How to Summarize

Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Yutaro in Japan about how to summarize what you hear or read.

Question

Dear Teacher,

I enjoy listening to VOA Learning English every night. I have a question about "summarizing." How do I summarize a speech, paper, or other text I've listened to? I have to improve my summary skills to pass the upcoming entrance exam.

Answer

Thank you for writing to us, Yutaro. I'm happy to answer this question.

“Summarize” is the verb form of the word “summary.” A summary briefly explains the main ideas of a piece of writing or a speech but does not include all the details. It is often only one or two paragraphs long.

Being able to summarize is a useful skill to have, not only for passing exams but also for working in professions. To summarize well, you need to separate the main ideas from less important details.

You can use the following method to do this:

First, read or listen to the material one time without writing any notes. This will help your mind focus on understanding the ideas. Next, read or listen again. But this time, write notes and be sure to identify the main ideas along with some details. You can mark main ideas by putting a star next to them, underlining them, or using a colored pen to mark them.

Next, take a separate piece of paper and try to write only the main ideas. Then, decide which details are necessary to include so that the main ideas are clear. Remember, in a summary, you cannot include every detail. This is sometimes difficult to do at first and requires careful thought.

If you can, let a few hours pass between the time when you first take notes and the time when you write the main ideas. This is a good way to see if you can remember and organize the main points in your mind.

You can also try the following method to prepare a summary:

Try to explain the material as if you were talking about it with your friends or family. In those situations, you would naturally just focus on the main ideas and possibly add a few important details. Practice explaining the ideas by speaking out loud. When you speak, you will probably discover the things you can explain clearly and those things you need to check again.

Finally, you can write the summary, keeping in mind the way you presented the main ideas when you spoke about them.

For our readers and listeners, do you have a question about American English? Send us an email at 21voa.com.

And that's Ask a Teacher.

I'm Andrew Smith.

Andrew Smith wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English.

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Words in This Story

text –n. written words; a piece of writing

paragraph –n. usually a group of sentences that explain one idea

focus –v. to direct your attention on something

practice –v. to do a task several times in an effort to learn it and to do it better

check –v. to look or read over something you have already done to make sure it is correct