English Composition and Summary Writing
English composition and summary writing
Two productive tasks: 条件英作文 (write 50–60 words meeting stated content conditions) and 要約 (summarise a passage within a set word count). Both are scored on content coverage, organisation, and grammatical accuracy - a simple, correct sentence beats an ambitious broken one.
条件英作文
- Underline every condition (語数, 立場を明示, 理由を1つ/2つ, 具体例を含む) and tick each off before finishing.
- Plan three moves: position → reason (because / since) → concrete support (for example).
- Use structures you control: because, which, if, compared with, it is easier for X to do.
- Aim slightly above the minimum (52–58 words for a 50–60 range); under-length answers lose content marks.
- Keep one tense and check subject–verb agreement, articles, and plural -s on the final read.
要約
- Find the topic sentence of each paragraph; delete examples, statistics, quotations, and repetition.
- Write one or two sentences in your own words: the author's main claim plus its main support.
- Keep the author's stance; never add your opinion or new facts.
- Use general nouns (people, researchers, the author) and the present tense for general claims.
- The summary must stand alone: a reader who has not seen the passage should understand it.
Worked example
Prompt: 「大学生は親と住むより一人暮らしをすべきだという意見に賛成か。理由を1つ挙げ、50〜60語の英語で書きなさい。」 Model (56 words): 「I agree that students should live alone. Living by themselves teaches them to manage money, cooking, and schedules without help from their parents. For example, they must plan a monthly budget, which is a skill they will need after they start working.」 Reasoning: sentence 1 states the position, so the 賛成 condition is met; sentence 2 gives the single required reason; sentence 3 supplies the concrete example and the total stays inside the word limit.
Traps
- Answering a different question from the one asked.
- Giving two reasons when one well-supported reason is required, and supporting neither.
- Copying long phrases from the passage into a summary.
- Losing marks on basics: third-person -s, a/an, and run-on sentences with no comma or connector.