How+to+Write+a+Summary

=Definition = According to major dictionaries, Summary is a shortened version of an orginal text which reveals the relationship between the major points and the thesis.

**Length** A summary may be from a quarter of the original text to one sentence.

=Basic steps =

**Step 1: Identifying the topic **
The first step to take in writing a summary, after the first reading, is to identify the topic of the text. A topic is a word or phrase that says what the text is about. Additionally, one needs to be as specific as possible.   There are many reasons why **__pollution in China__** is the worst in the world. 
 * For example: **
 * Topic: ** **Reasons of pollution in China**

**Step 2: Identifying any possible division in the text **
To be able to effectively write a summary to a text, one should be able to identify any possible division in the text such as: Advantages / Disadvantages; Causes / Effects; Similarities / Differences; Comparisons / Contrasts etc. This may mean summarizing each paragraph, but several paragraphs may go together.

**Step 3: Organization of sentences **
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We must work with the newly-created sentences to produce a summary. We also have to reveal the relationships between the ideas.

**<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Things to remember: **

 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It should always be remembered that summaries are short restatements of a work’s main points.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Major ideas of the text must be recorded.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">A summary condenses a text’s main ideas into a few concise sentences
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">A summarized work is always much shorter than the original.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">A summary of a work’s thesis and supporting points should be written in our own words.

**<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tips: **

 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">When summarizing, we should avoid examples and details.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">WE should only quote and paraphrase words and phrases we feel we must in order to reproduce exactly the author’s full meaning.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We must keep in mind that the summary fairly represents the author’s original ideas.

**<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Example **
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
 * __<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Original Text __**

 <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Audiences want the sense that you’re talking directly to them and that you care that they understand and are interested. They’ll forgive you if you get tangled up in a sentence and end it ungrammatically. They won’t forgive you if you seem to have a “canned” talk that you’re going to deliver no matter who the audience is or how they respond. You can convey a sense of caring to your audience by making direct eye contact with them and by using a conversational style. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (p. 475)---Locker, K. O. (2003). //Business and administrative communication (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO//

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">From the text above, we can deduce that there are **four main points,** namely:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Audiences want the sense that one is communicating directly with them.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The will forgive you if you make grammatical mistakes.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">They won’t forgive you however, if you seem to have a prepared speech in advance.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">You can show that you care by making eye contact and using conversational style.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">Suggested Summary **  <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">While audiences will overlook a speaker’s unintentional grammar mistakes, they will not tolerate the speaker if they realize that the speech is a prepared one. However, through eye contact, one can establish responsibility because listeners demand interest and understanding (Locker, 2003).

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