Hello readers!

I will admit I do not have the most exciting topic but please forgive me and hang with me here. Today in my ASTU I just had my Summary exam, to be honestly I find this task extremely challenging and would much rather write an essay than a summary. While I was writing my exam, I thought to myself. Why is having the skills to summarize an article so importance? The more I think of this question, the more real life application of summary can come into play. We all read the short summary paragraph at the back of the book before buying it; or perhaps read the comments on rotten tomato of a movie before watching it and most importantly we would read the summarized life of a person on Wikipedia when we need to do a research paper on a historic person. The list go on and on, and I am convinced that summary is extremely important in the world of literature.

You might be wondering what’s the purpose of me writing a short article specifically on why summary is important. Well, Let’s face it, we all love summary and we all read summary, which is also probably why we should all learn how to write a summary. I know this sounds cliché but summary is everywhere in our daily life!

In order to write a good summary, here are some things to beware of.

1. Writing a summary is no easy task, fitting all the key information from an essay into one short paragraph is a lot harder than it sounds. The key is to focus on the bigger picture rather than expanding on smaller details. Try to mention points that’s link to another point.
2. Always use present tense. Avoid switching tenses mid-way through the paragraph, not only will it cause confusion for the reader but it would also affect the flow of the paragraph.
3. Do not use the full name of the article as the introduction but use the words within the name of the article. Not only will it save much valuable space but also make the paragraph less bulky.
4. Avoid using the word “conclude” but use the word “argues”, “claims” and also “charts”.
5. Try to use direct words from the article and put it into the summary. It not only gives the readers a taste of the original article but also put more trust into your work.
6. Try to stay neutral and only use words like “intend” when you doubt or disagrees with the original text. Please be aware that after using these words, an explanation is required. You will have to explain why you disagree or what the writer is trying to prove but failed to.
7. Last but not least, always remember to introduce the writer. Avoid using information like which University he/she is from and try to mention something the readers would want to know or find useful! The writer’s field of studies is an example. For example: Biologist Rachel Lam proposed that in her recent article……….

I hope you find my article a delight to read and my pointers useful. See you next week!