Unt 10 Summarizing What is summarizing? ‘Summarizing is the retelling of the important parts ofa passage in a much shorter form. Why summarize? ‘© To make sure you have understood something. ‘+ To explain the sense of a passage to someone else. * To review texts for examinations. ‘What does a good summary include? + A good summary includes the main ideas and the major supporting points. ‘+ A.good summary does not include minor details, repeated details, or the reader's opinions. Summarizing sentences Summarize a sentence by taking out the unnecessary words. Use summary words to take the place of groups of words about the same topic. Keep only the words which tell the ‘main point of the sentence. Use as few words as possible. Example: ‘The tall cowboy put the saddle on his horse, untied him from the fence, waved good- bye and rode of into the sunset. ‘Summary: The cowboy left. Explanation: You can leave out the word tal, since that i not an important fact. All of the things that the cowboy did (put saddle on horse, untied him, waved good-bye, and rode off) can be summarized in one word: left. exercise 1 > Summarize these sentences. Work with another student. 1. After she turned on the oven, Michiko mixed the sugar, flour, eggs, milk, oll, and vanilla in the new blender, poured the batter into the buttered pans, and put the cake in the oven. Summary: 167168 10. As the bus rolled into her hometown, Liz looked around at the familiar streets and, shops which she had not seen for two years. Summary: Serge put on his raincoat, picked up his umbrella from the table near the door, turned Off the lights, put out the cat, and got ready for his ten-minute walk to the bus stop. Summary: ‘When the Chen family returned from thelr vacation, they found the back door bro- ken open, the television set missing, and all the food in their freezer gone. Summary: In Natasha's library you can find mysteries, novels, biographies, travel books, how-to manuals, science fiction thrillers, and reference books. Summary: With her new credit card, Yoko bought groceries at the supermarket, shoes at the department store, and a new set of ties for her sports car at the auto supply store. Summary: During the summer along the Charles River in Boston, you can go rollerblading, run- ning, biking, or sailing, or you can have a picnic, listen to a concert, or watch a movie. Summary: . After clearing away the old leaves and branches, Bill dug up the hard ground, mixed in fertilizer and new soil, raked it all smooth, and planted the seeds. Summary: ‘When they heard the weather forecast, the islanders closed the windows, put tape across the glass, moved all of their plants and chairs indoors, and stocked up on bot- tes of fresh water. Summary: Sue put her pens and pencils neatly in a row, turned on the radio, stacked her English Dooks on the desk, got herself a soda, and sat down in her desk chair. Summary:Summarizing paragraphs A paragraph summary should be as short as possible, but it must be a complete sentence. ‘The summary of a paragraph is the main idea ofthe paragraph, Often (but not always), the main idea i found in the topic sentence. Stop 4. Read the paragraph all the way through to be sure you understand it Stop 2. Check to se ifthe paragraph contains a topic sentence. + Ifthe paragraph has a topic sentence, does it state the main idea of the paragraph? If $0, you can use the topie sentence asthe summary. + Ifthe topie sentence isnot a good statement of the main idea, write a summary which states the main idea. Step 3. Take out unnecessary words. Example: Shopping malls have produced a revolution in United States shopping and living habits in just 45 years. Before 1950, there were no malls, but now almost every city or region has at least one. In fact, shopping malls have become a part of daily life. Many people even think of them as social centers, In a way, malls have taken the place of ‘Main Street. Shops and services which were once spread over several city blocks are now in one place at the mall. Busy householders can save time by doing thelr shop- ping at the mall. And people young and old, with time on their hands, often say, “Let's go to the mall!” ‘Topic sentence: Shopping malls have produced a revolution in United States shopping and living habits. You can make this even shorter: Shopping malls have changed United States culture. exercise 2 Summarize each ofthe following paragraphs. Follow the steps explained above. Use as few words ‘as possible. Work with another student. ‘Shopping Malls in the United States 1. Although every shopping mall isa bit different in design, shoppers often quickly feel comfortable in a new mall. That is because malls usually share certain features. You can almost always find most of the following: a department store, a pharmacy, a toy store, a book shop, clothing shops for all ages, shoe shops, a bank, and places to eat. ‘These businesses are ll under one roof. Most malls are enclosed, so that shoppers never have to go outdoors once they get to the mall. A few malls sometimes also have doors to shops on the outside of the mall, Every mall is surrounded by a large parking area. Summary: 169Ing Comprenens 2. Malls are not all exactly alike. In a suburb of Chicago, where many wealthy people live, malls are quite large and beautiful. One of these malls is two stories tall and houses about 50 businesses. These range from small specialty shops to large luxury department stores. The roof of the mall is made of glass and is twice as tall as the shops Inside, Musicians play for the customers in the evenings, and trees and fountains are found in central seating areas. in a poor, rural town in southern Maine, however, a typical mall is plain and rather small. It might have a supermarket, a pizza parlor, a book and gift shop, a laundromat, and a bank. All its shops are found on one level, and the interior of the enclosed mall is plain and undecorated. Recorded music is. piped in through speakers. Summary: 3. While shopping malls have changed American life, not all of their effects have been positive. Most of the shops and services found in malls are parts of large corpora- tions, These businesses have taken away customers from smaller shops in the area and. forced them to close. That has meant fewer individually owned businesses and less local control over jobs. In addition, malls are harmful to the environment. They have sometime been built on land that is important for the survival of birds and wild animals Wherever they are built, they cover large areas with buildings and parking lots— instead of trees or grass. Thus, they contribute to the general loss of nature. And finally, malls are usually far from any town center, so people must use cars to get there. ‘This results in increased air pollution and heavy traffic on the roads near the mall Summary: exercise 3 2 Summarize each of the following paragraphs. Follow the steps explained on page 169, Use as fow words 2s possible. Work with another student. ‘The Challenger Disaster 1. By 1984, NASA, the United States space program, had carried out many successful flights of the space shuttle. In fact, Americans were beginning to take the whole NASA program for granted. Then, the president announced that the next shuttle would carry a school teacher into space. Hundreds of teachers from all parts of the country applied for the job. They all wanted to be “the first teacher in space.” During the next year, ‘these adventurous educators were tested and examined and trained. At last, the choice was announced. A teacher from New Hampshire, Christa MacAuliffe, would be the first teacher-astronaut. ‘Summary: 1702. Many months of preparation and training followed the announcement. First, Christa ‘went through intensive physical training. She had to be in top condition for the flight. ‘Then she learned how to operate some of the delicate instruments on the Challenger space shuttle. Christa planned special lessons which she would teach fom space. Finally. she trained with the other astronauts, so they could work as a team in space. Summary: 3. Everyone knows what happened on that terrible day in January, 1986. Early in the ‘morning, the Challenger crew had a good breakfast and discussed thel: plans. They made sure they understood all of the work they would be doing during the flight. Later, they boarded a special van which carried them to the shuttle. The weather was rather cold, and some NASA officials wondered if they should put off the flight. After some discussion, they decided to go ahead. The Challenger took off over the Atlantic Ocean in Florida. Minutes later, it exploded in the air. All of the crew members died in. the crash. Summary: Summarizing short passages ‘Step 4. Read the passage all the way through. ‘Step 2, Go back to the beginning and underline the topic sentence In each paragraph. If you cannot a find topic sentence, write a short summary of the paragraph. ‘Step 3, Put the sentences from the paragraphs together. Connect them with signal words or other connecting words. (Remember, signal words and connecting words tie ideas together. Examples: and, but, however, fist, next, then, because.) exercise ¢ Reread the three paragraphs in Exercise 2. Write a summary ofall three paragraphs together. Follow the stops for summarizing a short passage. Work with another student. we(72 Reread the three paragraphs In Exercise 3. Write a summary of all three paragraphs togothor. Follow the steps for summarizing a short passage. Work with another student. exercise 6 > Summarize this short passage. Work with another student. When you have finished, compare your ‘work with another pair of students. ‘A New Way to Visit the Wilderness People who are looking for outdoor adventure often go to Maine. This state in the northeastern United States contains large areas of wilderness. There you can enjoy a new land exciting sport: white water rafting. In the past, this sport was practiced only in the ‘western states, But now, several outdoor travel companies offer weekend rafting trips. ‘They provide guide service, equipment, and even food and they invite people who have hhad no experience at all. Thus, city residents, too, can get a taste of wilderness. All they need to bring with them isa desire for adventure, “White water” is the water of a river when it moves very fast over rocky areas. As the ‘water fills with air bubbles, it looks white. The areas of white water are also the most exciting areas for rafters—and also the most dangerous. In fact, rafting guides must always be on the look for white water. And rafters must be ready to swim, because the raft can tip over in white water. For that reason, rafters should always wear special life vests ‘that will keep them afloat. Rafting is a sport that almost anyone can do, It does not require great physical strength. Sometimes, at very rocky parts of the river, rafters will need to walk for a while. ‘They may also need to carry the rubber rafts at umes, Dut these are very light. Paddling. the boats is easy because they are going down river. The main activity is simply to enjoy the wonderful wild scenery. ‘Most rafting companies offer overnight trips that combine with camping. This kind of trip is ideal for a family with children over twelve. Several rafts of people will start out from a base camp. Thelr food supplies, sleeping bags, tents, and other necessities are sometimes packed onto the rafts. Or all the supplies might be brought by car to the next camp site. The guide often is also the cook for the group of rafters and may be quite a {good chef. After a day of rafting, in any case, the food tastes good and sleep comes easily.> _Wiite one sentence to summarize each paragraph. Paragraph 1: Paragraph 2: Paragraph 3: Paragraph 4: ‘Now tie the sentences together to make one short paragraph. Write the final summary below. Use ‘only the words which are absolutely necessary. exercise 7 Summarize this short passage. Work with another student. When you have finished, compare your Work with another palr of students. Now Species in North America Hundreds of different species of plants and animals have arrived in the United States. ‘This number has increased greatly as international travel and business have increased. Some of these new “residents” have caused problems for agriculture or for the environ- ‘ment. The Mediterranean fruit fly, for example, arrived in California on some imported fruit in the 1970s. In its original home in the Mediterranean area, it had never caused ‘much damage. In California, however, it multiplied very quickly. Soon the California fruit industry was in trouble, The government had to take serious measures, including using 173174 lots of chemicals to try to kill the flies. However, they have not managed to get rid of the fly altogether. ‘Another example of an animal that has recently settled in North America is the zebra ‘mussel. This small shellfish was first discovered in the Great Lakes in 1986. It may have ‘come over from Russia on a cargo ship. In a very few years zebra mussels had spread over all the Great Lakes and into many important rivers. They have grown into thick masses, covering many areas of lakes or river bottoms. They have also covered and closed up pipes for power stations and water treatment centers. Government officials say that the mussels have caused many millions of dollars worth of damage. ‘Sometimes the damage caused by an immigrant species ic nat measurable in dollars. It ‘may not harm us directly, but it may change the environment. And that may cause prob- lems for the plants or animals that were living there before. Loosestrife isa plant that came to North America some time in the 19th century. It may have been carried as seeds on the back of some sheep from Europe. Or someone may have brought the seeds to plant in their garden. In any case, loosestrife now grows along rivers and lakes all over North America. It is a pretty plant, with a purple or pink flower. But when a lot of looses- tife grows in one place, other plants cannot grow there. The birds and small animals that depend on those other plants cannot stay there, either. As loosestrife spreads, they may have trouble finding any place to live and they may begin to disappear. Write one sentence to summarize each paragraph. Paragraph 1. Paragraph 2: Paragraph 3: [Now tle the sentences together to make one short paragraph. Write the final summary below. Use ‘only the words which are absolutely necessary.Summarizing longer passages When you summarize an essay, textbook chapter, or magazine article with many para graphs, follow these steps: ‘Stop 1. Read the passage all the way through. ‘Step 2, Go back to the beginning and number the paragraphs in the text. ‘Step 3. Divide the text into parts. Notice which paragraphs focus on the same idea. Part one, for example, will be Paragraph #1 to Paragraph #x. Part two will start with paragraph ay, and so forth, ‘Step 4, For each part, write a sentence which summarizes all the paragraphs in it ‘Stop 6. Tie all of those sentences together to form a summary, using signal words and. other function words. exercine & > summarize an article you have already read. Turn to the articl titled “Picking Apples—A New England Tradition” on page 26. Follow the steps for summartzing a longer passage explained above. Work with another student. Use as few words as possible In your final summary. ‘Stop 4 Part 1: Paragraph 1-__ Part 2: Paragraph ~ Part __: Paragraph _—__ Part __: Paragraph _- ‘Step 2: Write a very brief summary of each part here: Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: Part 178exercize 2 Summarize the Reading Faster passage on page 223. Follow the stops for summarizing a longer passage. Work with another student. Use as few words as possible in your final summary. Step 4 Part 1: Paragraph 1—__ Part 2: Paragraph __~__ Part __: Paragraph _~_ Part __: Paragraph _-__ ‘Step 2: Write a very brief summary of each part here: Pat 1 Part 2: Part 3 Part ‘Step 3: Tle the summaries of the parts together to make one final summary. Use as few words as possible. 176exercize 10 > _ Follow the steps for summarizing a longer passage. Summarize this magazine article. Work with ‘another student. Use as few words as possible, Better Homes in Gardens by Mare Lecard ‘n the middle of winter, homes are sealed tight. Householders want to cut down on heating bills and save natur- al resources, so they make thelr homes air tight. They put special materials over windows and around doors to keep the heat in and the cold out. But while keeping, the cold out, they keep in a surprising amount of air pollution, ‘The air in a typical home or apartment can have many different kinds of poisons in it. Some can even cause cancer. Certain ‘chemicals are given off by furniture, build- Ing materials, and household products. Refrigerators and other household appl ances add unhealthy chemicals to the air. And tobacco smoke contains even more poisonous fumes. Even breathing adds cer- tain poisonous chemicals to the air, such as acetone and ethyl alcohol. Inside a tightly sealed building with poor ventilation, hun- dreds of alr pollutants can be found. But you don't have to stop breathing the air in your home! Cleaner air may be as close as your house plants! According to a NASA scientist, house plants can help keep indoor air breathable. This scientist, B.C. Wolverton, has been investigating the use of plants as living air filters for more than 20 years, His research developed from studies of the air in spaceships. Wolverton found that some common. house plants had an appetite for certain poisons in the air. Spider plants and Boston ferns love formaldehyde. Peace lilac takes in large amounts of a chemical called trichloroethylene. English ivy and chry- santhemums eat benzene. Since he began his study, Wolverton has tested more than 40 plants for their ability to remove pollutants from the ait. ‘Among the most useful for average house- holds, he says, are areca palm, golden pothos, Janet Craig plant, and corn plant. ‘These plants are easy to grow indoors, require only low light, and clean the air effectively. He suggests using two or three plants for every 100 square feet of space. Plants take in pollutants in the alr through their leaves along with carbon dioxide in the process of photosynthesis. Tiny microscopic bugs (microbes) in the soll around the roots help break down the puisvns su iat the plants can feed on them. In fact, the way the roots feed on these broken-down pollutants is a part of the natural cleaning process. According to Wolverton, “Ninety percent of the work is done by the microbes.” Wolverton predicts that someday all homes and offices will have indoor gar- dens built into them. They will be a nor- ‘mal part of the design of the bullding’s alr control systems. 177b3- Stop 4 Part 1: Paragraph 1—__ Part 2: Paragraph __~ Part __: Paragraph _~__ Part _: Paragraph _~__ ‘Stop 2: Wite a very belt summary of each part here: Part 1 Part 2: Part 3: Part Stop 3: Tle the summaries of the parts together to make one final summary. Use as few words as possible. 178