SUMMARY

WRITING
CLASS-VII
WHAT IS A SUMMARY?

• A summary restates the main ideas of an author in

your own words.
• Keep the important or the main points from the
original passage while eliminating most supporting
details such as the examples and illustrations.
• A good summary makes the author’s ideas clear
perhaps even clearer than in the original.
A summary is shorter than the original text

• A summary is generally much shorter than the

original text.
• It includes only key ideas and omits the details.
• Your summary should not be more than the given
word limit.
• ACCURATE. CLEAR. RELEVANT. CONCISE.
It may or may not follow the order of the original.

• You must decide how all of the ideas fit together.

• Writing a summary requires more skill than writing a
paraphrase.
• A paraphrase is a list of sentences; a summary is a
group of connected sentences, revealing how the
author's ideas are related.
How to Write a Summary

• Step 1 Preview the article to get an idea of what it is

about.
• Read the title, headings, first paragraph, first
sentence of the following paragraphs, and the last
paragraph.
How to Write a Summary

• Step 2: Then read the whole article carefully.

Underline or highlight the main ideas.
• Be selective. Mark only the main ideas.
• Write the main idea of each paragraph in the margin
and also make notes about the purpose of the
paragraph.
 Key Ideas, Supporting Details, and
Writing a Summary

Encircle the most important ideas that define what chocolate is.
While you were reading
and choosing the most
It is usually consumed as a candy,
made into a beverage, or coating important ideas to
for confections and baked define what chocolate
products. is, you may have noticed
A hard food made A kind of treat
that not all of the given
from cocoa beans. children love to eat. ideas are relevant or
important enough to
explicitly define the
word chocolate for it to
Hot chocolate drinks
be understood easily or
are popular during immediately.
Nowadays, there is a cold seasons. The most important
myriad of chocolate ideas about chocolate
brands to choose from.
It is rich in carbohydrates, are called key ideas.
fat, and some amounts
of caffeine.
Key ideas are the most important pieces of information that show the main
idea.
They are the essential information within a text that helps us understand
what we read. Moreover, they are the strongest information a writer gives
to support his/her main point. They may come in sentences, phrases, or
words. Like a key that unlocks a lock, key ideas serve as the gateway to
understanding the text we read as a whole. In other words, key ideas
support the main idea of a text.
In contrast, the main idea is what a whole text is about.
Let us have the short text that follows to help you better understand what
key ideas are.
“Bones and muscles work together to help each part move and the body to
function as a whole” and “The human body grows and develops” are reiterations
of the main idea that the human body is an amazing living being.
So how do we spot the key ideas within a text or selection?

1. Look at the title (if any) and any images that are given.
2. Read and understand the text as a whole to get the main idea.
3. Focus on the beginning of a paragraph because it often contains the main theme or
idea of an entire paragraph.
4. Look for repetitive ideas that echo the main idea.
In reality, all sentences given in any reading text contribute to the main idea, even the
supporting details.
In contrast to the key ideas, supporting details are minor details and are typically more
specific than the main idea of a text or paragraph. They can come in several forms, such as
(but not limited to):
• Definitions of key words or phrases
• The 5Ws and How
• Examples
• Comparisons made between ideas
• Lists and charts
• Anecdotes
How to Write a Summary

• Step 3 Step 4 (for practice) :Express in one sentence

the main idea of the article.
• Write your first draft, using what you have
underlined and written simply by following the order
of ideas in the original. You can keep this draft.
How to Write a Summary

• Step 5:
• Write a shorter version of your first draft, this time
write using your own order on the ideas and make
decisions about what information is essential.
How to Write a Summary

• Step 6:
• If you are permitted to quote directly, it's usually
better not to quote entire sentences. Summarize a
portion of the quotation and quote only the most
important words.
How to Write a Summary

• Step 7:
• Read your summary carefully to make sure that the
meaning of the original article would be clear to
someone who has not read it.
Tips

• If you are having trouble understanding an article,

either because its ideas are complex or because its
organization is confusing, try writing a short
paraphrase of each paragraph.
• The meaning will probably be clearer after you have
worked your way through the article, so you could
then write a shorter version of your paraphrase,
trying to eliminate those ideas that don't seem
essential.
Read, think about, and understand the text

• Read, think about, and understand the text. Review

the material to make sure you know it well. Use
context clues to figure out the meaning of any
important words that you do not know.
• Take notes. Write down the main ideas and
important details of the article.
• Write a thesis statement. In a single sentence, state
the main idea of the article. The thesis statement
should mention the underlying meaning of the
article, not just the superficial details
Read, think about, and understand the text

• Keep in mind that your writing will be scored on how

well you state the main ideas of the article
• Identify the most important details that support the
main ideas
• Write your summary in your own words (no
quotations) and express the underlying meaning of
the article, not just the superficial details.
Proofread and edit. Check your spelling, grammar, and
punctuation

• Proofread and edit. Check your spelling, grammar,

and punctuation. Is the verb tense consistent? Are
all names spelled correctly and capitalized?
• Revise. Have you captured the main point of the
article? Have you included the most important
details? Are there transitional words and phrases to
connect ideas?
THE END
RUKHSAR SANJAREE NAWAZ