What are the best ways to summarize what I read in English?

Reading in English is a great way to improve your vocabulary, grammar, and comprehension. But to truly remember and understand what you read, you need to be able to summarize it — to express the main ideas in your own words. Summarizing helps you check your understanding, remember key points, and communicate information clearly.

English summarizing study scene.

Here are some effective ways to summarize what you read in English.

1. Identify the main idea and key details

Before you start writing your summary, ask yourself: What is the main point of this text? Then, find the most important supporting details.

  • Focus on facts, arguments, or events that are essential to the text.

  • Avoid including small examples or extra descriptions.

Example:
Original: "The Amazon rainforest is home to millions of species and plays a crucial role in regulating the Earth’s climate."
Summary: "The Amazon is vital for biodiversity and climate regulation."

2. Use your own words

Don’t just copy sentences from the text. Try to explain the ideas as if you were telling them to a friend.

  • This forces you to think about the meaning.

  • It helps you improve sentence structure and vocabulary.

Tip: If you find it hard, say it aloud first, then write it down.

3. Keep it short and clear

A summary should be much shorter than the original. Aim for:

  • One or two sentences for a short paragraph.

  • One short paragraph for a whole article or story.

Example: A 500-word article can often be summarized in about 50–70 words.

4. Use note-taking techniques

While reading, take quick notes of important points. You can use:

  • Bullet points – great for organizing facts.

  • Mind maps – useful for visual learners.

  • Highlighting or underlining – to mark main ideas in the text.

5. Ask and answer “W” questions

Think about: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?
If you can answer these questions in your own words, you’re ready to write your summary.

6. Practice with different text types

Summarizing news articles, short stories, blog posts, or even YouTube video transcripts will give you flexibility.

  • For news, focus on facts and events.

  • For stories, focus on the main characters, problem, and solution.

By practicing summarizing regularly, you’ll strengthen your reading comprehension, vocabulary recall, and ability to communicate ideas simply and clearly in English.

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