Studies of written English. A kind of writing technique that helps to achieve good results is summarizing the contents of written works.

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A kind of writing technique that helps to achieve good results is summarizing the contents of written works.

Summary is a representation of the contents of complete works in brief. It is expected to be about a sixth or a tenth of the original in length. It is easier to make a summary of stories, novels and plays which have a plot.

Plot is a systematic arrangement of events by means of which the writer builds up a meaningful situation and shows the characters. Usually a plot consists of a good beginning, a middle, and an end.

In order to make a good clear summary of a story you have to go through the following stages:

1. Read the story carefully so as to understand its plot.

2. Make a list of all the points you find important. These notes should be very brief, very much like the topic plan (see the sample in Unit Four).

3. Using the list of points, write a rough draft of the summary. You may paraphrase and modify topic sentences. This will help you to reproduce the contents of the story in your own words.

4. After having written a rough draft shorten it and write a -fair copy of your summary.

Note: Take care not to change the meaning of the original or add to it. Your summary may follow the outline of the story in brief.

Here is a sample summary of "A Day's Wait" (see Unit Two).

A boy of nine fell ill. He was running a high temperature (102°F). The doctor diagnosed the illness as flu. He said there was nothing to worry about if the fever did not go above one hundred and four degrees. The boy lay still in the bed. He seemed detached and was looking very strangely at the foot of the bed. When the father took his temperature again the boy asked him about the time he was going to die. He argued with his father about the temperature because when being at school in France he learned from the boys that you can't live with the temperature of forty-four degrees. The father reassured him explaining the difference between the Fahrenheit and Centigrade thermometers. The boy relaxed after "a day's wait", though the next day he was still suffering from a nervous breakdown.

Assignments:

1. Write a summary of the story "How We Kept Mother's Day". (See Unit Four.)

2. Try to make a summary of Judy's letters. (Don't forget to make a list of the most important points before writing a rough draft.)

3. Write a summary of the dialogue between Ann and Steve. (See Text B.) Think of the best topic sentences introducing or/and completing your summary.

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