A summary keeps the important meaning — Language, 11–13 years
Summarising means making a text shorter without changing its main message. You keep what a reader needs and leave out details that do not carry the point.
Shorter, but still true
A summary is a smaller version of a text that keeps its central meaning. It answers: what is this mainly about, what happened or was argued, and what result matters? It uses your own wording rather than copying every sentence or listing every detail.
Why readers need summaries
People often need to understand a long report, story or video before they have time for every detail. A summary solves the problem of limited attention, but it must not replace the author’s point with your own opinion. This is why selecting and organising information matters as much as shortening it.
Shrink a short text
Original: “On Saturday, after weeks of rain, the town team planted 40 trees beside the river. Volunteers brought gloves and watered them before going home.” Step one: keep the event and result. Step two: remove the day and equipment. Summary: “After weeks of rain, volunteers planted 40 trees beside the river and watered them.”
A list is not a summary
A common mistake is keeping the first facts, the most colourful detail or every number, because concrete information feels safe. But a pile of details may hide the main point. Another mistake is making the text so short that its meaning changes. After cutting, ask whether someone could still explain the original message.
Useful beyond assignments
Summaries help when you explain a film to a friend, record a meeting decision, describe a news story or decide whether a long article is worth reading. A good summary lets someone choose what to do next without pretending that every detail has been included.
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