As we have discussed in the previous unit, the ability to clearly summarize a text is valuable. It is also important that while you read a text, you consider how much or how little you agree with the ideas presented by the author, and that you are able to express those views in a paragraph. This is known as Summary and Response writing.
- Purpose: (1) Summarize the purpose and main points of a text, and (2) Agree or disagree with the author’s points.
- Audience: This audience has not read the article/essay you're summarizing. You'll have to give them enough information so that they will understand what you're saying about these other essays.
- Goals:
- to accurately summarize a text using the conventions of academic summary
- to provide a focused response to the article
- to develop your response using examples from other texts and/or your own experience that are clearly related to examples/ideas from the article itself.
The Summary
A summary is a concise paraphrase of all the main ideas in an essay. It cites the author and the title (usually in the first sentence); it contains the essay's thesis and supporting ideas; it may use direct quotation of forceful or concise statements of the author's ideas; it will NOT usually cite the author's examples or supporting details unless they are central to the main idea. Most summaries present the major points in the order that the author made them and continually refer back to the article being summarized
Functional Language
- The author argues that . . .
- (Writer’s name) criticizes, defends, points out, suggest . . .
- According to (author’s name),
The Response
A response is a critique or evaluation of the author's essay/article. Unlike the summary, it is composed of YOUR opinions in relation to the article being summarized. It examines ideas that you agree or disagree with and identifies the essay's strengths and weaknesses in reasoning and logic, in quality of supporting examples, and in organization and style. A good response is persuasive; therefore, it either refutes or supports the article you're responding to, depending on your stance.
Functional Language
- While it may be true that ...
- Although the author has a valid point
You are going to read an article, summarize it and respond to it with your own opinion. Open the exercise to begin.