Write a Summary That Sums It All up

Write a Summary That Sums It All up Write a Summary That â€Å"Sums It All up† When it comes to summarizing a thought or essay for Toronto professors, you must be able to think critically, be concise, and have a certain amount of writing skill. Being a better writer makes you a better reader, because you understand how to find important points. This isn’t a talent developed overnight. Unfortunately, most people don’t know how to summarize effectively. Our tips will help you to recognize what is necessary to do more than explain, restate, or describe something you read. Understand What You Are Reading If you don’t have a thorough understanding of what you are reading, take your time with the text and try to grasp the basic â€Å"gist† of what the writer is conveying. As you read content, try to be more analytical. What argument is the author making? What does an idea presented mean to you? Take Notes If you like, taking notes can be done during a second read-through. Write down answers to any questions you had on the first reading. Write down the main points the author made. Leave out nothing, even if a point seems only vaguely important. Removing certain notes and thoughts is easier than later trying to remember something that wasn’t written. Edit Now is the time to thin out your notes. If anything seems less important to your summary, excise it. Create an Outline Review those notes and structure the paper based on them. Use key details and quotations where appropriate. Edit Again Look for more unnecessary ideas or statements. If an item doesn’t support your argument, remove it. If your text seems too wordy, find ways to say the same thing in fewer words. If your writing seems too short, add by using your thoughts from the reading work. Make sure to save this version under a different title just in case you want to reuse an earlier thought in your final draft. Start Writing Review the outline and beef up the main points. Do this one section at a time. Don’t worry about a first draft being â€Å"perfect;† there’s opportunity to fix things later. Check Your Work Review your writing. Did you make all your points? Are there spelling or grammatical errors? Smooth out the rough edges: Does some writing seem awkward? Read your text out loud and catch more errors. If you need assistance writing a summary for Toronto for school, college, or university, call toll-free: 1-800-573-0840. We can help with this or any other kind of writing assignment.