How to Summarize Story

When summarizing a story, you need to be concise, engaging, and to the point. Luckily this is not too difficult if you follow certain instructions.

Table of Contents

While reading

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Read stories. It’s hard to summarize a story if you haven’t actually read it. So, open the pages of a book or plug in your headphones and listen to the story on your iPod. Don’t rely too much on book summary sites, as they are not always accurate. ^{[1] X Research Source}

While reading, you need to keep in mind the main idea of the story. For example, The Lord of the Rings can convey the idea that greed (represented by the ring) is the force of evil, or that the actions of a small individual (like a hobbit) can also can change the world. ^{[2] X Trusted Source University of North Carpina Writing Center Go to source}
Concentrate completely on the book. Don’t get distracted by anything, including music.

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Note. ^{[3] X Research Sources} You will need to take notes while reading the story so that you can refer back to when you start writing your abstract. Find answers to the questions “Who? What? When? Where? Why?” These will form the basis of what you write in the summary. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

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Find the main characters. You will have to know which characters the story revolves around, and which characters are less important. If a storybook has too many characters, you probably don’t want to record all the characters that appear in the story.

For example, with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone , you would make notes about Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, since they are the main characters. You can also write down names like Hagrid, Dumbledore, Snape, Quirrell and Vpdemort, as they are important characters in the series.
You don’t need to write about the evil elves Peeves or the dragon Norbert, because although they also play an important role in the story, they do not affect the main plot much and do not need to be mentioned in the synopsis.
Short stories like Little Red Riding Hood are pretty easy, as you only need to make notes about Little Red Riding Hood, her grandmother, the wolf, and the hunter (depending on the version).

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Pay attention to the context. Context is where the story takes place. This can get complicated if the story takes place in many different locations. In this case, you will have to expand more. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Continuing with the Harry Potter story example: the main action takes place at Hogwarts, so you could write something like “Hogwarts magical school in the UK.”
With a story like The Lord of the Rings that spans many lands, you could mention Middle-earth, and mention a few other important places like the Shire, Mordor, and Gondor. You don’t have to be too specific (like mentioning the forest of Fangorn, or the tower of Minas Morgul).

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Note the inconsistencies of the story. A story conflict is a conflict or any major obstacle that the characters have to overcome. ^{[6] X Research Source} It doesn’t have to be as intense as in Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings .

In the Harry Potter saga, the main conflict is Vpdemort’s plot to steal the Sorcerer’s Stone and come back to threaten the Wizarding World (and kill Harry).
For example, if you were to summarize the epic Odyssey , the main contradiction would be Odysseus’ journey back home to Ithaca. Every episode in the story is driven by Odysseus’s desire to return home and every obstacle that stands in his way.

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Record key events. These are the most important parts of the story. You do not need to record every move of the character. In fact, that’s exactly what you need to avoid! Look for events that escalate the conflict or contribute to problem resolution.

In the Harry Potter series, some of the main events will be Harry discovering he is a wizard, or Harry meeting the three-headed dog, and of course Harry, Ron, and Hermione defeating Vpdemort.
A short story like Little Red Riding Hood may seem easier to summarize, but you should also record only the most important details such as Red Riding Hood meeting the wolf, being devoured when she mistook the wolf for a grandmother, and the The appearance of the hunter.

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Pay attention to the ending of the story. This is usually the biggest event, ending the story’s conflict and solving the problem. Even a book of a series often ends up in some way. ^{[7] X Research Source} Beware of the spoilers below!

The end of the Harry Potter story is the event that Vpdemort is defeated. The story that follows is not important to include in the summary, even if it makes sense to the whole story. You don’t have to go into the conversation between Dumbledore and Harry at the end or mention the Gryffindor victory point, because it wasn’t really part of the Vpdemort event.
With the story of Little Red Riding Hood , the end is the appearance of the hunter who saved the lives of the little girl and her grandmother.
With a work like The Lord of the Rings , summing up the story’s ending will be quite complicated, because you might want to end up with the destruction of the ring, but you’ll have to mention the Purification of the Shire or Frodo’s departure from the Gray Havens (especially if the main idea the story wants to convey is the importance of a little man’s exploits).

Write a summary

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Sort notes. So the hardest part – reading the book – is done! Once you have all the notes in hand, now is the time to start writing your summary. You will have to arrange your notes based on the chronological order of the story. Find out where the story begins and ends and the protagonist’s journey from beginning to end. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Continuing with the Harry Potter story example, you will have to look at the events Harry went through, from the time he learned he was a wizard to the battle to defeat Vpdemort.
With the Odyssey , you’ll need to follow Odysseus from the time he lost all of his followers and washed up on the island of Calypso until he triumphs over Penelope’s suitors and convinces her that he is her returned husband. .
In a short fairy tale like Little Red Riding Hood , you’ll need to figure out why she went into the woods, was tricked and swallowed by a wolf, and ultimately saved.

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Write a summary. Now it’s easy because you have all your notes in order. All you need to do is write a short paragraph recounting the main points of Ai? What? When? Where? Why? included in your notes. Remember to include the title of the story and the author’s name. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Make sure to focus only on the main plot. Don’t wander off to Harry playing Quidditch or Harry’s feud with Malfoy.
Likewise, don’t include quotes from stories. You don’t have to repeat the story lines in the summary. You may also want to mention a key point in a dialogue (for example, “When Harry and his friends were told by Hagrid that the Sorcerer’s Stone might not be safe, they went to stop the thief.” .”)

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Read the plot summaries. Your writing will be much easier if you look at some examples and learn how to encapsulate many elements in a short and coherent paragraph.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling tells the story of an eleven-year-old orphan Harry Potter who discovers he is a wizard and enters a wizarding school at Hogwarts, UK. There, Harry discovered that his parents had been murdered by an evil wizard named Vpdemort, who was disarmed by Harry when he was a baby. Harry, along with his friends Ron Weasley, who comes from a large wizarding family, and Hermione Granger, the top witch in school, discover that the Sorcerer’s Stone brings immortality. hidden on the third floor of the forbidden area. When Harry and his friends were told by Hagrid that the Sorcerer’s Stone was no longer safe, they went to stop the thief they thought was Professor Snape, who disliked Harry. When he found the stone, Harry discovered that the thief was Professor Quirrell, Vpdemort’s man. Thanks to Harry’s mother’s curse, he was able to defeat Quirrell and Vpdemort was forced back into hiding.”
Homer’s epic Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus, a Greek hero, and his ten-year journey back home to the island of Ithaca, where his wife Penelope and son Telemachus await. The work opens with Odysseus being held by the goddess Calypso until the Greek gods force her to release him. Holding a grudge because his son Cyclops Ppyphemus was blinded by Odysseus, the god Poisedon tried to sink Odysseus’ ship but was prevented by the goddess Athena. At last Odysseus reached Scheria, the land of the Phaeacians, and here he was safe. Odysseus told them about his adventures with his sailors, his trip to the land of the lotus-eaters, how he blinded the cannibal Ppyphemus, his love with elves The sorceress Circe, the deadly mermaids, his journey down Hades and his battle with the sea monster Scylla. The Phaeacians brought him safely back to Ithaca, and he entered the palace as a beggar. In Ithaca, where Odysseus is said to have died, his wife Penelope’s suitors took over his mansion, plotted to kill his son, and tried to convince Penelope to choose one of them. Believing that Odysseus was still alive, Penelope rejected them. She challenged suitors to shoot Odysseus’ bow that only he could do. When he drew his bow, he shot the suitors dead and reunited with his family.”
These summaries recount the main plot of the story, using sentences like “When Harry found the stone…” instead of explaining exactly how the stone was found, which is not the point. of an abstract. The summary is brief and focuses only on the important protagonists such as Odysseus, Penelope, the gods, etc.

Advice

Make sure your summary is brief. It must not be longer than the original work! ^{[11] X Research Source}

Warning

If you’re writing an essay, don’t just summarize the work!
Do not include your comments in the summary, unless requested by the teacher.

Steps

While reading

Write a summary

Advice

Warning

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