A summary is a brief and concise overview of a longer text, such as an article, a book, or a report. It should capture the main idea, the key points, and the purpose of the original text. However, writing a good summary is not as easy as it sounds. You need to make careful choices of word to convey the essence of the text without losing its meaning or tone. Here are three critical choices of word that you should pay attention to when writing a summary:
1. Use synonyms and paraphrases. One of the challenges of writing a summary is to avoid plagiarism and repetition. You should not copy the exact words or phrases from the original text, unless they are quotations or terms that cannot be changed. Instead, you should use synonyms and paraphrases to express the same idea in different words. For example, instead of writing "The author argues that...", you can write "The author claims that...", "The author contends that...", or "The author maintains that...". This will make your summary more varied and interesting.
2. Use specific and precise words. Another challenge of writing a summary is to keep it short and clear. You should not include unnecessary details or examples that are not relevant to the main idea of the text. You should also avoid vague and general words that do not convey much information. For example, instead of writing "The article discusses some issues related to...", you can write "The article examines the causes and effects of...". This will make your summary more informative and accurate.
3. Use transitional words and phrases. A third challenge of writing a summary is to make it coherent and logical. You should not simply list the points from the original text in a random order. You should also use transitional words and phrases to connect the sentences and paragraphs and show the relationships between them. For example, you can use words like "firstly", "secondly", "finally", "however", "therefore", "in addition", "in contrast", etc. This will make your summary more organized and readable.
Conclusion:
Writing a good summary requires careful choices of word. You should use synonyms and paraphrases to avoid plagiarism and repetition, use specific and precise words to avoid vagueness and redundancy, and use transitional words and phrases to ensure coherence and logic. By following these tips, you can improve your summary skills and make your writing more effective and engaging.
FAQs:
Q: How long should a summary be?
A: There is no fixed rule for the length of a summary, but generally it should be no more than 10% of the original text. For example, if the original text is 1000 words, the summary should be around 100 words.
Q: How do I cite the original text in a summary?
A: You should always acknowledge the source of the original text in a summary, either by using an in-text citation or by mentioning the author's name and the title of the text at the beginning or end of the summary. For example, you can write "According to Smith (2020), ..." or "This is a summary of 'How to Write a Summary' by Smith (2020)."
Q: How do I check if my summary is good?
A: You can check if your summary is good by comparing it with the original text and asking yourself these questions:
- Does it capture the main idea, the key points, and the purpose of the original text?
- Does it use different words and phrases from the original text?
- Does it include only relevant information and omit unnecessary details or examples?
- Does it use specific and precise words that convey clear information?
- Does it use transitional words and phrases that show the connections between sentences and paragraphs?
- Does it acknowledge the source of the original text?
- Is it concise, coherent, and readable?