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Analytical summaries

??????? Analytical summaries are short pieces of writing thatoffer the main ideas of an article or an essay.? In addition, asummary explains what the original writer does in the text:explain, argue, analyze, illustrate, etc.? If you have written agood summary, you should be able to answer ?yes? to each of thefollowing questions:

  1. Does the first sentence contain the author?s name, the genre,the title, and the main idea of the writing?
  2. Does each following sentence refer to the author?
  3. Does each following sentence tell what the author DOES?(explains, adds, argues, illustrates, etc.)
  4. Does each following sentence tell what the author says?
  5. Is it written in present tense?
  6. Are there clear transitions or connections betweensentences?
  7. Does the piece avoid evaluation? (The student does not includehis or her own opinion).
  8. Does the piece avoid plagiarism?
  9. Does the piece represent the key ideas of the articleeffectively?

 A frame for writing analytical summaries:

??????? In the (genre: article or essay) _______________________, (title of the piece in quotes) ___________________________, (theauthor?s complete name)__________________ (verb: argues, explores,discusses, explains, etc.) ______________________ (the mainidea/thesis)__________________________________________________________.First, (author?s last name) _________________ (verb)______________________ (main idea)________________________________________.? (Transition) _______,the writer (author, last name, pronoun) ___________? (verb)__________ (main idea)_____________________________________________________.? Inaddition, (pronoun) _______? (verb) _________ (main idea)_________________________.? (Transition) ________, (writer?s lastname or pronoun) _______ (verb) ________ (main idea)______________________.? Finally, (author?s last name) _______concludes (main idea)________________________________________________.


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