LECTURE NOTES

ENGLISH PROFESSIONAL
Week 10

Capturing Ideas in Different Texts

&
Summarizing and Paraphrasing Texts
 LEARNING OUTCOMES

On successful completion of this Ccourse, students will be able to:

LO 2: demonstrate the upper intermediate English reading skills both academically and
professionally.

LO 4: demonstrate the upper intermediate English writing skills both academically and
professionally.

OUTLINE:

INTRODUCTION

DISCUSSION

A. Reading Skill: Skimming and scanning texts

B. Writing Skill: Summarizing and paraphrasing the readings

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

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 INTRODUCTION

In today’s online class, we will focus on English reading and writing skills. Specifically,
there are two main discussions. Those are skimming and scanning. Inside of the skimming and
scanning skills, the definition, reason, and strategies to improve the skills will be discussed.
Besides, a review on the writing skills, summarizing and paraphrasing, will be presented in this
session. In the summarizing and paraphrasing skills, the definition, reason, strategies, and
example will be presented as follows.

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 DISCUSSION

A. Reading Skill: Skimming and scanning texts

Skimming and scanning are two very different strategies for speed reading. They are
each used for different purposes, and they are not meant to be used all the time. They are at the
fast end of the speed-reading range, while studying is at the slow end. People who know how to
skim and scan are flexible readers. They read according to their purpose and get the information
they need quickly without wasting time. They do not read everything which is what increases
their reading speed. Their skill lies in knowing what specific information to read and which
method to use.

Shortly, skimming and scanning are reading techniques that use rapid eye movement and
keywords to move quickly through text for slightly different purposes. Skimming is reading
rapidly to get a general overview of the material. Scanning is reading rapidly to find specific
facts. While skimming tells you what general information is within a section, scanning helps you
locate a particular fact. Skimming is like snorkelling, and scanning is more like pearl diving.

1. Skimming

a. Definition

Skimming is one of the tools you can use to read more in less time. Skimming refers to
looking only for the general or main ideas and works best with factual material. With skimming,
your overall understanding is reduced because you don’t read everything. You read only what is
important to your purpose. Skimming takes place while reading and allows you to look for
details in addition to the main ideas.

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 b. How to skim

Many people think that skimming is a random process placing the eyes wherever they
fall. However, to skim effectively, there must be a structured, but you don’t read
everything. What you read is more important than what you leave out. Let’s say you are doing
research on a long chapter or a web site. By reading the first few paragraphs in detail, you will
get a good idea of what information will be discussed. Once you know where the reading is
headed, you can begin to read only the first sentence of each paragraph or topic sentences. They
give you the main idea of the paragraph.

At the end of each topic sentence, your eyes should drop down through the rest of the paragraph,
looking for important pieces of information, such as names, dates, or events. Continue to read
only topic sentences, dropping down through the rest of the paragraphs, until you are near the
end. Since the last few paragraphs may contain a conclusion or summary, you should stop
skimming there and read in detail. Remember that your overall comprehension will be lower
than if you read in detail. In skimming, if you feel you are grasping the main ideas, then you are
skimming correctly.

Good skimmers do not skim everything at the same rate or give equal attention to
everything. While skimming is always faster than your normal reading speed, you should slow
down in the following situations:

• When you skim introductory and concluding paragraphs

• When you skim topic sentences
• When you find an unfamiliar word
• When the material is very complicated
In reading a book, generally you can follow these steps:

• Read the table of contents or chapter overview to learn the main divisions of ideas.
• Glance through the main headings in each chapter just to see a word or two. Read
the headings of charts and tables.

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 • Read the entire introductory paragraph and then the first and last sentence only of each
following paragraph. For each paragraph, read only the first few words of each sentence
or to locate the main idea.
• Stop and quickly read the sentences containing keywords indicated in boldface or italics.
• When you think you have found something significant, stop to read the entire sentence to
make sure. Then go on the same way. Resist the temptation to stop to read details you
don't need.
• Read chapter summaries when provided.

c. When to skim

Because skimming is done at a fast speed with less-than-normal comprehension, you

shouldn’t skim all the time. Here are some conditions when skimming is very useful.

• Suppose you are taking a presentation skills class and have to deliver an oral report in a
few days about the first computers ever made. You locate six books and four newspaper
articles about this topic. Because you must be ready soon, you do not have time to read
each word, but you need a large quantity of solid information. Skimming will help you
locate the information quickly while making sure you use your time wisely. It will also
increase the amount of usable material you obtain for your research.
• Suppose you have an exam in a few days. You need to review the material you learned,
but you don’t want to reread everything. By skimming, you can quickly locate the
information you haven’t mastered yet and study only that material. Use skimming in
previewing (reading before you read), reviewing (reading after you read), determining the
main idea from a long selection you don't wish to read, or when trying to find source
material for a research paper.
• Use scanning in research to find particular facts, to study fact-heavy topics, and to answer
questions requiring factual support. Use skimming to overview your textbook chapters or
to review for a test. Use skimming to decide if you need to read something at all, for
example during the preliminary research for a paper. Skimming can tell you enough

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 about the general idea and tone of the material, as well as its gross similarity or difference
from other sources, to know if you need to read it at all.

2. Scanning

a. Definition

Scanning is another useful tool for speeding up the reading. Unlike skimming,
when scanning, you look only for a specific fact or piece of information without reading
everything. You scan when you look for your favourite show listed in the cable guide, for your
friend’s phone number in a telephone book, and for the sports scores in the newspaper. For
scanning to be successful, you need to understand how your material is structured as well as
comprehend what you read so you can locate the specific information you need. Scanning also
allows you to find details and other information in a hurry.

b. How to scan

Because you already scan many different types of material in your daily life, learning
more details about scanning will be easy.

1) Establishing your purpose

Locating the appropriate material, and knowing how the information is structured before
you start scanning is essential. The material you scan is typically arranged in the following ways:
alphabetically, chronologically, non-alphabetically, by category, or textually.

• Alphabetical information is arranged in order from A to Z.

• Chronological information is arranged in time or numerical order.
• Non- alphabetical order examples are a television listing, or by category, and listings of
like items such as an auto parts catalogue.
• Sometimes information is located within the written paragraphs of text, also known as
a textual sense, as in an encyclopaedia entry.

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 2) Using your hands

While scanning is very helpful in locating specific information, using your hand or finger
is extremely helpful in focusing your attention and keeping your place while scanning a column
of material. Your peripheral vision can also help you scan effectively. When your hand moves
down a list of names, you see not only the name your finger is pointing to, but also the names
above and below. Let your eyes work for you when searching for information.

3) Keep the keyword

Keep the concept of key words in mind while scanning. Your purpose will determine the
key words. Suppose you are looking for the time a train leaves from New York City for
Washington, D.C. The key words to keep in mind are “from New York City” and “to
Washington, D.C.” If you are looking for the cost of a computer printer with the code number
PX-710, the key word to locate in a list of many printers is “PX-710.

c. When to scan

You scan when your aim is to find specific pieces of information. If you were doing the
research for an oral presentation, you could scan the index of books, web sites, and reference
materials. You would discover whether they contain any information you want and the pages
where the information can be found.

In the past, you probably scanned without knowing you were doing it. Now with the
information provided in this section, you can use scanning more intentionally and frequently.
The more you practice, the more effective scanning will become. Finally, the most important
benefit of scanning is its ability to help you become a more flexible reader. Scanning adds
another high gear to your reading.

If after skimming you decide the material will be useful, go ahead and scan:

• Know what you're looking for. Decide on a few key words or phrases–search terms, if
you will. You will be a flesh-and-blood search engine.

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 • Look for only one keyword at a time. If you use multiple keywords, do multiple scans.
• Let your eyes float rapidly down the page until you find the word or phrase you want.
• When your eye catches one of your keywords, read the surrounding material carefully.

If you are scanning for facts to answer a specific question, one step is already done for
you: the question itself supplies the keywords. Follow these steps:

• Read each question completely before starting to scan. Choose your keywords from the
question itself.
• Look for answers to only one question at a time. Scan separately for each question.
• When you locate a keyword, read the surrounding text carefully to see if it is relevant.
• Re-read the question to determine if the answer you found answers this question.
Scanning is a technique that requires concentration and can be surprisingly tiring. You
may have to practice at not allowing your attention to wander. Choose a time and place that you
know works for you and dive in.

B. Writing Skill: Summarizing and paraphrasing the readings

Composing a piece of text for an assignment or a blog can require you to perform
thorough research, compose content, and ensure its uniqueness. That brings the need for
summarizing and paraphrasing the content. However, the terms summarizing and paraphrasing
are mistaken as synonyms. They are both related, but they are not the same. To clarify the
concepts, in this section let’s focus on summarizing and paraphrasing similarities and
differences.

1. Summarizing

a. Definition

Summary refers to a short review, a restatement of the major points, which is a

conclusion of the work in most cases. With this, summarizing refers to composing a summary of

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the content or other resources. It has to communicate the most crucial part for the writer. You
have to prepare it in your own words, and it has to state the information you want to emphasize.

b. How to Summarize

Summarizing involves taking the ideas from a text, which can be some other author. You
must also add the citation information for sharing the source of the concept. here is the step by
step explanation of summarizing:

• Find and Read

The first step you need to do is select the text. It can be of four to five lines and can
support the idea. After that, you must thoroughly read it to get a detailed idea and
understanding of the topic. You must prepare notes, and add the keywords, terms, and
keywords you can use to understand it better.

• Filter the Content

Once done with this, you have to filter the content you will compose into the summary.
For this, you have to select the text you want to keep and eliminate the unnecessary. After
sorting the material, you have to include, you can write the summary in your own words.

• Revise and Edit

After completing your summary, you have to read it and correct any mistakes. You also
must verify the facts presented over there. To attain that, you can compare it with the text
and make sure that there are no aspects left for you to make changes. Before submitting
your summary, you must check if it can identify the writer of the actual text. It has to
consist and combine the ideas initially written and present unbiased information.

c. When to Summarize?

Several benefits come with the need to summarize. First of all, it allows you to
understand the structure in which the content has been organized and then combine them into the

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major parts. With this, you can focus on putting lights in the most crucial part of the text. Here
are the conditions that require summarizing:

1. To reduce the source material and bring out the major and relatable points.
2. To remove extra information from the crucial source material.
3. To make the material simple and easy to understand.

d. Summary Example

To get a clear picture of what summarization can look like, let us present an example of
the summary. Here are a few paragraphs on the importance of language:

• Language plays a crucial role in communication among people. After becoming a master
in it, you can become well-versed with its grammar, the system of words, and structure to
facilitate the exchange of thoughts and emotions. It is also essential to express the ideas
and customs in societies and cultures. When you choose to learn the concepts of a new
language, you can connect with new thoughts and ideas. You can also make yourself
familiar with customs and the manner in which people greet each other.

• The role of learning a language also encompasses professional growth as a person with a
command in the global language can find more career possibilities. Several sectors and
industries need professionals well-versed in common languages. (Anonymous)

This is an anonymous paragraph, but it is necessary to identify the writer. So, let us
assume that Dr. A has written it for a paper presented in University Y in 2020. The title is The
influence of language on an individual. In that case, here is how you will present the summary of
the paragraph:

Summary: In the paper on The influence of language on an Individual at Y University, Z,

Dr. A presented his thoughts on language. It allows people to exchange their thoughts and ideas.
Learning a new language can allow people to connect to new thoughts and ideas and learn about
new customs. It can also pave the way for your growth at a professional level. This is because
industries often look for professionals who master a commonly spoken language.

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 This summary has the source, time, and writer while expressing the essential points. It
also states the perception presented by the author but in a different and neutral manner.

2. Paraphrasing

a. Definition

Paraphrasing refers to writing a piece of content again without changing its actual
meaning. It would require you to read the text and present that in your own words. A
paraphrased text can take a major part of the original text and can be generally shorter.

b. How to paraphrase

Plagiarism refers to presenting the work of some other authors. With many benefits and
usage of paraphrasing, using content without plagiarism is another. Either through adding
synonyms or changing the speech, there are different ways to paraphrase without plagiarizing.
To facilitate it for you, here are the steps you can proceed with:

• Understand the meaning

Before you begin to compose the content in your own words, it is necessary for you to
understand it properly. For this, you can read the resource several times, and you can
even look for multiple references. It can allow you to have several sources and a lot of
information.

• Note down the major points

Whether you consider single or multiple references, you should note down the important
points. With this, you can take the information and still not copy the same notion of the
writer. You can use the material and phrase it in your words.

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 • Write your content

Once you understand the meaning and take the major points, you can compose fresh
content. While doing so, you must make sure that you do not have to look at the original
passage and prepare from what you have understood.

• Compare the content

After writing your content, the next step should be comparing it with the original passage.
It can allow you to evaluate the authenticity of the facts and check if you have missed any
crucial information.

• Cite the Source

Even if you write the content in your own words, citation helps track the original idea. It
also gives the credit to the original source.

c. When to paraphrase

Paraphrasing can be the call for creating content in different situations. For a broader
picture, here is the set of reasons why you need to paraphrase:

1. To refine the specific text from a short passage.

2. To save from the overuse of the quotations.
3. To explain the word without focusing on wordings.
4. To report statistics and numerical data.
5. To share the crucial part of a passage.
6. To avoid plagiarism

d. Paraphrase example

To get a clearer idea of paraphrased content, you can take a look at these examples of
paraphrasing:

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 • Original Content

Digital marketing has been a growing field in the past decades. It includes using different
platforms to promote the businesses. Its purpose is to connect to its target audience
present on digital mediums.

• Paraphrased Content

Over the past decades, digital marketing has become a booming field. It consists of
promoting a brand while availing the different digital platforms. It paves the way for
businesses to reach their potential customers on various platforms.

Both passages have the same meaning but are written differently. The choices of the
words are not the same, and in the first sentence only, there is a change in the sentence structure.
That is how you can paraphrase the content.

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 CONCLUSION

In this last session, two reading strategies and two writing strategies have been discussed.
Shortly, skimming and scanning are reading techniques that use rapid eye movement and
keywords to move quickly through text for slightly different purposes. Skimming is reading
rapidly in order to get a general overview of the material. While skimming tells you what general
information is within a section, scanning helps you locate a particular fact. In addition,
summarizing explains the crucial points more concisely. Where paraphrasing is about conveying
the same messages without shortening the length

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 REFERENCES

1. Deborah Phillips. (2014). Longman Preparation Course for the TOEFL Test: IBT. 3rd
Edition. Pearson Longman. New Jersey. ISBN-10: 0133248127/ ISBN-13: 978-
0133248128

2. Lin Lougheed. (2007). Longman Preparation Series for the New TOEIC Test: Advanced
Course, Fourtg Edition. Pearson Longman. New York. ISBN 0-13-199311-9

3. Mable Chan. (2020). English for Business Communication. 1st Routledge, Taylor et
Francis Group. London. ISBN: 9781138481688[Main Textbook]

4. http://studyskills.curtin.edu.au/better-referencing/paraphrasing-and-summarising/

5. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/using_research/quoting_paraphrasing_
and_summarizing/index.html

6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy69pPGDeIg

7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgUK-g4sDzI

8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GefKPy5YYHI

9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PigfCpCg15c&t=1s

10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3F8pQLtY_Q

11. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5-EIeXskOs

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