Maharashtra Board Class 12 English Chapter 3.1 Summary Writing Textbook PDF Download

Summary Writing

A Summary is a record in the reader's own words that gives the main points of a piece such as a newspaper, article, a lecture, a passage, a chapter or even a whole book.

Ice Breakers

Discuss in pairs and guess the correct alternative for the following.

1. To summarize means:

(a) Put information in chronological order

(b) To recapitulate the main points in selection

(c) To introduce new information

(d) To write one's opinion about selection

2. The type of summary that consists of a paragraph to express the main idea is:

(a) Outline

(b) Report

(c) Synopsis

(d) Written summary

There are various ways of incorporating other writers' works into your own writing. They differ according to the closeness of your writing to the source writing. Match the ways of writing in brief given in column (A) with their descriptions in column (B).

Teacher's Note

Summary writing helps you remember important things. Like when your mother tells you a long story, you tell your friend only the main points in short words.

Exam Trick

Remember: Summary = Main points only. Do not add your own ideas. Just write what the passage says, but in short and simple words.

Points to Remember

A summary is written in your own words.

Summary gives only main points, not all details.

Different ways of writing short forms are summarizing, paraphrasing, and précis writing.

Summarizing and paraphrasing are not the same thing.

Summary Writing

"Brevity is the soul of wit" is one of the countless maxims coined by William Shakespeare. It is relevant to speaking as well as writing. Brevity or Concision is the cutting out of unnecessary words while conveying an idea. It aims to enhance communication by eliminating redundancy without omitting important information. Summary Writing is one of its kind that has been described as one of the elementary principles of writing. To speak what is required and to write what is necessary is a requisite towards the development of language skills. It is important to be brief in written expression. To express in brief the main points of a written record, is the summary writing skill and that can be developed by practice. Summarising has a definite purpose. The purpose of a summary is to give the reader a clear, objective picture of the original text. Most importantly, the summary restates only the main points of a text or a lecture without giving examples or details, such as dates, numbers or statistics.

DOs Of Summary Writing

Read and re-read the passage.

Understand.

Read the instructions.

Find exactly what you need to summarise.

Identify the main idea through the process of asking questions.

Form short sentences on your own.

Connect the sentences using linkers.

Remove redundant words and sentences from the key sentences.

Omit details.

Avoid your own interpretation.

DON'Ts Of Summary Writing

DON'T include, exclude, add, comment, or give examples.

Teacher's Note

Summary writing means writing the main ideas in fewer words. Like writing a short message to your friend instead of telling a long story about your day.

Exam Trick

Remember: Read the passage two times. First time - understand what it says. Second time - find main points. This helps you write a better summary.

Points to Remember

Always read and re-read the passage before you write a summary.

Write short sentences in your own words.

Remove extra words that are not needed.

Never add your own ideas or opinions.

Do not give examples or dates in a summary.

As an example let us take an article for summary.

Learning Disability (LD) is an umbrella term for a wide variety of learning problems. Children with learning disorder might be labelled as 'slow learners' but they are as smart as everyone else. They just need to be taught in proper environment conducive to their learning speed and level. Observations of a child over a period of time by parents at home and teachers in school can provide valuable information about the way a child is able to learn and function in all the ways that he should be able to, at his age and level.

There may be certain apparent problems while reading, writing, listening, speaking, reasoning and dealing with Maths. Once these problems are identified it is time for proper investigation. It is important in order to clarify specific learning disorders and also rule out any other issue affecting the student's educational progress.

Investigations may reveal various types of disorders like Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, specific reading disability, Auditory Processing Disorder (APD), ADHD etc. Auditory Processing Disorder, also known as 'Central Auditory Processing Disorder', is a condition that affects the sound that travels unimpeded through the ear, is processed or interpreted by the brain. Individuals with APD do not recognize subtle differences between sounds and words.

Dyscalculia is a condition that affects a person's ability to understand numbers and learn math-signs and symbols while Dysgraphia affects a person's handwriting abilities and fine motor skills. Dyslexia is a learning disorder affecting reading and language-based processing skills like reading fluency, decoding, recall, writing and sometimes even speech. Many aspects of speaking, listening, reading, writing, and arithmetic overlap and build on the same brain capabilities. It is not surprising that people can be diagnosed with more than one learning disability. For example, the ability to understand language underlies learning to speak. Therefore, any disorder that hinders the ability to understand language will also interfere with the development of speech, which in turn hinders learning to read and write. ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) includes difficulty in staying focused and paying attention, restlessness and difficulty in controlling behaviour.

There are many other learning disabilities that can be identified in the normal classrooms at school level. Such problems can be solved to a great extent using various methods and treatments if diagnosed at an early stage. Inclusion in education is one of the ways to solve the problem of children with learning disorder. In a mixed ability classroom, with effective teaching methods and conducive environment, a child with learning disability can progress in not only education but also social interactions. Implementation of inclusive classrooms may vary but the purpose will be achieved. Unfortunately, our country is less open to Inclusive Learning for Children with LD. Unless handled efficiently, these disorders often transform to condition like anxiety and depression. Parents, teachers, educators and other stakeholders must insist on the need to uplift children with LD. These children need to be handled carefully in their own space. They need love, encouragement and moral support so that they can emerge with great self-confidence, self-worth and determination.

Teacher's Note

Learning disabilities are real problems. Children with these problems need help and care, just like a plant that grows slowly needs more water and sun.

Exam Trick

Remember: Learning Disability = Different way of learning, not less smart. Read the passage and pick only main words like "Dyslexia," "ADHD," "Inclusion" to write your summary.

Points to Remember

Learning disability is not about being less smart.

There are many types like Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and ADHD.

Children with learning problems need special teaching and care.

Inclusion in schools helps children with learning disabilities.

Early finding of problems helps children learn better.

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