SUMMARY SKILLS

I. IDENTIFYING DETAILS When summarizing, keep only the gist (main idea) of the sentence. Leave out examples and descriptions. a. Identifying adjectives Adjectives are words that describe people and things.

adj

adj

adj

Example 1: A big, fat rat ran across the slimy, littered floor of the old railway station. Gist of sentence: A rat ran across the floor of the railway station. Leave out adjectives describing the rat, floor and railway station.

adj

Example 2: That Malaysian Idol contestant was tall, beautiful and talented. Gist of sentence: That Malaysian Idol contestant was talented. Tall and beautiful are adjectives that describe the contestants looks. In the Malaysian Idol contest, it is essential to be talented, so that is the most important message of the sentence.

b. Identifying adverbs Adverbs are words that describe action. They come after verbs and usually end with ly, but not always.

adv

adv

Example 1: The children screamed happily as they ran quickly out of the school. Gist of sentence: The children screamed as they ran out of the school. v adv adv

Example 2: She thought long and hard about the problem. Gist of sentence: She thought about the problem.

c. Identify adjective clauses Sometimes, descriptions are written as clauses. Adjective clauses which start with who, which, that, whom and whose are often marked off by commas.

clause

Example: The man, who is shouting at the crowd, is a police inspector. Gist of sentence: The man is a police inspector.

EXERCISE 1

Identify and underline the adjectives in the sentences below. Then, write the gist of each sentence.

1. The elegant, well-dressed woman drove a bright red sports car.

The woman drove a sports car. 2. Dr. Fong is a kind, well-known eye specialist. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3. The cranky old woman lived alone in a broken-down wooden shack.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4. Muzamir seems to be angry and moody most of the time.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5. They awarded the multi-million dollar contract to the most experienced contractor.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6. Everyone loved watching the new animated movie.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------7. Yesterdays Mathematics test was tricky and difficult.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------8. Golf is a game which seems to be popular and addictive.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------9. The assignment sounds tough and challenging. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------10.Cell phones have become popular in Malaysia because they are quite affordable.

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EXERCISE 2

Identify and underline the adjective clauses in the sentences below. Then, write the gist of each sentence.

1. The Liverpool team, which won the European champions League, was given a fantastic welcome.

The Liverpool team was given a fantastic welcome.

2. Late students, who have not submitted their Geography project, will have 10 marks deducted.

_______________________________________________________________________________

3. The Anti-Smoking Campaign, which is organized by the government, has been quite successful.

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4. Parents, whose children do not turn up for sports practice, have been given letters.

________________________________________________________________________________

5. The prize was donated by the man, who owns the only cyber caf in town.

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6. She donated the clothes that she had outgrown.

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7. Jane, who is the wife of Tarzan, taught him to speak English.

__________________________________________________________________________________

8. Batik, which is a traditional form of printing fabric, is popular in the east coast.

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EXERCISE 3

Identify and underline the adjectives and adjectives clauses in the sentences below. Then, write the gist of each sentence.

1. The Gawai Festival, which is a harvest festival, is celebrated in Sarawak.

The Gawai Festival is celebrated in Sarawak.

2. The people, who were beautifully and colourfully dressed in their tribal costumes, sang and danced.

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3. All the things left behind at the Cineplex which are not claimed by June 30 will be donated to charity.

__________________________________________________________________________________

4. The girl, who scored 17 As in the last SPM, was rewarded with a scholarship.

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5. A non-Chinese lion dance group, whose members are from all walks of life, gave a performance in Genting Highland.

___________________________________________________________________________________

6. The Body Store, whose owner is an environmentally responsible woman, is against animal testing.

____________________________________________________________________________________

7. A group of women, who are all breast-cancer survivors, will be taking part in the coming Dragon Boat Competition which will be held in Penang soon.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

8. The students performance in Maths and Science, which are two core subjects, has improved.

______________________________________________________________________________________

USE ONE-WORD LINKERS In summary writing for tests and examinations, the task is to write the gist of the passage within the word limit required. In order to shorten a sentence even more, choose one-word linkers instead of two- or three-word linkers. Example: Original sentence Condensed sentence : As a conclusion, all drivers must obey traffic rules. : Therefore, all drivers must obey traffic rules.

The table below should help you to condense sentences and passages. Instead of Not only but also As a conclusion/In conclusion In addition The first reason is The second reason is The next step is As a consequence As a result So that The last step And Therefore Moreover/Besides/Furthermor e Firstly Secondly Then/Next Consequently/So Therefore/So To Lastly/Finally Use

USE CLASS WORDS You must read a lot to increase your vocabulary. Make use of class words to replace a long list of examples.

Expressions that indicate to you that a list of examples will follow: for instance, for example, like, such as, to illustrate, some examples are etc

Instead of Apples, oranges and grapes Hibiscus, daisies, roses Cabbage, ladies fingers, spinach Forks, spoons, knives Pot, pans, kettles Pens, pencils and erasers Managers, receptionists and clerks Test tubes, beakers, tripod stands Fruits Flowers Vegetables Cutlery Crockery Stationery Staff

Use

Lab equipment/apparatus

Cars, trains, boats and planes Runners, footballers, swimmers Admiral, captain, sailors Shirts, trousers, dresses Handbags, shoes, scarves, Lions, tigers, elephants, giraffes, hares Dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits Bungalows, mansions, terrace-houses Syrups, juices, colas, teas, coffee Mosques, post-office, shopping complex Teacher, nurse, doctor, lawyer Sandals, slippers, sneakers, shoes

Vehicles/transport Athletes Crew Clothes Accessories Animals Pets Accommodation Drinks Buildings Occupation/job/profession Footwear

EXERCISE 4

Condense the sentences below by substituting the linkers.

1. The Scrabble competition was not only exciting but also educational. The Scrabble competition was exciting and educational.

2. The first step is to draw up a plan for the project. _____________________________________________

3. The second step is to saw the wood into the right sizes. _____________________________________________

4. The last step is to join the pieces of wood together using nails. _____________________________________________

5. As a conclusion, saying No is the best way to prevent children from experimenting with cigarettes. _____________________________________________

6. It rained continuously for two weeks. As a result, many landslides occurred along the highway. _____________________________________________

7. In addition to the Certificate of Merit, the winner received RM200. _____________________________________________

8. They rushed home so that they could catch the first episode of the new Korean series. _____________________________________________

9. As a result, her carelessness caused her to lose the job. _____________________________________________

10.Mum gave the baby her milk so that she will stop her crying. _____________________________________________

11.In addition, we also have to work hard to pass our PMR. _____________________________________________

12.She was not only rude but also indiscipline. _____________________________________________

Exercise 5

Substitute the list of examples in each of the sentences below using a suitable class word.

1. All types of slippers, sandals and shoes are not allowed in the computer laboratory.

All types of footwear are not allowed in the computer laboratory.

2. My neighbour realizes that it is healthier to eat the long beans, brinjals and ladies fingers grown in her backyard. _____________________________________________________

3. Eating fresh guava, mangoes, papayas and pineapples will improve your complexion. _____________________________________________________

4. 4. Malaysians donated a lot of shirts, dresses, skirts, trousers and shorts to the victims of the tsunami. _____________________________________________________

5. The cars, vans, buses and lorries could not pass the section of the highway that was flooded. _____________________________________________________

6. Alicia buys her belts, bags, shoes and hairclips only during the Mega Sales. _____________________________________________________

7. The forks, spoons and knives used in the hospital are regularly sterilized. _____________________________________________________

8. Students nowadays like to buy branded pencils, pens, pencil cases and notepads. _____________________________________________________

9. Some rural schools are often short of test tubes, beakers, conical and flat-bottom flasks, as well as other lab equipment. ______________________________________________________

10.All students representing the school in badminton, squash, football, volleyball and tennis are exempted from classes tomorrow. ______________________________________________________

USE ONE-WORD TIME EXPRESSIONS When summarizing sentences which have two- or three-word time expressions, substitute them with one-word time expressions. Instead of.. All the time Now and then Once in a while Use. Always Sometimes/Occasio nally Seldom/sometimes Instead of.. In a short while All of a sudden Once a day Use. Shortly Suddenly Daily

Not so often On a regular basis In the end As a habit Twice a year

Rarely Regularly Eventually Habitually Biannually/Biannual

Once a week Once a fortnight Once a month Once a year Every night

Weekly Fortnightly Monthly Yearly/Annually nightly

Exercise 6

Condense the following sentences with one-word time expressions.

1. The lights in the hostel went out all of a sudden. _________________________________________________ 2. Sabahans celebrate Hari Keamatan once a year. _________________________________________________ 3. The Residents Association in our neighbourhood organizes gatherings twice a year. ____________________________________________________________________ 4. The Clove pullout comes free with The Star newspaper once a month. ________________________________________________________ 5. The guard does his rounds at the parking lot every night. ____________________________________________________ 6. My friends and I go to the Multimedia Library on a regular basis. _____________________________________________________ 7. Once in a while, our teacher will surprise us with a pop-quiz. _____________________________________________________ 8. The teacher refused to let me out of the classroom because the test was going to end in a short while. ___________________________________________________________________________________

USE A WORD TO REPLACE A PHRASAL VERB Example: He rang up his mother this morning. He called his mother this morning.

List of words to replace phrasal verb. Use.. discover restrain leave submit examine continue arrange illuminate omit enter Instead of.. find out hold back go away hand in look at/check up keep on lay out light up leave out go through/go in Use.. decrease increase wear bully extinguish indicate accept resemble discard exit Instead of .. go down go up put on pick on put out point out take on take after throw away go out

EXERCISE 7

Replace the phrasal verb highlighted in bold in each sentence with one word from the box. Write the word in the space given. represents test removed demolished follow record destroyed reconsider discard

vomited

1. The students took away all the shoes outside the classroom. (________________________) 2. Please come along with me to see the principal. (_______________________) 3. The workers tore down the building this morning. (________________________) 4. Please try out the machine before buying it. (______________________) 5. SMS stands for Short Messaging Services. (______________________) 6. Please throw away all the rubbish. (____________________) 7. You should think over your decision carefully. (______________________) 8. The boy threw up after eating nasi lemak. (_____________________) 9. Write down all the scores of the students. (____________________) 10.The typhoon wiped out many villages yesterday. (_____________________)