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Speech, Report, Summary and Memo
Speech, Report, Summary and Memo
A memo is intended to inform a group of people about a specific issue, such as an event, policy, or
resource, and encourages them to take action. The word “memorandum” means something that should
be remembered or kept in mind. [1] Here’s a guide to writing readable, effective memos.
Type “MEMORANDUM” at the top of the page. State that this document is a memorandum at the
outset. Label the page “MEMORANDUM” 1.5 inches from the top of the page. Put the word in bold on
the first line. You can either center it on this line or left-align it. You might also choose to make the font
larger for this word.[2]Double space between this line and the next line of the heading.
Address the recipient appropriately. A memo is a formal business communication, and you should
address the reader formally as well. Use a full name and title of the person to whom you are sending the
memo.[3]If you are sending a memo to the entire staff, you might write: “TO: All Employees.”
Add additional recipients in the CC line. The “CC” line indicates who will receive a “Courtesy Copy” of the
memo. This is not the person to whom the memo is directed. Rather, this is someone who may need to
stay informed about policies or issues that you’re addressing in the memo.
Write your name in the “From” line. The heading needs to include who is writing and sending the memo.
Your full name and job title go in this line.
Include the date. Write the complete date, spelling out the month and including the date and year. For
example, write: “DATE: January 5, 2015” or “DATE: 5 January 2015.”
Choose a specific phrase for the subject line. The subject line gives the reader an idea of what the memo
is about. Be specific but concise.[4]For example, instead of writing, “Ants,” for the subject, be more
specific by writing, “Ant Problem in the Office.”
Format the heading properly.The heading should be at the top of the page, aligned to the left-hand side
of the page. Capitalize the words “TO:”, “FROM:”, “DATE:”, and “SUBJECT:”.A sample heading would
look like:
SUBJECT: (or RE:) What the memo is about (highlighted in some way)When constructing the heading, be
sure to double space between sections and align the text.You may choose to add a line below the
heading that goes all the way across the page. This will separate the heading from the body of the
memo.
Tobacco farmers.
report format.
Format of a report
To: [The full name or professional title of the recipient] for
Finance Manager.
April 2014
Title: [A brief and descriptive title for the report] for example:
graph for example we had a Sales figure of $38 000 over the
from the previous sales of $45 000 in the same quarter last
time around.
prove that there are from whoever they say they are from.
report.
report.
It contributes a hefty 20% towards your final English Language grade which is pretty substantial.
That makes it as important as the Guided English composition found in Section B of Paper 1 of the
English Language Examination.
It is a wonder therefore how most students (and a lot of teachers out there) tend to ignore the summary
writing skill.
The Paper 2 examination is all about comprehension (understanding) and the summary question reflects
that.
If you work on your summary writing skills there is no reason why you shouldn’t get the entire 20 marks
in the examination. I used to get all the marks on my summaries as a matter of routine
Especially important are the following skills and topics: discourse markers, conjunctions, spelling and
punctuation.
You will need to bring a ruler and a pencil into the examination.
The steps
1. Read and understand the summary question a couple of times so as to make sure you are not missing
anything important.
2. Pay attention to the instructions in the question (The English Language Examination is all about
instructions).
3. Pay close attention to the summary boundary i.e. the portion of the passage from which you are
supposed to draw the material you will use to write your summary. For example a question might ask
you to include only material from paragraph 9 to the end of paragraph 13. Take care to only include
material from within the summary boundary. Including additional material even if it fits the criteria (see
below) will not help you much as it will not be credited.
4. Determine the criteria that you are going to use to determine the material you are going to use. For
example if you are asked to summarise the writer’s thoughts and actions after a certain event make sure
you only include the material from after the event.
5. Using your ruler and pencil underline the phrases that meet the criteria in the passage.
6. In most questions you should be able to come up with about 15-25 phrases( points) that meet the
criteria.
7. Once you are done underlining the phrases extract these phrases and list them in the order in which
they appear in the passage.
8. Link the phrases using discourse markers, punctuation and conjunctions. You might have to rewrite
some of the tenses so that they fit into the summary. Punctuation marks such as the comma might be
very useful when combining words and ideas that are related. For example:
He woke up, turned his head, screamed and then started crying as he realised help was not coming. This
is more economical than say:
The narrator woke up after. He turned his head gingerly and felt a pain in his neck. He screamed for help
and started crying hysterically as he realised help was not coming.
Write your summary. Take care to incorporate the words, if any, that you were asked to start with. For
example a question might ask you to begin your summary with the words:
When the narrator fell off his horse and landed in a ravine …. .
It is always advisable to take a peek at the words you are supposed to begin your summary with as your
style, tone and tense should match that of these words.
Revise your summary and correct the mistakes you would have inevitably made when writing your first
draft.
Write an estimate of the number of works you might have used in square brackets
[] after the end of your summary. To make an estimate count the number of words in the fist line and
multiply by the number of lines in your summary. As a general rule of thumb (with most English
Language summary questions requiring you to write a summary of 150-160 words in length) a summary
length of 140 words and below means you have omitted important details and a summary length of 170
means you have included irrelevant material. In inequality terms your summary should be 145 ≥x ≤ 165
where x is the length of your summary in words.
NB Most points/phrases can be used verbatim as they are in the passage but some might need a little
tweaking and rewriting.
SPEECH WRITING
Writing Speeches
question.
…”
parting wisdom.”
where so is supposed to be a
short.”
questions.
attentiveness.
and prosper!”
More tips
discourse markers.
techniques:
subject at hand.
order to become uu