Worksheet 2 – Summary Writing - Answers

Summarized Points for T/F Questions (1-8)

Question 1
‧Think about the title.
The title often summarizes what the article is about.

Question 2
‧Consider any subtitle that may appear.
A subtitle, captions, or other words in large print under or next to the article often provide quick insight
into the meaning of an article.
‧Note any subheadings that appear in the article. Subheadings provide clues to the article’s main points,
and give an immediate sense of the content of each section.

Question 3
‧Make an outline of the article before beginning to write.

Question 4
‧Express the author’s ideas in your own words- not the words in the article itself.
‧Quote from the material only to illustrate key points. Limit your quotations. A one-paragraph summary
should not contain more than one or two quoted sentences or phrases.

Question 5
‧Do not write an overly detailed summary.
Remember that the purpose of a summary is to reduce the original material to its main ideas and essential
supporting points.

Question 6
‧Revise your first draft, pay attention to the four bases of effective writing (unity, support, coherence,
and sentence skills). Transitional devices can be used, but the writer should concentrate on presenting
directly and briefly the author’s ,main points. No personal comment should be added to a summary.

Question 7
‧Identify at the start of the summary the title and author of the work. Include in parentheses the date of
publication. For example, “In ‘Leaking with a Vengance’ (Time, October 13, 2003), Michael Duffy
states…”.

Question 8
‧Do not introduce your own opinions into the summary with comments like “another good point made
by the author…”
‧Instead, concentrate on presenting directly and briefly the author’s main points. (A summary is NOT an
argument or comment for an essay)

CC2040 English for Academic Studies (Health Care) – Study Guide