How to make a summary (paragraph, whole passage, long passages, and textbook chapter)

By Beatrice S Mikulecky & Linda Jeffries

Another key strategy for learning and remembering the ideas in a text is to summarize what you have read. This means rewriting the important parts in a much shorter form, using some words from the text and some of your own words. Summarizing is especially useful for:

• Reviewing and memorizing information in textbooks for exams;

• Preparing information or ideas from different sources so you can include them in a report or paper.

Summarizing a Passage

When summarizing a passage, the first step is to write a one-sentence summary of each paragraph. Then you can combine the sentences to write a summary of the whole passage.

Step 1. Summarizing a paragraph

• Write a single, complete sentence that is much shorter than the paragraph.

• Include the main idea and supporting facts and ideas.

• In the summary sentence, follow the same pattern of organization as in the paragraph.

• Do not add any facts, ideas, or opinions that are not in the paragraph.

Step 2. Summarizing a whole passage

• Read the passage all the way to the end and mark the overall thesis and the supporting points.

• Determine the overall pattern of organization.

• Write a one-sentence summary of each paragraph.

• Write a short paragraph by combining the summary sentences of the paragraphs (with any necessary changes to connect them).

• The main idea of the summary paragraph should be similar to the thesis of the whole passage and the pattern of organization should be the same as the overall pattern of the passage.

Summarizing Long Passages

When you summarize a long passage (more than four or five paragraphs), you need to add an additional step:

• Read the passage all the way to the end and mark the main points (including the thesis and the supporting points).

• Determine the overall pattern of organization.

• Divide the passage into parts. Each part should match a supporting point and may include several paragraphs. (In textbooks, the chapters are usually already divided into subsections or parts.)

• Write a summary sentence for each part.

• Write a paragraph that combines the summary sentences (with any necessary changes to connect them).

• The main idea of the summary paragraph should be the same as the thesis of the original passage, and the pattern of organization should be the same.

Summarizing a Textbook Chapter

Summarizing a textbook section or chapter is easier in some ways than summarizing an article or essay because the passages are usually already divided up into sections and subsections.

In a textbook, the introduction to a chapter or chapter section usually contains a statement of purpose that functions like a thesis statement, and explains what the passage will be about and how it will be organized. The headings of the chapter or section usually correspond to the topics mentioned in the statement of purpose.

While textbook sections are often organized in a listing pattern, each subsection can have a different pattern of organization. It is easier to understand and summarize the subsections if you first identify their patterns.

Source:

Mikulecky, Beatrice S &Jeffries, Lind. 2007. Advanced reading power: extensive reading, vocabulary building, comprehension skills, reading faster. New York: Longman.