Summarizing a Paragraph in One Sentence

Squeeze a paragraph's main idea and most important detail into a single sentence.

A one-sentence summary is a strong test of understanding. It combines the main idea with the most important supporting information, in your own words, and leaves out everything else. Steps: find the main idea, pick the one or two most important details, and blend them into one sentence. Read: 'Before refrigerators, people kept food cold in many clever ways.

Some families stored food in cool cellars dug into the ground. Others bought blocks of ice cut from frozen lakes in winter and kept them in insulated boxes. In very cold places, people simply buried food in snow. ' One-sentence summary: 'Before refrigerators, people kept food cold using cellars, blocks of ice, and even snow.

' Notice that it keeps the main idea and the three methods but drops details like 'insulated boxes' and 'frozen lakes'.

• 1A one-sentence summary keeps the main idea and the key details.
• 2Use your own words.
• 3Drop minor details.