English Proficiency Programme
Summarising Strategy
Formal standard of precis writing: one-third size (number of words) of the original.
Long story/essay, very short summary: possible, and useful, sometimes extremely important.
Example: in 600 words (40-60 sentences), summary of a story/novel/essay of 10-500 pages.
!! ... !! Some people lose control on the part which they deeply appreciate!
They need a strategy.
Read the 'matter' - in normal pace, with free mind, primarily to enjoy it or gain knowledge or get informed - whatever be the case.
OPERATION 1 - List:
Sit with the 'matter' all over again, this time with
pen and writing pad or notebook.
Quickly review the matter and note
down its major 'items', without the
mention of which its summary will
not be complete. Do not number the
'items' initially.
[You may need to insert
or remove items as you go on.]
OPERATION 2 - Order:
Study this list of items.
Revise them and their order, if needed.
[If there are more than 20 items, try
to merge some of them. If there are
less than 5, then try splitting.]
OPERATION 3 - Adjust:
Suppose there are 13 items in the list.
Roughly 50 sentences over 13 items: Four sentences for an item (on an average).
Plan: Every item to be written in 3-5 sentences roughly.
Check: A:2, B:4, C:3, D:5, ..., M:3
Sum: 48 to 52? Okay.
OPERATION 4 - Draft: Draft every item according to the plan. Typically, no item should
start or end in between a paragraph.
[Complete item/s in each sitting, preferably.]
Type out the entire write-up and save.
OPERATION 5 - Edit: Check the manuscript
thoroughly and seriously for mistakes
of tense (verb forms) and spellings.
[Be humble, look up notes/dictionary.]
Check it further for mistakes of
articles, punctuation etc.
[Be serious. But not over-serious!]
OPERATION 6 - Revise: Read through the work thoroughly to get the gist of the matter, afresh - as a reader is likely to read it. If the reader - you only - gets the meaning that the author - you - or the original author meant, then it is all right. Else try to pin-point the discrepancy and correct it.
After a time-gap, read it once
lightly
and
correct/change anything
that you spot now for the first time.
Make a PDF
version of it and upload/publish/mail.
You may like to remember the strategy as
L-O-A-D-E-R
for List - Order - Adjust - Draft - Edit - Revise.
Note: If you are writing your own story/novel or essay/report, with no space limit, then the strategy is
C-O-D-E-R: Collect - Order - Draft - Edit - Revise
as found in a school textbook.