TajRushad@gmail.

com

Subject: Language Notes

Dear Taj,

It has come to my attention that you were not present at school today. Therefore, I will
inform you about the important notes that you have missed. The only subject teacher that
came to school today was our Language teacher, Mrs. Johnson, who has given us significant
information on the topic of summaries. In class, she has given us the following sub-headings for
the topic: the definition of a summary, the purpose of a summary, the features of a summary
and the techniques to write a summary.

A summary is a condensed (shortened) version of an extended piece of writing. It conveys the

essential meaning of an original text which has been written or spoken.

The purpose of a summary is to provide relevant information in a concise way.

The summary should contain only essential information. It should retain the core ideas of the
original version of a text or speech. In writing a summary, you should try to use your own
words. These should be the main features when you are creating your own summary.

There are many techniques in writing a good summary. When writing a summary, the following
must be noted:

 Read the original text once to get an idea of what the text is about.
 Search for the main ideas and the topic sentences/ identify the key points.
 Omit irrelevant details.
 Omit statistical data, examples, comparisons and repetition.
 Use transitional words to connect the points.
 Count the number of words to ensure you are within the word limit.

Mrs. Johnson has also informed the class that summary writing will be on the exam. If you do
not understand any of the content that was stated, don’t hesitate to let me know because I will
explain in a more straightforward manner. I look forward to hearing from you whether it
pertains to questions about this topic or any other topic in general.

Best Wishes,

Jeremy Gilbert