Module 01

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Writing a summary

What is a Summary?

A summary means to write something in short without

changing its meaning but by using different words
and sentences.

 A brief statement or an account of the

main points of a text, etc.

 A condensed form of a text that highlights

its key points.

Features of a summary

 The length of a summary is 1/3 of the original passage.

 The word limit shouldn’t go beyond +/- 5 words.

 Only the major ideas are included in summary, all other information is discarded.

 Must convey the same meaning/ viewpoint as the original paragraph.

 Summary should have a smooth flow, should be an independent document

 Practice makes perfect!!!

Why do we write summaries?

A summary presents the gist of some information. It focuses on the important points of a given
paragraph and most importantly conveys the essential facts faster.

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7 Steps to Write a Summary

Step 1- Count the number of words.

Calculate 1/3 of the number.

Step 2- Prepare a table

1 2 3 4 5

Step 3- Read the text carefully. Read several times.

Underline the important ideas in the text.

Step 4- Form sentences using the selected ideas. You may write in your own words. Insert the
sentences into the table.

IMPORTANT

 Remember to put a TITLE after completing!

Example Paragraph

The 65th National Independence Day of Sri Lanka will be held on a grand scale in Trincomalee,
in the historical Gokanda under the theme of "Prosperous motherland and an affluent tomorrow".
The main parade will be held from the Gandhi roundabout to the Fort Fredric, and the
Independence Day celebrations will be held at the Mcheizer Stadium in Trincomalee.

(59 words)

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Step 5 – Write the summary in the grid

1 2 3 4 5

1 The 65th national independance day

2 celebrations of Sri Lanka will

3 be held in Gokanda Trincomalee.

4 Independence Day Celebrations

Step 6- Read and re-read. Edit.

Checklist :

 Are all the important ideas included?

 Have I preserved the original point of view?

 Is there a smooth flow of ideas?

 Can my summary be read as an independent document, without referring to the

original?

 Is it within the word limit? (summary plus the title)

Step 7- Rewrite in the form of one paragraph.

Independence day celebrations

The 65th national independence day celebrations of Sri Lanka will be held in Gokanda,
Trincomalee.

(18 words)

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Exercises:

Summarize the following text

At the end of the Civil War in 1865, the reunited states of America entered a new era of
commerce and entrepreneurship. Businessmen made their fortunes supplying the vast
marketplace of the Midwest with the latest domestic appliances and tools. Lighting was one
area in which huge technological strides were made. And with the development of electricity as
a reliable power source, a race began in the late 1870s to patent an efficient form of electrical
lighting. At the forefront of this contest were two American inventors, Thomas Alva Edison
and Hiram Maxim.

Edison was already famous for his invention of the phonograph and various telegraph
instruments. But he was at least as much a businessman as he was an inventor. Edison
approached investors directly rather than submit himself to the industrialists and their
specifications. His experience of developing prototypes of other inventions had made him
familiar with the loopholes in patent laws. As a result Edison's usual practice was to patent
every advance made by his research team, however small. Edison flourished in the world of
commerce, too. His company bought up almost all the stocks of a rare chemical that was
essential for making the filament lamps, which almost destroyed the rival Electric Lighting
Company.

Hiram Maxim, on the other hand, was an archetypal inventor - ploughing away, busily working
on ideas, but not giving a thought to their commercial potential until after the final "eureka"
moment. In his mid 20s he had invented the first sprinkler system in Boston, only to fail to
impress investors of its worth. In 1878 he was hired by Hans Schuyler of the US Electric
Lighting Company in New York. As a further incentive, over and beyond his wages of $10 a
day, Maxim was due a quarter share in anything he produced for the company. Aware of the
inventor's work on gas machine lighting in Massachusetts, Schuyler placed him in charge of
operations to produce electric light. Within a year Maxim had installed the first electrical "arc"
lighting system in the Equitable Insurance Company building in New York.
The rivalry between the two men intensified when Edison finally produced his own lamp.
Though the two lamps were very similar, Edison's gift for self-promotion again gave him the

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upper hand. At the Congress of Electricians in Paris in 1881, Edison and Maxim both set up
displays of their lamps. Edison's designs dominated the headlines, in part because his own
Parisian staff had written many of the press reports.
www.readersdigest.com

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Speaking:
Bring any newspaper article to the class. Read it in the class and tell the summary to your friend.

Listening:
Listen to the documentary and summarize it in groups of three.

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Conjunctions
A conjunction is a word that "joins". A conjunction joins two parts of a sentence.

Here are some example conjunctions:

Coordinating Conjunctions Subordinating Conjunctions

and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so although, because, since, unless

We can consider conjunctions from three aspects.

1. Form
Conjunctions have three basic forms:

 Single Word
for example: and, but, because, although

 Compound (often ending with as or that)

for example: provided that, as long as, in order that

 Correlative (surrounding an adverb or adjective)

for example: so...that

2. Function
Conjunctions have two basic functions or "jobs":

 Coordinating conjunctions are used to join two parts of a sentence that are
grammatically equal. The two parts may be single words or clauses, for example:
- Jack and Jill went up the hill.
- The water was warm, but I didn't go swimming.

 Subordinating conjunctions are used to join a subordinate dependent clause to a main

clause, for example:
- I went swimming although it was cold.

3. Position
3.1 Coordinating conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions always come between the words or clauses that they join.

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The short, simple conjunctions are called "coordinating conjunctions":

 and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so

A coordinating conjunction joins parts of a sentence (for example words or independent clauses)
that are grammatically equal or similar. A coordinating conjunction shows that the elements it
joins are similar in importance and structure:

Eg: I like [tea] and [coffee].

[Ram likes tea], but [Anthony likes coffee].

3.2 Subordinating conjunctions

Subordinating conjunctions usually come at the beginning of the subordinate clause.

The majority of conjunctions are "subordinating conjunctions". Common subordinating

conjunctions are:

 after, although, as, because, before, how, if, once, since, than, that, though, till, until,
when, where, whether, while

A subordinating conjunction joins a subordinate (dependent) clause to a main (independent)

clause:

Look at this example:

main or subordinate or
independent clause dependent clause

Ram went swimming although it was raining.

subordinating
conjunction

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Fill in the blanks with the most suitable conjunction

1. I need to work hard …………………… I can pass the exam.( so that / so / but)
2. …………………..he was the best candidate, he didn't win the elections. (So / Although
/ Since)
3. ……………………you come back from your trip, we'll meet to discuss the problem. (So
/ Where / When )
4. They said that the movie was fantastic, ………… I watched it. ( so / since / but)
5. ……………………….he was very ill, he didn't take any medicine. ( Though / Although
/ but)
6. I don't know ………………… I can buy a pair of jeans. ( there / anywhere / where)
7. She went to the shops……………………….. couldn’t find anything that could fit her
needs. ( so / hence / but)
8. Everybody likes him because he is nice ……………. helpful. ( but / and / though)
9. ……………………….. he was angry with her, he didn't utter a word. ( but / since /
though)
10. Keep quiet ……………….. go out. (or / so / but)

Underline the most suitable conjunction for the blank.

1. Receptionists must be able to relay information ______ pass messages

accurately.

(A) Or
(B) And
(C) But
(D) Because

2. I did not go to the show ______ I had already seen it.

(A) Until
(B) Because

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 (C) So
(D) But

3. Mary is a member of the Historical Society ______ the Literary Society.

(A) As
(B) Or
(C) And
(D) But

4. Read over your answers ______ correct all mistakes before you pass them up.

(A) Or
(B) And
(C) Because
(D) While

5. Keep the food covered ______ the flies will contaminate it.

(A) Or
(B) And
(C) Until
(D) Though

6. ______ he is thin, he is strong.

(A) But
(B) As
(C) Though
(D) Because

7. Susie ______ phoned ______ wrote after she left home.

(A) either, or
(B) neither, nor
(C) while, and
(D) though, or

8. She had an unpleasant experience ______ she was in Thailand.

(A) But
(B) And
(C) Because
(D) While

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 9. The committee rejected the proposal ______ they did not think it was practical.

(A) Or
(B) But
(C) Though
(D) Because

10. John welcomed his guests ______ offered them drinks.

(A) And
(B) While
(C) Until
(D) As

Signposting
In academic writing, the author is responsible for making the text as clear as possible for the
reader. We have seen elsewhere that this requires the writing to be explicit; to anticipate and
address the reader’s questions. An active reader will want to know what the author’s aims are
and how they will be achieved, what the author’s position is about key issues, how the argument
is constructed and how ideas relate to each other. Good writers use signposting language to
signal the reader where these answers can be found.

It is useful to divide signposting language into two broad categories:

 Major signposts that signal key aspects of the work, such as purpose, structure, author’s
stance, main points, direction of the argument, conclusions.

 Linking Words and Phrases that show connections between sentences and paragraphs.

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 Major Signposts Linking Words and Phrases

 The aim of this study is to ….  Listing:

 The purpose of this thesis is first(ly), … / second(ly), … / finally, … /

to….  Indicating addition or similarity:

 This essay argues that …. also, … / besides, … / in addition, … /

furthermore, … / as well / similarly, …
 The main questions addressed
in this paper are ….  Indicating contrast:
however, … / nevertheless, … / on the other
 This essay critically
hand, … /
examines….
 Giving a reason:
 The above discussion raises
for this reason, … / because … / because of
some interesting questions.
…/ due to …
 This paper begins by …. It will
 Indicating result or consequence:
then go on to …. Finally, ….
therefore, … / thus, … / as a result, … /
 This chapter reviews the
consequently, …
literature ….
 Reformulating an idea:
 In conclusion, ….
in other words, … / to put it simply, … / that
is ...

 Exemplifying:
for example, … / for instance, … / to
exemplify, …

Read the extract from a presentation below and write the signposting language in
the correct place.
I’d like to summarize So, first of all Let’s move on to my second
point
We’ve seen that Then I’ll move on to And in the final part I’ll focus
on
In conclusion So, that was This brings me to the final
section on
We have also seen that I’ll start by looking at Now, I’ll be happy to answer

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 the questions you have

………………………………………………………………………. Why team work is so

important, ……………………………………………………………………….. the key to
successful teamwork,…………………………………………………………………………. The
problems that can arise from poor team work.
…………………………………………………………………… why is good teamwork
important? Well, obviously it's essential for the success of any project, and it can increase levels
of job satisfaction for employees as it enables relationships to develop and each team member
can feel they have a significant role to play.

………………………………………………………………………..the essential elements of a

successful team. Firstly, ideas should be shared freely, secondly, all members of the team are
committed to working towards a common goal, and thirdly, they should give each other
supportive feedback. Of course, clear leadership within the team is an essential key to success.
…………………………………………………………………………………….. the why? and
how? …………………………………………………………………………………. problems. It
is obvious that if there is a lack of strategy or focus, there will be motivational problems. Clashes
of personality, working styles or cultural differences can also cause divisions within the team.

……………………………………………………………………………………….. team work

can increase motivation………………………………………………………………………..
good teamwork means having clear goals, sharing ideas, and having a good leader. Problems can
arise if people don't have clear goals, or have very different working styles or personalities.
......................……………………………………………………, I feel that it's important for
companies to invest in training to enhance employees collaborative
efforts. ……………………………………………………………………

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