The comment: Summarize less, analyze more
THE COMMENT: Summarize less, analyze more
SIMILAR COMMENTS: Too much summary • Show, don’t tell • Go deeper
understanding the comment When readers point out that you need to include more analysis and less summary, the comment often signals that they are looking for your interpretation of the text.
strategies for revising
- Reread your paragraph and highlight the sentences that summarize. Then, in a different color, highlight the sentences that contain your analysis. (Summary describes what the text says; analysis offers a judgment or an interpretation of the text.) (See 4c and 4d.)
- Reread the text (or passages of the text) that you are analyzing. Pay attention to how the language and structure of the text contribute to its meaning. (See 4a.)
- Ask questions. What strategies does the author use, and how do those strategies help convey the author’s message? What insights about the text can you share with your readers? How can you deepen your readers’ understanding of the author’s main points? (See 4a and 4d.)