XII ENGLISH 3.1 Summary Writing [Textual Activities]

3.1 Summary Writing

● what is summary?

             A Summary is a record in the reader’s own words that gives the main points of a piece such as a newspaper, article, a lecture, a passage, a chapter or even a whole book.

ICE BREAKERS

A1:- Discuss in pairs and guess the correct alternative for the following.
         1. To summarize means...................................
        (a) Put information in chronological order
        (b) To recapitulate the main points in selection
        (c) To introduce new information
        (d) To write one’s opinion about selection
Ans:- (b) To recapitulate the main points in selection.

         2. The type of summary that consists of a paragraph to express the main idea                      is..............................

           (a) Outline          (b) Report           (c) Synopsis           (d) Written summary

Ans:- (d) Written summary

A2:- There are various ways of incorporating other writers’ works into your own writing. They differ according to the closeness of your writing to the source writing. Match the ways of writing in brief given in column (A) with their descriptions in column (B)

Sr. no.	(A) Ways of writing		(B) Descriptions
1	Summarizing	a	It includes not just the main idea but every detail expressed clearly and to the point.
2	Paraphrasing	b	It includes selection of proper lines from the given text for correction, condensation and organization.
3	Précis writing	c	It includes the most essential part or the crux of the matter.
4	Quoting	d	It includes taking broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly.
5	Editing	e	It includes main ideas into one’s own words.
6	Gist writing	f	It must be identical to the original and match the document word by word.

Ans:-

Sr. no.	(A) Ways of writing		(B) Descriptions
1	Summarizing	e	It includes main ideas into one’s own words.
2	Paraphrasing	f	It must be identical to the original and match the document word by word.
3	Précis writing	d	It includes taking broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly.
4	Quoting	a	It includes not just the main idea but every detail expressed clearly and to the point.
5	Editing	b	It includes selection of proper lines from the given text forcorrection, condensation and organization.
6	Gist writing	c	It includes the most essential part or the crux of the matter.

 

BRAINSTORMING

(A1) Complete the following as instructed.
         Read the passage and write its summary according to the given steps.

       Communication is a part of our everyday life. We greet one another, smile or frown, depending on our moods. Animals, too, communicate, much to our surprise. Just like us, interaction among animals can be both verbal and nonverbal. Singing is one way in which animals can interact with one another. Male blackbirds often use their melodious songs to catch the attention of the females. These songs are usually rich in notes variation, encoding various kinds of messages. Songs are also used to warn and keep off other blackbirds from their territory, usually a place where they dwell and reproduce.

       Large mammals in the oceans sing too, according to adventurous sailors. Enormous whales groan and grunt while smaller dolphins and porpoises produce pings, whistles and clicks. These sounds are surprisingly received by other mates as far as several hundred kilometres away.

Ans:- Use the following steps for summary writing:

Step 1: Read the article twice.

Step 2: The purpose of writing -To tell the reader about the interesting communication methods among birds and mammals.

Step 3 Identify the main idea- Surprising examples of communication methods among birds and mammals.

Steps 4: Write the first draft: Revise your first draft and edit it. 

             (Students may attempt this on their own)

Step 5: Write the final draft (Given overleaf)

 

Title : Singing birds and mammals

               We communicate with one another in different ways. Similarly, animals also communicate! They sing and interact with others of their kind. Male blackbirds use their sweet voice to catch the attention of females. These songs vary in notes and thus convey different messages. The songs also warn other blackbirds off from the area. Like birds, sea mammals also sing. Big whales groan and grunt; dolphins and porpoises make pings, whistles and clicks. These sounds reach their mates who are kilometres away!

(A2) (i) Cut redundant words:
We’re often inefficient in our language, using more words than necessary. Consider the following phrases. Find five more redundant words.

(a) “Circle around” can become “circle.”            

(b) “Write W down” can become “write.”
(c) “Added bonus” is simply a “bonus.”              

(d) “Get to the point as quickly as possible” is really “get to the point.”
(e) “Close proximity” is “close.”                           

(f) “During the course of” is “during.”

 Ans:

(1) puzzling mystery = 'mystery'                                          

(2) connect together = 'connect’

(3) divide into two equal halves = 'divide into halves’    

(4) surrounded on all sides = 'surrounded'

(5) return back = 'return'

(ii) Avoid adverbs:
Adverbs clutter up your copy. You can usually live without them. Here are some examples.
(a) “That’s usually a good thing to do.”      

(b) “That’s fairly good coffee.”

(c) “I totally agree.”                                       

(d) “Actually, I disagree.”

       Just delete all those italicized words and rewrite.

Ans:- 

(a)"That's a good thing to do."              

(b) "That's good coffee."

(c) "I agree."                                              

(d) "I disagree."

(iii) One word substitution:
One word substitutes are words that replace a group of words or a full sentence effectively without creating any ambiguity in the meaning of the sentences.
(a) The life story of man written by himself: autobiography      

(b) A sound that cannot be heard: inaudible

(c) A list of books: catalogue                                                             

(d) A sentence whose meaning is unclear: ambiguous

        Find as many examples as you can from the internet and make a list.

Ans:

(1) friendly relationship in which people understand well: rapport 

     (pronounced as 'rappo’)

(2) able to cause death: fatal                                                                  

(3) seize by way of penalty: confiscate

(4) someone who goes into buildings in order to steal: burglar      

(5) the principal character in a play or a story: protagonist

6) the path described by an object moving in air: trajectory          

(7) a person regarded as a symbol : icon

(8) a person who knows many languages: polyglot                           

(9) a badly behaved child: brat

(10) a period of ten years: decade                                      

(11) a persistent increase in the general level of prices: inflation

(12) organisation of supplies and services for any complex operation: logistics

(13) extremely careful about details: meticulous                             

(14) not harmful or offensive: innocuous 

(15) present, appearing or found everywhere: ubiquitous

(A3) (i) Use of noun in apposition:

Apposition is a grammatical construction in which two elements, normally noun phrases, are placed side by side, with one element serving to identify the other in a different way; the two elements are said to be in apposition. Apposition can be used to make the compound sentences short and simple.

        Ex. Neha is their eldest child and she is very intelligent.

             - Neha, their eldest child, is very intelligent. 

         [Here, Neha and their eldest child are the same person.]

(ii) Transforming Complex to Simple: By using phrases like 'too ….. to' or using nouns\ phrase instead of a clause:

Ex. Nagpur is the city where oranges grow.
     - Oranges grow in Nagpur. 
The old man is so weak that he cannot walk.
      - The old man is too weak to walk.

Change the following sentences into simple:
(a) Mr Rohit is the member and he is also the director.
Ans:- Mr Rohit is the member and also the director.
      

(b) The room is so small that it cannot accommodate many people.
Ans:- The room is too small to accommodate many people.
      

(c) You have to prove Y that you are innocent.
Ans:- You have to prove your innocence.

(d) He was late so he walked in a great hurry.
Ans:- Being late, he walked in a great hurry.

 (A4) (i) Read any book of your choice and write its summary according to the steps explained in the chapter.

Ans:- विद्यार्थ्यंनी स्वत: Internet वर वरील कृतीचे उत्तर शोधून वहीत लिहावे.    

(ii) Find some professions that require the skill of summary writing and editing. Write them in your notebook.

Ans:- विद्यार्थ्यंनी स्वत: Internet वर वरील कृतीचे उत्तर शोधून वहीत लिहावे.