Q&A for How to Summarize a Story

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Which notes should I take?

Community Answer

To summarize a story, find the main points of the story. Asses whether the detail you have included in the summary affects the story.

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Question

Could I skip a step or two? Would it make a difference in the summary?

Community Answer

It shouldn't. But if the steps were related to the main conflict in the story, you should include them within the summary of the short story.

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Question

How do I write a summary of a biography?

Community Answer

Summarize like you would any other story, but instead of a fictional story you will be summarizing real life event. Highlight the main things that happened during his life and the main people in his.

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Question

What if I don't want to do all that writing? Is there an easier way?

Community Answer

You may seek help from freelancers online. However, if you are summarizing the story for school or something like that, you will need to do the work yourself. You could ask your teacher if they would allow you to summarize the story in another way, like through a video presentation.

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Question

How many pages should be in a summary?

Community Answer

In general, a summary should not exceed more than one to two pages.

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Question

Is it OK if my summaries have more than six paragraphs?

Community Answer

It might not be bad if you are summarizing a book, but not short stories.

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Question

What verb tense should I use when summarizing a story?

Community Answer

You should use past tenses when you are summarizing a story.

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Question

Should I be using the past tense when I summarize a story?

Community Answer

Yes, you should write in past tense.

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Question

How many paragraphs are in a summary?

Community Answer

A general summary would be about five paragraphs, but it could vary, depending on the guidelines set by your teacher.

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How do I make a summary for the back cover of a book?

Community Answer

The back cover is a summary of the book it tells you what you are going to be reading about. When you try to answer a question that is from a book, use the RACE strategy: R is for restate the question; A is for answer the question; C it to cite your evidence; and E is for Explain for evidence.

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Can I make a summary only one paragraph long?

Community Answer

If it's a short story, you might be able to summarize it adequately in one paragraph. A longer story might require a longer summary.

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