Paper 2 Summary Skills -Milestone Post

Ways to Reduce Wordiness

Omit excessive detail
Omit repetitive wording
Change unnecessary that, who and which clauses into phrases
Replace circumlocutions with direct expressions

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#1- Omit excessive detail
Example:
So what makes people happy? Watching TV? Not at all. People who watch more than three hours a day - especially soaps - are more unhappy than those who spend less time in front of the box.

>> Likewise, extended television viewers are more dissatisfied with life/more melancholic.


First, you need to identify the key idea:
The genre of the tv programme (soaps) is not the main factor resulting in unhappiness; it is the long hours spent in front of the tv that is the crux of the matter.

Second, ask yourself if specific details, such as the exact number of hours (more than three hours), need to be stated. If such a specific detail is not that important, use a generic term like “extended” to refer to people who spend a lot of time watching tv.

Cross out the redundant words/phrases:
2.1 Cellphones have become an important and indispensable part of our lives.

2.2 The recent global financial crisis has prompted nations to re-examine the basic fundamentals of their financial regulation system.

2.3 The tests revealed a type of cells which are peculiar in nature and cylindrical in shape.


#2: Omit repetitive wording

Examples:

Our armed forces must be able to respond to unexpected surprises swiftly in order to avert such a terrible tragedy.

Often times, the young expect their elders to be wise in their knowledge and impeccable in their character.

#3: Change unnecessary that, who and which clauses into phrases

Example:

The system, which is very intelligent and energy efficient…

>> The intelligent and energy-efficient system…

#4: Replace circumlocutions with direct expressions

Example:

She terminated her pregnancy on account of the fact that she did not want to disrupt her career.

>> She had an abortion because she did not want to disrupt her career.

4.2 What we can be sure is that the problem will not be solved in the situation in which the different countries are divided by mutual mistrust.

>> The problem cannot be solve when the countries are divided by mutual mistrust.

Summary Writing Process: UPOD2

Understand the question
Pick out the points and
Organize them (simple list or comparison?)
Draft the summary x 2