How Do You Summarize A Story?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

, , , ,
  1. Write a few sentences – in your own words – stating the main message or gist of the story.
  2. Write a few sentences about the setting of the story in the context of the story.
  3. Write a few sentences about the main characters in the context of the story.

How do you write a summary of a story?

  1. Find the main idea. A useful summary distills the source material down to its most important point to inform the reader. …
  2. Keep it brief. A summary is not a rewrite—it’s a short summation of the original piece. …
  3. Write without judgment. …
  4. Make sure it flows.

How do you summarize?

To summarize, you

must read a passage closely, finding the main ideas and supporting ideas

. Then you must briefly write down those ideas in a few sentences or a paragraph. It is important to understand the difference between a summary and a paraphrase. A paraphrase is simply a rewriting of a passage in your own words.

How do you write a summary example?

  1. Find the main idea. A useful summary distills the source material down to its most important point to inform the reader. …
  2. Keep it brief. A summary is not a rewrite—it’s a short summation of the original piece. …
  3. Write without judgment. …
  4. Make sure it flows.

How do you start a short story summary?

A formal summary often begins

with the title and author of the story

. The subsequent sentences answer the question words: who, what, when, where, why and how. Include the information that addresses the central idea of the story, the point the writer wanted to get across and what events lead up to that conclusion.

How do you summarize one sentence?

1)

“A retired Marine”

— this immediately tells us a lot about our character. 2) “travels to Iraq” — tells us the setting right away, and it’s a timely one. 3) “to begin his own private war” — yow! This punches all the right buttons for those who read this kind of novel.

What is a summary example?

The definition of summary is a statement presenting the main points. An example of summary is

a type of review of what happened at a meeting

. … Summary is defined as a quick or short review of what happened. An example of summary is the explanation of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” told in under two minutes.

What is a good summary?

A good summary should

give an objective outline of the whole piece of writing

. It should answer basic questions about the original text such as “Who did what, where, and when?”, or “What is the main idea of the text?”, “What are the main supporting points?”, “What are the major pieces of evidence?”.

What is summarizing and examples?

Summarizing is defined as taking a lot of information and creating a condensed version that covers the main points. An example of summarizing is

writing a three or four-sentence description that touches upon the main points of a long book

.

How many paragraphs are in a summary?

Write a summary. Using your list, write a summary of the essay. Limit your summary to

one paragraph

. (As a general rule, a summary should not be longer than 1⁄4 the length of the essay.)

Is the summary short?


A summary is always shorter than the original text

, often about 1/3 as long as the original. It is the ultimate “fat-free” writing. An article or paper may be summarized in a few sentences or a couple of paragraphs. A book may be summarized in an article or a short paper.

What is a good sentence to start a story?


The air turned black all around me

. Icy fingers gripped my arm in the darkness. Wandering through the graveyard it felt like something was watching me. The eyes in the painting follow him down the corridor.

What are the five steps in writing a good summary?

  1. Step 1: Read the text. …
  2. Step 2: Break the text down into sections. …
  3. Step 3: Identify the key points in each section. …
  4. Step 4: Write the summary. …
  5. Step 5: Check the summary against the article.

How long is a one sentence summary?

A one-sentence summary is a description of your book

in 25 words or less

. Some people even say that 15 – 20 words is ideal. It may also be called a pitch, a one-liner, or a longline (the latter is often used by screenwriters for their scripts).

Juan Martinez
Author
Juan Martinez
Juan Martinez is a journalism professor and experienced writer. With a passion for communication and education, Juan has taught students from all over the world. He is an expert in language and writing, and has written for various blogs and magazines.