Summary 1. A summary is a clear concise orderly retelling of the contents of a text and is ordinarily about 1/3 or 1/4 as long as the original. To make a summary you should: a) write out clearly in your own words the main points of the text, subordinating or eliminating minor points; b) preserve the proportion of the original; c) change direct narration to indirect, use words instead of word combinations and word combinations instead of sentences; d) omit figures of speech, repetitions and most examples; e) use proper names instead of personal pronouns; f) don’t introduce any extra material by way of opinion, interpretation or appreciation. 2. Words and phrases suitable for a summary: a) At the beginning of the story the author describes (depicts, dwells on, touches upon, explains, introduces, mentions, recalls, characterizes, criticizes, analyses, comments on, enumerates, points out, generalizes, makes a few critical remarks, reveals, exposes, accuses, blames, condemns, mocks at, ridicules, praises, sympathizes with, gives a summary of, gives his account of, makes an excursus into, digresses from the subject to describe the scenery, etc.); b) The story (the author) begins with a/the description of (the mention of, the analysis of, a/the comment on, a review of, an accounts of, a summary of, the characterization of, his opinion of, his recollection of, the enumeration of, the criticism of, some/a few critical remarks about, the accusation of, the/his praises of, the ridicule of, the generalization of, an excursus into, etc.); c) The story opens with… The scene is laid in… The opening scene shows… We first meet him (her) as a student of… (a girl of 15) d) Then (after that, further, further on, next) the author passes on to say that… (goes on to say that…, gives a detailed description (analysis) of…, digresses from the subject, etc.); e) In conclusion the author describes…; The author concludes with… The story ends with…; To finish with the author describes… At the end of the story the author sums it all up (by saying…) The concluding words are… Textual connectors and sequence markers a) Addition: also, in addition, moreover, furthermore, besides, too, overall, what’s more (informal), in brief/short b) Summary: to sum up, then, overall, in brief/short c) Conclusion: in conclusion, finally, lastly, to conclude d) Equivalence: in other words, that means, namely, that is to say, or rather e) Inclusion: for example, for instance, say, such as, as follows (written), e.g. (formal and written) f) Highlights: in particular, in detail, especially, notably, chiefly, mainly g) Generalization: usually, normally, as a rule, in general, for the most part in most cases, on the whole h) Stating the obvious: obviously, naturally, of course, clearly