❓ Why Use a Passage Summarizer?
If you ask yourself this question, you already know the answer for yourself. But there may be more than one reason:
- An urgent need to prepare a summary of an essay’s main body. You may require that for an introduction or conclusion. A summarizing tool accelerates the work on these sections dramatically.
- A need for a shortened indirect quotation. Not all quotes you come across fit in the context. They may as well be too long. A passage summarizer will convert it into a brief and neat phrase in a blink.
- A need to summarize many extended texts. It becomes urgent when you are assigned a literature review but don’t have time to read all the reference literature. The tool will summarize the texts in no time. You’ll only have to read the shortened versions and quickly write the review.
🤔 Best Passage Summarizer: How to Choose?
Of course, you can summarize a text by yourself. And most probably, you will be happy with the result. But in many situations, the deadline was yesterday. Even more so, paraphrasing a text is a time-consuming task. Moreover, there are lots of passage summarizers, ranging from simple and free to complex and paid. While selecting the right summarizing tool, consider the following factors:
- What is the tool’s purpose? If it is universal, the style of the resulting text is almost unpredictable. If it is specialized, you won’t be able to use the same tool for medicine and literature.
- Is the input text limited? If your source text is relatively short, this parameter does not matter much. But if you need a summary of a book chapter, it is better to select a tool with the unlimited input text. Otherwise, opt for the one with a high value of the parameter.
- Can you adjust the summary? If your source text is relatively short, this parameter does not matter much. But if you need a summary of a book chapter, it is better to select a tool with the unlimited input text. Otherwise, opt for the one with a high value of the parameter.
- Do you choose the length in sentences, words, or characters? It may be critical when you need a text of a predefined length. You may need a single-sentence summary for an indirect quote or a 150-character version when the assignment requires so.
- Does the tool highlight the keywords? The feature will be helpful at the editing stage. You’ll only focus on the essential words and change them whenever necessary. By the way, many tools suggest rewording variants of the highlighted keywords.
- Which languages are supported? If you are bilingual and found something worth including in your paper in a different language, it is better to rephrase it in the source language. Then, you will translate the shortened version only. Besides, don’t forget to include a reference.
- Do you need to install anything on your PC? Online versions are more intuitive and cheaper. Installed software is more sophisticated but usually expensive. Find what fits your purposes better.
- What is the price, if any? As mentioned above, the price usually reflects the set of available features. But if you need the tool once in a while, a free online paraphrase generator would do.
🔠 What Is a Passage Summary?
A passage summary is a shortened version of a source text. The original is usually a book chapter, article abstract, or section of a research paper. The shortened text is around one-paragraph long or slightly more, depending on the length of the source work.
Summaries are helpful in a variety of academic situations:
- to memorize the text in a better way;
- to list the main points of a meeting;
- to describe a research project in several phrases to ask for a grant;
- to present the work you’ve already accomplished to your research supervisor;
- to summarize an article or book for an in-class presentation;
- to write a research paper, annotated bibliography, or essay without plagiarizing.
You’ll find our passage summarizer helpful for all these situations.
What Does a Passage Summary Look Like?
- It has the form of a paragraph (because you summarize a passage, not an entire text).
- It starts with a topical sentence that presents the source’s title, author, and main idea of the summarized passage as you understood it.
- It is expressed in your own words.
- It mentions only the ideas featured in the original without your comments, opinions, or interpretations.
📝 Summarizing a Passage: 10 Best Strategies
Did you know there are multiple ways to summarize the same passage? And no, it’s not about the different choice of words. The following ten methods can turn any daunting summarizing task into a fun activity, and the result will improve accordingly.
- 5 Ws + 1 H. The method works best for fiction passages. If you need it for an academic article, skip the question words you have no information to answer.
- Who made the action?
- What did they do?
- When did it happen?
- Where did it happen?
- Why did they do so?
- How did they accomplish it?
- 3 -2 -1. The method will be helpful when you need a highly condensed version of a lengthy passage, in particular for an annotated bibliography. Give a list of 3 main points, 2 things you disagree with, and 1 question you have regarding the passage.
- Square, Triangle, Circle. Similar to the strategy above, describe:
- 4 points that “square with your opinion”;
- 3 points you support, disagree with, or require more information;
- 1 question that keeps “circling” in your head.
- First, Then, Finally. You’ll appreciate the method when working on passages having a time frame or chronological order.
- What was the first thing to happen?
- Then: Which details or events occurred meanwhile?
- Finally: What were the results?
- Inference. The method is helpful for in-text citations, particularly when you need to comment on them. Use the following frame: In the passage… the author meant that… because…
- SAAC. Try it when you need to prepare a summary in a single sentence (for example, to make up a topic sentence of a paragraph). Here are the steps:
- State it (name the article where you found the passage);
- Author (who wrote it);
- Action (what the author did: explained, highlighted, contradicted, etc.);
- Complete the sentence (use the author’s main idea to round up)
- Q&A. Particularly handy when working with several passages, this method allows you to decide which information is the most crucial. Write down a question based on each passage and answer it. The answer will be the best summary possible.
- Dear Friend. Write a letter to a friend, retelling the passage. You can delete the introduction and conclusion later, and the main body of your writing will be the summary.
- SWBST. The strategy resembles 5 Ws +1 H and SAAC. Each letter stands for a linking word:
- Somebody (who is the actor in the passage?)
- Wanted (what was their purpose?)
- But (what were the limitations?)
- So (how did they achieve what they wanted?)
- Then (what was the result in the long run?)
- Acrostics. This method is somewhat creative, but some research papers allow such freedom. When a passage is merely a list of the author’s points, create a descriptor (a keyword) for each, and unite them in a memoizable word or acronym.
📌 Passage Summarizer FAQ
How to Summarize a Passage?
- Write down the keywords.
- Group them into ideas or author’s “points.”
- List the points, adding the necessary details.
- Include the text’s title and author of the passage.
- Finalize the summary with the author’s findings.
How Do You Summarize a Passage Online?
- Find an online passage summarizer that meets your requirements: specialization, input text limits, summary volume adjustments, keyword highlighters, supported languages, and price.
- Copy the passage from the source text.
- Insert it into the blank field of the tool.
- Make the necessary adjustments.
- Press “Summarize” button.
What Is an Objective Summary of a Passage?
An objective summary never includes the thoughts, judgments, or interpretations of the person who writes the summary. It is particularly complicated while abbreviating a passage, not an entire text, as the author needs to integrate it into their own writing. Thus, they may be tempted into “accommodating” the source’s ideas to the new text.
What Is a Subjective Summary of a Passage?
A subjective summary balances the source’s text and the summarizer’s opinion. On the one hand, it references the original’s facts and ideas. On the other hand, it gives the new author’s account from a different point of view. But don’t forget it is a summary, not your own text. Thus, all the original points should be marked as such.
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