{"id":13320,"date":"2014-02-07T21:14:47","date_gmt":"2014-02-07T21:14:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/?page_id=13320"},"modified":"2026-03-26T09:36:58","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T14:36:58","slug":"summarizing-text","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/summarizing-text\/","title":{"rendered":"Summarizing Text"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t<div id=\"mmDeferVideoEncompass_Ow2YuVQNYOY\" style=\"position: relative;\">\n\t\t\t<picture>\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.webp\" type=\"image\/webp\">\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"> \n\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\" id=\"videoThumbnailImage_Ow2YuVQNYOY\" data-source-videoID=\"Ow2YuVQNYOY\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" alt=\"Summarizing Text Video\" height=\"464\" width=\"825\" class=\"size-full\" data-matomo-title = \"Summarizing Text\">\n\t\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<style>img#videoThumbnailImage_Ow2YuVQNYOY:hover {cursor:pointer;} img#videoThumbnailImage_Ow2YuVQNYOY {background-size:contain;background-image:url(\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/842-summarizing-text-1.webp\");}<\/style>\n\t\t\t<script defer>\n\t\t\t  jQuery(\"img#videoThumbnailImage_Ow2YuVQNYOY\").click(function() {\n\t\t\t\tlet videoId = jQuery(this).attr(\"data-source-videoID\");\n\t\t\t\tlet helpTag = '<div id=\"mmDeferVideoYTMessage_Ow2YuVQNYOY\" style=\"display: none;position: absolute;top: -24px;width: 100%;text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;font-size: small;border-top: 1px solid #fc0;\">Having trouble? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v='+videoId+'\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to watch on YouTube.<\/a><\/span><\/div>';\n\t\t\t\tlet tag = document.createElement(\"iframe\");\n\t\t\t\ttag.id = \"yt\" + videoId;\n\t\t\t\ttag.src = \"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/\" + videoId + \"?autoplay=1&controls=1&wmode=opaque&rel=0&egm=0&iv_load_policy=3&hd=0&enablejsapi=1\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.frameborder = 0;\n\t\t\t\ttag.allow = \"autoplay; fullscreen\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.width = this.width;\n\t\t\t\ttag.height = this.height;\n\t\t\t\ttag.setAttribute(\"data-matomo-title\",\"Summarizing Text\");\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_Ow2YuVQNYOY\").html(tag);\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_Ow2YuVQNYOY\").prepend(helpTag);\n\t\t\t\tsetTimeout(function(){jQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoYTMessage_Ow2YuVQNYOY\").css(\"display\", \"block\");}, 2000);\n\t\t\t  });\n\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\n<p><script>\nfunction mr3_Function() {\n  var x = document.getElementById(\"mr3\");\n  if (x.style.display === \"none\") {\n    x.style.display = \"block\";\n  } else {\n    x.style.display = \"none\";\n  }\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"moc-toc hide-on-desktop hide-on-tablet\">\n<div><button onclick=\"mr3_Function()\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/toc2.svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"show or hide table of contents\"><\/button><\/p>\n<p>On this page<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<nav id=\"mr3\" style=\"display:none;\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Review_the_Text\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Review the Text<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Identify_the_Main_Ideas,_Characters,_or_Events\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Identify the Main Ideas, Characters, or Events<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Choose_What_is_Most_Important\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Choose What is Most Important<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Use_Your_Own_Words\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Use Your Own Words<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Write_Chronologically\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Write Chronologically<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Be_Objective\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Be Objective<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"accordion\"><input id=\"transcript\" type=\"checkbox\" class=\"spoiler_button\" \/><label for=\"transcript\">Transcript<\/label>\n<div class=\"spoiler\" id=\"transcript-spoiler\">\n<p>When reading a piece of literature, especially if it\u2019s lengthy, it can be difficult to pinpoint the <a class=\"ylist\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/main-ideas-in-a-story\/\">main ideas<\/a> and events that took place. Summarizing text is a useful tool for not only recalling lengthy text but also for organizing the text\u2019s main ideas. In this video, we\u2019ll look at how to write a summary and what a summary should include.<\/p>\n<p>A good summary is a brief recollection of the main point of the piece. The summary should include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Main characters, events, and places<\/li>\n<li>The overall purpose of the piece of writing<\/li>\n<li>Most importantly, it should be shorter than the original text<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Summaries should not include supporting details that aren\u2019t important to the text\u2019s main point or plot.<\/p>\n<p>So, how do we identify what ideas to include and what to leave out?<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Review_the_Text\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Review the Text<\/h2>\n<p>\nFirst, it\u2019s important to review the text. If you\u2019re going to write a summary, don\u2019t just skim through the text or just read a chapter here and there. Reading through the entire text at length helps you to have a clear understanding of the piece. If the piece has chapter names or subheadings, these can help you organize the main ideas that are mentioned in those sections.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Identify_the_Main_Ideas,_Characters,_or_Events\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Identify the Main Ideas, Characters, or Events<\/h2>\n<p>\nThe next thing you\u2019ll want to do is identify the main ideas, characters, or events. Pinpointing any narrative arcs or sequential events can help abbreviate the major points of the text. Who are the subjects of the story? What is happening to them and where did it happen? Was there an exchange of ideas in the text? If so, did the text explain or give examples to support the idea? All these questions are important to keep in mind when you begin summarizing.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Choose_What_is_Most_Important\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Choose What is Most Important<\/h2>\n<p>\nOnce you have answers to these questions you\u2019ll need to go through and choose what is most important. Which details move the story further or convey the main idea best? Pick these points and include them when writing your final summary.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Use_Your_Own_Words\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Use Your Own Words<\/h2>\n<p>\nAs you begin to <a class=\"ylist\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/writing-purpose-and-audience\/\">write<\/a>, remember to use your own words. Make sure your recollection is accurate but not verbatim of the original text. <\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Write_Chronologically\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Write Chronologically<\/h2>\n<p>\nWhether you are summarizing a story or a research paper, it\u2019s important to write chronologically so the important events in the story are in the correct order. Jumbling the order of events will make your summary confusing and hard to follow.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Be_Objective\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Be Objective<\/h2>\n<p>\nLastly, it\u2019s important to be objective. Not all literature is unbiased, however, it is still your job in a summary to retell events or ideas that do not convey your personal opinions unless explicitly asked. That means avoiding adjectives or other words that describe events negatively or positively unless you are quoting the original author or a character in the text you are summarizing. When summarizing the opinions of others, make sure to state whose opinion it is.<\/p>\n<p>When you are done writing your summary, it is a good habit to review your work to make sure all of the main points are covered or to determine if there are things you can exclude to make it shorter.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks for watching, and happy studying!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"home-buttons\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/reading-comprehension\/\">Return to Reading Comprehension Videos<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Return to Reading Comprehension Videos<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":99946,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-13320","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"page_category-reading-comprehension-videos","7":"page_category-video-pages-for-study-course-sidebar-ad","8":"page_type-video","9":"subject_matter-english"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13320"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13320\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":279634,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13320\/revisions\/279634"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}