Why This Skill Matters

Ask someone to summarize an article, and you’ll often get a rambling retelling that’s nearly as long as the original. They include every point, every example, every qualification. What you won’t get is clarity about what actually matters.

A short summary isn’t just a compressed version of the full text — it’s a distillation. The constraint of three sentences forces you to make decisions: What’s the core claim? What’s the essential evidence? Why does any of it matter? These decisions require real understanding. You can’t fake comprehension in three sentences.

This is why the 3-sentence summary works as both a comprehension tool and a comprehension test. If you can capture a text in three precise sentences, you’ve understood it. If you can’t, you have more work to do.

The Step-by-Step Process

1. Sentence 1: The Core Claim What is the author’s main argument or central point? Not the topic — the actual assertion. “This article is about climate change” is a topic. “Human activity has accelerated climate change beyond natural variation” is a claim. Your first sentence captures what the author wants you to believe or understand. Start here.
2. Sentence 2: The Key Support What’s the most important evidence or reasoning? You can’t include everything — pick the strongest piece. The evidence that, if removed, would most weaken the argument. The example that best illustrates the concept. The reasoning that connects claim to conclusion. One sentence, maximum impact.
3. Sentence 3: The “So What” Why does this matter? What’s the implication, significance, or application? This sentence transforms your summary from a report into an insight. It answers the reader’s unspoken question: “Why should I care?” Without this, you’ve described what the text says but not why it matters.

Tips for Success

Draft Long, Then Cut

Don’t try to hit three sentences on your first attempt. Write a longer summary first — capture everything that seems important. Then cut ruthlessly. What’s redundant? What’s a supporting detail that could be removed? What’s interesting but not essential? The editing process is where real understanding crystallizes.

Use Precise Language

Every word matters in a quick summary. Vague language wastes space. “The author discusses various factors” tells us nothing. “The author identifies three causal mechanisms” is specific and informative. Push for precision — it forces clearer thinking.

Focus on the Argument, Not the Structure

Don’t summarize the article’s organization (“First, the author introduces… then discusses… finally concludes…”). Summarize the actual content. The reader doesn’t need a table of contents — they need to understand the argument’s core.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Including Too Many Points

The temptation to cram multiple claims into each sentence destroys clarity. One sentence, one job. If your first sentence contains three separate claims connected by “and,” you’re trying to include too much. Choose the most important claim and let the others go.

Forgetting the “So What”

Many summaries stop at description and never reach significance. “The study found X” is incomplete without “This matters because Y.” Your third sentence is arguably the most important — it’s what transforms a summary framework from adequate to useful.

Being Too Abstract

A summary that’s all generalities fails to capture what makes this text distinctive. “Research shows practice matters” could describe thousands of articles. A good summary is specific enough that it couldn’t describe any other text — only this one.

Practice Exercise

Choose an article you’ve recently read — ideally something argumentative rather than purely informational. Before looking back at it, try writing your 3-sentence summary from memory. What was the core claim? What was the key support? Why did it matter?

Now return to the article. Compare your summary to the actual text. Did you capture the main argument accurately? Did you remember the strongest evidence? Did you identify the true significance, or something peripheral?

Revise your summary with the text open. Aim for maximum precision in minimum words. Then set the article aside and try to recreate your summary from memory one more time. This process — summarize, check, revise, recall — builds both comprehension and retention.

For more techniques that transform passive reading into active understanding, explore the complete Strategies & Retention collection in our Reading Concepts hub.