summary

«summary» in Mova's school dictionary: a short version of something longer, giving only the main… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 3 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

noun (a summary, summaries); adjective (summary — formal)

meaning for a pupil

1) A summary is a short version of something longer, giving only the main points. tree →

2) (formal, adjective) Summary means done quickly, without the usual steps: «summary justice». tree →

3) «In summary» means «to put it briefly». tree →

sense in the lessons

In English lessons pupils write a summary of a story or a chapter. In science a summary of results ends a report. In maths a «summary table» shows totals. In everyday life news and websites give summaries. Phrases: «in summary», «a brief summary», «write a summary».

examples

• Write a summary of the story in five sentences. tree →
• The news gave a short summary of the match. tree →
• In summary, plants need light, water and air. tree →
• The teacher read our summaries aloud. tree →
• The summary at the end of the chapter helps with revision. tree →
• A summary table shows the total sales for each day. tree →
• The book's back cover has a summary of the plot. tree →

note

Plural: summaries. Verb: summarise (UK) or summarize (US). A summary should be shorter and in your own words; copying sentences is not a summary. Do not confuse with «summery» (like summer). Formal «summary dismissal» means being sacked at once.

In the corpora

• A summary leaves things out, and a bot's summary can even get the story wrong.
• A summary tells the main events in a few words, not every detail.
• A summary of a news report sticks to the facts and leaves out your own opinions.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «summary» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.