SUMMARIZING SPEECH AND CONVERSATIONS
If is casy to summarize written texts because we have read and reread them many times, and usually the texts are coherent and written in a planned way. Usually interviews, conversations and speeches are difficult to summarize because we have fo take notes and write summaries by listening to them once.
Also interviews and conversation are not planned; speakers often fumble, repeat a sentence or a phrase, or expand a single idea with many examples. Speeches are easier to summarize as the speakers usualiy prepare speeches carefully and they are more organized than other spoken discourse. Read this interview between a student and an examiner. The examiner is trying to find out what kind of general awareness the student has.
As the examiner puts questions to the student and listens to the answers, he is also making hotes of the important points. Underline in the conversation below, the points you think the examiner is noting down. A: What newspaper do you read mostly?. B: Iread the Hindu, which is, I think, South India's biggest national newspaper.
I like it because it is interesting for local news, but at the same time, it has very good Coverage of other national news items, and its good for international news as well. A: Do you read any weekly magazine? B. Um, yes... I read the Economic Times, which is closely associated with my work.
A: What about television?
B: Well unfortunately, I don't watch television.
I find I don't really have time for that. But listen to the radio sometimes- to the news and news discussion programmes. Now read the notes by the examiner:
The Hindu-interesting for local news - good coverage - national and international news/ weekly magazine - The Economics Times - related to work/no TV - no time/ Radio - news and discussion programmes .
Here is the report the examiner writes on the basis of his notes: The candidate reads the Hindu and the weekly magazine, The Economic Times for local, national, international news.
He also listens to the news and news discussion programmes on the radio. Often, in the newspaper, we find political addresses and important speeches being summarized. Again, the writer here picks out the main ideas of the gist of the speech and reorganizes them in the news report.
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