16th September, 2023 (Extra class- Saturday)

Summary writing:
Summarizing.

➢ You have to write the gist of the paragraph in as few words as possible.
➢ It should be lucid, succinct, and full (i.e., including all essential points), so that
anyone on reading it may be able to grasp the main points and general effect of the
passage summarised.
➢ A summary should not contain more than a third of the number of words in
the original passage. (Should be one third of the original length).

How to write a summary?

➢ Read the passage carefully 2-3 times and clearly grasp the meaning.
Ask yourself- What is the subject of this passage?

What is said about the subject?

What does the author mean?

What are the main themes?

If the main idea is supported by arguments and information?

Distinguish the important parts from the unimportant parts.

➢ Write a rough draft. You may have to write out several drafts before you find how to express the
gist of the passage fully within the limits set.
➢ Give a title.
Try to think of a title for the passage- think of a word, phrase or short sentence that will describe
the main theme of the subject discussed.

Important points to keep in mind while writing a Summary:

1. It must be written in your own words. Don’t borrow words and phrases directly from the
passage.
2. The summary must be a connected whole.
3. The summary must be complete and self-contained.
4. It is only the gist, main purport, or general meaning of the passage which you have to
express. (Avoid redundancy and circumlocution).
5. The summary must be in simple and direct.
6. You can follow the original structure of the passage. But you are not bound to follow the
original order of thought of the passage.
7. Don’t make any personal comments, don’t add your own opinion.
 Compression examples:
1. "He was hard up for money and was being pressed by his creditor."
He was in financial difficulties.

2. "They acted in a manner that rendered them liable to prosecution."

They acted illegally.

3. Always try to use Indirect Speech:

"Whether we look at the intrinsic value of our literature, or at the particular situation of
this country, we shall see the strongest reason to think that of all foreign tongues the
English tongue is that which would be the most useful to our native subjects."
- Macaulay

Condensed in indirect speech: -

Lord Macaulay said that England's noble literature and the universality of her language
made English the foreign language most useful for India.

Practice before we get to the passages:

A spider fell down as the water gush

out of the spout because of the rain
but got up again.

An egg fell down and was

irreparably broken.
A guy broke his head and later
mended it.
Summary:

The advent of the circus trains

Prior to the advent of circus trains, circuses relied on primitive modes of transportation such as
horses in order to transport animals which was a slow and tedious process. This changed when W.C.
Coup partnered with P. T. Burman in 1871 and started running circus trains. Circus trains made
circuses reach a wider audience- from small towns to big cities, thus making circuses more
profitable. It is used till this day.

PYQ:

Summary- ?
Passage 2: (Extract from All about Love by bell hooks)

In a society like ours, where children are abused and denied full civil rights, it is absolutely crucial
that parenting adults learn how to offer loving discipline. Setting boundaries and teaching children
how to set boundaries for themselves prior to misbehaviour is an essential part of loving parenting.
When parents start out disciplining children by using punishment, this becomes the pattern children
respond to. Loving parents work hard to discipline without punishment. This does not mean that
they never punish, only that when they do punish, they choose punishments like time-outs or the
taking away of privileges. They focus on teaching children how to be self-disciplining and how to take
responsibility for their actions. Since the vast majority of us were raised in households where
punishment was deemed the primary, if not the only way to teach discipline, the fact that discipline
can be taught without punishment surprises many people. One of the simplest ways children learn
discipline is by learning how to be orderly in daily life, to clean up any messes they make. Just
teaching the child to take responsibility for placing toys in the appropriate place after playtime is one
way to teach responsibility and self-discipline. Learning to clean up the mess made during playtime
helps a child learn to be responsible. And from this practical act, they can learn how to cope with
emotional mess.

Summary- Parents in our society should change the way in which they discipline children. If they
establish a pattern of abuse in order to discipline children, that becomes the impulse for children to
respond to. Parents should make children learn self-discipline by giving lenient punishments like
time-outs and taking away privileges. They should make children learn to keep things tidy and
orderly as it also helps them cope with emotional mess.

Example passage and Summary:

1. One great defect of our civilization is that it does not know what to do with its
knowledge. Science, as we have seen, has given us powers fit for the gods, yet we use
them like small children.
For example- we do not know how to manage our machines. Machines were made to be
man's servants; yet he has grown so dependent on them that they are in a fair way to
become his masters. Already most men spend most of their lives looking after and
waiting upon machines. And the machines are very stern masters. They must be fed with
coal, and given petrol to drink, and oil to wash with, and must be kept at the right
temperature. And if they do not get their meals when they expect them, they grow sulky
and refuse to work, or burst with rage, and blow up, and spread ruin and destruction all
round them, so we have to wait upon them very attentively and do all that we can to keep
them in a good temper. Already we find it difficult either to work or play without the
machines, and a time may come when they will rule us altogether, just as we rule the
animals. (206 words)
 Summary:
MEN AND MACHINES
We do not know what to do with our knowledge. Science has given us superhuman
powers, which we do not use properly. For example, we are unable to manage our
machines. Machines should be fed promptly and waited upon attentively; otherwise, they
refuse to work. We already find it difficult to do without machines. In the future, they might rule
over us.

(63 words)

2. A stamp is, to many people, just a slip of paper that takes a letter from one town or country to
another. They are unable to understand why we stamp collectors find so much pleasure in collecting
them and how we find the time in which to indulge in our hobby. To them it seems a waste of time,
a waste of effort and a waste of money. But they do not realise that there are many who do buy
stamps, many who find the effort worth-while and many who, if they did not spend their time
collecting stamps, would spend it less profitably. We all seek something to do in our leisure hours
and what better occupation is there to keep us out of mischief than that of collecting stamps? An
album, a packet of hinges, a new supply of stamps, and the time passes swiftly and pleasantly.

Stamp-collecting has no limits and a collection never has an end; countries are always printing and
issuing new stamps to celebrate coronations, great events, anniversaries and deaths. And the
fascination of collecting is trying to obtain these stamps before one's rivals. Every sphere of stamp-
collecting has its fascination - receiving letters from distant countries and discovering old stamps in
the leaves of dusty old books. A stamp itself has a fascination all its own. Gazing at its little picture
we are transported to the wilds of Congo, the homes of the Arabs, and the endless tracks of the
Sahara Desert. There is a history in every stamp. The ancient Roman Empire and the Constitution of
America, India's Independence and the Allied victory, are all conveyed to our mind's eye by means of
stamps. We see famous men, pictures, writers, scientists, soldiers, politicians and famous incidents.
Stamps, so small and minute, contain knowledge that is vast and important.

Ans- Give a suitable title

To many people a stamp is merely something necessary for sending a letter. They regard stamp-
collecting as a waste of time, effort and money. But there are many people who love buying stamps
and find this hobby worthwhile and more profitable than other leisure pursuits. Collecting stamps
helps to pass the time quickly and pleasantly. Stamp-collecting is limitless and endless. Countries are
always issuing stamps to celebrate important events. It is fascinating to receive letters from distant
countries and to discover stamps in old books. A stamp itself has a charm. Stamps show us
geographical and historical pictures, famous people and incidents. These small things contain vast
knowledge.