ENGLISH LANGUAGE

HANDLING COMPREHENSION AND SUMMARY

Comprehension is the act of understanding an expression fully while summary is the ability to extract the meaning of such expression in a brief, accurate, concise and precise sentence. Comprehension and summary accounts for about 60% of SSCE, English Language Paper 1. Unfortunately many students score very low marks or fail this part of their language study out rightly. The reasons for poor performance include:

·       Poor reading habits that slow down reading skill such as reading with head and lips moving, tracing with fingers, pronouncing word by word.

·       Grammatical errors and ambiguous expressions.

·       Writing answers on sentences when you were not instructed to do so.

·       Answers to expressions that do not perfectly represent the meaning of the sentences in the passage.

·       Supplying two answers for the same questions, usually one correct and the other incorrect.

·       Poor vocabulary and spelling mistakes.

·       Lack of correct evaluation and questioning what the examiner was looking for.

The following hints are relevant in handling comprehension and summary:

·       Read the passage carefully with speed two or three times until you understand the meaning fully.

·       Go through the questions before writing down your answers; but do not copy the questions as part of your answer.

·       Identify the needed information and write your answers precisely in your own words.

·       Read through your answers to check and correct grammatical and spelling mistakes.

A good Summary is concise, relevant, precise and adequate. It avoids copying whole sentences from original passage but could pick phrases from the passage when considered the best expression. Each sentence in a summary should contain a single thought or point. Five important steps are necessary for successful summary writing:

·       Read the passage with complete concentration to grasp its meaning.

·       Read the passage over and over again till the meaning becomes very clear to you.

·       Make rough draft of your answers avoiding irrelevant statements.

·       Transfer from your rough draft to your answer sheet.

·       Go through your answers to check and correct grammatical and spelling mistakes.

Never be satisfied with your present state. Determine to excel and remember that when you are at your best you can do better. The better time to start is now.

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