英语作文Summary方法大汇总.docx

1、英语作文Summary方法大汇总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 ov

2、erall thesis of 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 summ

3、arized clearly and 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 followi

4、ng basic guidelines 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

5、 entertain. If the 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 wr

6、iter, you communicate 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, a

7、nd spellingLength: 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 t

8、he article. Most 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 aspec

9、t of the central 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.- Lab

10、el each segment. 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 shee

11、t of paper.Formulate 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 wor

12、ds. Note: In news 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,

13、 source, and date 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 log

14、ical flow of ideas.- 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?-

15、Have I left out 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. Th

16、omas IntroductionThe 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 pres

17、s. The arguments made by Zumwalt Senior and Junior are summarized below.Summary Although many journalists contend that the First Amendment guarantees unrestricted printing freedom, the authors believe the press has gained more power than the framers of the Constitution foresaw and therefore neglecte

18、d to install safe guards that would protect national security. According to the authors, the power of the media has gone far past what the constitutional framers expected; consequently, several acts since the writing of the Constitution have been implemented to deal with the lack of protection regar

19、ding national security. The authors continue to affirm that even though significant risk exists when confidential information is released to the press, this danger has remained unresolved by the courts. The authors cite an example to prove this point. The CIA during the Reagan administration recogni

20、zed Muhamar Quadaffi as a known terrorist and a potential threat to national security in a classified document. The Washington Post somehow had the document disclosed to them, and they soon published the information. Several months after the operation had been abandoned, the CIA found Quadaffi respo

21、nsible for the bombing of a West Berlin discotheque. Military action had to be taken because of the earlier release of the classified document. The operation incurred military casualties. The authors then offer a two-part solution: (1) make the publication of classified information a punishable offe

22、nse, and (2) incorporate a code of ethics into media guidelines that safeguards national security. The paper ends by discussing how ethics are the responsibility of good journalism.Conclusion Elmo R. Zumwalt and James G. Zumwalt assert that the media are overpowered and the national security is unde

23、rprotected. They believe that the government and the media must take steps to assure a disaster does not occur.The first sentence of a summaryYou are expected to identify the title of the text and the author in the first sentence, as well as the authors thesis or controlling idea. A general format f

24、or the first sentence is as follows:In the article “title of Article,”, Authors name + primary verb + main idea.Example: In the article “How Children Fail,” John Holt argues that most children fail because they do not develop their full potential.The most commonly used primary verbs include: 1. clai

25、m 2. recommend 3. argue 4. report 5. show 6. insist 7. explain 8. describe 9. suggest 10. believeModel Summaries of ArticlesOriginal passageThe following passage was written by Marc Lacey and published in New York Times on November 12, 2004. Using a New Language in Africa to Save Dying OnesSwahili s

26、peakers wishing to use a “compyuta”as computer is rendered in Swahilihave been out of luck when it comes to communicating in their tongue. Computers, no matter how bulky their hard drives or sophisticated their software packages, have not yet mastered Swahili or hundreds of other indigenous African

27、languages.But that may soon change. Across the continent, linguists are working with experts in information technology to make computers more accessible to Africans who happen not to know English, French, or the other major languages that have been programmed into the worlds desktops.There is econom

28、ic reason for the outreach. Microsoft, which is working to incorporate Swahili into Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, and other popular programs, sees a market for its software among the roughly 100 million Swahili speakers in East Africa. The same goes for Google, which last month launched www.g

29、oogle.co.ke, offering a Kenyan version in Swahili of the popular search engine.But the campaign to Africanize cyberspace is not all about the bottom line. There are hundreds of languages in Africasome spoken only by a few dozen eldersand they are dying out at an alarming rate. The continents linguis

30、ts see the computers as one important way of saving them. UNESCO estimates that 90 percent of the worlds 6,000 languages are not represented on the Internet and that one language disappears somewhere around the world every two weeks.(242 words)SummaryIn the article “Using a New Language in Africa to

31、 Save Dying Ones”(New York Times, November 12, 2004), Marc Lacey reports that linguists and computer experts are working to develop computers that work in Swahili and other African languages, so that many Africans can use computers in their native languages. Economics is one reason for doing so. Com

32、puter companies such as Microsoft and Google see potentially huge market for their products in Africa. Another important reason is to save African languages that are in danger of dying out.(88 words)Here is another model summary of a magazine article:How to Heal a HypochondriacBy Michael D. Lemonick Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2003 It happens to every medical student sooner or later. You get a cough that persists for a while or feel a funny pain in the stomach or notice a tiny lump un