paragraph by applying what you have learned about classify information. iv) Understanding of grammatical and lexical (word) meaning, that is, of the structures and lexical items in the passage.
  • 5. PASSAGE - 5 - a) Understanding Grammatical Meaning in a passage It is important to keep the main thought of the paragraph in mind when you try to understand apparently difficult sentences. When the sentences are fairly short and easily understood, the main idea of the paragraph can be recognized without trouble. However, long, complicated sentences should not frighten you. They are easily understood when you know what to do with them. b) Understanding Lexical Meaning in a passage v) Awareness of the relationships between connected points. vi) Awareness of cause and effect vii) Awareness of time sequence or logical order. b) Composition Skills: The following composition writing skills are important in summary writing: i) Conciseness or precision that is, expressing what is significant in the briefest way possible. ii) Clarity that is, expressing meaning most overtly or clearly. iii) Organization of material so that it is easily seen, understood, remembered, and referred to. iv) The expression of material in note form. c) Grammatical Usage Skills: You will be required to produce complete sentences in your summary tasks at Grade 12 Ordinary level examination in English Language Paper Two (2). This means that you must correctly construct sentences and use the correct structures and punctuation marks. You vocabulary should also be up to date because you may be required own words in writing the sentences in your understanding. For example, you can give an account of the original text by finding words of your own to sum up two or more original statements. A good summary is, therefore, likely to be a judicious blend of the original author’s phraseology and phrases of your own. This is what they call ‘word economy’.
  • 6. PASSAGE - 6 - d) The Basic Method in Prose Summary Tasks In writing summary, always bear in mind that you must write in brief whether it is note form or prose form. In your final Examination in English Language, you may need to use the following basic method or process in coming up with your prose summary: i) Study the question and write or jot down the essentials of it at the top of the page in order to ensure that you know exactly what you are looking for. ii) Read the passage twice thoroughly in the light of the question to give you an understanding of the passage as a whole and help you locate the areas where the information you want lies. iii) Select your information critically, that is, leaving aside what is irrelevant or not important to your summary task such as illustrations, repetitions, and lengthy ways of saying things. iv) As you select the main points, write them down in note form and make sure they are precise and well laid out to ensure that you understand the main points and it forces you to select none but the main words (i.e. it is precise). Here, write the notes one under the other rather than one after the other. v) Then, write a rough draft or version of the required summary from your notes generated in (iv) and only consult the passage to check a piece of information or a word. This is a trial run and you can cut and change it as much as you like for the examiner will not look at it. This rough version also ensures that you get a chance to express your notes and not just copy the lengthy expression of the passages. vi) Finally, check this rough version for clarity, correctness of expression, grammatical structures and spelling, and also for the length of the summary before your final version is written and submitted. If you examine your rough version carefully, you will find a lot of points that are not clearly expressed or that there are mistakes of punctuation or structural nature. Write the final
  • 7. PASSAGE - 7 - version when you are satisfied with your corrections to your rough draft and submit it for marking. Note that time is always difficult to manage in order to follow the above outlined method, but with practice you will internalize these steps so that you will be able to do them very unconsciously! Now that you are conversant with the steps in writing prose summary, let us see if we can work together the following tasks. Please, take note of the comments for each task worked out. 3. SAMPLE OF PROSE SUMMARY QUESTION AND ANSWER Read the following passage carefully before you attempt to answer the question that follow. Mistakes in spelling, punctuation and grammar may be penalized in your answer. 1. Forty years ago ‘tourism’ was a word rarely used by most people. Today, it is understood by people the world over; many now regard holidays as part of everyday life and foreign travel is taken for granted. Consequently, holiday-making has become a major business. It has created a vast number of jobs and it is currently estimated that in some countries one in five persons is employed in work related to the tourist industry. 2. The immediate reasons for this incredible explosion in tourism are not hard to find. Leisure time has increased for many people as technology takes over routine chores at work and in the home. This same technology has made industries more efficient, bringing increased wealth for their employees, and with that wealth greater opportunity for travel. But the technological advances in transport have proved the biggest single
  • 8. PASSAGE - 8 - factor promoting world travel. Planes fly faster and further than ever before, carrying large numbers of passengers at a relatively cheap cost, and in a degree of comfort unknown thirty or forty years ago. 3. Less obvious, but just as significant, are the social reasons behind the modern urge to travel. Foreign journeys were at one time expensive and difficult for most post people to organize, in fact, a luxury for the wealthy. Today, cheap air fares and package holidays have made foreign travel fashionable for a great many, especially those who spend their working lives in crowded cities and in industry. Travel to foreign countries is now within reach of families who only thirty years ago would hardly have dreamed of such a thing. Indeed, for some it has become a matter of personal pride to boast of time spent abroad, and the more glamorous and far-flung the destination the better. Europeans are now looking beyond the beaches of the Mediterranean to the mountains of Nepal or the plains of Africa for a new and vastly different experience. Travel companies have been quick to advertise the cultural and educational advantages of such holidays, selling wildlife exploration trips or tours of the ancient temples of the East just as earnestly as they once did the ‘magic of Rome’ or the ‘splendor of ancient Athens’. 4. If modern holiday-makers have benefited so much from the growth of the tourist industry, what of the countries that attract visitors in the first place? On the face of it, local people are sharing the new-found wealth of the foreign traveler. Where once there were only undeveloped stretches of coastline, hostels have spring up, creating employment for the local population. The visitors, with money to spend, encourage business, in particular the restaurant trade, while craftsmen can find a ready, though seasonal, market for their products. Whereas the local people once had to work hard on the land or at sea to earn a slender wage, tourism now provides a more substantial income.
  • 9. PASSAGE - 9 - 5. One might expect that the ever-growing demands of the tourist trade would bring nothing but good for the countries that receive the holiday-makers. Indeed, a rosy picture is painted for the long-term future of the holiday industry. Every month sees the building of a new hostel somewhere, and every month another rock-bound Pacific island is advertised as the ‘last paradise on earth’. All this means more jobs for yet more people. 6. However, the scale and speed of this growth seem set to destroy the very things tourists want to enjoy. In those countries where there was a rush to make quick money out of sea-side holidays, over-crowded beaches and the concrete jungles of endless hotels have begun to lose their appeal. Besides, the holiday towns cannot support the massive influx of visitors. Sewage spills untreated into the sea and this soon becomes known; visitors neither begin to look elsewhere for safer beaches and safer waters to swim in. nor are the sea-side resorts the only places to suffer from the stranglehold of tourism. Such is the magical appeal of winter sports for tourists that hundreds of square kilometers of forests have been destroyed in the mountains of Austria and Switzerland to make way for hotels, roads, ski lifts and ski runs. But a series of mild winters and frequent rain has seen severe flooding and caused landslides; the trees that would have kept the earth intact are no longer there. 7. Those countries with little experience of tourism can suffer the most. In recent years, Nepal set out to attract foreign visitors to fund developments in health and education. Its mountains and valleys, its forests full of wildlife and rare flowers, were offered to tourists as one more untouched paradise. In fact, the landscape all too soon felt the effects of thousands of holiday-makers trekking through the forest land. Ancient trails
  • 10. PASSAGE - 10 - became major routes for the walkers, with the consequent destruction of precious trees and plants. One area of Nepal is invaded by 36,000 walkers a year and their demands for daily provisions and accommodation have quickly outstripped the natural resources of the countryside and its inhabitants. Nor have these inhabitants benefited financially from the tourists. Only a small amount of the visitors’ money comes their way, since the bulk of what the tourists spend is on goods and food imported from outside Nepal. 8. Not only can the environment of a country suffer from the sudden growth of tourism. The people as well rapidly feet its effects. Farmland makes way for hotels, roads and airports; the old way of life goes. If earning a living from the soil was hard, at least it gave man independence. Also, the higher wages that can be earned in the new luxury hotels have to be paid for. The one-time farmer is now the servant of some multi- national organization; he is no longer his own master. He must smile at all times. Once it was back that took the strain; now it is his smile that is exploited. No doubt he wonders whether he was not happier in his village working his own plot of land. 9. Thankfully, the tourist industry is waking up to the responsibilities it has towards those countries that receive its customers. The protection of wildlife and the creation of national parks go hand in hand with tourist development and in fact obtain financial support from tourist companies. Such projects employ people in a dignified fashion. Their skills and knowledge are needed in organizing holidays for the tourists, not simply their obedience. At the same time, tourists are being encouraged to respect not only their countryside they visit but also its people. Their way of life is not something they are ‘viewed’ as part of a package-holiday spectacle. An evening watching traditional dances or block-pipe demonstrations tells tourists little or nothing about how the local people really live or how they, the tourist, ought to behave towards them.
  • 11. PASSAGE - 11 - Already, a major European airline provides information for its passengers about life in countries they are about to visit and the behaviour expected of the tourists there. 10. The way tourism is handled in the next ten years will decide its fate and that of the countries we all want to visit. Their needs and problems are more important than those of the tourist companies. Increased understanding in planning world-wide tourism can preserve the market for these companies. If not, in a few years’ time the very things that attract tourists now may well have been destroyed. (Source: Charles Tyler, ‘A Phenomenal Explosion, reproduced by permission of Geographical Magazine, August/October 1989, excerpted from, Red-spot Publishing, English Language O-Level Exam Papers 1994-2007 Yearly WORKED Solutions, Lahore, Pakistan.) QUESTION: Using the information provided in the passage, summarize the benefits and disadvantages tourism can bring to countries. Your summary, which must be in continuous writing (not in note form), must not be longer than 160 words, including the ten (10) words given below. This question is worth 20 marks. Begin your summary as follows: Countries benefit from the growth of tourism, for local people…. Before you can attempt to answer this question, let me remind you of the basic steps you should take to answer it in the best way possible:
  • 12. PASSAGE - 12 - a) Reading: Read and understand the passage thoroughly (1st Reading for understanding the main subject matter and 2nd reading for intensive study of the passage in the light of the Question or task given). At this point, you should also understand the vocabulary and structures used in the passage relevant to the question. Ask yourself side questions as you read. For example: i. Winter sports are said to have a ‘magical appeal’ for tourists. What does the expression ‘magical appeal’ mean here? By ‘magical appeal’ the author means that large numbers of tourists are attracted to it and the reasons are not apparent or they are questionable. (Paragraph 6) ii. The tourists have made ‘demands’ on the inhabitants of Nepal. State in your own words what these ‘demands’ are. The demands are: items for daily living or necessities of life and places to stay. (Paragraph 7) iii. These demands have ‘quickly outstripped the natural resources of the countryside and its inhabitants’. What is the author saying here? The author is saying that because of the demands of tourism, the country has lost its natural resources and its people have lost their way of life. (Paragraph 7) iv. The author describes the change in the farmer’s life as follows: ‘Once it was his back that took the strain; now it is his smile that is exploited’. State in your own words what this tells you about the nature of the life the farmer once led and the life he leads now. The farmer was at one time working his own land, independent and proud. In contrast now he/she has no land, he/she has to work for others to make a living and he/she has to please others in order to live happily. (Paragraph 8) b) Note-taking: Remember to critically select your essential points and exclude supporting details like examples, illustrations, repetitions (for emphases), and write down the points in note form without
  • 13. PASSAGE - 13 - paying much attention to language rules like grammatical forms like auxiliary verbs but just write content words. They should be to the point. c) Rough Summary Draft: When your short notes are enough. Do not waste time but go straight to writing the notes into complete sentences. This time you should be use all the necessary supporting words like auxiliary verbs, prepositions, and all important parts of speech in sentences. The sentences should be precise without extra-explanations. This is what is called a ‘Rough Draft’. At this stage, do not care too much about the correctness of grammar because you will need to correct it shortly before you can submit your final summary task for marking. d) Final Summary Draft: Finally, revise your rough draft making any corrections in terms of clarity, correctness of expression and vocabulary, grammatical structures and spelling. It is better you take a little bit more time to correct your draft to avoid loss of marks because all this count in Summary examinations! Then, after you are satisfied and within the required time and length of the summary, you can now submit your work for the examiner with your head high! Be sure that your examiner will enjoy your work. Now let’s see how you can do it. I assume here that you have already read the passage carefully as instructed and you have understood the question or task given. So, I will suggest some of the short notes you can include in your preliminary note summary: Notes (Only jot down relevant and important facts: Benefits of tourism to countries  Locals share the wealth of tourists  Locals enjoy employment in serving the tourists at beaches - getting good paying jobs  Local businessmen also sell their merchandise to tourists – provide good market to local products.
  • 14. PASSAGE - 14 - Disadvantages of tourism to countries  Environmental hazards  Defacing appearance of sea-side holiday spots due to overcrowding and pollution  Damaging natural landscape and due to leisure activities due to tourist demands  people’s ways of life get disturbed also Rough Summary Draft: Now, let’s join the above notes into sentences so that we come up with paragraphs of the summary. Check this one. Countries benefit from the growth of tourism, for local people get to share the wealth that tourists bring to the tourist towns or places. This is so in many ways. They get well paying jobs for them to make a living. Tourists provide good market for local merchandise that tourists like. However, not all is well with tourism. Two things suffer most due to tourism. The environment is the victim of tourism in the sense that the appearance of the sea- side spots and landscape is destroyed due to tourist activities such overcrowding, pollution and winter sports. The way of life of the local people is, therefore, disturbed as they lose their independent life on account of good economic advantages tourism brings.
  • 15. PASSAGE - 15 - Now, let’s go through some of the things that we can modify in the rough draft above. Count the number of words used to make sure you comply with the required length of the summary (160 words). The number of words used is 122. What this means is that it is too brief. The allowance in examinations is not more than 5 words more or less that required length. So, we should go back and see where we have been too brief and add more details. See the way I have used the words which were not originally used in the passage such as Make sure that the summary contains the same sense as in the original passage. We should avoid too much paraphrasing and giving pedestrian answers, but state your summary in your own words as much as possible to show your understanding of the passage and task. For example, The environment is the victim of tourism …= Not only can the environment of a country suffer from the sudden growth of tourism… (The opening sentence from paragraph 7 in the passage). Observe also that I have used complete sentences, not in note form, and I have come up with two paragraphs. Now, since the first paragraph is shorter than the second one, I need to look back and search for more detail to add to this paragraph. In fact, there are more details on advantages than disadvantages of tourism to countries. Finally, I will also look at the way the sentences have been constructed and polish up! I can also add some transition words to connect the sentences and unify them. Final Summary Draft: Let’s see if the above observations can be considered as the final version is written for marking.
  • 16. PASSAGE - 16 - Countries benefit from the growth of tourism, for local people now share the wealth that tourists. Undeveloped beaches now have hotels providing employment for local people. From having to work hard to make a living, they now find well paying jobs. Business is encouraged, especially the restaurant trade and local craftsmen. So, tourists provide good market for local merchandise that they like. However, not all is well in tourist countries in spite of the prevailing optimism for tourism. The environment is the victim of tourism at the same time, in the sense that the appearance of the seaside spots and landscape is destroyed due to tourist activities such overcrowding, pollution and winter sports. Seaside holiday spots are losing their appeal because of overcrowding and pollution. Tourist demands caused severe damage to the land and people‘s way of life. This is making the local farmers lose their independent life in exchange with the good economic advantages tourism brings to their countries. (160) Note: Although I have managed to get 160 words as required, it is not always possible to do this in real examination situations. Just remember not to use too many words as compared to what is required in the task. You should also notice that note all the sentences in the rough draft appear in the final summary draft. This is what we call editing, revising or proofreading. Now I can submit this summary for marking or examination.
  • 17. PASSAGE - 17 - 4. A PRACTICAL EXERCISE For the following question, use the passage below to work out the answer. Provide the notes but you should write in one or two paragraphs in answer to the question. Theordoson and Theordoson (1969) have contended that socialization is the basic social process by which individuals become integrated into a social group or society by learning that group’s culture and their role in that group. Defined thus, socialization is a lifelong process. A critical phase in the socialization process occurs in childhood when children internalize the values, skills, attitudes and roles that shape their personality and result in their integration in society. Adults also undergo socialization as they have to learn how to play or fit into various roles enabling them to function as community members. The impression should not, however, be created that individuals are passive recipients of these processes. In the actual fact, they are actively engaged in assessing, accepting and rejecting them. In Zambia, a major socialization variable of consideration centres on sex. The argument is that males and females are differentially inducted into society as children, adolescents and adults. They end up with different life chances, different work orientations and different work behavioural patterns. The message is that as children, females are taught to be ladies (i.e. nice, non-aggressive and non-contradictory of parents or adult wishes and commands). Childhood socialization centres on the proper role of the different sexes in terms of family. Adolescent socialization which occurs during the period individuals are in elementary and high school contuse this message. In terms of school curricula, females are encouraged, if not forced, to take such subjects as domestic science, cookery and knitting which are designed to prepare them for their envisaged adult roles of wives and mothers. Alternatively, with the increasing realization that everybody has to work, females are encouraged or forced to take subjects such as commerce, office practice, arts and biology designed to prepare them for life in such occupational ghettos as secretarial work or nursing. For the females not in school or dropping out of school early, traditional rites of passage (initiation ceremonies among other things) emphasize the role of girls as good housewives, subservient to their husbands and to males in general. Adult female socialization is along the same lines, as females experience job discrimination. Sex-segregation of occupations overcrowds women into a few job categories (occupational ghettos) thereby reducing the competition in certain jobs occupied by men, making it appear as if females are not really fit for the working place. Female occupational value socialization dictates that women be nice, be good at interpersonal relations, be feminine by concentrating on their
  • 18. PASSAGE - 18 - manner of speech, on their dress, and on cultural etiquette. Thus gender relations seemingly impose all sorts of obstacles through processes of obtaining cultural capital (credentials), managerial promotional practices and the like which are at the base of the differential female-male work performance or work orientations. In terms of our present study, if the socialization argument is correct, we would expect that males and females, in so far as they undergo different socialization practices, will display significant differences in attributes related to work behaviour. That is, there will be significant differences between females and males in terms of work role self-esteem, self-investment in work, and management styles of flexibility and participation. Does this argument stand a rigorous empirical test? (Source: Mufune, P. O. and Mwansa, L. K., 1993, Supervisory Women and Men in Zambian Work Organizations, Gaborone: M and M Ltd, pp. 53-54) Question: Summarize in not more than 70 words the ways advanced in this passage as to how differently females are socialized in the Zambian society. ………………………..……………………………………… ……………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………
  • 19. PASSAGE - 19 - ……………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………........................ NOTE: Remember the following Rules in writing any summary: a) Read the question before you read the passage to find out what you are required to do. b) Read the passage quickly to find out its theme, that is, the main idea(s) and how the author develops it (or them). c) Read the question again very carefully. Find out exactly what you must do. d) Read the passage again but more carefully than before. Make rough notes of the important and relevant points. This means that if you have to write a summary ‘not more than 100 words’, your rough notes should contain about 60 words, or less than the required ones. e) Use your rough notes to write your draft (or final draft if you are good at this work especially in examination situations), but check for the following at this stage:  Check that you are answering the correct question.  Add or omit words as necessary to make your final summary fluent.  Check for length as you add or omit words to get the right length as required in question.  Leave out details, examples and illustrations from the passage, but write their generalizations in your own words.  Check and correct any errors of spelling, punctuation or grammar as these may cause you to lose marks. 
  • 20. PASSAGE - 20 - f) Don’t do these things: Don’t  Add information to a passage or comment on information given in the passage. Just give a summary of the main points whether you agree with them or not.  Write on alternate lines. Some examiners complain that this is a waste of paper and makes the work more difficult to read.  Draw vertical columns and put one word in each column. This is an artificial way of writing. The examiners have asked schools not to do this.  Forget to cross out (very clearly) any rough work or draft summaries. An examiner gets annoyed if he marks a summary and then turns over the page to find the final summary on the other side. 5. REFERENCES AND RESOURCES Chinodya, Shimmer (1992), Step Ahead New Secondary English Students’ Book 3. Harare, Longman Zimbabwe (Pvt) English Language GCE O-Level Exam Papers 1994-2007 Worked Solutions. Model Town, Lahore, Pakistan: Redspot Publishing Examinations Council of Zambia, School Certificate and GCE Examiners’ Reports October/November 2005-2008 Examinations