Using Various Techniques in Summarizing a Variety of Guidelines in Summarizing

Academic Texts • 1. Read the original passage or text very carefully.

• 2. Highlight or underline what you take to be the main point of the original text
SUMMARY or make notes in the margins or on another sheet of paper.
• 3. When summarizing an entire essay, outline the writer’s argument.
• A summary is a brief statement or restatement of main points. Summarizing a
• 4. Now tell your audience what the original source argued.
text or distilling its essential concepts into a paragraph or two, is a useful study
• 5. Ask the following framework questions:
tool as well as good writing practice. A summary has two aims:
• a. What is the main idea?
• (1) to reproduce the main idea and the key points of a text and
• b. What are the crucial details necessary for supporting the ideas?
• (2) to restate these in as few words as possible.
• 6. Use key words or phrases to identify the main points from the text.
• The main idea is what the text is about while key points are arguments or • 7. You can also summarize a reading text by getting the main events and
information that is used to support the main idea. Also, it may be developed or arranging the events in chronological order
elaborated with supporting details. However, your summary should only
Example
include main ideas and key points, not supporting details. Another important
thing you must remember is that summaries are not a place for your opinions, • Example paragraph 1:
background knowledge and personal information • A typhoon is powerful, twisting hurricane. It begins high in the air, among the
winds of a giant storm cloud. People who have watched a typhoon’s howling
• Summaries can range in length from two sentences to several pages. In any
winds reach down from the sky have said it’s the most frightening thing they
case, use complete sentences to describe an author's general points to your
have ever seen. In some parts of the Philippines, these tropical storms are
reader. Do not quote extensively. If you quote, use quotation marks, and
called cyclones.
document the quotation. If you fail to document the quotation, even one word
• Sentence summary: Typhoons are frightening, powerful, twisting hurricanes
that the author used, you are plagiarizing material.
sometimes called cyclones that start in giant clouds.
• Summarizing helps students learn to identify key ideas of a text and ignore
• Example paragraph 2:
irrelevant information. Summarizing improves students’ memory for what they
• Tornadoes are not the only windstorms that move through earth’s air. Dust
read and by extension comprehension. By learning and practicing how to
devils, hurricanes and typhoons all have twisting winds. But these windstorms
summarize, one can develop reading comprehension and long-term retention
differ from tornadoes in important ways.
of information. It is also an effective tool to self-evaluate what they understood
• Sentences summary: Dust devils, hurricanes and typhoons also have twisting
and what they do not.
winds, but they are different from tornadoes.
• Summarizing is an important skill because it helps you
What is Not Summarizing
• 1. deepen your understanding of the text.
• 2. learn to identify relevant information or key ideas/key points. You are NOT summarizing when you
• 3. combine details or examples that support the main idea. • write down everything.
• 4. concentrate on the gist or main idea and key words presented in the text; • write down the ideas from the text word – for – word.
and • write down incoherent or irrelevant ideas.
• 5. capture the main idea in the text and put them together clearly and • write down ideas that are not stated in the text; or
concisely. • write down summary that has the same length or is longer than the original
text.
 Using Reporting Verbs when Summarizing THESIS STATEMENT
A reporting verb is a word used to discuss another person’s writings or assertions.
• Students should know how to control the use of social media applications.
Example: • Even though social media application is very helpful nowadays students should
Having a syntactically correct sentence is not enough to create meaning. As Noam know how to regulate the use of social media application.
Chomsky pointed out a sentence can be perfect in terms of syntax and still not make • Students should know how to regulate the use of social media in order to
sense. He showed this by coming up with the famous sentence, “Colorless green minimize the chance to get false information, also there are lots of
ideas sleep furiously” (Chomsky 1957). organizations who recklessly upload false information, and there are vloggers
who want to manipulate people by persuading them fake information.
Hyland (1999) lists a frequency of reporting verbs used according to discipline. • Even though social media application is very helpful nowadays students should
know how to regulate the use of social media application in order to minimize
the chance to get false information, also there are lots of organizations who
recklessly upload false information, and there are vloggers who want to
manipulate people by persuading them fake information.

WHAT IS THESIS STATEMENT

• Is the sentence that states the main idea of a writing assignment and helps
control the ideas within the paper.
• It is not merely a topic.
• It often reflects an opinion or judgment that a writer has made about a reading
or personal experience.
• Thesis statements presents or describes the point of an essay. In an academic
text, the thesis statement is usually presented in the abstract or executive
summary or found at the last part of the introduction. It is written in a
declarative sentence.

THESIS STATEMENT GUIDE DEVELOPMENT TOOL

• 1. State your topic
• Regulating children’s television use.
• 2. State your opinion/main idea about this topic.
• (This will form the heart of your thesis. An effective statement will express one
major idea.
• Parents should regulate the amount of television their children watch.
• 3. Give the strongest reason or assertion that supports your opinion/main idea.
• It is not always intellectually stimulating.
• 4. Give another strong reason or assertion that supports your opinion/main
idea.
• It inhibits social interaction.
• 5. Give one more strong reason or assertion that supports your opinion/main
idea.
• It shortens children’s attention span.
• 6. Include an opposing viewpoint. • Even though People have more time to their selves and their loved ones,
• Television can be educational Covid – 19 affects the lifestyle of the people.

THESIS STATEMENT GUIDE RESULTS Thesis with Reasons

• 1. Sample Thesis statement • Covid – 19 affects the lifestyle of the people because people are losing jobs
• Parents should regulate the amount of television their children watch and income, people are forced to stay at home and people are more
cautious to their purchase, actions, and interactions.
• 2. Thesis with concession (addressing an argument from the opposing
viewpoint first, and then uses the phrase “even though” and states the writer’s Thesis with Concession and Reasons
opinion/main idea as a rebuttal.)
• Even though people have more time to their selves and their loved ones,
• Even though television can be educational, parents should regulate the
Covid – 19 affects the lifestyle of the people because people are losing jobs
amount of television their children watch.
and income, people are forced to stay at home and people are more
• 3. Thesis with reasons (Here the use of “because” reveals the reasons behind cautious to their purchase, actions, and interactions.
the writer’s opinion/main idea.
• Parents should regulate the amount of television their children watch
because it shortens children’s attention spans, it inhibits social interaction,
and it isn’t always intellectually stimulating.

• 4. Thesis with concession and reasons. (This model both makes a concession to
opposing viewpoint and states the reasons/arguments for the writer’s main
idea.)
• While television can be educational, parents should regulate the amount of
television their children watch because it inhibits social interaction, shorten
children’s attention span, and isn’t always intellectually stimulating.

Covid – 19

• 1. Covid - 19
• 2. Covid – 19 affects the lifestyle of the people.
• 3. People are losing jobs and income.
• 4. People are forced to stay at home.
• 5. People are more cautious to their purchase, actions, and interactions.
• 6. People have more time to their selves and their loved ones.

Sample Thesis Statement

• Covid – 19 affects the lifestyle of the people.

Thesis with Concession

 Outlining Reading Texts What is an Outline?

An outline is a written plan that serves as a skeleton for the paragraphs you write. It
Topic Sentence
is a summary that gives the essential features of the information that will be
• The topic sentence presents or describes the point of the paragraph; in other included in a paper, book, speech, or any other similar document. It shows how the
words, it is the main idea of the paragraph. It can be located in the beginning, parts of a text are related to one another or parts that are of equal importance, or
middle or last part of the paragraph. sections that are subordinate to the main idea. This will also create a visual picture
of what you have read.
Strategies in Locating the Topic Sentence
What is the importance of making an outline?
• Read the first sentence of the paragraph very carefully because most authors
state their topic sentence in the beginning of the paragraph. 1. It gives an overview of the topic, and it enables us to see how various subtopics
• Browse the sentences in the paragraph to identify what they describe. The relate to one another.
sentence that best describes the topic of the paragraph is the topic sentence. 2. Recording the information in our own words tests our understanding of what
• Find the concept or idea being discussed, which in colloquial term is the “big we read.
word” in the paragraph. The sentence that defines the big word is usually the 3. It is an effective way to record needed information from reference books you
topic sentence. do not own.
• Identify the purpose of the paragraph. The sentence that presents or describes
2 Kinds of Outline
the purpose is the topic sentence.
• Observe the writing style of the author. Focus specifically on where he/she READING OUTLINE - is used to get the main ideas of a text that is already written.
usually places his/her topic sentence. Steps in Creating a Reading Outline
OUTLINING 1. Read the entire text first. Skim the text afterward.
2. Locate the main idea or thesis statement of the whole essay or text.
• Gathering information from a source whether from a book or the like will help
3. Look for key phrases in each paragraph.
you in writing your paper (essay, research paper, etc.).
4. Locate the topic sentence of each paragraph.
• When you write, you need to organize your ideas, in an order that makes sense
5. Look at the topic sentences and group those with related ideas together.
• Order refers to your choice of what to present first, second, third, and so on, in
6. The contents of the reading are arranged according to levels.
your writing.
7. Evaluate the supporting details provided.
3 Methods of Organizing an Information 8. Go back to the text to check whether you have followed its sequence
closely and that you have not missed any important information.

WRITING OUTLINE - is a skeletal overview of your draft, which contains your

fundamental points and the different ideas that support them.

Steps in Creating Own Outline

1. Determine what your purpose is for writing the thesis, who your reading
audience is, and point of view and tone you would like to assume in
delivering your message.
2. Begin your outline with a thesis statement.
3. Review your notes.
4. Group together similar ideas and thoughts.
 5. Examine all your main topics, sub-topics, supporting points and particular
details to see if it all developed your thesis, and are logically sequenced.
Also, check if all levels in the outline have parallel wordings and
grammatical structure.

The main difference between the two is the source of ideas. When you outline
someone else’s work, you are trying to present their ideas and structure. When
outlining your own paper, you will need to focus on your own ideas and the best
way to organize them.

A topic outline is the same as sentence outline except you use words or phrases
instead of complete sentences. It summarizes the main topics and subtopics in
words and phrases to keep the outline short and easier to comprehend. All the
headings, however, must be written in parallel structure, in other words, be
consistent. If you use phrase, stick with the phrase until the end, do not use
sentence in the middle of the writing.
A Sentence outline is the same as topic outline except you use a complete sentence
instead of words or phrases. Complete sentences create clarity and can advance
you one step closer to a draft in the writing process. This is commonly used when
the topic being discussed is complicated and requires details.
Critical Approaches in Writing a Critique
 Formalist Criticism
– this approach regards literature as a “unique form of human knowledge that
Reader – Response Criticism
needs to be examined on its own terms.” All the elements necessary for
is a school of literary theory that focuses on the reader and their experience of a
understanding the work are contained within the work itself.
literary work.
 Feminist Criticism

• Is a literary criticism informed by feminist theory, or more broadly, by the

politics of feminism. It uses the principles and ideology of feminism to critique
the language of literature.

Marxism

Economic Structure is the main driving force behind all social conditions and
historical changes.

Marx considers human history as a series of struggles between classes, between

the oppressed and the oppressing.

Marxist Criticism views literary works as reflections of the social institutions from
which they originate.
Writing a Review and a Critique: Works of Arts, Events, or
Programs

A reaction paper comprises the following structure.

1. Introduction contains all the basic information in one or two paragraphs.

The writer states the main statement.
Sentence 1 – title, author, and publication
Sentence 2-4 – brief summary of the text.
Sentence 5 – Thesis statement – You agree or disagree, identify, and evaluate.

2. Body expresses your ideas. It contains paragraphs that provide support for
your thesis. Each paragraph should contain a topic sentence.
• details-examples-quotations
• author-you or you-author

3. Conclusion focuses on your overall reaction. A prediction of the effects of

what you are reacting to but does not include new information.

Example

INTRODUCTION
The President's 5th State of the Nation Address was very different from the
previous ones he delivered inside the National Assembly building. First of all, as the
country is currently enduring the widespread effects of COVID-19, it had to be an
example to the Filipino people how we would be able to prevent the spread of the
deadly virus. The National Assembly building allowed at most only 50 participants to
be present inside the session hall while the President was delivering his speech. It
also required everyone that are going to be present to undergo rapid testing for
COVID-19. Thankfully, it seemed that nobody was tested positive for the virus, as if
there were a large number of positives, the event would have to be moved to the
Rizal Hall of Malacañang Palace.

BODY
As with the SONAs of previous Presidents of the Philippines, there was a wide range
of topics that the current President discussed during the time he was delivering his
speech. One of the mainstays of his speech are topics related to the illegal drug
trade in the country, and the latest of his moves he announced during his SONA was
the re-imposition of the death penalty, albeit with a specific note of imposing them
to heinous crimes related to the proliferation of illegal drugs, and in addition,
plunder. Maybe one of these days we would finally be able to see a high ranking
public official guilty of plunder not on wheelchairs, but on the deathbed just before
receiving lethal injection. Re-imposition of the death penalty was really never
proven to be an effective deterrent in committing heinous crimes, but maybe it's
better if we had something available that the criminals-to-be would be thinking of
before they commit something distasteful.

CONCLUSION
We had seen the efforts of our President for the past few years of his
administration in trying to make government service efficient for all the people. He
reminded the country's citizens to make use of the government hotlines in place to
report any kind of anomalies occurring during the time one is making use of the
services the government agencies are offering. The President jokingly stated to
even slap the government worker who is extorting you for money in exchange of his
or her services. He emphasized the need to eliminate long queues and red tape in
government offices to better service the needs of the public. We're not sure how
they are going to do this, but this practice in government is really the best example
why we need to promote competition in all its forms even in government offices

In summary, the President discussed in his State of the Nation Address his agendas
that he wanted to see implemented before he steps down on 2022. His
administration so far had shown its good and bad sides, and we need to see that
the bad sides of his leadership is hopefully rectified before he finished his term.

In the given example, you can see the topic of the reaction paper in the first
paragraph as the author introduces it with minor details. In the second paragraph,
which is the body of the paper, you can read the main points the author is trying
to convey to its readers. Lastly, the author concludes the paper by stating his own
observations of the topic, presents his point of view and then summarizes it by
giving his opinion.
 CONCEPT PAPER INFORMAL DEFINITION

• The writer uses known words or examples to explain an unknown term.

Defining a Concept Paper
• Ex.
• The concept paper defines an idea or a concept and explains its essence in • Freedom also referred to as liberty or independence, is a state people reach
order to clarify the “whatness” of that idea or concept. It answers the when they are free to think and do whatever they please.
questions: what is it and what about it (Dadufalza, 1996). • Bullying occurs when someone uses his/her power or prestige to intimidate
and terrorize another person.
The Art of Defining
However, not all words or concepts can be defined using the formal
❑ Definition is a mode of paragraph development that answers the questions: definition. For instance, words like LOVE, EQUALITY, and DEMOCRACY cannot
What is it? What does it mean? What are its special features?
be defined by giving their genus and differentia. For abstract concepts, an
❑ The word to be defined may be an object, a concept, a person, a place, or a
EXTENDED DEFINITION is needed.
phenomenon.

• Definition is important because it clarifies the meaning of a word, or a

concept and it also limits the scope of that particular word or concept.
Limiting the scope controls and avoids misinterpretations, vague notions,
and/or broad ideas.

TECHNIQUES

1) Formal definition
– most common technique in defining
– a term is defined by giving the class where the word/term belongs (the genus) and
the characteristics that distinguish the term from other terms known as differentia.

Term + genus + differentia = formal definition

TERM – the term to be defined

GENUS – the class where the word belongs
DIFFERENTIA – characteristics

EXAMPLE

Term – robot
Genus – machine
Differentia – looks like a human being and performs a complex act of a human
being

Formal definition
A robot is a machine that looks like a human being and performs a complex act of a
human being.
 Elucidating a concept by Definition, Explication, and 4. BY FUNCTION
- Stating what the word or term is for.
Clarification Examples:
1. A straight spatula is a kitchen tool used for scraping food from the sides of pots,
Extended Definition
stirring ingredients in curved bowls, or folding ingredients into each other.
It is used to define some abstract concepts. It is an explanation and/or an 2. A ledger is a written or computerized records of all the transactions a business
illustration of a word, thing, or concept. It generally has components of both has completed.
informal and formal definitions.
5. BY EXAMPLES
1. USE OF SYNONYM - Giving examples or narrating incidences that can further explain an
- Using a similar term or phrase to define a word. abstract or complicated topic.
Examples: Examples:
a. A charlatan is a quack, an imposter, a pretender, a fraud. 1. Compound exercises are exercises that require multiple
b. A bloke is a man, a boy, a fella, or guy in British. muscle groups to work at the same time, like deadlifts, squats, front lunge with
twist, and high plank T-spine rotation.
2. BY ETYMOLOGY 2. The horticulture industry can be categorized into three areas: pomology,
- explaining the origin or the place where the term comes from. olericulture, and ornamental horticulture.
Examples:
a. Tyrannosaurus rex comes from the Greek word meaning “tyrant” and “lizard” and 6. BY LIKENESS OR SIMILARITY
the Latin word meaning “king”. - Stating the similarity of one concept with another.
b. Eskwela is from the Spanish escuela and the Latin schola, which means Examples:
“conversations and the knowledge gained through them during free time; the 1. Brighter than 100 million suns, quasars stand like beacons on the shore of the
places where these conversations took place. universe.
2. A teacher is like a gardener who allows the students to grow under the best
3. BY ILLUSTRATION OR VISUALS
conditions.
- Providing a graphic representation of a topic or term to be defined.
Examples: 7. BY ANALOGY OR METAPHOR
1. 2. - Drawing Comparison between the topic and another concept already
familiar to the readers.
Examples:
1.Love is a battlefield where soldiers have to fight forever.
2.Laughter is the best medicine, while despair is the worst illness.

8. BY NEGATION
- Defining a term by stating what it is not.
Examples:
1. The Philippine flying lemur is not a lemur but a rodent and cannot fly as it only
glides in the air from one tree to another.
2. In a vehicle with automatic transmission, the driver is not responsible for shifting
the gears as the car does the shifting.

9. BY CONTRAST
- Defining by the use of opposites.
Examples:
1. Unlike other birds, penguins cannot fly.
2. Unlike other mammals, the duckbilled platypus doesn’t give birth to live young.

10. BY ANALYSIS OR PARTITION

- Breaking down wholes into parts, aspects into levels, and a process into
steps.
Examples:
1.The Philippine government is divided into the executive branch, the legislative
branch, and the judiciary.
2. The three kinds of diabetes (type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and gestational
diabetes).

SEI FELANCA

S - ynonyms
E - tymology
I - llustration or visual
F - unction
E – xample
L – ikeness or similarity
A – nalogy or metaphor
N – egation
C – ontrast
A – nalysis or partition

CLARIFICATION

Cambridge Dictionary defines clarification as “an explanation or more details that

makes something clear or easier to understand.” In reading and writing, you can use Concept: Minamata Disease
several strategies to clarify a point and avoid misconceptions or miscommunication.
Cause: methylmercury poisoning (ingestion of contaminated fish and shellfish)
1. Through Cause and Effect
Effect: sensory disturbances (glove and stocking type), ataxia, dysarthria,
A cause is the reason why something happens while the effect states the result or constriction of the visual field, auditory disturbances and tremor, fetal poisoning,
the outcome. A causal chain is a sequence of events in which any event in the chain brain lesions, death
causes the next one, leading up to the final effect.
Causal chain: poisoning that led to health problems and death of affected

2. Through Theories

A theory is an idea, or a system of ideas intended to explain the occurrence of an

object, activity, or situation. This particular theory is not simply a product of the
imagination of scientists, but a result of painstaking work guided by scientific
processes and tools.
Examples:
1. Big-bang theory
2. Theory of Evolution
3. Psychoanalytic theory

Concept: penmanship

Related theories: connection theory and motor learning theory

We can now conclude from the text that a kid’s penmanship depends on how much
time is spent in practicing how to write and that penmanship impacts academic
achievement based on the theories mentioned above.

Explication

-This is a method of explanation in which sentences, verses, quotes, or passages

from a literary or academic work and interpreted and explained in a detailed way
-When someone attempts to explicate a text, there is a focus on the structures of
the text-the plot, setting, point of view, characters. There is also a focus on the
literary devices and language used by the author-connotation of words, figures of
speech, tone, imagery, etc.

Example

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Explication:
In the final stanza of Frost's poem, The Road Not Taken, Frost talks about his
dilemma of coming upon two diverging paths, and not knowing which one to
choose. The third line is very important, as it delivers an idea of choosing between
the two divergent paths.