西安交通大学研究生英语写作Summary Writing

SummaryWritingChapter4Objectives1.Giveanappropriatedefinitionforasummary2.Knowthecharacteristicsofagoodsummary3.Learnthetechniquesinsummarywriting4.Learnthestepsinsummarywriting5.PracticeI.Whatisasummary?Asummaryisashortenedpassage,whichretainstheessentialinformationoftheoriginal.Itisafairlybriefrestatement---inyourownwords---ofthecontentsofapassage.Note:yousimplyreportbackwhatthewriterhassaid,withoutmakingvaluejudgments.II.CharacteristicsofagoodsummaryCanbeunderstoodwithoutreferencetotheoriginal;Isafaithfulreproductionof,orcontainsonlytheideasorinformationof,theoriginal;Isbriefwithoutanyunnecessarydetail;IsareadableunifiedwholeIII.Techniquesinsummarywriting1.ParaphrasingToparaphrasemeanstocompletelyandcorrectlyexpressotherpeople’sideasinone’sownwords.Examples:1.You’vecookedusallahotpotato.(atroublesomepersonorissue)2.Preventionisbetterthancure.(Itisbettertopreventsomethingunpleasantfromhappeningthantrytoputitrightafterwards.)★Ithelpsusunderstandtheoriginalbetter.★Ithelpsusgraspthecentralideaandthemainpoints.★Ithelpsuswritesummariesthatarebriefandtothepoint,andinourownwords.Theimportanceofparaphrasing★Readtheoriginalcarefullyandcomprehenditsmeaningwhollyandcorrectly.★Considertheoriginalarticleasawhole,notinisolatedsentences.Stepsofparaphrasing2.GraspingthecentralideasIII.Techniquesinsummarywriting3.WaysofcondensationUsesynonymsorsynonymousphrasesHehadagoodcommandofEnglish.(HeknewEnglishwell.)ChangethestructureofsimplesentencesMybrotherhasanappreciationofmodernart.(Mybrotherappreciatesmodernart.)III.TechniquesinsummarywritingTurncomplexsentencesintosimplesentencesHereceivedawelcomethatwasascoldasice.(Hereceivedanicywelcome.)CombinethesentencesHurryup.Ifyoudon’t,you’llmissthetrain.(Hurryuporyou’llmissthetrain.)4.Findingthetopicsentenceandmakinganoutlinetopicsentence/outlineIV.Howtowriteasummary?1.Theimportanceofsummarywriting2.NecessaryelementsforagoodsummaryPropercitationtitle,author,source;dateofpublicationandthetext(journalarticles)Thesisstatementthetopicorgeneralsubjectmatterofthetext;theauthor’smajorassertion,comment,orpositiononthetopicSupportingideasmajorsupportingideas;relationshipsamongtheseideasnospecificstheauthor’spurposeinwritingnopersonalopinions,ideas,andinferences.Grammarandthestructureofwritingavoiddirectquotation;usetransitionalwordsLength1/4to1/3oftheoriginalReadthearticleTounderstandthearticleandfindthegeneraltheme.RereadthearticleDivideintosectionsandlabeleachsection.Understandtheimportantparts.Writeone-sentencesummariesSummarizeeachsectionofthought.3.StepsinwritingasummaryFormulatethethesisstatementWeavetheone-sentencesection-summariestogether.WritethefirstdraftA.Inthefirstsentenceortwo:1.Theauthor’sname2.Thearticle’sorchapter’sname3.Theauthor’sthesisstatementB.Thenthesummarysentencesforeachparagraphorsection.C.Expressinyourownwords,toavoidplagiarism.D.Occasionalsupportingideasifnecessary.Note:1.Eliminateunnecessarywordsandrepetitions.2.Eliminatepersonalideasandinferences.3.Usetransitionsforasmoothandlogicalflowofideas.4.Concludewitha‘summingup’sentence.Editthedraft•Isalltheimportantinformationinthesummary?•AmIlistingthingsout?•AmIsayingthesamethingoverandoveragain?•HaveIleftoutmypersonalviewsandideas?•Doesmysummary‘hangtogether’?•Ismygrammar,punctuation,andspellingcorrect?Writethefinaldraft