SUMMARIZING

A summary is an oral or written explanation of something you heard, saw, or read. You can summarize a lecture that you heard or a movie you saw. You can also summarize a newspaper article or a reading from a book. A summary is always shorter than the original material.

It is important to learn how to write a summary because you need to learn how to tell other people the main idea of what you heard, saw, or read. If people ask you what a movie was about, you first tell them the main idea of the story. If they are interested, you might give them a few details. Telling everything about a movie isn't summarizing.

Remember that you need to put the main idea first. You should add details if you think the people who listen to or read your summary won't understand the main idea without more explanation. Also, consider what you are asked to do. If your teacher asks for a one-sentence summary, give only the main idea. If your teacher asks for a brief summary, write the main idea plus a few details. If your teacher asks for a detailed summary, include some, but not all the details.

What to include in the first sentence
State the main idea in the first sentence. Here are some suggestions for ways to start:
According to Lillian Glass, ...
In Lillian Glass's opinion, ...
In the listening passage, Lillian Glass discusses/discussed...
The listening passage is/was about...

If you know the title of the source, use it in the first sentence between quotation marks. Write, for example:
The listening passage, "How to Be a Good Conversationalist," is/was about...
In her column, "So What's New with You?," Adair Lara talks about...

What not to include
Do not express your own opinion, and don't add information that was not in what you heard or read.

You should try to use your own words. If you must copy, do not copy too much, and be sure to put what you copy between quotation marks.