Fundamentals of Summarizing

Fundamentals of Summarizing

Paraphrasing Paraphrasing means putting information into your own words. You can paraphrase: A single word A phrase or group of words A whole sentence A whole paragraph A whole page

Characteristics of a Good Paraphrase A paraphrase must be CORRECT. A paraphrase must include ONE’S OWN WORDS. A paraphrase must MAKE SENSE.

Synonym A synonym is a word that has the same meaning or a very close meaning to the original word. Examples: A synonym for pretty is lovely. A synonym for starving is famished. A synonym for purple is amethyst. A synonym for automobile is car.

Phrase A phrase is a small group of words that has meaning. Examples: under the couch wooden house along the avenue before the game began

Sentence A sentence is a group of words that: Has a subject and a verb Begins with a capital letter Has a period or end punctuation Makes sense Examples: We found the book under the couch. The wooden house was very old. Bicyclists rode along the avenue. Mike ate dinner before the game.

Paragraph A paragraph must: Be indented at the beginning Contain sentences that are all related to each other Contain a topic, a main idea, and some details

Topic A topic is: One or two words that tell what a paragraph is about Frequently located in the first (or second) sentence of a paragraph Sometime found in the title above a paragraph. To find a topic, say: “This paragraph is about ,” and then fill in the blank with the one or two words

Example Paragraph Emile had done many things to get ready for her big performance in the play “Alice in Wonderland.” First, in a used clothing store, she had found the perfect costume to wear. Her dress looked just like the one in the book everyone had been reading. Second, she had practiced and memorized all her lines. She had worked at reading and rereading her lines every night. Finally, she attended every rehearsal and practiced with all the other actors. She knew exactly what would happen at any moment during the play. As you can see, by finding a great costume, memorizing her lines, and rehearsing, Emily had ensured that she would do a great job in her play.

Main Idea A main idea is: The bigger idea that the paragraph is about A general statement that summarizes all the information in the paragraph To find a main idea, ask: “What does this paragraph tell me about the topic?”

Detail A detail is: A piece of information that’s related to the main idea A statement that provides specific information about the main idea and topic To find a detail, ask: “What’s one piece of specific information about the main idea?”

Summarizing Diagram Topic CM Main Idea CM Detail #1 Detail #2 Detail #3 CM CM CM

The TM to D Process 1. Find the TOPIC (T) What is this paragraph about in one or two sentences 2. Find the MAIN IDEA (M) What does t his paragraph tell me about the topic? 3. Find the DETAILS (D) What information in this paragraph tells me more about the main idea? OR What’s one piece of information that’s related to the main idea?

The D to MT Process 1. Find the DETAILS What are several pieces of related information? 2. Think of the MAIN IDEA What phrase or statement can I use to summarize or group these details? 3. Think of the TOPIC What is this paragraph about? (in one or two words)