Summarizing

A summary tells the most important ideas of a passage in your own words, leaving out small details.

Reading is good — doing is better. Practice Summarizing as an interactive lesson.

Definition

Summarizing means retelling only the BIG ideas of a story or article using your own words. A good summary is short, covers the main points, and does NOT include every little detail the author wrote.

Remember the rule

SWBST: Somebody Wanted But So Then — use this to summarize a story. For nonfiction, use: Topic + Most Important Ideas + Conclusion.

Key words

Summary: A short retelling of the most important parts of a text, written in your own words.
Main Idea: The most important point the author is trying to make in a passage.
Key Details: The important facts or events that support the main idea.
Paraphrase: To say something in your own words instead of copying exactly what the author wrote.
Irrelevant Detail: A small or unimportant fact that does NOT need to go in a summary.
Text: Any piece of writing you are reading, such as a story, article, or chapter.
Retell: To describe what happened or what was said in a passage.
Topic: What the passage is mostly about, stated in one or two words.

Worked examples

Story: Maria wanted to win the school spelling bee. She studied every night for two weeks. On the day of the contest, she spelled every word correctly and won first place.

→ Maria worked hard to prepare for the spelling bee and won first place. · We left out that she studied 'every night for two weeks' because the key point is that she prepared and won.

Article: Dolphins are mammals that live in the ocean. They breathe air through a blowhole on top of their heads. Dolphins are very smart and can learn tricks. They also communicate with clicks and whistles.

→ Dolphins are intelligent ocean mammals that breathe air and communicate using sounds. · We combined the most important facts into one sentence instead of listing every detail.

Which of these belongs in a summary of a story about a boy who saves a lost puppy? A) The boy's name is Jake. B) Jake heard the puppy crying, found it, and brought it safely home. C) Jake was wearing a red jacket.

→ B) Jake heard the puppy crying, found it, and brought it safely home. · A and C are small details. B covers the main action of the whole story.

Chapter summary practice: A chapter explains that the American colonists were angry about paying taxes to Britain without having any say in the laws. They protested, and eventually this anger helped lead to the Revolutionary War.

→ American colonists were upset about unfair taxes and no voice in government, which helped cause the Revolutionary War. · One or two sentences can cover an entire chapter if you stick to the biggest ideas.

SWBST practice — Story: A fox was very hungry. He wanted some grapes hanging high on a vine. He jumped and jumped but could not reach them. So he decided the grapes were probably sour anyway and walked away.

→ Somebody: A fox. Wanted: grapes on a vine. But: he could not reach them. So: he gave up. Then: he told himself the grapes were sour. · SWBST helps you find the story's key parts before you write your summary sentence.

Common mistakes

Copying sentences word-for-word from the text instead of paraphrasing in your own words.
Including too many small details, like character descriptions or exact numbers, that are not important to the main idea.
Making the summary too short by leaving out one of the key events or main ideas.
Adding your own opinion or new information that was not in the original text.
Retelling the story in the wrong order, which makes the summary confusing.

FAQs

How long should a summary be?

For a paragraph or short passage, one or two sentences is usually enough. For a whole chapter or long article, three to five sentences is a good target. A summary should always be much shorter than the original text.

Can I use words from the text in my summary?

You can use some important words, especially topic words like 'dolphin' or 'Revolutionary War,' but try to write most of the summary in your own words instead of copying phrases straight from the page.

What is the difference between a summary and a retelling?

A retelling includes almost everything that happened, in order. A summary only picks out the most important ideas and is much shorter. Think of a summary as a highlight reel, not the whole game.

How do I know which details are important enough to include?

Ask yourself: 'If I left this out, would someone still understand what the passage is mainly about?' If yes, leave it out. If no, it probably belongs in your summary.

Does a summary need to be in the same order as the passage?

Yes, generally follow the same order so your summary makes sense. Start with the main topic, cover the key points in the order they appeared, and end with the conclusion or outcome.

What if the passage has no clear main idea stated?

Look at what most of the passage talks about. Ask: 'What is the author mostly trying to tell me?' That answer is your main idea, even if the author never wrote it in one sentence.

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