Writing a Summary

1. Writing a Summary To reproduce the main idea of a passage without rewriting most of the piece

2. Read Carefully Look for • the writer’s purpose…why are they writing? • the controlling idea • the major supporting points • important terms

3. Underline the Main Idea Mark any strong statements which show what the author thinks

4. Annotate as You Read • Jot down questions about what the author says or means • How are ideas in the passage connected • Use your own symbols to mark up the passage (circling words you don’t know etc.) • Make notes in the margins

5. Consider the Author’s Biases & Assumptions • What does the author believe that is not obviously stated? • Read between the lines • What tone does the author take? • How does the tone tell you how the author feels about his/her subject?

6. Writing the Summary • Use the author’s entire name in your first sentence, but in later sentences use his/her last name only • State the name of the article in your first sentence • Use quotes around article/chapter titles, and italicize publication titles • Use present tense verbs with the author’s name. Write: Manning says; Payton explains, etc.

7. Main Idea • State the main idea early in the summary • Show the connections between supporting ideas • Use your own wording and your own writing style

8. Quotes • Use quotations effectively to support and show • Don’t overdo it • Make a quotation part of a sentence • In Johnson’s “Way of the West,” he argues that the myth of the cowboy as a “self-made man battling the elements by use of his survival instincts” does not tell the whole truth (44).

9. Keep Your Opinions and Ideas to Yourself • Do not change the author’s meaning in any way • Repeat the author’s name from time to time for transition • Keep the summary short---about ¼ the original