Example Summary:

1. Example Summary: In “Americanization is Tough on ‘Macho,’” Rose Del Castillo Guibault explains that Americans have a negative connotation for the word macho, and this fact bothers Hispanics, who use the word in a positive sense. While Americans use the term to refer to a man who is a “chauvinist, a brute, uncouth, selfish, loud, abrasive, capable of inflicting pain, and sexually promiscuous,” Hispanics use the term respectfully for a male who is “responsible, hard working, a man in charge, a patriarch.” Guibault believes this difference in connotation reflects the fact that in the United States the traits that other cultures prize are not valued by American society. She also believes that during the seventies, the rise of feminism was responsible for macho acquiring negative connotations. More than anything, though, Guibault is concerned because Americans’ sense of macho has become an inaccurate stereotype of the Latin man that contributes to misunderstanding.

2. Features of a Summary: Note from the example summary that in an academic summary, the main point is stated in the first sentence, which also contains the author name and the title of the text. Each following sentence then is a different supporting point. Note also that signal phrases are used continually throughout the summary to credit the author. In addition, note that the verbs in the signal phrases are in present tense. Another thing to notice is that the summary is shorter than the original and contains no minor details. Finally, note that the writer of the summary does not insert her own personal opinion into the summary.