Chapter 4 - Paraphrasing, Summarising and Quoting

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Chapter 4: Paraphrasing, Summarising and Quoting

4b: Summarising

A summary is a condensed version of the original text. It is similar to a paraphrase but the former is shorter. Summarising involves the compression of a large amount of information into a shortest possible text. All the paraphrasing strategies can also be applied to summarising although the latter involves a reduction in the number of words.

The following steps are useful when summarising:

Read and understand the text.
Select the information relevant to your topic.
Identify the main ideas by finding the topic sentence and distinguish between main and supporting information.
Delete unnecessary details, examples, and unimportant information and data.
Paraphrase the text using different techniques (e.g. using synonyms, changing the structure of sentences and the text).
Check your work to ensure accuracy and further reduce the number of words when necessary.

In addition to the paraphrasing techniques introduced in Chapter 4a, there are several ways to summarise:

(i)	Removing unimportant details
	Original Text	Summary
	The social distancing measures, including the closure of cafes, restaurants, gyms and entertainment venues and compulsory use of masks in public areas, are effective in combating COVID-19, which has become widespread in the world.	The social distancing measures are effective in combating COVID-19.
	*Notes:* The "closure of cafes, restaurants, gyms and entertainment venues and compulsory use of masks in public areas" are examples of social distancing measures whereas the non-defining clause "which has become widespread in the world" provides supplementary information for the current situation of the pandemic. It should be noted that non-defining clauses are usually used for providing elaboration or supplementary information and can often be deleted in a summary.
(ii)	Providing a general term to cover specific terms
	Original Text	Summary
	Beef, pork and lamb are rich in protein.	Meat is rich in protein. /Meats are rich in protein.
	*Notes:* "Beef, pork and lamb" are examples of "meat". The difference between "meat" and "meats" is that the former is an uncountable noun whereas the latter is a countable noun referring to the different types of meat. This also applies in "fish" and "fishes" and "fruit" and "fruits". "Meat" can be further divided into "red meat" and "white meat". The former refers to "beef", "pork", "lamb", etc. whereas the latter refers to "chicken", "turkey", etc.
(iii)	Identifying the main idea
	The focus and main idea of a paragraph is often embedded in the topic sentence, the most important sentence in a paragraph. A topic sentence usually comes at the beginning or end of a paragraph, but it may also appear in any part of the paragraph.
	Original Text	Summary
	Mammals and reptiles are two of the five classes of vertebrates. Mammals, which include dolphins, dogs and squirrels, encompass more than 5,400 species. However, there are over 8,200 species of reptiles, including geckos, snakes, and crocodiles, which make it a more diverse group than mammals. Mammals are believed to have evolved from reptiles more than 200 million years ago.	Mammals and reptiles are vertebrates and the former is believed to have evolved from the latter. However, the species in reptiles are more diverse than those in mammals.
	*Notes:* The original text explains the relationship between mammals and reptiles and makes a comparison between the two. The first sentence is the topic sentence, which highlights the fact that they are both vertebrates, and it can be used as the beginning sentence in the summary. Specific details (e.g. 8,200 species) and examples (e.g. geckos) in the original text can be omitted.
In short, summarising can be a useful tool for condensing large amounts of information. A good summary demonstrates understanding of the original text and captures the salient point(s) and argument(s).

4a 4b 4c

Activity 3

Summarise the following sentences using any appropriate strategies.

Tropical cyclones in the Philippines can occur any time of the year, with the months of June to September being the most active. Approximately 20 tropical cyclones enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility yearly, an area which incorporates parts of the Pacific Ocean and the Philippine Archipelago (with the exception of Tawi-Tawi province).

The import of chicken, goose and duck meat has to be suspended after Thailand reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5 bird flu earlier this week.

Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings, most of which date from the last two years of his life. They include landscapes, portraits and self-portraits, and are characterised by bold colours and dramatic, impulsive and expressive brushwork that contributed to the foundations of modern art. Not commercially successful, he struggled with severe depression and poverty, eventually leading to his suicide at the age of thirty-seven.