Objectives Give an appropriate definition for a summary Know the characteristics of a good summary Learn the techniques in summary writing Learn the steps in summary writing Practice 西安交通大学研究生英语写作SummaryWriting 2021/1/5 1 I. What is a summary? 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. Note: you simply report back what the writer has said, without making value judgments. 西安交通大学研究生英语写作SummaryWriting 2021/1/5 2 II. Characteristics of a good summary Can be understood without reference to the original; Is a faithful reproduction of, or contains only the ideas or information of, the original; Is brief without any unnecessary detail; Is a readable unified whole 西安交通大学研究生英语写作SummaryWriting 2021/1/5 3 III. Techniques in summary writing Paraphrasing To paraphrase means to completely and correctly express other people’s ideas in one’s own words. 西安交通大学研究生英语写作SummaryWriting 2021/1/5 4 Examples: 1. You’ve cooked us all a hot potato. (a troublesome person or issue) 2. Prevention is better than cure. (It is better to prevent something unpleasant from happening than try to put it right afterwards.) 西安交通大学研究生英语写作SummaryWriting 2021/1/5 5 ★It helps us understand the original better. ★It helps us grasp the central idea and the main points. ★It helps us write summaries that are brief and to the point, and in our own words. The importance of paraphrasing 西安交通大学研究生英语写作SummaryWriting 2021/1/5 6 ★Read the original carefully and comprehend its meaning wholly and correctly. ★Consider the original article as a whole, not in isolated sentences. Steps of paraphrasing 西安交通大学研究生英语写作SummaryWriting 2021/1/5 7 Grasping the central ideas III. Techniques in summary writing 西安交通大学研究生英语写作SummaryWriting 2021/1/5 8 Ways of condensation Use synonyms or synonymous phrases He had a good command