The UVic Writer's Guide
Use The Most Economical Wording Possible
- Where the original uses a whole clause, try to sum up the same idea in a phrase; where it uses a phrase, try to use a single word; where several
near synonyms restate the same idea, choose the one that gives
the central common meaning
- Use a simple or complex sentence rather than a compound sentence to summarize a paragraph (unless the original paragraph itself
is poorly organized). A compound sentence implies that there are
two or more equally important ideas in the paragraph. If you find
that you have written a compound summarizing sentence, recheck
the paragraph to make sure that the author did not imply some
subordinating relationship that you missed.
- In determining the author's intent, be alert to such writing techniques
as parallel clauses and phrases (which indicate ideas of equal weight), and
transitional words and phrases (which show relationships between
ideas).
Unless the original page is already severely condensed, a summary
of about one-third or one-fourth the length of the original can
usually preserve the essential points. The shorter the summary,
however, the greater the danger of oversimplification or outright
misrepresentation. Be careful to preserve the essential conditions
or distinctions:
- if- and unless- clauses;
- differences between is, will, and might;
- words like only, almost, or the phrase on the whole.
Moreover, preserve the relative emphasis of the original, giving
more prominence to a point treated at length than to one mentioned
in passing.
Topics About Summaries
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Copyright, The Department of English, University of Victoria,
1995
This page updated Sept. 24, 1995