THE ART OF SUMMARY WRITING

Understanding the Passage

Read the paragraph below. Let’s say you were asked to summarise problem Ridzuan faced. What would
you consider relevant in your summary.

Ridzuan could not believe his eyes. All the money that he had painstakingly saved was gone. The thief
had taken single sen. He stared helplessly at the empty dented tin which had held his savings. Tears
slowly flowed from the corners of his eyes. He caressed the tin lovingly, the memory of his money
once again threatening a fresh flow of tears. All the hard work, the hungry moments and sacrifices
were in vain. He would not be able to pay his examination fees. His mother would be very
disappointed. He grabbed the tin and threw against the wall.

Pick out the relevant sentences from the options given.

A a thief stole all his money
B he felt very sad and helpless
C his mother would be disappointed
D he would not be able to pay his examination fees

EXERCISE 1: (SELECTING RELEVANT INFORMATION)

What would consider relevant if you were asked to summarise Ridzuan feeling and reaction? Pick out
(underline) sentences from the above paragraph that show his feelings and reaction.

EXERCISE 2: (CONDENSING; USE GENERAL TERM TO REPLACE A GROUP OF ITEMS)

Replace each group with a term.
1. badminton, tennis, basketball, football 
2. carnation, hibiscus, orchid, ixora 
3. drive along Jalan Gasing, turn left at the first junction 
4. carbhohydrates, proteins, mierals and vitamins 
5. a cosmetic pouch, handbag, on overnight bag, suitcase 
6. sweep the floor, wipe the windows, arrange the desks, clean the board 

Exercise 3: (Condensing: use a phrase or sentence to replace an idea or an opinion)

Summarize each paragraph in a sentence

1. He finds that his new life in the city is very comfortable. He has a good job and he gets along
well with his colleagues and his boss.
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2. The trip took more than four hours than four hours on a long and winding road. Some of us
vomited.
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EXERCISE 4: (CONDENSING: LEAVE OUT UNNECESSARY WORDS AND REPLACE WITH A WORD
OR PHRASES)
Replace these phrases with a word
1 to be on time 
2 put off until a later date 
3 over and over again 
4 once a year 
5 without proper care 

Exercise 5: (CONDENSING: LEAVE OUT UNNECESSARY DETAILS AND FIGURES OF SPEECH;

COMBINE SENTENCE)

a) Describe what Amy did after school in one sentence

After school, I put the clothes in to the washing mashing. While waiting for the clothes to be
washed, I did some ironing. Then I vacuumed the carpet and polished the dining table. Later I
watered the plants.
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b) Describe Encik Ramli in one sentence.

Encik Ramli is a generous person. He does not hesitate to help the poor. He donates generously to
them and other charitable organisations. Whenever a poor student needs a scholarship, he or she can
always count on Encik Ramli’s generosity.
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Exercise 6: (SUMMARISE DIRECT SPEECH AND DIALOGUE)

1. Summarise the paragraph below in one sentences using reported speech

“You must put more effort into your preparation for your exam. You shouldn’t spend so much time on
the Internet. Reduce the number of hours spent watching television and plan your time carfully,” she
said.
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2 Read the passage below and write it out in reported speech.

The doctor emerged from the room. “Sorry, we have done more”, he said. He lifted his hands and
then let them drop. ‘I’m so sorry”
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