Summary Writing

Summary Writing & Note-Making

For Secondary and Higher Secondary Students

What is meant by Summary Writing?

• A summary is a shortened passage, which retains the essential information of the original. It is a fairly brief restatement in your own words of the contents of a passage.
• A summary is a record in the reader's own words that gives the main points of a piece such as a newspaper, article, a lecture, a passage, a lesson, a story, or even a whole book.
• It is a skill of creating smaller shorter version of article, newspaper or text book without loosing key points. It is an important studying skill. It is shortened revision of a passage written in one's own words.

Guidelines for Summarizing

1. Read and re-read the passage.
2. Try to Understand text.
3. Find exactly what your need to summarize.
4. Ask 5 WH question with How.
5. Mark or make a note of key words, main Points, arguments and topic sentence.
6. Use the outline to form a summary of passage (First Draft).
7. Avoid technical language, write simple and understandable English.
8. Use your own language to convey the ideas.
9. The summary must be objective and written in third person.
10. Illustration, examples, quotation etc. can be omitted.
11. Replace long phrases with single words and use participial clauses instead of full clauses.
12. Follow the original thought of the passage and give a title to suitable it.
13. Check draft for spelling mistakes, punctuations, grammatical errors.
14. Form a Final draft.

Remember

• There is no specific length for a summary.
• It must be present main points.
• Don't include any thing of your own.
• Don't exclude main points.
• Don't Make comment on it.
• Remove all the examples.
• Summarize it in a single passage.

Let's Practice: Summary Writing

Passage: It is convenient for the purpose of vocational guidance to classify human interests under a few headings such as intellectual, practical, social, athletic, and aesthetic interests. Those who are fascinated by intellectual activities form the first group. They are inspired by ideas and theories and pursue the study of a subject for its own sake. Their interests may be literary, linguistic, scientific, mathematical or philosophical. The types of book they read indicate the nature of their interests. People with predominantly intellectual interests will do well in occupations dealing with ideas, rules, regulations, facts, and figures. Professors, authors, lawyers, actuaries, and research workers are examples. The second type of people love to work with concrete objects rather than ideas. They take delight in designing, making, working, and repairing things. They pull them to pieces and put them together. The meccano enthusiast, the radio fiend, the budding photographer, all belong here. In the school, children with practical interests enjoy themselves in metal-work, carpentry, modeling, gardening, handicrafts, etc. Young people fond of practical activities should look out for occupations of a manipulative or constructional type.

Summary of the Passage

Human Interests & Careers

Human Interests are classified into 4 group such as Intellectual, Practical, social, athletic, and aesthetic interests. People with intellectual interests are inspired by ideas and theories are suitable for occupations related with rules, regulations, facts, and figures. And those with practical interests work with concrete objects than ideas are best for designing, making, working and repairing.

What is meant by Note-Making?

Note making is not just about writing down everything you hear or read. It is a process of reviewing, connecting and synthesizing ideas from your lectures or reading. In short Note is a brief record of points and ideas.

Guidelines for Note-Making

• Same guidelines as summary writing.
• Only the difference is that in summary writing we write a single passage which contains main ideas or points. But In Note - Making we put all the important points in Headings and sub headings in the the form of notes, table or tree diagram etc.

Let's Practice: Note-Making

Based on the passage provided above.

Note-Making of the Passage (Tree Diagram)

• Human Interests & Careers
  • Intellectual
    • Inspired by ideas and theories
    • Occupations related with Rules, Regulations, Facts / Figures
    • Ex. Professors, Authors, Lawyers, Actuaries, Research Workers
  • Practical
    • Work with concrete objects than ideas
    • Occupations related with Designing, Making, Working, Repairing
    • Ex. Electrician, Photographer, Radio fiend, Gardener, carpenter
  • Social
  • Athletic
  • Aesthetic

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