What does summary mean?
Word: Summary
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Summary means a short account of the main points of something, such as a story or a lesson.
Sounds like: summery (bright and warm, like the summer season)
How do you spell summary?
Syllables: sum - ma - ry
Tricky part: The middle holds a double m. Writing one m is the most common slip.
Watch out for: sumary, summari
Memory tip: Picture two m's as two mountains in the middle of the word, standing side by side.
Summary in a sentence
Example 1: Our teacher asked for a summary of the lesson in five lines.
Example 2: Priya read the summary on the back of the book before she borrowed it.
Example 3: At the end of the news, the reader gave a quick summary of the day.
Fun Fact
The word goes back to a Latin word for the total or the main part, the same root that gives us the sum you work out in maths.
Practise the CREST Way
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
myrasmu
a) summery
b) primary
c) summit
d) summary
Show answer
d) summary. Summery needs an e, primary needs p, r and i, and summit needs i and t.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
summary
a) outline
b) detail
c) heading
d) chapter
Show answer
a) outline. An outline gives only the main points, just like this word.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) paragraph
b) summary
c) chapter
d) sentance
Show answer
d) sentance. Sentence has e in both of its last two syllables.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The teacher asked us to write a short summary of the story in our own wurds.
a) wurds
b) summary
c) story
d) teacher
Show answer
a) wurds. Word is spelt with or, even though it sounds like the ur of hurt.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which would make the best summary of a long film?
a) a list of the snacks sold
b) every word the actors said
c) a few lines on the main events
d) the names of the crew
Show answer
c) a few lines on the main events
2. Riya writes a summary of a 300-page book. How long is it most likely to be?
a) a whole shelf of books
b) three hundred pages
c) four full notebooks
d) about half a page
Show answer
d) about half a page
