THE MWALIMU NYERERE MEMORIAL ACADEMY

KARUME CAMPUS, ZANZIBAR

DEPERTMENT OF ECONOMICS STUDIES
ORDINARY DIPLOMA IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

MODULE NAME : BUSINESS COMMUNICATION 1

COURSE CODE : EDT 06124

INSTRUCTOR NAME : MRS. SALMA

NATURE OF WORK : GROUP ASSIGNMENT

PARTICIPANTS;

NAME REGISTRATION NUMBER

SALUM, SALUM YUSSUF MNMA/ODZ.ED/0010/18
RAMADHAN, RUZUNA JUMA MNMA/ODZ.ED/0003/18
MKONYI, GIBSON GODSON MNMA/ODZ.ED/0016/18
KHAMIS, HAJI GORA MNMA/ODZ.ED/0025/18
MAKAME, YUSSUF FAKI MNMA/ODZ.ED/0036/18
JUMA, MAIMUNA ALI MNMA/ODZ.ED/0027/18
RASHID, RAIYAN NASSOR MNMA/ODZ.ED/0031/18
USSI, WARDA MOH’D MNMA/ODZ.ED/0034/18

QUESTION: 1. Explain steps of summary writing skills.

2. Describe elements of punctuation marks.

SUBMISSION DATE: 21 November 2019.

 Summary is a brief statement or account of the main points of something, (Berlo, D.
1960). Writing a good summary indicates that you clearly understand a text and that you can
effectively communicate that understanding to your readers. It is a technical skill that
demonstrates reading comprehension and writing ability. A well-written summary is not an
analysis of the text; rather, it's a condensed overview of the original piece.

A summary can be tricky to write at first because it’s tempting to include specific details,
but by following our easy 9-step method, you will be able to summarize texts quickly and
successfully for any class or subject. This includes:

Read/Listen. The first step to a well-written summary is to read or listen the original
piece of work. Focus on reading or listening the original text without taking any notes. The goal
is to become familiar with the main idea of the piece while gaining insight into the author’s
specific style and voice. While it may be hard to resist the urge to underline when doing a first
pass, reading or listening the whole piece before dissecting it will ensure you are grasping the
main idea of the text without expanding on specific details. Overall, this will aid in avoiding an
excessive summary, (Reinsch, L. 1991).  

Gather the main idea. Once you’ve finished reading or listening the original piece, take
time to reflect on what you have read or listen. Think about the important points of the text and
how the author constructed the sequence of events. Determine the Five Words (who, what,
where, when, why) of the story to help illuminate the essential elements of the text, (Damerst, W.
1966). 

Reread while taking notes. Rereading means active reading. Read the story again, this
time marking the important points you will want to include in your summary. Underline topic
sentences and significant plot points, highlight essential quotes, and number the major events as
they occur. Also, note the areas you do not understand. Depending on the difficulty of the text,
reread until you feel like you have a solid basis for your summary, (Daniel, C. 2010).

Organize your Notes. Once you have actively reread the text, take a couple of minutes
to organize the information you have collected. Depending on your learning style, find a way to

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organize your notes that will make them a reliable reference when you start writing. Go back and
elaborate on the key points you noted and clarify any information that was difficult to
understand, (Berlo, D. 1960) 

Create a thesis statement. The key to a good summary is a developed thesis statement.
A thesis statement is a one-sentence claim, often in the introduction, that demonstrates your
understanding of the author’s original work. The purpose of including a thesis statement in a
book summary is to correctly identify the author’s argument or main idea of the text. When
writing a summary, you want to recast the author’s argument, without including a personal
opinion, (Damerst, W. 1966). 

Draft a short paragraph. At this point, you have virtually outlined the introduction and
body of your summary. Your thesis statement can be used as the introductory sentence to your
summary while the other main points will fall into the body paragraph. Be sure to include some
transition words (then, however, also, moreover) to help with the overall structure and flow of
the summary, (Schramm, W. 1954). 

Check for accuracy. Once you have completed your draft, reread your summary to make
sure you have accurately represented the author’s main ideas and you have correctly cited any
direct quotes. Review the points in Step 6 to ensure the text does not contain any personal
commentary and is written in present tense, (Daniel, C. 2010).

Revise your draft. Reread the document and make changes to your draft summary if you
discover omissions or faulty emphasis. Revise your draft to improve paragraph structure and
flow between paragraphs, (Reinsch, L. 1991).  

Make final checks. Edit and finally proofread your summary.

Generally, writing a summary is an important skill especially to students throughout their

academic careers. In addition, summarizing improves reading skills as students pick out the main
ideas of a reading; it also helps with vocabulary skills as students paraphrase a reading, altering
the vocabulary and grammar as they do so.

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 Punctuation is the use of spacing, conventional signs and certain typographical devices as
the aids to understanding and correct reading of written text. Punctuation marks are symbol that
are used to aid the clarity and comprehension of written language. In English language there is
14 common element of punctuation mark.

The following are the elements of punctuation marks.

The full stop (.): also known as period this is used at the end of the declarative sentence
or statement that is considered to be complete. And also it shows the end of the group of words
that don not form a typical sentence.

Example: My name is Juma and I was 18 in July.

Mr. White was talking to Mr. Smith.

The question mark (?): is used to indicate a direct question when it placed at the end of
a sentence.

Example: Where are you come from?

When did Jane leave for the market?

Quotation mark (“ ”): are pair of punctuation marks used primarily to mark the
beginning and end of a passage attributed to another and repeated word to word.

Example: “Do not go outside” she said.

Maria told the teacher “I saw the marc at the playground”

The Apostrophe (‘): is used to show omission of letter or letters from a word and also be
used to show possessive form of a noun.

Example: (he is = he’s, Do not = don’t, who is = who’s)

The boy’s sister traveled by bus to meet us.

This is Juma’s house.

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 The comma (,): is used to show a separation of ideas or elements within the structure of
a sentence, also used to separate number and write dates.

Example: She was tall, dark and beautiful.

Tuesday, May 2, 2016, was when I graduate.

No, thank you.

The hyphen (-): this is used to join two or more words together into a compound term, to
link words to prefixes and also to show word breaks without separated by space.

Example: I work part-time.

These things happened before the pre-enlightenment era.

Unlike what other people might think, the twentieth-century was very different.

The dash (_): this is used to separate words in to statements. There are two kind of
dashes. The en dash which show range or connection and the em dash which used in place where
comma could also be used.

Example of en dash: 1992-1995

Em dash: She gives him her answer-no.

The exclamation mark (!): this is used when a person wants to express a sudden outcry
or add emphasis.

Example: “Holy cow!” screamed Jane.

What a lovely view you have here!

The colon (:): this is used after a word to introducing a quotation, an exclamation, an
example ora series. Also used between independent clauses when the second explain the first and
also is used to emphasis.

Example: You have two choices: finish the work today or lose the contract.

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 John has all the ingredients: clams, milk, potatoes, and onions.

There was one thing she loves more than any other: her dog.

The semicolon (;) this is used to separate two independent clauses while still
demonstrating that a close relationship exists between them.

Example: There are eight members in the team: two from China, Japan; three from France,
Spain; two from Brazil; and one from India.

Richard always slept with the light on; he was afraid on the dark.

Parentheses ( ): are curved notations used to contain further thoughts or qualifying

remarks, also it used to set off less important details in the sentence. However, it can be replaced
by commas without changing the meaning in the sentences.

Example: John and Jane (who are actually half brother and sister) both have red hair.

The two brothers (Richard and Sean) were learning how to play guitar.

Brackets [ ]: are squared off quotations that are used for technical explanations or to
clarify meaning. Even if this information is omitted entirely, the sentence would still make sense.

Example: He [Mr. Jones] was the last person seen at the house.

Was he [the defendant] there when you arrived?

Ellipsis (…): this is commonly represented by three periods (…) and are used in writing
to indicate omission of letters or words. Frequently used within quotations to jump from one
phrase to another, omitting unnecessary words those do not interfere with the meaning.

Example: He began to count, “one, two, three, four…” until he got to ten.

To be continued…

The slash (/): this is also known as forward slash, a virgule or an oblique dash which is
used as a fraction, used to separate part of the internet address, used to separate a date, used to
show alternative in a sentence.

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Example: 1/3 = one over third.

http://www.example.com/

19/June/2019.

Generally, using punctuation in your writing helps the readers to clearly understand the
message that is being conveyed. Punctuation primarily helps to indicate the pauses and the
emphasis on certain ideas or thoughts that are discussed in the text.

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REFERENCE.

 Berlo, D. (1960). The process of communication. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.

Damerst, W. (1966). Resourceful Business Communication. Harcourt, Brace & World. pp. 6–7.

 Daniel, C. (2010). The Transmission Model of Communication, Aber.ac.uk  at the Wayback

Machine

Reinsch, L. (1991).  Journal of Business Communication. New Delhi: India, University of Delhi

Schramm, W. (1954). The process and effects of communication (pp. 3–26). Urbana, Illinois:
University of Illinois Press.