Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Reason
There is so much information today that it is not easy to keep up to date. We therefore trust in
others to summarize the most important facts for us.
Try to recall how often you summarize something, e.g. when you're telling your friends the plot of
the latest movie, when you are asked to give in brief the main points of a text you've read.
Preparation
First of all, you should have read the text / watched the film (of course). Make notes of the most
important facts.
Important Tenses
The most important tense for a summary is the simple present. Actions happening one after the
other are in simple present. Note, however, that you have to use different tenses for everything
happening at the same time or before.
Some summaries are written in simple past. This is the case for example when summarizing
newspaper articles.
Note
Leave out unimportant details. Always check your notes and only use details in your summary
that are really essential for the plot.
Examples
At www.awerty.com you'll find examples for summaries on novels. Just read a few of them and
make a list of useful phrases that you may want to use in your summaries.
Introduction
(Title) is a novel by (author).
(Title) was written by (author).
The story is about (topic).
The novel tells the story of (hero/topic).
(Title) tells of (hero), who ...
In (title) by (author), the reader is taken
into (place/time of story).
(Title) is the story of (hero/action/...)
(Title) is set in the period of (event).
Content
As the story begins, ...
During ...
While ...
As/When ...
Since/As ...
Just then ...
After ...
Before ...
Before long ...
Soon ...
Soon afterwards ...
As soon as ...
One day/evening ...
The following day ...
Some time later ...
Hours/Months/Years later, ....
By morning/the next day/the time ...
Meanwhile ...
However, ...
Again/Once again ...
At this point ...
To his surprise ...
This incident is/was followed by ...
To make matters even worse ...
Eventually, .../Finally, ...
Introduction
In (title), author (author) discusses (topic).
In (title), (author) explains the principles of (topic).
(Title) offers a detailed and practical introduction to (topic).
(Title) is a detailed account of (topic).
(Title) is an essential guide to (topic).
(Title) is a classic handbook on (topic).
Content
(Author) provides the reader with (details).
(Title/Author) shows how to (details).
(Author) begins by explaining how ...
Then (author) ...
Chapter (number) focuses on (details).
The (number) chapters/sections of the book encourage (aim) through a series of steps:
(steps/details)
Content
As the story begins, ...
During ...
While ...
As/When ...
Since/As ...
Just then ...
After ...
Before ...
Before long ...
Soon ...
Soon afterwards ...
As soon as ...
One day/evening ...
The following day ...
Some time later ...
Hours/Months/Years later, ....
By morning/the next day/the time ...
Meanwhile ...
However, ...
Again/Once again ...
At this point ...
To his surprise ...
This incident is/was followed by ...
To make matters even worse ...
Eventually, .../Finally, ...