ELI 104, Reading and VocabularyDr. Jacinta ThomasAdapted from http://www.chabotcollege.edu/CHARLIE/Handouts/SummarySteps.asp

Steps in Writing a Summary1. Look over the text. Note all the pictures, titles, subtitles and paragraph divisions. This will

help you predict what the reading is going to be out. Prediction can help you understand the text better when you read it.

2. Read the entire text through quickly. Get a general sense of its overall meaning.

3. Reread and underline or highlight the important ideas.

Asking yourself what the most important questions that the reading answers are, can help you identify the important ideas in the reading

Knowing the structure or looking for the structure, may also help you identify the most important ideas.

In addition, check the beginning of paragraphs for topic sentences that announce new points.

4. Try to identify the most important supporting facts that you will need to include in your Normally, you will not want to highlight supporting facts, but some may be so striking or

otherwise important that you will want to include them in your summary.

5.Now write the introductory statement(usually first sentence) of your summary. Be sure to include:** the author’s name (if it is given) **the title of the reading you are summarizing **the main or controlling idea of the reading (knowing the structure of the reading will help you do this).Try to limit yourself to one sentence- two at the most.

6. Knowing the structure and drawing a diagram will help you to organize your summary. Decide the order you want to present the main points of the original; Review the materials you have highlighted to make sure you cover everything.

7. Write the body of your summary, using your own words and making sure to cover all the main points. You can occasionally use some of the exact words of the writer if you use quotation marks.

8. Write your last part, in which you explain what the original author’s conclusions were. Please don’t include opinions.

9. Use transitional words and phrases to connect ideas.

10. Proofread for spellings and grammar mistakes. In particular, compare the spellings of titles, authors, and other names and key terms with that in the original document.

Summary Checklist:• Does it contain the title and author’s name?• Does it contain the author’s thesis and main ideas?• Does it only include the most important points? (you can include a couple of examples)• Is it in your own words?• Does it contain direct quotes (exact quotes in quotation marks) if appropriate? • Are the ideas in the summary presented in a clear logical order?• Are there transitions linking the ideas in the summary?

Writing the First Sentence of Your Summary

In the article, “Going to the Dogs,” by Thomas Vinciguerra, the author examines….

In the article by Thomas Vinciguerra entitled “Going to the Dogs,” the author reports on

The article “Going to the Dogs” by Thomas Vinciguerra discusses

Here are some verbs you can use:exploresdiscussesexaminesreportsillustratesdescribesfocuses on