Writing Summaries - Lecture Notes | Business Writing | ENG 203, Study notes of English Language

Download Writing Summaries - Lecture Notes | Business Writing | ENG 203 and more Study notes English Language in PDF only on Docsity! Procedure for Writing Summaries • Read the material quickly to get an overall impression and understanding of the topic, annotat- ing as you go along. • Reread the material more closely, continue annotation. On a separate sheet of paper, list the main points. Pay special attention to the first and last sentence of every paragraph. • Collect your notes and main points and organize them into a rough draft. • Read through your rough draft and delete items which seem secondary or irrelevant. • Rewrite the summary into your own words. Be sure to use sufficient attributive tags and “be- cause” words to make clear the author’s claims and reasons. Sample Paragraph Summary A Summary of David Moberg’s “Corporate Crimes” According to David Moberg, American irresponsibility is the product of a culture controlled by corporations which become irresponsible in the quest to benefit their stockholders. They do so because America is a society of people who, though hardworking, are fundamentally self-centered. Moberg notes that although the “bottom half” of society usually gets accused of social irresponsibility, the “top- half” of society (those who run the corporations) is just as irresponsible; in fact, although they control more of the country’s wealth, these business leaders do less to help those in need. Corporations also are irresponsible because they use their power over the general population and many politicians to control our laws in ways that benefit themselves. However, Moberg argues, people overlook this behavior because corporations have an extreme influence on society. Therefore, we must increase corporate responsibility in order to bring about significant growth in personal responsibility. Summaries vary in content and emphasis according to the purposes they serve. The chief purpose of the summary for our course, however, will be to provide essential introductory information in argu- mentative essays. The summary condenses important points of other arguments into your own words and thus allows you to incorporate another author’s position into your own argument. Paragraph Summaries Things a Summary Should Have/Be Things a Summary Should Not Have/Be Logical connections between claims and reasons Unconnected statements about the essay The author’s main claim clearly stated The author’s major reason(s) The author’s conclusions or suggestions Specific details, examples, or facts (unless absolutely essential to the essay) Direct quotes from the essay (very short phrases may be quoted when necessary) Paraphrased in your own words As objective as possible Subjective (you must be fair to the author) Short (about 100-150 words or less) As long as the original Clear and sufficient attributive tags The author’s words presented as your own Moberg’s claim is clearly stated in the first sentence Attributive tag Title identifies the author and the work “Because” word signals Moberg’s “reason” for his claim Signals Moberg’s conclusion Refers back to claim This sentence provides an elaboration of the reason