SUMMARIZING VARIOUS TEXT TYPES BASED ON ELEMENTS

A summary is a brief and concise write-up, in paragraph form, of the complete

thought about the text. It is done after a thorough reading and taking of notes. No
elaboration about the details is necessary in a summary.

Read the following texts.

Text 1

Zeus and Leda had twin sons. Their names were Castor and Pollux. They were
devoted to each other. They were loving brothers who look alike. Castor was mortal. He
became a horseman. Pollux was immortal who became a boxer. Both became expert
soldiers. Castor was killed in a battle. Pollux could not bear to be without his twin, so he
asked his father, Zeus, to help him. He asked for Castor to come back to life. Zeus
agreed. They are side by side. They are the twin stars forever. They are the two brilliant
stars called Gemini.

Reading Network Third Edition

Grade 5 by Violeta P. Tandoc
(Quezon City: SIBS Publishing House Inc., 2015)

Text 2

The myth explains how the twin stars, Gemini, came to be. The twin brothers,
Castor and Pollux, were devoted and loving to each other. They wanted to be together
all the time. But Castor was killed in a battle, something that Pollux could not bear. So,
Pollux asked Zeus, their father, to bring Castor back to life. Zeus made them into two
brilliant stars that stay side by side in the sky called the Gemini.

Reading Network Third Edition

Grade 5 by Violeta P. Tandoc
(Quezon City: SIBS Publishing House Inc., 2015)

Are the two texts worded exactly the same way? Can you identify which one is
the story and which one is the summary of the story?
Text 2 is the summary of Text 1. Note that the summary has the same content as
the original text, but the text is reduced and only the essential ideas are retained.

Summarizing is an important skill as it allows you to identify relevant information

and how to integrate main ideas in a logical and meaningful manner.

Here are some guidelines in summarizing a text.

1. Read and comprehend the text.

2. Identify the main ideas.
3. Take down notes.
4. Summarize the information in your own words.
ACTIVITY: Read the text below. Then, write a brief summary. Write your answer in a
clean sheet of paper.

Gabi and the Engkanto

Adapted by Jasmin M. Cupcupin

Long ago, there lived a pretty young woman named Gabriella. Although she was
an orphan and lived alone, she had many friends. Her friends loved her and they called
her Gabi for short.

Gabi lived in a nipa hut with a beautiful garden where different flowers like
santan, gumamela, sampaguita, and rosal could be found. She took care of her flowers
by watering them in the morning and afternoon. She also removed the dry leaves and
flowers and trimmed the branches whenever they had grown too long.

Besides Gabi’s garden was a swiftly flowing river. Its banks were lined by great
balete trees. The people believed that Gabi’s flowers grew beautifully because the river
water had magical powers. The spirit of the water, they said, had favored Gabi.

Gabi didn’t beieved that the river was enchanted, for she had gone there many
times and had seen nothing at all.

Truly, the river was enchanted. A river spirit, the Engkanto ng Ilog, had lived ther
for a hundred years. He watched gabi silently everyday. He coud not be seen as he was
invisible.

One morning, while Gabi was filling her jug, the river spirit appeared before her
and introduced himself. He told her of his desire to have gabi s his wife; if she agreed,
she would have all his riches. Gabi turned down his offer and told hi that she did not
need his wealth. The Engkanto told her that he would return next summer for her fina
answer.

Gabi was afraid. She closed her eyes and opened them. The river spirit had
become invisible again. So she thought it was just a dream.

The year passed. Gabi had forgotten about the river spirit. She was too happy
taking care of her garden. When sumer came, the Engkanto appeared to her once
more. She still refused to marry him and said, “I am very sorry, but I cannot go with you.
I do not love you!” The Engkanto was so angry that he turned her into a gabiso that no
one else could have her. He said, “Because your heart is hard and stubborn, I will deny
you the blessings of my river – your leaves will never get wet.” He told gabi that she
would forever remain a plant unless her heart would turn soft, and she would decide to
marry him.

English Language Power

Second Edition Grade 5
By Remedios B. Buenaventura and
Rosalinda M. Cupcupin
(Quezon City: Sibs Publishing House Inc, 2014)