Class Lecture: Summary Writing and Paraphrasing
I. What is a Summary?
A summary is a brief statement that presents the main ideas of a longer text
in a concise and clear manner. It excludes unnecessary details, personal
opinions, and examples while maintaining the original meaning of the text.
Importance of Summary Writing
Helps in understanding and retaining key information.
Useful for academic writing, research, and note-taking.
It saves time by condensing lengthy texts.
Develop critical thinking by identifying the main points.
II. What is Paraphrasing?
Paraphrasing is the process of rewording a passage while maintaining its
original meaning. It involves changing the sentence structure and vocabulary
but keeping the key message intact.
Importance of Paraphrasing in Summary Writing
Help avoid plagiarism by using your own words.
Ensures better understanding of the text.
Makes writing clearer and more concise.
Allows better integration of information into one’s own work.
III. Steps for Writing a Summary
1️Read the Text Carefully: Understand the overall message and key
details.
2️identify the Main Idea: Determine what the passage is mainly about.
3️Highlight Key Points: Note important facts, arguments, or events.
4️Paraphrase the Information: Rewrite the main points in your own words.
5️Write the Summary: Keep it concise, avoiding unnecessary details.
6️Revise and Edit: Ensure clarity, accuracy, and coherence.
IV. Identifying Main Ideas Exercise
Sample Text:
Social media platforms have dramatically changed the way people
communicate and interact. They allow users to share updates, photos, and
opinions instantly with a global audience. While these platforms help
maintain personal connections, they also raise concerns about privacy,
mental health, and misinformation.
Underline the main idea
Circle the supporting details
Discuss: What should go into a summary of this paragraph?
Summary:
Social media has transformed communication by enabling instant sharing,
though it raises issues of privacy and misinformation.
Passage:
Renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, and hydropower, are
becoming increasingly vital in the fight against climate change. Unlike fossil
fuels, renewables produce little or no greenhouse gas emissions. In addition
to reducing environmental impact, renewable energy can lead to economic
benefits such as job creation and energy security. However, there are still
challenges, including storage capacity, high initial investment costs, and
geographical limitations.
Summary:
Renewable energy sources like solar and wind are crucial for reducing
climate change due to their low emissions. They also offer economic
advantages such as jobs and energy security. Despite these benefits,
challenges like storage issues and high setup costs remain.
📖 Passage:
"Climate change is one of the biggest global challenges. Rising temperatures
result from greenhouse gases, mainly caused by burning fossil fuels. The
effects include extreme weather, rising sea levels, and habitat destruction.
To combat climate change, individuals and governments must reduce carbon
emissions and switch to renewable energy sources."
💡 Task: Underline the main idea and circle supporting details.
👉 Main Idea: Climate change is caused by greenhouse gases and has
severe consequences.
👉 Supporting Details: Rising temperatures, extreme weather, rising sea
levels, habitat destruction, need for renewable energy.
V. Example of Summary Writing
Original Passage
"The increase in global temperatures has had significant effects on the
environment. Rising sea levels, caused by melting polar ice caps, threaten
coastal communities. In addition, extreme weather events such as
hurricanes, wildfires, and heatwaves have become more frequent due to
climate change. Deforestation and pollution further contribute to
environmental destruction, worsening the situation. Scientists urge the
government to act by reducing carbon emissions and promoting renewable
energy sources. Public awareness and education are also critical in
addressing this issue. Although challenges exist, efforts like afforestation and
green technology innovations offer hope for mitigating climate change. It is
crucial for individuals, communities, and governments to work together in
tackling this global crisis."
Summarized Version
"Global warming is causing sea levels rising, extreme weather, and
environmental destruction. Climate change is worsened by pollution and
deforestation. Scientists call for reducing carbon emissions and using
renewable energy. Public awareness and eco-friendly innovations can help.
Despite challenges, collective action from individuals and governments is
essential to address this global crisis."
Changes and How They Were Made:
1. Conciseness: Reduced from 150 to 65 words by removing examples
and minor details.
2. Paraphrasing: Reworded sentences (e.g., "Rising sea levels threaten
coastal communities" → "Global warming is causing sea levels rising”.
3. Key Ideas Retained: Kept main issues (climate change, pollution,
renewable energy, global action) while omitting specific details like
"afforestation."
4. Simplified Sentence Structure: Used shorter sentences for clarity.
VI. Understanding Summary Writing
Instructions: Read the following guidelines and answer the questions.
A summary:
Includes only the main idea and key points.
It is written in your own words (paraphrased).
Does not include opinions or minor details.
It is shorter than the original text.
Questions:
1. Why is it important to paraphrase when writing a summary?
2. How can you identify the main idea of a passage?
3. What details should you exclude from a summary?
VI. Example of Summary Writing
Dreaming is a fascinating and mysterious aspect of human life. Scientists
believe that dreams occur during the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of
sleep, when the brain is highly active. One theory suggests that dreams help
process emotions and memories, allowing the brain to organize thoughts
from the day. Another theory is that dreams serve as a problem-solving
mechanism, helping people explore different solutions to real-life challenges.
Some researchers argue that dreams are purely random and have no specific
function, while others believe they may reflect subconscious thoughts and
desires. Although dreams can sometimes be strange or illogical, they may
still carry meaning related to personal experiences. Despite extensive
research, the exact purpose of dreaming remains unclear. However, it is
widely accepted that dreaming plays a role in mental health and cognitive
function, making it an essential part of human sleep and well-being.
