Chapter 6 Summarising

At the end of this chapter the students will be able to:

Learning Outcomes

1 Define the stages of summarising.

2 Number the characteristics of a good summary.

3 Use basic structures needed for summary

writing.
4 Name significant vocabulary items needed for
summary writing.

Chapter Outline Key Terms

Introduction Objectiveness
Stages of Summarising Explicitness
Characteristics of a Good Summary Authenticity
Basic Structures for Summary Writing Style
Academic Vocabulary for Summary Writing Academic Vocabulary Knowledge
General Exercises and Answer Key

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INTRODUCTION
Before we go into detail, let’s have a look at the ‘summary’ of
‘summarising’ below: Shorter version
A summary is basically a shortened version of a longer text. S of a text
Actually, we deal with summaries in our daily life. Summaries of
everyday things, such as dialogues, movies, books, a recipe, etc., Using your own
help us grasp the overall idea in a timely manner. As learners, U words and
however, we deal with many written and spoken texts in academic
life. Most of the time we want to have shorter versions of them
Main ideas only
in our hand for many academic needs, e.g. to study for an exam M
or to write a term paper. In this chapter, we will learn how to
summarise texts in a practical way, starting with the stages of
summarising below.

STAGES OF SUMMARISING
There are some stages of summarising depending on the text. These stages might include a pre-reading
activity, which is followed by reading in detail. While reading the text, locate and/or highlight important
ideas to be included in the summary and make some notes related to them that will help you when writing
up your summary. Before writing the summary, another useful stage might be deciding on the audience
and the style of it based on for what purpose or to whom you are writing it. When you finish writing the
summary, it is always a good idea to check whether you have included all the necessary points you want to
include in your summary by checking that you have excluded longer examples and/or supporting details.
These stages can be summarised as follow:
1. Pre-Reading
2. Reading for Main Ideas
3. Making Notes & Highlighting Important Information
4. Deciding on your Audience & Style
5. Checking (whether you have added all the important points)
Now, we will go through these stages with further explanations and exercises.

Stage I: Pre-Reading: Looking for the Clues

When there is a text to be read, whether to be summarised or not, it is always practical to look for clues
before you actually start reading it. Titles, sub-titles, introductory sentences and/or passages, and images –
if there are any – are good examples of clues; they reveal great insights for the content of the text. Analysing
these clues will help you understand the text better; thus, facilitate your summarising process.

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Exercise 1. Finding the Title and the Sub-headings

Read the text below and answer the related questions.

[P1] : Japanese culture is very rich and weddings are a special part of it. They are
usually held in the spring or autumn, and they often take place in a hotel or wedding hall. A Japanese wedding
normally lasts all day and begins with a religious ceremony. Red and white are happy, lucky colours for many
parts of Japanese culture, and weddings are no exception. In Japan, usually the wedding hall has these colours.
[P2] : There are different religions in Japan, so there are different types of weddings, too:
Christian, Buddhist and Shinto weddings are all common. Brides often wear white kimonos with a big headpiece
and the groom normally wears black. The guests at a Japanese wedding normally dress formally. Women often
wear kimonos, and men wear dark suits. Only close family members can go to the religious ceremony.
[P3] : If you receive an invitation to a Japanese wedding, you should reply as soon as
possible. It is common for guests to give the couple a gift or some amount of money. The money is normally put
inside a special envelope with the name of that guest. In Japanese culture, not giving gifts or money is considered
rude.
[P4] : The cutting of the cake is an important moment in Japanese wedding celebrations.
Often the top parts of the cake are made of plastic or paper. Sometimes there is a break in the reception for the
bride and groom to change their clothes again. After the meal, it is common for the younger guests to continue
the celebrations with a band or a DJ.

1. Which of the following is the most appropriate title for this text?
A. Japanese Culture
B. Japanese Weddings
C. What the Japanese Wear
D. How the Japanese Have Fun

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2. Match the sub-headings with each paragraph. There is one extra!

Paragraph 1 A. How You Should Response
Paragraph 2 B. Religions in Japan
Paragraph 3 C. Time and Place of Weddings
Paragraph 4 D. Dressing Style
E. Activities During the Wedding

Exercise 2. Finding the Sub-headings

EMOJIS

[P1] . Emoji – from the Japanese

meaning “picture character”– entered the Oxford Dictionaries in 2013. Different forms of language –
either spoken or written – enable us to transfer a message, affect the mental well-being and behaviours of
others and change our social and individual status. We utilise language, for example, to propose to our
partner, and to say yes, and then quarrel, and even get divorced. These are, actually, what you can do with
emojis exactly. Emoji is to text-speak what facial expression, body language, and intonation mean for
spoken interaction. Whereas emojis are not actual words, they still provide an important contextualisation
input, which helps us to ornament a dull and emotionally weak digital text that is poor in personal
expression.
[P2] . Instagram has found that nearly
50% of all their captions and comments hold at least one Emoji. Given this fact, it added the ability to
use them as hashtags. Plus, the most popular Emoji artist in the U.S. Fred Benenson, when he was 27,
was able to raise over $3,750 on WellFund to find funding for his translation of Moby Dick into Emojis
— titled “Emoji Dick“, of course. He hired some people through a website and translated all the 200.000
words in Moby Dick into pictures. In March 2013, the Library Congress accepted it as the first ever Emoji
book and added it into the collection. After that, some other companies have been founded or benefited
from these character pictures since emojis have become a sensation. [Link], for instance, is a
website that “translates” emojis. Just like any other online translation tool, you can copy and paste an emoji
sentence into it and it will reveal a comprehensible interpretation.

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[P3] . Academicians suggest that

peppering an email with emojis could be harmful for job-related prospects since it will make colleagues
less willing to share information with you. The effect can be so risky that it is a general practice to avoid
emojis at work all together, especially when you talk to someone for the first time. Dr Abbie Wanders, an
expert in business and management at University of Lausanne in Switzerland, said, “Our findings provide
first-time evidence that –contrary to actual smiles– smileys do not increase perceptions of warmth, and
actually decrease perceptions of competence.” Based on her findings, the smileys in an email did not have
any effect on the perception of warmth, and in fact the participants of the study evaluated the sender of
the message as less competent, the study concluded.
[P4] . Although we go through life
mostly without being aware of it, humans copy each others’ emotions and expressions when we’re having
a face-to-face conversation. This emotional transmission is actually a big part of how we build empathy
and develop relationships. However, while chatting online, none of these face-to-face interactions happen
unless we are using emojis. Scientists have found out that when we see a smiley face online, the same parts
of the brain get activated as when we look at a real human face. Our mood changes; we may even change
our facial expressions to match the emoticon’s emotion.
[P5] . Some people wanted to know
why certain images were superior to others. There was an increasing number of emoji professionals –
teachers, chefs, doctors, policemen –but why did they all seem to be men? Why were there many images
to display sushi, but zero for burritos, tacos or enchiladas? Finally why, among the many different emojis
depicting humans, were all of them appear to be white people? These questions led to the Great Emoji
Politicization in 2014. It started with emoji symbolizing food (there were none representing traditional
African cuisine, like fufu or injera), flags (there was the Israeli flag, but not the Palestinian one), families
(issues related to displaying single parents), and more. It wasn’t just the debate of having the right symbol
to show what you ate for lunch – it was about having a digital acceptance and acknowledgement of
your culture. Emoji had appeared as an important way of communication in the digital age, but it was a
language that did not include “people of colour” or “women with jobs”. Some recent updates in the emoji
system also added gender opposite pairs, so we have ‘Mrs Father Christmas’, a well dressed ‘man in tuxedo’,
as a partner for the bride, and a ‘dancing man’, the partner of the dancing lady.
(Adapted from [Link] by the author)

Match the sub-titles (A – E) to the paragraphs (1 – 5).

Paragraph 1 A. Emojis have started to represent different social groups.
Paragraph 2 B. You might want to think twice before you use emojis.
Paragraph 3 C. Emojis are, in many ways, similar to languages.
Paragraph 4 D. Texting without emojis lacks a very important element of communication.
Paragraph 5 E. Our love of emojis caused businesses and institutions to adapt to them.

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Stage II. Reading for Main Ideas

When your aim is to summarise a text, you inevitably want to look for main ideas and ignore the
details. However, do not forget that you will not be able to summarise a text without understanding it in
depth, which includes details and supporting sentences as well. Therefore, in order to be precise in your
summary, read the whole text first paying attention to each and every detail. Once you comprehend the
text with those minor details, you will easily differentiate the main and important ideas, which you will
use in your summary.

Exercise 3. Identifying Main Ideas

Read the text below about hair styles and do the related activity.

Throughout history, hair has always been used to make a fashion statement. It also tells us a lot about culture.
In almost all societies, people have cut or styled their hair for practical or decorative reasons. For example; the
ancient Greeks liked blond hair, so they lightened their hair. On the other hand, the Romans preferred dark hair.
The Assyrian culture made the art of hairstyling. People curled, oiled, and perfumed their hair; they also cut their
hair and beards in layers. The Assyrian people used hairstyles to show their position and occupation. Assyrian
women of high rank, as well as women in Egypt, put on fake beards at meetings to show authority. Ancient
Egyptians shaved their heads for cleanliness and then covered their heads with wigs. The higher the status of a
person, the bigger his or her wig was. However, in England, wigs were powdered white as people thought this
flattered the face and made their eyes look brighter.

Look at the words and/or phrases from the text and put a tick ( ) to the ones that might be
included in the summary and put a cross (X) to the ones that should not be included in the summary.
1. Perfumed their hair
2. Fake beards
3. Fashion statement
4. Wigs
5. Culture
6. Decorative reasons
7. Assyrian
8. Society

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Exercise 4. Identifying Main Ideas

Read the text below about Silicon Valley and do the related activity.

Silicon Valley is possibly the most famous valley in the world. Although the first computer was not built there,
Silicon Valley, which is near San Francisco in California, USA, is the birthplace of the modern computer industry.
Scientists at the universities across California and the Hippies of the 1960’s have an important place in this.
In the nineteen-sixties there were actually two different bodies of youngster culture in the USA; the “Beach
Boy” culture on the one side, and radical students on the other. What they shared in common was their desire
for California. The Beach Boys wanted to get to southern California, where they could sing, surf and drive
cars; the radicals on the other hand, desired San Francisco, “flower power”, and some revolutionary ideas. The
campuses at Stanford and Berkeley, near San Francisco, were hot-beds of new ideas, new culture, new technology
and new ways of living. When they finished university, many of the best students did not want to work for
corporate companies like Ford or Shell. Instead, they just wanted to be free and run their own business.... and
stay somewhere in California, not actually far away from San Francisco.
There was a relatively big high-tech industry around San Francisco. Intel had been founded in 1968, when
the first computer mouse was built at Stanford University. In 1970, a research centre was initiated by Xerox
in Palo Alto. Not long after, companies like Apple, Seagate and Google appeared. “Silicon Valley” had arrived.
There was a kind of primitive Internet to connect any addresses in Silicon Valley, called the Arpanet.
Today, Silicon Valley, which is located in a group of small towns a few miles from San Francisco such as Palo
Alto and San Jose, is the home of the computer industry. It still offers high technology, but it is not the only centre
for high-tech in the USA anymore. Other computer firms from all over the USA and all over the world can be
seen; but Silicon Valley still has the biggest collection of high-tech companies and research centres.
(Adapted from [Link] by the author)

Look at the words and/or phrases from the text and put a tick ( ) to the ones that might be
included in the summary and put a cross (X) to the ones that should not be included in the summary.
1. Modern computer industry 5. Xerox
2. Beach boys 6. Arpanet
3. Stanford 7. High-tech
4. Intel

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Stage III. Making Notes

Notes can be considered as small but important pieces of a whole; therefore, the notes that you take
when you are reading or listening to a text will help you while writing the summary of it. There are
different strategies of taking notes while dealing with a text, e.g. using abbreviations, symbols, diagrams,
or drawings. Besides, writing fast is also helpful. It might cause some errors in spelling but it is totally
normal, you can check them later. Another strategy is to highlight important information. Your notes can
be informal as you will just use them to help you write your summary.

Exercise 5. Note-Taking
You are going to read a text about festivals around the world. Imagine you are asked to write a summary
of each paragraph using your notes. Take notes as you are reading the text. The first one is done for you.

The Rio Carnival in Brazil

Notes:
The largest
40 days b4 Easter.
A lot of time and money is spent.
Samba; costumes, decorations.
Not free now (as it is in a new stadium, not in the streets of Rio)

This festival is by far the largest in the world. Hundreds of visitors come every year for the celebrations
before the start of Lent, which is a religious fasting period of forty days before Easter. The carnival takes
place in the Sambadrome, a huge new stadium. There, samba schools compete with each other for the best
costumes and dancing. They spend a lot of time and money on carnival preparations, making fantastic
costumes, masks, decorations, mobile floats and teaching the samba. In the past, the carnival procession
was held in the streets of Rio, where beautifully clothed people threw streamers and confetti and danced
for four days. Nowadays, the world’s biggest street party has become a pleasure only for those who can pay
the entrance fee.

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Oktoberfest

Notes:

Foreign beer-lovers might think that the Germans are unimaginative when it comes to beer because,
good as it is, it all seems to taste very similar. There are, however, many regional and seasonal differences,
particularly in Bavaria and Munich. Oktoberfest, the world’s largest beer festival, actually starts in
September and, to mark the occasion, each of Munich’s many breweries makes a special beer. Because of
this, an astonishing variety of different types and strengths of beer are available at this festival.

The Fellas Festival

Notes:

The most spectacular of Spain’s thousands of festivals must be Valencia’s Fellas Fiesta, a two-day event
celebrating the end of winter. The Fellas Fiesta and street party start at noon on St. Joseph’s Day, 19th
March, with a deafening explosion of fireworks. Then there are contests for the best paella - a traditional
Valencian rice dish. People gather in the streets to admire the costumes of the men dressed up as the Moors
who occupied the city until the 13th century. In the months before the fiesta, craftsmen create around 370
sculptures, the fellas, which are detailed caricatures of local people. At midnight, when the fellas are burnt,
the burst of flames and fireworks symbolically forces out the winter.

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The Tibetan Butter Lamp Festival

Notes:

Buddhists believe that nothing is permanent, and on the 10th of March, they celebrate this belief. Long
before the festival begins, monks make their preparations by mixing brightly coloured dyes into huge
quantities of iced butter. It takes them several months to carve the frozen butter into highly decorated
statues, some of them as much as 8 metres high. On the day of the festival itself, the sculptures, supported
by wooden frames, are carried through the streets and greeted with cheers from the excited crowds.
Afterwards, the figures are thrown into a river by the monks who made them to demonstrate the idea that
not even the most beautiful things last forever.

The Dragon Boat Festival

Notes:

In China, towards the end of June, people celebrate a holiday known as the Dragon Boat Festival. The
festival is held to honour the memory of Qu Xuan, a politician and a poet who, in the year 278 B.C., is
said to have committed suicide by jumping into a river. It is said that local people threw rice dumplings
into the water to save Xuan’s soul from the evil spirits in the river. Nowadays, boat races are held every year
to remind people of the search for the body of the dead poet. Spectators eat rice cakes and crews row large
dragon-shaped boats. Some researchers, however, say that dragon boats existed long before the death of Qu
Xuan, and the modern festival is a combination of several old traditions.
(Adapted from [Link] and [Link] by the author)

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Exercise 6. Note-Taking
You are going to read a text about animals becoming extinct around the world. Imagine you are
asked to write a summary of each animal using your notes. Take notes as you are reading the text.
The first one is done for you.

Notes:
hunt for their meat and skin
almost impossible to see them in the nature
easy prey for humans

Pangolin:
Already rare, pangolins are being
hunted to extinction, for their meat, their
skin (used for handbags) and mostly for
their scales which, in the Far East, are
believed to cure all kinds of illnesses despite
having no medical benefits. It is extremely
difficult to catch a glimpse of them in the
wild; they are shy and nocturnal and, at the
first scent of danger, they curl into a ball,
like a scaly hedgehog. While this is some
defence against their natural predators, it
makes them easy prey for humans.

Sea Angel:

Notes:

The beautiful details of sea angels are impossible to see with the naked eye. They are translucent
molluscs no more than 5 cm long, with stunning flashes of primary colour inside their heads, bodies and
at the tips of their tails. However, if the oceans continue to acidify (the result of carbon dioxide dissolving
into water accelerated by the climate change) their future – and that of the food chain in which they are
a vital link – will be in serious danger. This is expected to put stress on the survival of many other species
relying on them in the food chain.

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Pied Tamarin:

Notes:

When we see those animals, we can’t help thinking about the people these creatures resemble. They
are considered among the most endangered primate species in the Amazon forests. These miniature
monkeys, measuring between 20 and 28 cm, belong to the new world monkeys and can live up to 19
years. They are highly social and live in a family-like structure in the tropical forests. The tamarin’s tiny
home range in the north-eastern Amazon is shrinking, as the city of Manaus expands, leaving them no
space to live and breed.

Yunnan Monkey:

Notes:

With their plumped-up lips and cauterised mauve nostrils, Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys look as if
they have spent too much money on a bad plastic surgeon. They are still curiously alluring, and one of the
few monkey species to coexist in relative harmony with each other. Locals think of them as sacred beings
and call them “the wild gods of the mountains”. Despite the recent creation of a protected reserve around
their habitat, it is still hard to protect them against smugglers who make millions trading them across the
world as lucrative pets. The number of remaining monkeys may be too few to ensure the genetic diversity
needed to breed successfully.

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Firefly:

Notes:

There is magic in seeing a host of fireflies twinkling in ancient woodlands. Yet what may appear to be
a lovely light show is actually, scientists have begun to discover a secret and astonishingly precise language.
The conversation, however, is dulled by light pollution, which is harming the fireflies’ habitat.
(Adapted from [Link] and [Link] by the author)

Stage IV. Deciding on the Audience and Style

After you complete reading the text and taking notes, the important stage is to decide to whom you are
writing the summary. This stage is crucial since it will affect your style as well. You may be summarising
a text for your own studies, which means that you are free in your style. However, if you are to submit
your summary to a teacher or lecturer or to anyone who will read, analyse, and even assess your summary,
then it will be a good idea to adopt a formal writing style. In that case, you should not use vernacular
or inappropriate language in your summary. Keeping a proper academic style, which indicates that your
summary is objective, is an important aspect. Besides, you should avoid using vague terminology such as
‘some’, ‘all types’, ‘few’, etc.
Formal writing also asserts that you avoid using first and second personal pronouns (I, you). In
addition, you should not use contractions (e.g. you should write ‘are not’ instead of ‘aren’t’) as well. In
formal writing, one-word numbers are spelled (such as ‘three’, ‘forty’, instead of ‘3’ and ‘40’), and it is also
important to be consistent in writing numbers. If you are summarising a literary item, you should refer to
the author by a full name (‘Edgar Allen Poe’ instead of ‘Poe). Depending on what you are summarising,
you may adopt different tenses (e.g. present simple for a literary text or past simple for a past event);
however, it is of importance to keep the tenses consistent throughout the summary. Finally, if you are asked
to comment or argue about a point in your summary, it will be a practical idea to avoid being absolute in
your argument (e.g. you should prefer ‘the author’s tone might be unrealistic for young learners’ instead of
‘the author’s tone is unrealistic for young learners’).

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Table 6.1 Formal Writing Guidelines

Rule Wrong Usage Preferred Usage

First and second personal In this summary, I will write
This summary is about …
pronouns are not preferred. about …
Contractions are not used. The author doesn’t go into detail. The author does not go into detail.
One-word numbers are spelled. There were 5 people in the room. There were five people in the room.
Author names are given as a full Hemingway makes a good point Ernest Hemingway makes a good
name. in this book. point in this book.
The main character goes into a small
and dark room. Then he finds his lost
The main character goes into a glasses there.
It is important to be consistent
small and dark room. Then he or
with the tenses.
found his lost glasses there. The main character went into a small
and dark room. Then he found his
lost glasses there.
This short story has the potential to
This short story changes its
It is important to avoid being affect its readers’ views on cultural
readers views on cultural aspects
absolute in your argument th aspects of 19th century British
of 19 century British society.
society.

Exercise 7. Formal Summary Writing Activities

Below, you will find summaries of various texts which are written in an informal and inappropriate
way. Read and turn them into formal and appropriate style. The first one is done for you.

Summary 1:
(Informal and Inappropriate)
Chopin wrote ‘The Story of An Hour’ in 1894. It is an ironic story
of one hour of time in the character Mallard’s life. I learnt about the
heart problem of Loise at the beginning. There is Josephine, Loise’s
sister in the story. She tells Loise that her husband, Brently Mallard,
died in a train accident. She feels sad at first, just like me and any other
reader, I guess. Then she realized that it is a freeing thing for her. She
could be free. Then she starts to feel happy. Not so long after, Brently
shows up in the house. Louise got shocked and died there.

(Formal and Appropriate)

‘The Story of An Hour’ is a short story by Kate Chopin written in
1894. It tells the ironic story of one-hour time of Mrs. Louise Mallard,
who has a serious heart problem. Actually, readers get to know about
her illness at the beginning; however, it remains as the central conflict
throughout the story. Loise’s husband, Brently Mallard is reported
among the dead in a train accident. Josephine, Louise’s sister, tells this to Louise. She feels an immediate
grief and heads to her room. Later, she realises that this is the only possibility for her to be free in her life
and starts to feel relieved. When she gets back downstairs, she sees Brently and gets shocked and dies there
as a result of a heart attack. The story concludes her death as ‘the joy that kills’.

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Summary 2:
(Informal and Inappropriate)
Poe wrote Cask of Amontillado in 1846. The bad guy, Montresor,
wanted to punish his friend Fortunato just because he thought he
insulted him. Montresor thought Fortunato knew a lot of things
about wine. He invites Fortunato into the catacombs to have some
wine. Fortunato goes there because he trusts himself but he drank too
much. Montresor ties him to a wall and starts to seal a wall of bricks.
He thought it was a joke at first but Montresor put the last brick and
stuck it. Fortunato stayed there for 50 years. What a revenge!

(Formal and Appropriate)

Summary 3:
(Informal and Inappropriate)
Jacobs wrote ‘Monkey’s Paw’ in 1902. There are Mr. And
Mrs. White, their son Herbert, and Sergeant Morris in the
story. One day Mr. White and his son Herbert were playing
chess while Mr. White was knitting. Morris arrived at their
home to talk about his many years of travelling India and places
like that. They talked about a strange item, a monkey’s paw.
An old fakir separated it to grant three wishes to come true,
but it is dangerous as well. Morris threw the paw into fire but
Mr. White got it back to make the first wish. He wanted just
two hundred pounds (£200), what a fool! Herbert touched
something on the piano and the paw moved! The following day,
Herbert dies at the factory he was working in. The machine
there killed him. The company gave the family exactly £200.
So, the first wish came true! Mr. and Mrs. White are sad and
surprised. Mrs. White tells her husband to wish for his son to
come back to life. They found the paw and wished that their
son came back. Suddenly, there is a knock at the door. They
are scared. The cemetery is like half an hour away from their
home. The knocking got louder and louder. They thought it
was Herbert. Mr. White didn’t want to open it since he knew even if it was Herbert, he would be in a
terrible condition. As Mrs. White wants to open the door anyway, she goes downstairs heavily. At the same
time, Mr. White found the paw and made the third wish – to stop the knocking. Then the knocking stops
all of a sudden. But there is literally no one out there!

(Formal and Appropriate)

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Stage V. Checking and Organisation

This is the final stage where you control whether you have followed the previous stages in your summary.
As we have said earlier, a summary should focus on main ideas. Details and supporting sentences help the
main text to be structured in a better way; however, since this will be a summary, it is time to leave them
out. Therefore, in this stage, you should check whether you have made a distinction between main ideas
and supporting sentences and you have marked all the necessary and important points of the main text.
You can control this stage by taking a look at your notes as well. Another thing to check is whether your
wording and style is appropriate for the audience of your summary. One last but important step to follow
is the organisation of your summary. In order to be consistent with the original text, your summary should
follow the same logical order. This step bears a great significance since it would also affect the cohesion and
coherence of your summary.

Exercise 8. Summary Organisation

Below is a text about the language of the internet. Read the text and order the sentences of the
summary to be in line with the original text.

The Language of the Internet

The importance of English as a global
language is growing all the time. Of course,
there are more native speakers of Chinese
than of English - about a billion compared
to about 400 million. But almost one and
a quarter billion people across the world
use English as a second or foreign language.
And this number is getting bigger every
year. English is the international language
of politics, business, science, transport,
advertising, the media and computers. For
example, about 70 % of websites are in
English, even in countries like Germany.
Almost 90 % of research scientists use
English as their working language every day.
There are some other languages, which are becoming widely used: the number of Arabic, Chinese or
Portuguese speaking people in different countries is escalating too. Some languages like Urdu or Hindi are
growing much faster than English. It is strange, but in the USA, the fastest growing language is Spanish!
But not all languages are so successful. There are about 6,000 languages in the world, but sadly the
future of many of them is not clear. In fact about twenty languages are dying every year. And unfortunately,
in the end, the culture of these languages dies with them, too. The traditions, songs, local foods and many
other important traditional things of these languages will vanish in history. Only the researchers will know
these on papers, but in their own languages!
Surprisingly, the Internet may offer a solution to this problem. It is true that English is the popular
language of the Internet, but the number of websites in other languages is growing very quickly. With chat
sites and messenger programs, people can communicate more easily than before and in any language they
know. So perhaps modern technology can help save some languages from dying out.
(Adapted from Moshtag and Tarabanovska, 2018 by the author)

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Summarising

I. The internet can help languages in danger with websites dedicated to communication through them.
II. English is the global language of the world.
III. Many languages are dying out together with their cultural elements.
IV. Some languages are growing faster than English.
V. There are more native speakers of Chinese but English is spoken by more people in the world in
total.

The order of the sentences: , , , , .

Exercise 9. Summary Organisation

Below is a guest lecture about career planning. Read the transcript and order the sentences of the
summary to be in line with the original text.

Hello everyone and thank you for having me here ... I’m
here today to help you think about your future careers. The
labour market is always changing. Your great-grandparents
may have worked in agriculture, in the days before mechanised
farming cleared them from the land. Your grandparents
probably worked in industry: coal mines, shipyards, steel
mills and factories with thousands of manual workers running
assembly lines, and actually making things. Your parents are
more likely to be employed in air conditioned offices with faxes
and computers and fiat screens; creating spreadsheets, sending
emails and taking part in video conferences. In this present
computer age, the factories are as deserted as the fields in the
country.
Robots and machines control the assembly lines and the army of blue-collar workers has been replaced
by a handful of white-coated technicians pushing buttons and checking monitors.
But today’s information economy is not immune to change. Machines are replacing white-collar workers
much as tractors replaced farmers, and robots replaced factory workers. How many bank cashiers have
lost their jobs to automatic telling machines? When’s the last time you got straight through to a human
telephone operator? How long will travel agents survive in the High Street now that the Internet has made
it so easy to book online? Accountants, secretaries, personnel managers, customer service advisors: all sorts
of administrative staff are being replaced by machines. And this is only the start.
The computers that we need today may not need us tomorrow. So, in a world where employers use
technology to increase efficiency and cut costs, what are your career prospects? Which jobs are safe bets?
Well, the good news is that software programmes and machines can’t do every job. For example, jobs
which require great creativity: writers, fashion designers, musicians, actors, inventors, games designers
and people working in marketing or research and development. It’s true that not everyone has the skill or
ingenuity to work in those fields. But that doesn’t mean you ‘re condemned to unemployment if you’re not
blessed with a creative temperament. In the future there will be jobs for you: jobs which require emotional
skills; where people work at being people. The information economy of today is going to make way for the
care economy of tomorrow.
Machines don’t care. Machines can’t care. So they can’t replace people in professions where care is what
counts: in the health service, for example. Doctors and nurses will always find work because they possess
the interpersonal skills needed in the care economy. They have to listen; they have to make their patients
feel good; they have to care; they have to be human. Or jobs in personal services: hairdressers, for example.
Hairdressers don’t just cut hair; they also listen to their clients, offer advice and discuss the latest news and

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gossip over a nice cup of tea. I can’t imagine having a machine cut my hair, can you? And there are many
more professions: teachers, beauty therapists, dentists, psychologists, gardeners, fitness coaches etc, whose
skills are beyond the ability of machines and which offer rewarding careers. In the future, flexibility will be
vital and lifelong learning a reality. You may need to retrain for new jobs throughout your working life, so
don’t throw out your pencil sharpeners just yet. Now, let’s look at more jobs in the care economy.
(Adapted from Longman Exam Accelerator – B2 Students’ Book)

(I) Our parents and grandparents did different jobs than we do now.
(II) However, there will always be a need for jobs that involve creativity.
(III)Our grandparents used to work in fields and farms.
(IV) Besides, jobs that require human involvement – such as health sector or personal care – are likely
to exist.
(V) The job market is changing constantly.
(VI) Many types of jobs have disappeared from many sectors because of technology in general (e.g.
computers, the internet, and automation).

The order of the sentences: , , , , , .

1
What are the stages of summarising?

CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD SUMMARY

A good summary should bear some significant characteristics. These can be summarised as follows:
• Authentic: A summary is written in your own words. It has only the ‘ideas’ of the original text, not
the words and phrases themselves. A good summary uses authentic wording.
• Objective: A good summary gives the message of the longer text. This means that you should not
insert any of your own ideas, thoughts, suggestions or objections regardless of whether they are in
line with the original message or not.

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• Accurate: Similar to being objective, a summary should transfer the ideas of the author of the
original text in an accurate way. As the summarizer, you should make sure that you are following
the author’s points without perverting or twisting them.
• Complete: A summary should reveal the original message in a complete form. As the summarizer,
you should make sure that you include all the necessary points that the author emphasises in the
text.
• Readable: A summary might be written for various purposes; however, all types of summaries have
one general aim, that is to facilitate the reading process. Therefore, in your summary, you should
adopt a reader-friendly format and style.
Following these characteristics will make your summary better. However, there are some things you
should avoid while summarising a text. For example, you should avoid the repetition of similar ideas. Also,
you should not include minor details and examples. Digressions should also be avoided since in a summary
your job is to write about the text, not the actual topic.

Table 6.2 Points to Consider in a Summary

While writing a summary …

Do Don’t
Write in your own words. Copy the original wording.
Write your own ideas, thoughts, suggestions or
Give the message of the original text .
objections.
Adhere to the ideas of the author. Twist or pervert the ideas of the author.
Add all the important and necessary points of the
Miss out any relevant important point of the text
text
Keep a reader friendly style and format Write in a complex and complicated manner
Write in a structured manner Repeat the similar ideas
Give the ‘big picture’ Include minor details and examples
Stick to the aim and content of the text Digress from the topic

Exercise 10. Finding the Best Summary

Read the text below and choose the best summary related to it based on the characteristics that a
summary should have. Explain why you choose
that option.

Why Do Fathers Want to Look After the

Baby?
One of the most extensive surveys of fathers
has now shown that, far from the stereotype, most
men would like to share childcare duties with their
partners or wives. The survey made by The New
York Times (NYT) shows a modern type of father:
the New Dad. He takes part in day-to-day childcare
and does not mind helping with the washing-up
and vacuuming. The NYT interviewed sixty-four
fathers and their partners about their home and
work life. Most fathers agreed that it was important
to ‘be there’ for their children for key events, such
as school sports day, their first appearance in a play

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and for at least one meal a day. Many agreed that parenting classes would be a good way to give them more
confidence around the home.
Based on the survey results, four types of fathers were defined, from the traditional type of dads to the
perfect New Dads, who are as much involved in taking care of the children as the mothers. The survey
found that the majority of men were somewhere between these two. In the first category comes Enforcer
Dad, the old-fashioned disciplinarian who does not see himself as involved in the day-to-day care of his
children. He sees his responsibilities as setting clear limits for them and being a role model. Most fathers do
not see this as their only role. The two biggest categories are Entertainer Dad and Useful Dad. Entertainer
Dad is at his best keeping his children laughing while his partner gets on with household chores and
arranging the children’s school and extra activities. The latter is, however, willing to help out around the
house, even though he expects the mother to be the ‘team leader’ in all things domestic. Finally, and
probably every woman’s dream, is a Fully Involved Dad. He is equally engaged in running the home and the
family, and sees the role of the father and the mother as practically identical. Fully Involved Dads adjust
their work arrangements to their partners’ professional duties. “I do have definite childcare commitments,”
said one father in this category. “There are certain times or occasions where it is non-negotiable and I just
leave the office on time.”
Madeline Harris, chairwoman of The NYT, said that fathers were still not given enough flexibility
at work and mothers would feel fully supported only if employers treated (and paid) both sexes equally.
“Mums and dads should be able to choose how they want to share the responsibilities of bringing up
children and working outside the home,” she said. “But until we have equal pay, decent childcare and
more opportunities to work flexible hours, many fathers will continue to find it hard to be there for their
children, and many women will continue to be disadvantaged at work. This is not necessarily the best
solution for parents, children or employers. Equality at work or home depends on both mums’ and dads’
family responsibilities being acknowledged,” Harris said.
(Adapted from Cambridge Objective FCE Students’ Book by the author)

Summary A This article is talking about how can fathers be more involved in child and household care.
A survey by The New York Times has found that less fathers, compared to the past, would like to take
part in everyday chores of the house including babysitting. The article reveals four types of fathers – from
the least taking responsibility to the most. The biggest one is the first category. The article makes some
suggestions of equal job and payment options.

Summary B This article is about fathers’ involvement in child and household care. A survey by a
newspaper has found that many more fathers, compared to the past, are willing to take part in everyday
chores of the house including babysitting. Four types of fathers were found – from the least taking
responsibility to the most. Majority of fathers were found to be falling in the second and third. The
article concludes with suggestions of equal job and payment options between women and men to increase
equality at home.

Summary C This article is about fathers’ involvement in child and household care. The New York
Times has found that more fathers, compared to the past, want to take part in everyday chores of the house
including childcare. The article reveals two types of fathers – those who take responsibility and those who
do not. The first category is bigger than the second. The article concludes that there should be equal job
and payment options at work to increase equality at work.

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Summary D The author of the article is about fathers’ involvement in child and household care. The
New York Times has found that more fathers, compared to the past, want to take part in everyday chores
of the house including childcare. I imagine my family when I read something like this. My father, for
example, would not like to be involved in child and household care. He would fall in the first category
based on survey results. He is very traditional. I think I would make a better father than him in the future.

The best summary is because .

Exercise 11. Finding the Best Summary

Read the text below and choose the best summary related to it based on the characteristics that a
summary should have. Explain why you choose that option.

The Younger, The Better?

Nowadays it’s very important to be young.
Look around, you will see more young faces on
the covers of magazines and in the ads on TV;
switch on the radio, and you will hear music that
young people love; go shopping, and you will find
all shops packed with items on sale for young
people. People tend to think that being young is
a better situation than being old today. However,
is it always good to be young? And isn’t ‘young’
sometimes ‘too young’?
First of all, let’s remember that this cult of youth
didn’t start so long ago. Before the revolutionary
changes in society and culture of the 1960s, it was exactly the opposite. When you were a teenager, you
only wanted to become an adult, and to look like an adult, too. It’s also important to remember that in
many cultures, even today, there is a lot of respect for the elderly. Such people are well experienced and can
always give you a precious piece of advice.
When people are young, they are usually energetic and brave: they can work for longer periods of
time and they’re ready to take risks. Because they still haven’t had much experience, they don’t have many
inhibitions, which means that there aren’t many things to stand in their way. Young people have also got
potential – they still have time to develop in many different ways. Because of that, employing young
people can be a good investment.
On the other hand, being young doesn’t automatically mean you’re always happy. There is a lot of
competition in society nowadays. That starts even when you’re in school. Getting a good education is
possible but not easy and it costs a lot of money. Next, you have to look for a good job. Although many
companies prefer young people, jobs aren’t just waiting for you. And even if you find one, it’s often only
for a short time.
Statistics show that stress of modern life on young people can sometimes bring them a lot of suffering.
Most of them can deal with problems very well, but some others break down and lose all hope. If we don’t
want this to happen, we should do something. In today’s world, being young is almost like a religion, so
it’s our responsibility to offer help to these people.
(Adapted from Longman Exam Activator by the author)

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Summary A This article presents the positive and negative points about being young in today’s world.
The author makes his point clear by giving specific examples related to being respected in the society and
getting a good education and thus finding a good job. Looking at both sides of the issue, I agree with
the author in his argument about how being young is relatively more advantageous than being old in the
modern world.

Summary B The article introduces the pros and cons of being young in today’s world. Young people
used to want to look like the elderly in the past since it was considered good. However, this is changing in
today’s modern world and everybody wants to be young.

Summary C We read about the good and bad sides about being young in this article. By giving
examples from both today and the past, the author suggests that elderly people have more chances to be
respected in society. Young people are suffering from today’s stressful atmosphere and it is hard for them
to get a good job.

Summary D The article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of being young, with special
reference to being respected in the society and getting employed. The author argues that young people
have the potential and it might be a good idea to invest in them. However, being young is also stressful in
terms of getting a good education and finding a good position in today’s world.

The best summary is because .

2
What are the characteristics of a good summary?

BASIC STRUCTURES FOR SUMMARY WRITING

As in many academic genres, summary writing has basic characteristics. These characteristics can be
outlined as follows:
• Formal: Summaries should follow formal writing style unless you are summarising for your own
studies. Even in cases you are summarising an informal text, your summary should bear the features
of formal writing, especially if it is to be submitted to a lecturer or a teacher.
• Objective: As outlined above, a summary should avoid subjective views. Therefore, your summary
writing style should possess objective wording, which will enable you to present the important
ideas of the text without personalising them.
• Explicit: A summary is written to convey the message(s) of the longer text in a straightforward
manner. Hence, it is a good idea to transfer the important information in the text as directly as
possible. You should not use an implicit wording style in your summary which may confuse the
reader.
In order to provide these features in your summary, there are certain tenses and structures to be followed
in your writing. Most summaries are written in present simple or continuous tense, with some exceptions
written in past simple or continuous if the text to be summarised involves events to be narrated or if it
is a story. Besides, passive voice is usually preferred in order to enhance the formality, objectivity, and
explicitness of the summary.

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Exercise 12. Structures for Summary Writing Summary 2:

The summaries given below include some This study analysed the correlation between the
wording and style that is not appropriate for socio-economic backgrounds of foreign language
academic writing. Each sentence includes one or students and their proficiency in speaking. The
two problematic usages. Find and correct them. researcher worked with a good number of students
The first summary is done for you. (over 100), with a little bit more female students.
Summary 1: They interviewed the students asking them some
questions. The students aren’t that young, they
Dostoevsky wrote ‘Crime and Punishment’.
can be accepted as young adults. They found out
It was one of the early and successful examples
that students coming from rich families are more
of psychological realism. The main character,
proficient in their speaking skills. Of course, this
Raskolnikov, is an old student who lives in poverty.
result can be different somewhere else. But, they
He’s planning to murder a greedy, old pawnbroker
conclude that richer students are better at speaking.
and use take her money to help others. Even though
he is not caught officially, he still experiences
punishment with feelings like self-guilt, isolation, Exercise 13. Review of Verb Tenses
and self-doubt. After going through this moral News report 1: Put in the correct forms of
struggle a lot, Raskolnikov finally asks God and the verbs using the present simple, present
humanity to be forgiven. He eventually talks to the continuous, past simple or past continuous.
police, and gets prison sentence in Siberia. Hello, this 1. (be) Jennifer
Dostoevsky wrote ‘Crime and Punishment’. Arnold. I 2. (speak) to you from
‘Crime and Punishment’ was written by Brussels, where the finals of the World Trivia
Dostoevsky. Championships will be held tomorrow. The
It was one of the early and successful examples favourite is Jack Oliver of Cornwall because he
of psychological realism. It is one of the early 3. (know) everything. Six months
and successful examples of psychological realism. ago no one 4. (know) Jack Oliver
although he 5. (take) part in trivia
The main character, Raskolnikov, is an old competitions at those times. Now suddenly he is
student who lives in poverty. The main really popular. When he 6. (arrive)
character, Raskolnikov, is a former student who here yesterday, tens of fans 7.
lives in poverty. (wait) at the airport to welcome him. Actually,
He’s planning to murder a greedy, old everyone is curious about one thing: How
pawnbroker and use take her money to help 8. he (have)
others. He is planning to murder a greedy, old the answers to almost all questions? He says he
pawnbroker and use take her money to help others. 9. (love) surfing on the internet
Even though he is not caught officially, he still and reading about everything. Most probably, right
experiences punishment with feelings like self- now he 10. (google) in his hotel
guilt, isolation, and self-doubt. Even though bedroom. He is clearly the man to watch!
he is not caught officially, he still experiences
punishment with such feelings as self-guilt, News report 2: Put in the correct forms of the
isolation, and self-doubt. verbs using the present simple, present continuous,
After going through this moral struggle a lot, past simple or past continuous.
Raskolnikov finally asks God and humanity to be
forgiven. After a never-ending moral struggle, The actress Judie Fowler 1.
Raskolnikov finally asks God and humanity to be (disappear) yesterday. She 2. (fail)
forgiven. to arrive at the Old Town Theatre in Prague for her
He eventually talks to the police, and goes to leading role in the comedy “It’s Sunny Now!”. She
prison in Siberia. He eventually confesses to 3. (leave) home at three o’clock
the police, and serves prison sentence in Siberia. yesterday afternoon for the theatre. Actually,
three people 4. (walk) past her
home at that time and they 5.

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(notice) her leave. At half past six the theatre manager had to break the news to the audience: “For now,
nobody 6. (know) where Ms Fowler is. The police 7. (take) the matter
seriously but they 8. (believe) that she is unlikely to be in any danger. Her friends all
9. (want) to hear from her soon.”
(Adapted from Oxford Grammar Practice by the author)

Exercise 14. Review of Passive Voice

Rewrite the sentences given below in passive voice. The first one is done for you.

1. This article suggests three ways of losing weight without feeling hungry.
Three ways of losing weight without feeling hungry are suggested in this article.

2. The instructor told the students to submit their assignment before midnight.

3. The author presents a new approach to criticise a literary work of late 19th century British literature.

4. The students are preparing a group project to find solutions for environmental pollution.

5. The jury is going to interview all the candidates today.

6. Board of directors decided to hold the next years’ conference in Italy.

7. The reviewers asked the author to send the manuscript to a proofreader.

8. In the future, robots will cook traditional recipes from all around the world.

9. The executive committee was going to draft a report; however, the CEO cancelled it.

10. You should pay the application fee to complete the application.

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Complete the following texts by using active or passive forms of the verbs given in parentheses.

Local News of London

Last night in Camden, many trees 1) (blow) down in the storm. One tree
2) (fall) across the main road. It 3) (take) away by the fire
service during the night. Heavy rain also 4) (cause) problems on the roads. Some
roads 5) (cover) by half a meter of water. Many drivers 6)
(leave) their cars and 7) (walk) home.
Now one piece of good news.
Yesterday evening, a black luxurious car 8) (steal) from outside the home of Mr.
Blackwell. He 9) (call) the police. Later that evening, the car 10)
(see) in the High Street by Mr. Blackwell’s wife, Amy. It was outside the Blue
Sky Hotel. The keys were in the car. So, she 11) (drive) it home! The police are
now looking for the careless thief!

The Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty 1) (give) to the USA by France. It was a
gift on the 100th anniversary of the United States. The statue 2) (design) by the
architect Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. It 3) (complete) in France in July 1884. In 350
pieces, the statue then 4) (ship) to New York, where it arrived in 1885. The pieces 5)
(put) together and the opening ceremony took place in 1886. The Statue of Liberty
is 46 metres high (93 metres together with the base). It symbolises the goddess of liberty. She holds a torch
in her right hand and a tablet in her left hand. The date of the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776)
can be seen on the tablet. Every year, many people from all over the world 6) (visit)
The Statue of Liberty.

3
What are the basic structures needed for summary writing?

ACADEMIC VOCABULARY FOR SUMMARY WRITING

As in many academic forms, your choice of words when writing a summary can help you summarise
the specific piece of information in the text in a better way. As stated earlier, a summary should possess
some certain characteristics such as being formal, explicit, and objective. Certain verbs and adjectives that
you can include in your summary will enhance these characteristics.
Below are two lists; one for verbs and one for adjectives. Match them with their meanings. Use a
dictionary if you need.

Exercise 15. Academic Verbs for Summary Writing

1. reveal a. to give specific examples of an issue, point, or topic, etc
2. handle b. to give reasons for your opinion or belief
3. state c. to say or write something clearly and carefully
4. exemplify d. to say or write words and phrases from a particular source
5. cover e. to talk or write about a subject in detail with different ideas around it

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6. extend f. to add something further on a issue

7. include g. to give a place to something
8. express h. to deal with a topic or issue, especially with challenging ones
9. cite i. to make known or show something surprising or that was previously secret
10. argue j. to mention a subject in your word in a quick manner
11. discuss k. to deal with something or direct your attention to it
12. touch on/upon l. to say or tell something in a direct manner

Exercise 16. Academic Adjectives for Summary Writing

1. accurate a. entirely firm and keeping in a clear manner
2. fluent b. important, noticeable
3. convincing c. next, upcoming, extra
4. solid d. unusual and special and therefore worthy of attention
5. further e. able to make somebody believe that something is true or correct
6. impressive f. able to make you admire or respect
7. substantial g. large in size, value, and importance
8. immersive h. able to present a systematic reasoning
9. significant i. spoken easily, without many pauses
10. argumentative j. able to make you feel that you are completely involved
11. remarkable k. exact, correct, and without any mistake

4
What are some significant vocabulary items needed for summary writing?

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to define the stages of

LO 1 summarising.

Summarising is a significant technique in a foreign language, particularly in reading and writing academic
texts. Summarising is basically turning a long text into a shorter one by using your own words and main
ideas or important points given in the longer text. There are five stages of summarising: 1) pre-reading,
2) reading for main ideas, 3) making notes & highlighting important information, 4) deciding on your
audience & style, and 5) checking (whether you have added all the important points). In pre-reading, you
Summary

should look for clues (e.g. titles, sub-titles, pictures, etc.) to help you give an insight for the text before
you read. While reading the text, you should be able to identify main ideas so that you can use them
in your summary. In order to help yourself, you can make notes while reading in various ways such as
abbreviations, symbols, diagrams, or drawings. Before writing your summary, you should decide on the
audience, thus, style. Depending on this, you should take into formal or informal writing guidelines in
your summary. The last stage is to check your summary and its organisation. You should control whether
you have applied the necessary steps in your summary before you make it finalised.

to number the characteristics of a

LO 2 good summary.

A good summary should bear some important characteristics. These can be named as: authentic, objective,
accurate, complete, and readable. An authentic summary means you have written it in your own words.
For an objective summary, you should not include your own ideas regarding the topic. Similarly, for an
accurate summary, you should convey the author’s ideas without perverting them. A complete summary
means it contains all the important ideas and messages of the author. Finally, you should write your
summary in a reader-friendly format by taking your audience into account.

LO 3 to use writing.

Academic writing, in general, requires some certain structures to be used in your writing in order to
provide formality, objectiveness, and explicitness. To supply the readers with such features, it is often
a good idea to use passive voice instead of active voice. However, you should make sure that you need
to be careful about not overusing the passive voice as well. Other than this, depending on the type of
the text you are summarising, you had better use present tenses, particularly present simple and present
continuous since you are talking about a present text already available.

to name significant vocabulary

LO 4 items needed for summary
writing.

In academic writing, it is important to have a good command of specific vocabulary needed for your aim.
There are many academic word list studies conducted by various researchers and freely available on the
internet. In this part of the chapter, we just added 12 verbs and 11 adjectives which are commonly used in
many academic texts. As a learner, enhancing your academic vocabulary knowledge should always be one
your main concerns since such words appear very frequently in listening and reading texts. Besides, once
you get practical with them in your writing, you will be able to use them in speaking as well.

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1 Keep it Fresh
[P1] Your body, similar to all the plants and animals on earth, consists mostly of water, and you must have
water to live. Plentiful, or common, thing on earth is water. It covers three-quarters of the earth’s surface, but
most of it is in the oceans. Ocean water is too salty for people. We can’t drink it; use it for growing crops or

Test Yourself
to make the things we need. For these purposes, we must have fresh water, not salt water.
[P2] Unlike salt water, there is only a small amount of freshwater on the earth. Less than one percent of all
the water on earth is fresh water that we can use. This fresh water is either surface water or groundwater.
Surface water is found in bodies of water like lakes and rivers. Groundwater is water inside the earth.
[P3] Did you know that the earth receives no new water? The water that has always been on the earth is
recycled again and again. Precipitation, rain or snow, falls to the earth. Some of it stays on the earth’s surface,
running down the sides of mountains and hills into rivers and lakes of fresh water. When the sun shines,
some surface water dries up, in other words, it evaporates. It rises into the air to make clouds. Finally, after
the water in the clouds gets heavy, it falls back to earth as precipitation once more, and the cycle begins
again. Not all rain water stays on the earth’s surface, however. Some of it becomes groundwater by seeping
into the soil and collecting under the ground.
[P4] The small amount of freshwater on earth is in danger. You probably already know that oil accidents
and garbage and other waste can pollute surface water- the water in lakes and rivers. Pollution can harm
groundwater, too. Poisonous chemicals can seep underground, just like rainwater. They might come from
golf courses, factories, or even from polluted lakes and rivers. It takes a long time and a lot of hard work to
clean dirty water, especially groundwater.
[P5] It’s up to everyone to conserve and preserve fresh water. Conserve, or save, fresh water by using less
water both inside and outside your home. Preserve fresh water-keep it safe and clean-by throwing away
dangerous household chemicals carefully. Never put them into the drain, the toilet or the garbage. There is
not a lot of fresh water, really, so let’s all help keep it fresh.
(Adapted from Success Intermediate Students Book by the author)

I. MAIN IDEA: Read the text and choose the option that best gives the main idea of the text.
The main idea of the text is:
a. the process of recycling water is difficult work.
b. keeping water fresh is important in our life.
c. there are differences between saltwater and freshwater.
d. there are dangerous household chemicals.

II. Read the text and match the paragraphs with the sentence that best summarises the paragraph. Be
careful there are two extra sentences!
Paragraph points out that pollution affects freshwater badly.
Paragraph explains how the water is recycled.
Paragraph describes the two types of freshwater.
Paragraph explains how factories pollute fresh water.
Paragraph concludes by listing some ways to protect fresh water.
Paragraph introduces the topic of the importance of water for our life.
Paragraph points out the importance of salt water.

169