3: Writing a Summary of Another Writer’s Argument
- Page ID
- 27107
.jpg?revision=2 "Anna Mills")
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Learning Outcomes
- Write a thorough summary of an author’s text that includes that text’s main claim, reasons, counterarguments, and limits.
- Choose phrases precisely to show the role of each point summarized within the larger argument.
- Identify key similarities and differences between two arguments.
- Write an essay summarizing and comparing two arguments that highlights what we can learn from their key similarities and differences.
- 3.1: What Is a Summary?
- A summary describes the purpose and reasoning of an argument in different words.
- 3.2: Introducing the Argument and the Main Claim
- We can introduce an argument and describe its main claim with common phrases chosen to reflect the writer’s purpose.
- 3.3: Describing the Reasoning
- A summary can use typical phrases to point out the reasons an argument gives for its main claims.
- 3.4: Describing How the Author Treats Counterarguments
- We can choose our wording in the summary to show the argument’s attitude toward any counterarguments it mentions.
- 3.5: Describing How the Author Limits the Claim
- The summary should reflect any limits the argument has put on its claims.
- 3.6: Putting the Summary Together
- We can combine our descriptions of the main claim, reasons, counterarguments, and limits into a summary essay.
- 3.7: Writing a Short Summary of a Long Argument
- Understanding the structure of the argument will help us pick what to focus on and what to leave out of the summary.
- 3.8: Sample Summaries
- Here we provide two sample summaries with margin notes on how they are constructed.
- 3.9: Comparing and Contrasting Arguments
- To compare two different arguments, we can start by summarizing each and then use common phrases to highlight key similarities and differences.
- 3.10: A Sample Compare-and-Contrast Essay
- Here we provide an annotated sample compare and contrast essay.
- 3.11: Common Summary Phrases
- A list of all the summary templates discussed in this chapter.
