CXC English A- Paper Practice

Topic: Summary Writing

What is a summary?

A summary is a shortened version of writing in which you use your own wording to
express the main idea of a longer piece of information.

When learning summarizing skills, three points should be emphasized:

(1) summaries are shorter than original texts,

(2) they contain the main ideas of a text, and
(3) they are written in reported speech and present tense.

How do I distinguish between relevant and irrelevant details?

Relevant: Finding the Main Idea

The main idea is defined as one or two sentences that say what the author is trying
to tell us about something. It is not usually a sentence that comes straight from the
reading, but one that you have to come up with that summarises what the reading
(paragraph, long passage, article, story, etc.) is mainly about.

NB: The Five W’s can be useful in helping you locate the main idea.

Irrelevant: Elaborating details

When you read your original the second time, mentally or physically with a pencil,
exclude any of the following:
1. Minor details
2. Opinions
3. Repetitions
4. Examples
5. Figures of speech
6. Evaluations/conclusions
7. Dialogue/ Quotations
8. Statistical data
The following are the six (6) steps for writing a summary:
1. Find the main idea of the passage:

Read the passage the first time for understanding. (So you can get a sense of what
point they are trying to make.)

Ask yourself, “ What was the passage about?”

(You should answer yourself with a sentence or a phrase)

Hint: If you are having problems, scan the passage to see which ‘topic’ word
appears most often. This is likely the topic of the passage.

Now you have to figure out what is being said about the topic. Read the passage a
second time.
What is the overall point being made about the topic word?

You need to be able to see the “big picture” being presented by the passage. This is
the main idea of the whole passage; Write it down. Never start writing a summary
before you read the passage for a second time.

2. Find the supporting ideas in the passage:

(Supporting ideas are used to develop, explain or expand on the main idea.)

While “skimming” (reading through quickly) the passage for the third time, look for
the supporting ideas by reading over the opening sentences of the paragraphs. (A
paragraph expresses and develops one main idea or point).

Underline topic sentences in the paragraphs and the key ideas in them.

3. After reading the passage for the third time, write one or two summary
sentences for each paragraph describing the main idea that you see expressed
by the paragraph.

If you see yourself repeating the same ideas, you will need to read the passage
again to get a clearer picture and then revise your summary sentences.

4. Join together the main idea of the passage and your paragraph summary
sentences by using transitional words and/or phrases.

These transitional words/phrases do three things:

1) They give your summary a sense of being a “whole” – not just a group of
unconnected sentences.

2) They also make your summary “flow” smoothly when reading

3) They reinforce and support the main idea being expressed in the passage.
5. Reread (and edit if necessary) the summary to make sure it clear and to-the-point.

Eliminate repetitive words, too many descriptive words (adjectives and adverbs)and
non-essential sentences.

The final version should read like a whole, sensible piece of writing.
**Check your spelling and grammar.

6. Finally, check your summary against the author’s original. Have you
correctly described the author’s main idea and the essential supporting
points?

Make any necessary adjustments or changes to your summary.

SAMPLE SUMMARY:

Read the following article on tattoos carefully and list FIVE MAIN points discussed,
then write a summary of the article in NOT MORE THAN 120 words. If this limit is
exceeded, only the first 120 words of your answer will be read and assessed.

As far as possible, use your own words.

Your summary must be in continuous prose. You may use your answer booklet to jot
down a plan.

In your answer, you will be assessed on how well you

(a) identified the main ideas and opinions in the extract

(b) organized and expressed these ideas and opinions in your own words

(c) used appropriate grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary, spelling and

punctuation.

Tattoos

Since the beginning of civilization, they have served as marks of identification,

spiritual protection and decoration. Now at the cusp of another millennium, tattoos
and other varieties of body markings are resurfacing as a popular form of individual
self-expression. Tattoos are timeless and can be as unique as the bearers they
adorn. They don’t fade away like favourite T-shirts, or get lost or broken like school
rings. They stay with you forever, until death. They become a part of you from the
day you sit in the artist’s chair, etching your emotions alongside the needle’s sting,
transforming an instant of your life into a symbol for the world to see.
Tattoos and other body markings arrived in the Caribbean with African slaves and
indentured workers from China and India. They were sometimes the only permanent
keepsakes of peoples snatched from their ancestral places. The Caribbean’s original
Amerindian inhabitants also used tattoos to mark spiritual milestones. The Taino of
the Northern Caribbean Islands, for instance, used vegetable dyes to affix images of
their guardians onto their skin. These images also indicated an individual’s lineage,
or his or her social position. Each tattoo was both a personal history book and a
mark of belonging.

Over the centuries, however, tattoos and other forms of bodily adornment have
mutated, exchanging religious and cultural significance for individualist associations.
Sometimes that mark of individuality has been confused with rebellion and
non-conformity, often alluding to a stain of bad character. Tattoo-wearers have
seemed wild, dangerous, even just plain bad.

But today, tattoos have come full circle. Celebrities, writers, lawyers, housewives, all
proudly display their marks of rebellion. An entirely new perception of the art of
tattooing has arisen, which is more than just a preoccupation with style. This
rediscovered form of expression has spawned an entire subculture of individuals
among us. They carry this common bond of distinction through their daily routines.
Via the images on their forearms, shoulders, ankles, or torsos, they connect to each
other, announcing to the world that it is OK to be unique and different.

Adapted from “Pictures made flesh”. Caribbean Beat, July/August 2003

TEST YOURSELF!

COMPLETE THESE EXERCISES SO WE CAN REVIEW AND DISCUSS IN THIS WEEK’S

SESSION.

1. In FOUR sentences, summarise and paraphrase the following passage:

Big cities in the States are the worst choice for living. The funny thing is that you
have to pay dearly for the advantage of living in a city where it can be very difficult to
buy your own house. Large cities are too large to control; they impose their living
conditions on the people who inhabit them. City- dwellers are obliged to adopt an
unusual way of life. Furthermore, it seems impossible to avoid the rush hour;
wherever you go roads are blocked with cars and streets are filled with people. In
addition, crimes are more in cities which are full of places you would be afraid to
visit. Can anyone doubt that the country is where a man truly belongs?

2. In FOUR sentences, summarise and paraphrase the following passage:

Barter system is a system of direct exchange of goods that was used thousands of
years ago. People used to exchange goods such as tusks, grain, salt, cattle…etc.
People's needs for goods rarely coincided; a man who needed salt could not find
someone selling it for tusks. Moreover, the prices for goods were difficult to be equal
to each other. For example, the shells were far cheaper to be exchanged for cattle
and so on. The movement of some goods was a burden; the person who wanted to
exchange cattle for another item had to pay for help to move it to the market place.
Some people lost using this system because their goods were broken or rotten
before they could exchange them. Only then, the practical, durable system of money
appeared.