How to Summarise a Paragraph: Essential Techniques

By WR!TERS@WORK

Human beings go through their lives processing tons of information, filtering out which bits of information are important, and which are less so. What we are doing is actually summarising – we are taking the essence of what we see and hear and distilling it into smaller, bite-sized chunks for our processing and consumption. It is the reason why we cannot remember everything that our teacher says verbatim, but we know that no matter what, we need to submit our homework the next day. With intensive WRITERS AT WORK tuition classes, students have the opportunity to learn how to summarise a paragraph using essential language techniques to capture only the important bits of information, while filtering out those that are not.

What Does the Summarising Skill Entail?

When a student does a summary, they do a short overview of a passage which highlights the key points. Secondary students will be familiar with the summary exercise – some students may even dread it because they think everything is important to include. A good summary will let its readers grasp the central gist of the passage while foregoing the finer details. Students will need to have the goal of being concise and accurately capturing the main point. When reading a summary, the reader should glean the main points without having to read the passage.

Reading the Paragraph to Understand It

We cannot summarise what we cannot understand. It is important for the student to first read the paragraph and see what it is about in the first place. What is the author talking about in the paragraph? Understanding the context will inform your writing – knowing what the paragraph is trying to say will give you an idea of which points are relevant. Knowing the context of the paragraph will also help the student frame his summary. The first step in summarising should thus be to read the entire paragraph and figure out what the paragraph is talking about.

Step-By-Step Guide to Summarising a Paragraph

1. Read the paragraph carefully, noting down the key words and phrases and main idea.

2. Ask yourself what is NOT important – everything cannot be important.

3. Remember to put the sentences in your own words – do not plagiarise.

4. Read the summary and compare it to the main paragraph, eliminating redundancies.

Things to Do When Summarising:

1. Do keep it short and concise

A summary is not meant to outline every single detail in the passage. It is about which information is important and cannot be left out, and which information is not the main point.

2. Do stay objective and stick to the facts

Do not invent anything or paraphrase things in such a way that the meaning will change. The sentences must still be relevant to the passage and should still reflect the passage properly.

What NOT to Do When Summarising:

1. You should not write down everything

Not everything is important. There are some details which are simply examples of the main point the passage is trying to make. These details can be left out of the summary.

2. You should avoid plagiarism

Do not copy out all the sentences from the passage – you should lift the key ideas from the passage but use your own words where it is possible – do not plagiarise the passage.

3. You should not omit key information

If the reader does not know what you are talking about, then you have omitted key information. Make sure to include things which are important, such as context of the main points made.

To summarise, learning the skills of summary is highly important, especially when students get to higher levels of education. For example, in university, students will take in so much information as there are many things to read before a student comes for a single class. Students cannot possibly remember or read all that information – they will not have enough time. Instead, students need to be good at taking the important points from that information that are useful. With WRITERS AT WORK weekly English tuition classes, students have the opportunity to learn from our passionate teachers how to master the skills of summary earlier.

Attain Stellar Results with W@W!

English is a compulsory subject which all students must undertake. However, mastering the English language is not something which happens overnight – it takes consistent practice and effort to learn the nuances of the language. Students must read more and practice writing to gradually improve. Cramming for a language subject nearer to the exams is an impossible feat. After all, Rome was not built in a day! Attaining such a skill will have positive implications for not only your child’s education in school, but also employment prospects in future.

At WRITERS AT WORK, we are committed to providing the smoothest learning experience for your child sitting for their English exams. With our carefully curated methods of teaching your child how to write well, your child will learn how to present their thoughts and arguments in a coherent and concise manner. WRITERS AT WORK reinforces your child’s language skills and provides a strong foundation for their academic success, keeping up with all aspects of their progress both inside and outside of the classroom to nurture them holistically. For more information about how WRITERS AT WORK makes a difference, feel free to explore our website and watch our YouTube videos!

If you are interested in our primary English tuition and secondary English tuition in Singapore, WRITERS AT WORK has expanded to 8 convenient locations. To find the nearest location that suits your needs, please explore our options. If you have any inquiries regarding our range of programs or class schedules, please feel free to contact WRITERS AT WORK!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

1. What is Creative Writing in Primary School?

In primary school, creative writing starts from using pictures to develop a coherent storyline. Students will learn how to use key phrases to build tension and develop a satisfying conclusion. The plots of the stories crafted at the primary school level are usually simple and have a central conflict which is usually resolved at the end of the story. Students will need to use good grammar and appropriate vocabulary to describe the things they see in the pictures when writing.

2. What is an Enrichment Class in English?

An enrichment class allows your child to not only learn the basics of the mechanics of English such as good grammar and sentence structure, but it also teaches your child to appreciate the nuances of the English language. Students in an English enrichment class will learn skills like inference and critical reading – these skills are highly important even when students graduate out of school and go into higher education or the working world, as it will teach them to process and filter information to determine what is being said and evaluate the veracity of the information.

3. What Does a Writing Specialist Teach?

A writing specialist teaches your child how to formulate sentences in a logical manner. Writing has various contexts, and if the assignment is a narrative essay, there are certain requirements such as a well thought-out plot, fleshed-out characters, and a good denouement. There are other types of essays a student will learn in his lifetime, such as an argumentative essay, expository essay, and descriptive writing, which all require different skill sets learned during class.

4. How Does My Child Benefit From Writing Classes?

Writing classes build systematic thinking and logic in children. Crafting a story plot is the same as thinking, step by step, what events chronologically happen in the context of a given scenario. Students will be able to express their ideas and thought processes in a coherent and concise manner, which will help them in their other subjects as they will be able to formulate sentences to better understand the material. English proficiency is a highly transferable skill.