HINTS ON SUMMARY WRITING

Summary Writing

Summary writing is primarily concerned with stating so much in very few words by removing superfluous and expanded details.

          Quite a number of times, the need always arise, even among busy executives to bring out important details.

          Good vocabulary development is essential in carrying out the task. Apart from understanding the lexical meaning of words, it is of immense need to have a good grasp of connotative use of language. To do this successfully, one must study the contexts in which words are used with some other words and thereby understand the implied or contextual meanings which oftentimes differ from the lexical meanings of the words. A good example can be found in the use of idioms.

Follow these four steps                 

1.     Understand: These four steps are strongly recommended – (a) survey (b) a quick read (c) read the question carefully (d) a careful read of the passage

2.     Choose: Choose those parts of the text relevant to the question. If the book is yours, mark it in pencil; make rough notes – a list of points will do

3.     Rough draft: Write a rough draft of your answer, and compare it with the question. Alter as necessary. Don’t worry if you make several false starts.

4.     Final Version: Write out your corrected answer and check it through for any careless errors.