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1、Summary WritingCharacteristics of a Good Summary: A good summary has the following characteristics:Proper Citation: The summary begins by citing the title, author, source, and, in the case of a magazine or journal article, the date of publication and the text.Thesis Statement: The overall thesis of
2、the text selection is the authors central theme. There are several aspects to an effective thesis statement:- It comprises two parts: a) the topic or general subject matter of the text, and b) the authors major assertion, comment, or position on the topic.- This central theme is summarized clearly a
3、nd accurately in a one sentence thesis statement.- The thesis statement does not contain specific details discussed in the text.- The thesis statement is stated at the beginning of the summary.Supporting Ideas: The author supports his/her thesis with supporting ideas. Use the following basic guideli
4、nes when summarising supporting ideas:- Cover all of the authors major supporting ideas.- Show the relationships among these ideas.- Omit specifics, such as illustrations, descriptions, and detailed explanations.- Indicate the authors purpose in writing: to inform, to persuade, or to entertain. If t
5、he passage is a persuasive piece, report the authors bias or position on the issue.- Omit all personal opinions, ideas, and inferences. Let the reader know that you are reporting the authors ideas.Grammar and the Mechanics of Writing: Grammar and related concerns ensure that, as a writer, you commun
6、icate clearly to your reader. The following are particularly important:- Restate the ideas in your own words as much as possible. Avoid direct quotations.- Use transitional words for a smooth and logical flow of ideas.- Edit and re-write your work.- Check your grammar, punctuation, and spellingLengt
7、h: The length of a summary depends on how long the original document is. It may vary between one third the original text and one tenth. Steps in Writing a Summary: Initially, summary writing can seem like a challenging task. It requires careful reading and reflective thinking about the article. Most
8、 of us, however, tend to skim read without focused reflection, but with time and effort, the steps listed here can help you become an effective summary writer.Read the articleReread the Article.- Divide the article into segments or sections of ideas. Each segment deals with one aspect of the central
9、 theme. A segment can comprise one or more paragraphs. Note: news magazine articles tend to begin with an anecdote. This is the writers lead into the article, but does not contain the thesis or supporting ideas. Typically, a feature lead does not constitute a segment of thought.- Label each segment.
10、 Use a general phrase that captures the subject matter of the segment. Write the label in the margin next to the segment.- Highlight or underline the main points and key phrases.Write One-Sentence summaries.- Write a one-sentence summary for each segment of thought on a separate sheet of paper.Formu
11、late the Thesis Statement.- Formulate a central theme that weaves the one-sentence segment summaries together. This is your thesis statement.- In many articles, the author will state this directly. You may wish to take his direct statement of the thesis and restate it in your own words. Note: In new
12、s magazine articles, the thesis is often suggested through the articles title and sub-title.- In other articles, you may have to write your own one-sentence thesis statement that summarizes this central theme.Write Your First Draft.- Begin with a proper citation of the title, author, source, and dat
13、e of publication of the article summarised.- Combine the thesis statement and your one-sentence segment summaries into a one-to-two-paragraph summary.- Eliminate all unnecessary words and repetitions.- Eliminate all personal ideas and inferences.- Use transitions for a smooth and logical flow of ide
14、as.- Conclude with a “summing up” sentence by stating what can be learned from reading the article.Edit Your Draft. Check your summary by asking the following questions:- Have I answered the who, what, when, why, and how questions?- Is my grammar, punctuation, and spelling correct?- Have I left out
15、my personal views and ideas?- Does my summary “hang together”? Does it flow when I read it aloud?- Have someone else read it. Does the summary give them the central ideas of the article?Write Your Final Draft.A Sample Summary of “National Security Justifies Censorship” By Roger S. Thomas Introductio
16、nThe article National Security Justifies Censorship by Elmo R. Zumwalt and James G. Zumwalt, appears in Censorship, a book in the Opposing Viewpoints Series. The article asserts that information that is secret and vital to the security of the nation should not be released to the press. The arguments made by Zumwalt Senior and Junior are summarized below.Summary Al
