summary写作技巧

Summary

?By summary, we mean a brief restatement, in your own words, of the content of a passage, an article, a chapter or a book. A summary should be brief,complete,accurate coherent and objective.

?Brief: omit unnecessary details like examples, explanations and other unimportant information.

Length: 1/4---1/3 of the original text

Complete: to include all the main and supporting points delivered in your own words in a condensed manner.

Accurate: to give the same attention and stress to the points as the author does.

Coherent: rather than an outline listed as key words and phrases,a summary is a paragraph with necessary transitions and function structures to make it flow.

e.g.: first, in the first part, in the introductory part

second, next, in the second part

then, afterwards, after that, in addition to that, also, furthermore

finally,at last, in the end,as a conclusion, on the whole, in a word, to sum up, last but not least,

as a result, so

?Note:Do not include your own ideas or emotions on the topic. The summary should reflect the content of the original passage only.

Read

?Read the passage carefully. Determine its structure. Identify the author's purpose in writing. (This will help you to distinguish between more important and less important information.) Reread, label, and underline. This time divide the passage into sections or stages of thought. The author's use of paragraphing will often be a useful guide. Label, on the passage itself, each section or stage of thought. Underline key ideas and terms.

Write

?Write one-sentence summaries, on a separate sheet of paper, of each stage of thought. Write a thesis--a one-sentence summary of the entire passage. The thesis should express the central idea of the passage, as

you have determined it from the preceding steps. You may find it useful to keep in mind the information contained in the lead sentence or paragraph of most newspaper stories--the what, who, why, where, when, and how of the matter. For persuasive passages, summarize in a sentence the author's conclusion. For descriptive passages, indicate the subject of the description and its key features. Note: In some cases a suitable thesis may already be in the original passage. If so, you may want to quote it directly in your summary.

?Write the first draft of your summary by (1) combining the thesis with your list of one-sentence summaries or (2) combining the thesis with

one-sentence summaries plus significant details from the passage. In either case, eliminate repetition. Eliminate less important information. Disregard minor details, or generalize them. Use as few words as possible to convey the main ideas.

Edit edit and edit

?Check your summary against the original passage, and make whatever adjustments are necessary for accuracy and completeness. Revise your summary, inserting transitional words and phrases where necessary to ensure coherence. Check for style. Avoid series of short, choppy sentences. Combine sentences for a smooth, logical flow of ideas. Check for grammatical correctness, punctuation, and spelling.

? 1. skim the text to find out the general theme

2. analyze the text's structure to divide it into several sections, find out the main idea of each section and write it out briefly with your own words. (one sentence)

3. write down the key supporting points for each main idea without involving minor details.

4. organize the main and related supporting points in a logical order with necessary transitions to achieve coherence.

5. proofread for grammatical, spelling and punctuation mistakes.

At the beginning of a summary, we usually elicit the author's name and the name of the chapter/ article.

?小技巧：

?1) 删除细节。只保留主要观点。

?2) 选择一至两个例子。原文中可能包括5个或更多的例子，你只需从中筛选一至二个例子。

?3) 把长段的描述变成短小、简单的句子。如果材料中描述某人或某事用了十个句子，那么你只要把它们变成一两句即可。

?4) 避免重复。在原文中，为了强调某个主题，可能会重复论证说明。但是这在摘要中是不能使用的。应该删除那些突出强调的重述句。?5) 压缩长的句子。如下列两例：

?“His courage in battle might without exaggeration be called lion-like.”

?可以概括为：”He was very brave in battle.”

?“He was hard up for money and was being pressed by his creditor.”

?可以概括为：“He was in financial difficulties.”

?6) 你还可以使用词组代替整句或者从句。请看下面的例子：?“Beautiful mountains like Mount Tai, Lushan Mountain, and Mount Huang, were visited by only a few people in the past. Today, better wages, holidays with pay, new hotels on these mountains, and better train and bus services, have brought them within reach of many who never thought of visiting them ten years ago.”

?可以概括为：”Beautiful mountains like Mount Tai, once visited by only a few people, are today accessible to many, thanks to better wages, paid holidays, new hotels and better transportation services.”

?7) 使用概括性的名词代替具体的词，比如：

?“She brought home several Chinese and English novels, a few copies of Time and Newsweek and some textbooks. She intended to read all of them during the winter vocation.”

?可以概括为：”She brought home a lot of books to read during the vocation.”

?8）使用最短的连接词。比如，可以使用but, then, thus, yet, though，不能使用at the same time, in the first place, because of these, on the other hand等较长的连接词。通常，使用分号就能够达成使用连接词的效果。

?9) 文章中的第一人称说的话通常在摘要中转换成第三人称，从而把大段的对白简化，比如：

?Kate looked at Paul disapprovingly: You use much too much salt on your food, Paul — it’s not good for you!” Paul put down his knife and frowned:”Why on earth not! If you didn’t have salt on your food it would taste awful… like eating cardboard or sand… just imagine bread without salt in it, or potatoes or pasta cooked without salt!”Kate was patient. She didn’t want to quarrel with Paul. She wanted to persuade him. She said firmly:”But too much salt is bad for you. It cause high blood pressure and latter on, heart-attacks. It also disguises the taste of food, the real tastes which are much more subtle than salt, and which we have lost the sensitivity to appreciate any more.”

?可以用第三人称概括为：

?Kate suggested to Paul that he should eat less salt. She thought that eating too much salt would do hard to Paul’s health and that it could reduce the real tastes of food. But Paul disagreed. He said that food without salt would be tasteless.