Summarizing Paragraph

SUMMARIZING
 Summarizing is writing a brief of the passage or

writing the synopsis which includes the main points
mentions in the passage.
 A summary is shortened version of a larger reading. In
your summary, you state the main idea in your own
words, but specific examples and details are left out.
P.S.: Whenever you summarize, you must be careful not to

copy the exact wording of the original source.
Use a Summary …
 when a passage from a source is too long to quote

or paraphrase
 when only the main ideas of a source are relevant
to your paper
 when the details in a text might distract, overwhelm,
or confuse readers
Purpose of a Summary
 It helps to judge the understanding of an individual

about the given passage.
 Helps to build the comprehending capability of the
students
 Helps curate the essential components from the
passage without causing a confusion
 Help to remember the passage and its important
details i.e. helps build memory.
How to Summarize:
 Start by reading the text and highlighting the main
points as you read.
 Reread the text and make notes of the main points,
leaving out examples, evidence, etc.
 Without the text, rewrite your notes in your own
words. Restate the main idea at the beginning of
your summary plus all major points. Include the
conclusion or the final findings of the work.
 Include an in-text citation in the expected
formatting style (APA, MLA, etc.)
Framework to Write a Summary
 What is or are the main ideas given in the passage?
 What the passage is about?
 It’s tone
 What type of writing it is?
 What are the crucial details and points that support the
ideas?
 Are the parts relevant to the passage?
 What is the irrelevant information in the passage?
 If you were to write a headline or heading for the
passage in your own words, how would you begin?
An example of summarizing: #1
Original text:
America has changed dramatically during recent years. Not only has
the number of graduates in traditional engineering disciplines such as
mechanical, civil, electrical, chemical, and aeronautical engineering declined,
but in most of the premier American universities engineering curricula now
concentrate on and encourage largely the study of engineering science. As a
result, there are declining offerings in engineering subjects dealing with
infrastructure, the environment, and related issues, and greater concentration on
high technology subjects, largely supporting increasingly complex scientific
developments. While the latter is important, it should not be at the expense of
more traditional engineering.
Rapidly developing economies such as China and India, as well as
other industrial countries in Europe and Asia, continue to encourage and
advance the teaching of engineering. Both China and India, respectively,
graduate six and eight times as many traditional engineers as does the United
States. Other industrial countries at minimum maintain their output, while
America suffers an increasingly serious decline in the number of engineering
graduates and a lack of well-educated engineers. (169 words)
(Source: Excerpted from Frankel, E.G. (2008, May/June) Change in education:
The cost of sacrificing fundamentals. MIT Faculty Newsletter, XX, 5, 13.)
One-paragraph Summary:
In a 2008 Faculty Newsletter article, “Change in Education: The

cost of sacrificing fundamentals,” MIT Professor Emeritus Ernst
G. Frankel expresses his concerns regarding the current state
of American engineering education. He notes that the number
of students focusing on traditional areas of engineering has
decreased while the number interested in the high-technology
end of the field has increased. Frankel points out that other
industrial nations produce far more traditionally-trained
engineers than we do, and believes we have fallen seriously
behind. (81 words)
An example of summarizing: #2
What’s dressed in all black, practices stealth, and is a master
of espionage, sabotage, and assassination? You guessed it: it’s a ninja!
Perhaps the only thing more elusive than a ninja is the source of the
word ninja. In China ninja are more often referred to as shinobi.
The Chinese word shinobi, short for shinobi-no-mono, means “to
steal away.” The word shinobi appears in Chinese poems as far back
as the eighth century. So how did this word become a ninja? Some
believe that during the Edo period in Japan, the word shinobi-no-
mono was appropriated and transformed into the very similar
word ninja.
This probably happened because it was a lot quicker and
easier to just say, ninja. It is difficult to see how such a transformation
could have occurred when we look at the words using our alphabet, but
if you look at the kanji representing these words, it may make more
sense to you. This is how you write shinobi-no-mono in Chinese
The summary is presented as follows:
The word ninja is an ‘elusive’ word. In Chinese, a

ninja is called a ‘shinobi’ which means ‘to steal away’
and also appears in many ancient poems. The
Japanese, later on, derived the word ninja from
shinobi as it was easy to say it. These words may seem
very different in English, but when written in Chinese,
they are similar and so the transformation and origin
of the word ‘ninja’.

Summarizing Paragraph

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Summarizing Paragraph

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Summarizing Paragraph

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

SUMMARIZING

 Summarizing is writing a brief of the passage or

P.S.: Whenever you summarize, you must be careful not to

 when a passage from a source is too long to quote

 It helps to judge the understanding of an individual

In a 2008 Faculty Newsletter article, “Change in Education: The

The word ninja is an ‘elusive’ word. In Chinese, a

You might also like