10 Summary and Paraphrase
What is a summary?
A summary is a brief explanation of the main ideas of a larger work, such as a book or article. A summary should be significantly shorter than the original work and use your words to convey a clear content overview.
Key components of a summary are
- Objectivity – – the focus is on what the original author says rather than your response to or opinion of what the author says.
- Brevity – – a summary is shorter than the original work.
- Completeness – – a summary addresses all the main ideas of the original work and only those ideas. Supporting details are not included.
- Originality – – a summary is written in your own words and, most importantly, your own sentence structure. In other words, it needs to be in your own writing style; it needs to sound like you.
- Citation – – since a summary is a brief explanation of something another person wrote, it is essential to give credit to the original author.
What is a paraphrase?
A paraphrase is a rewording of an original work, while maintaining the same length and content. The main purpose of a paraphrase is to explain and clarify the original.
Key components of a paraphrase are
- Objectivity – the focus is on what the original author says rather than your response to or opinion of what the author says.
- Completeness – – a paraphrase addresses all the points of the original work, including the supporting details since the goal is to give a thorough explanation of the original. As a result, the paraphrase could be shorter than the original, but it could also be longer than the original. Obviously, you wouldn’t paraphrase an entire book. An article or short passage from a book would be more appropriate.
- Originality – a paraphrase, like a summary, is written in your own words and, most importantly, your own sentence structure. In other words, it needs to be in your own writing style; it needs to sound like you.
- Citation – since a paraphrase is a clarification of something another person wrote, it is essential to give credit to the original author.
Summary and Paraphrase Examples
Original:
College students spend much of their time reading. If students learn to read like writers, this ability will transfer to stronger writing. One way to master a skill is to learn from experts. Fro example, football players watch hour of films, studying plays over and over to catch nuances they can add to their game. Singers listen to songs dozens of times to learn subtle changes in tone and timing. Similarly, reading like a writer means reading material more than once. That’s how writers learn to craft clear, detailed paragraphs and to edit early drafts into final drafts with tight, captivating sentences.
In a world where we have more published material available to us than ever before, we all find ourselves plowing through texts quickly and never looking back. College forces you to take the scenic router, to pull over and study as many details in your readings as you can find and learn from. Learning to read like a writer won’t only help you become a better writer; it will help you learn to notice things many never see. – – Loretta Long.
Summary Sample:
According to Loretta Long, a college student who reads effectively will learn to write effectively. Of course, that also means reading material multiple times to see not only what the author says but also how the author conveys the message. We tend to scan written material rather than taking the time to read it closely. Changing your approach to reading is likely to help improve writing as well.
Paraphrase sample:
Loretta Long argues that reading and writing are closely connected, and mastering one skill can help with the other. This is not a novel idea. Football players review films to see how they might improve their game. Along the same line, singers play songs over and over to learn how they may enrich their own singing. If you want to improve your “game,” you too need to put in the time to read material several times to increase your understanding of the author’s message. Today, we tend to be in a hurry, racing through assignments so we can move on to the next project or activity. In college, you need to slow down, so you can grasp and appreciate what you are reading and how the author is trying to connect with you. You may be surprised at what you learn.
