HOW TO SUMMARISE
1. Read the text, looking up any unfamiliar words.
2. In the left-hand margin of the text, alongside each paragraph, jot down the central idea, or key words:
left margin text right margin
When summarising a single paragraph: keep, substitute, delete.
In the right-hand margin, jot down the relationship between the paragraph and the overall essay. Think of the purpose of each paragraph. It helps to know the features used in different essay forms, such as definition, example, comparison.Get in the habit of remembering key concepts (2) and the relationship between ideas (3) when you read.
3. Identify the thesis of the essay. Pay special attention to the first and last paragraphs.
7. Identify key words or concepts (which you should have located when you did your outline). These key concepts usually contain subordinate ideas:
If you cannot remember the key ideas, use the information that you have written in the left and right margins, and try to identify whether certain themes are developed through several paragraphs. Condense where possible:
Even if you think you have remembered all the key ideas, go through the essay once more to be sure.
8. Write your outline. It will not be as many lines long as the essay is paragraphs long.In your mind, review how the essay progresses, and then, synthesise the previous steps and try to sum up the author’s main points:
I. (Major idea)
A (subordinate idea a)
B (subordinate idea b)
C (subordinate idea c)
II. (Major idea 2)
A ______
B______
Notice how the outline resembles the kind that you were taught to write before writing an essay. This is the correct way to outline a text, but it takes time and practice. (A rough outline follows mostly what you would have written in the right-hand column.)
9. Summarise. State the author’s main idea and key points as simply and briefly as possible. Refer to your outline; address major ideas first. Use synonyms to prove that you have understood the text. Focus on the author and the main point being forwarded.
Addendum:Analysis of the text involves some of what you have already done above (such as locating the thesis, considering the author’s purpose, identifying the strategies the author used to persuade readers). But, you will also want to consider how effectively the author addressed the concerns/ objections of the audience, whether enough support was given and whether the author demonstrated faulty reasoning and other such issues. Keep in mind that you cannot summarise without analysis!