Writing a Summary According to Writer's Inc. a summary is a "condensed version of someone else's work" (496). A good summary is NOT a paraphrase of original. A good summary also does NOT contain personal opinions or evaluations. It does contain the main ideas and concepts presented in a piece of writing.
Steps to Writing an "A" Summary of a Current Events Article:
- skim your article noting key phrases or ideas
- outline the main ideas expressed by the author in your own words
- state the main idea of the article as a whole in your topic sentence
- include essential information presented in the article (think who, what, where, and when)
- omit descriptive details
- arrange your ideas in the most logical order; your summary does not need to follow the same organization of the original article
- conclude with a sentence which ties it all together and brings the summary to an effective end
Writing an Analysis
According to Writer's Inc., in analytical writing "you break a subject down to understand it better." (188) A good analysis of a current event will break down that current event in order to understand its significance. It will identify a subject's value, impact and significance. A good analysis will include personal opinion and evaluation but will NOT use the first person to do so.
Steps to Writing an "A" Analysis of a Current Events Article:
- identify your main subject of analysis: for the purpose of this assignment, your main subject should be the one or two political issues raised in the article
- identify all the points you want to evaluate and the supporting details which illustrate those points
- consider your own thoughts and feelings about your subject: why is it important to you?
Active vs. Passive Voice
According to Writer's Inc. voice "indicates whether the subject is acting or being acted upon" (778).
Active voice indicates that the subject of the verb is doing something. Passive voice indicates that the subject of a verb is being acted upon. Unless you really really need to express an idea in a passive voice, you need to strive to use active voice in this assignment. I expect all of your sentences to have clear subjects who are acting rather than being acted upon.
For example:
- Active voice: On September 13, 2011, the U.S. Senate passed a law.
- Passive voice: On September 13, 2011, a law was passed by the U.S. Senate.
