USE VARIOUS

TECHNIQUES IN
SUMMARIZING A
VARIETY OF
ACADEMIC TEXTS
Do you think it is
important to learn how
to summarize a text?
Summarizing a text is a
vital skill for your English
academic reading and
writing.
Summarizing is one of
the ways you can test
whether you fully
understand the text
that you’ve’ read.
If you can not make a short,
clear summary of the main
ideas of a text, then most
certainly you haven’t fully
understood the text
Does understanding
what you read mean
understanding the
words in a text?
Understanding what you read is
not just about the words.
Rather, it is about understanding
the ideas, how these ideas are
organized, and which ideas are
more or less important.
WHAT IS
SUMMARIZING?
Summarizing, according to Buckley (2004) in
her popular writing text Fit to Print, is a
strategy of reducing text to one-third or one-
quarter of its original size, clearly
articulating the author’s meaning, and
retaining main ideas.
Diane Hacker (2008), in A Canadian Writer’s
Reference, explains that summarizing involves
stating a work’s thesis and main ideas
“simply, briefly, and accurately”.
It is a strategy used to make a concise statement or
account of the main points of a text.
VARIOUS TECHNIQUES
IN SUMMARIZING A
VARIETY OF ACADEMIC
TEXTS (BARROT AND
SIPACIO, 2017)
1) Clarify your purpose before
you read.
(research, survey, skim, etc)
2) Read the text at least twice until you fully understand its
content. Locate the gist or main idea of the text, which can
usually be found either at the beginning, in the middle, or in
the end.
Without looking at the text, identify the connections of these
key ideas and phrases and list your ideas in sentence form.
3) Highlight key ideas and
phrases; another strategy is
to annotate the text.
4) Write all the key ideas and
phrases you identified on the
margins or on your notebook in a
bullet or outline form.
. 5) Never copy in
verbatim a single
sentence from the
original text.
7) Refrain from adding
comments about the text. Stick
to the ideas it presents
8) Combine the sentences into
a paragraph. Use appropriate
transitional devices to improve
cohesion.
9)Edit the draft of your
summary by eliminating
redundant ideas.
10) Compare your output
with the original text to
ensure accuracy.
11. Record the details of the original source
(author’s name/s, date of publication, title,
publisher, place of publishing, and URL, (if
online). It is not necessary to indicate the
page number/s of the original text in citing
sources in summaries.
•12. Format your summary properly.
When you combine your summaries
in a paragraph, use different formats
to show variety in writing.
 EXAMPLE 1
The Sentiments of Kundiman
Kundiman Niche

In the Philippines, the so-called kundiman era covered the years 1880-1930. The masters
in the style of writing kundiman were Francisco Baltazar (Balagtas) and Deogracias H. Rosario
in Tagalog and Manuel Bernabe and Jesus Balmori in Spanish. Later the famous composers of
the kundiman as we know it today were Nicanor Abelardo, Francisco Santiago, Juan de S.
Hernandez, Francisco Buencamino, Crispin Reyes, and the young composers that followed.
The kundiman has inspired our composers to write higher forms of composition, such as
sonatas, concertos, amd symphonies using not only the kundiman but also many folk songs.

• Source: Laurel, M.M., Lucero, A., & Bumatay-Cruz, R. (2016). English for Academic and Professional
Purposes (Reader). Quezon City, Philippines: Sunshine Interlinks Publishing House, Inc.
What is the gist of the
selection?
What are the key
words?
 ● Inspired famous
● Kundiman
and young
● 1880-1890
composers

● Francisco
Baltazar, ● Higher forms of
Deogracias H. composition
Rosario, Manuel using kundiman
Bernabe, and and folk songs
Connect the key words into
a sentence form.
Summary
Kundiman flourished in our country from 1880-
1890 led by key composers Francisco Baltazar,
Deogracias H. Rosario, Manuel Bernabe, and Jesus
Balmori who inspired many famous and young
composers resulting to higher forms of composition
such as kundiman and folk songs.
 EXAMPLE NO. 2

Japanese Rail Tunnel

Due to an increase in traffic between the various islands which make up Japan, and
predictions of a continuing growth in train travel, a rail tunnel was built to connect the islands of
Honshu and Hokkaido. The Seikan Tunnel in Japan is today the longest tunnel in the world,
with a length of almost 54km. When the tunnel was opened in 1988, all existing trains went
through it. However, newer Japanese bullet trains have never used the tunnel because of the
cost of extending the high-speed line through it. Consequently, the train journey from Tokyo to
Sapporo still takes about ten hours. In contrast, the journey by air takes only three and a half
hours. This, combined with the fall in the cost of flying, has meant that more people travel by
plane than train and the tunnel is not used as much as forecasters had predicted.

• Source: https://www.academic-englishuk.com/summary-skills
What are the key words?
The Seikan Tunnel
Longest tunnel, 54 km
Connects the Island of Honshu and Hokkaido
Inaugurated, 1988
To deal the predicted increase in train travel
Not widely used as predicted
High speed trains cannot go through, fall on the cost of
flying
Summary
The longest railway tunnel in the world links the islands of
Honshu & Hokkaido. This 54km tunnel was inaugurated in 1988
to deal with the predicted increase in rail traffic. However, the fall
in the cost of flying and the fact that high speed trains cannot use
the tunnel have resulted in the tunnel being less widely used
than expected.
A.Practice Task 1: Word Thrift

Directions: Read carefully the following text.

Underline/ highlight the key ideas and phrases
in the text. Write a summary of one to two
sentences of the selection using as many of
the main idea words as possible. Be guided by
the rubric for scoring on Part IV. Write your
summary in another sheet of paper.
 There are many types of lethal venom in the animal kingdom, but
perhaps no stranger carrier than the platypus. The platypus is one of few
venomous mammals. Males carry a venom cocktail in their ankle spurs
that paralyzes victims with excruciating pain. Stranger still, the platypus
is the only mammal that uses electroreception. What this means is that
the platypus uses its bill to sense the electricity produced by the
muscular movements of its prey. The platypus neither sees, hears, nor
smells its prey while hunting but, rather, pursues it through
electroreception. Perhaps most odd, the platypus is the only mammal
that lays eggs rather than giving birth to live young. The platypus is an
odd creature indeed.
• Source:https://www.ereadingworksheets.com/free-reading-worksheets/reading-comprehension-worksheets/summarizing-worksheets-and-activities.
Practice Task 2. One Paragraph at a Time

Directions: Read the essay below. From this essay,

complete the subsequent graphic organizer with
persuasive points for each of the paragraphs following the
thesis statement given below. Write your answer in a
separate sheet following the format below. Be guided by
the rubric for scoring on Part IV.
 Why is Education Important in Our Society?

Introduction
Education is more than just learning from books,
and it is a shame that a lot of schools do not see that it
is more than just a curriculum and school score. A
good education can teach a child how to learn so that
the child may take up independent learning as an
adult. Education may also teach a child how to reason
so that a child does not grow up to be ignorant.
•
Persuasive point 1:

The biggest selling point for education in our society is

the fact that it helps people learn “how” to learn. It is not
about the knowledge they accumulate, it is the way a
child is taught how to “learn” things. A child may come
away from school not knowing a lot of the course, but if
that child has been taught how to learn, then that child
may become an adult that learns everything he or she
needs in life. Otherwise, that child may grow up to be a
person that cannot see the obvious because he or she
cannot reason and consciously learn new things.
Persuasive point 2

Education teaches people how to reason, and if

they are taught how to reason well, then they help
subdue their own thoughts of ignorance. For
example, there are lots of posts and websites on
the Internet about childhood vaccinations and how
dangerous they are. Ignorant people than never
learned how to reason will look at them, believe
them and support them. If a person is taught how
to reason then he or she will know how to
recognize empirical evidence.
Persuasive point 4 Conclusion

If education is not seen as important, then one day it

will just be all about school scores and hitting the factors
of a curriculum. There will be a day when children start to
hate learning because school put them off it for life (this
already happens in some cases). Plus, without education
teaching people how to reason things out and teaching
them how to separate what is fact from what is faulty
evidence, then our society will become more and more
ignorant until a smarter country simply marches over and
takes our country from under out ignorant noses.
Persuasive point 3
That person would look at all the people in the US that
have had childhood injections (most of them) and then look at
all the people with autism. They would reason that if childhood
vaccinations caused autism then most of the people in the US
would have autism. If a person is taught how to reason then that
person may see how people that smoke seem more likely to
develop emphysema than people that do not smoke. They would
then reason there is a link between smoking and emphysema.
This sort of reasoning can be taught in schools, and if children
are not taught it then they walk around risking their children’s
lives by not vaccinating them, and walk around smoking
because their daddy smoked for years and it never hurt him.
•
Persuasive point 4 Conclusion

If education is not seen as important, then one day

it will just be all about school scores and hitting the
factors of a curriculum. There will be a day when
children start to hate learning because school put them
off it for life (this already happens in some cases). Plus,
without education teaching people how to reason things
out and teaching them how to separate what is fact
from what is faulty evidence, then our society will
become more and more ignorant until a smarter country
simply marches over and takes our country from under
out ignorant noses.
THESIS STATEMENT: THERE ARE TWO BEST
REASONS WHY EDUCATION IS IMPORTANT IN
OUR SOCIETY.
Paragraph 1
Persuasive points:

Paragraph 2
Persuasive points:

Paragraph 3
Persuasive points:

Paragraph 4
Persuasive points:
After identifying the persuasive
points, you may now write the
summary.
Write E if the statement shows an effective strategy in writing a
summary; and N if it does not.
_____
1. Glenn adds his own explanation to some of the key ideas he
writes in his summary.
_____
2. Hazel highlights the key ideas in the original text while
reading it.
_____
3. Sarah reads the original text several times until she fully
understands it.
_____
4. David copies in verbatim some of the sentences from the
original text.
_____
5. Giovani does not acknowledge the original source in his
summary.
HOW IS SUMMARIZING
DIFFERENT FROM
PARAPHRASING AND Direct
Qouting?
 SUMMARIZING PARAPHRASING DIRECT QUOTING
Does not match the source Does not match the source Matches the source word for
word for word word for word word
Involves putting the main Involves putting a passage Is usually a short part of the
idea(s) into your own words, from a source into your own text
but including only the main words
point(s)
Presents a broad overview, so Changes the words or Cited part appears between
is usually much shorter than phrasing of a passage, but quotation marks
the original text retains and fully
communicates the original
meaning
Must be attributed to the Must be attributed to the Must be attributed to the
original source original source original source
Summarize when you want to Paraphrase when you want to Quote directly when you want
avoid or minimize direct avoid or minimize direct to begin your discussion with
quotation; or use the main quotation; or rewrite the the author’s stand; or
idea of the text and write it in author’s words by not highlight the author’s
your own words changing the message or use expertise in your claim,
your own words to state the argument or discussion
author’s ideas

Barrot, J.S. and Sipacio, P.J.F. (2016) Communicate Today: English for Academic & Professional Purposes for Senior High School