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Check the required length of the abstract. If you’re writing a summary for a school essay, there’s a limit to the length of your essay. So the summary is as close to that limit as possible. If it’s too short, it looks like you haven’t read the book, if it’s too long, it’s not a summary. [3]
- For example, if the word limit is 200, you should write about 190-200 words.
- Even if you’re writing your summary for personal use, it’s a good idea to consider brevity. A summary of less than 500 words is also an easy and quick document to use.
Write the summary in chronological order. A summary should present events in chronological order, which came first and which came later. Avoid jumping between sections of the book. Start from the prologue and end at the end to ensure the integrity of the original story.
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Describe the main points of the story and characters. Start by introducing the title and author, then briefly mention what happens in the book. These should be summed up in just a few sentences. Think of it as your introduction.
- You could write something like “JK Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter and the Flint’ is about an orphan boy who one day discovers he’s a wizard. He discovered there was a magical world full of good and bad wizards and wizards during his first year at Hogwarts.”
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Explain the main points of the book’s sections. Take notes in a notebook to summarize what the book has to say. Take a few sentences to explain what’s going on in each section, how they underpin each other, and why this section is important to the book as a whole.
- This part of the summary might look like this: “The first part of the book introduces the reader to what it’s like to be a witch. Readers can experience this wonderful thing with Harry as well as empathize with him, who is also new to the wizarding world. As the story progresses, something dark is happening at Hogwarts and Harry and his new friends – Ron and Hermione must find the source. The ending focuses on a series of tests and challenges that Harry would not have been able to pass without the support of her friends and motherly love.”
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Remember to include the main ideal of the book. End your summary by affirming the lesson you learned from the book. Refer to your notes to remind yourself of the topic raised in the story. This statement should be the last sentence of the summary.
- For example: “Through Rowling’s story, we see that even the most talented people need friendship and love to defeat evil.”
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Do not include your own opinion in the summary. An abstract should be descriptive. Focus on the facts that take place in the book. Do not write in it how you feel or whether you agree with the author or not.
- For example, you could say “Professor Quirrell and Lord Vpdemort both disappeared after failing to obtain the Sorcerer’s Stone”, rather than “Too bad that Vpdemort escaped because he was evil. At the very least, the author should get him arrested.”
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Read again to correct mistakes. Make sure you spell it correctly. Read the summary aloud to find grammatical errors or mistakes in punctuation. Check the word count as well. [4]
- Don’t rely on the spell checker as it doesn’t interpret the context and grammar errors are often confused.
- If you’re writing book summaries for a reading club or for personal use, editing shouldn’t be too much of an issue, but you’ll probably want to make your abstract look better. Read it quickly again to make sure you’ve written down every step clearly.
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Share articles with friends. If the summary is for school work, you should share it with friends or family to read through your essay. They’ll be more likely to see mistakes you’ve overlooked. If you ask your classmates, you can share each other’s writing to learn together.
