名人教你讲英文：资料的简介 Abstract and Synopsis

名人教英文：资料的简介 abstract and synopsis

in school, at college or at work, we are often asked to give a gist (要点) of something or write a short report on a specific subject. three words immediately come to mind, namely : précis (撮要), abstract (摘要) and synopsis (简介).
how to write a précis was discussed some weeks ago. today, we focus on the essential elements of an abstract or a synopsis.

an abstract 引言/摘要
an abstract can be as short as a paragraph or as long as a chapter. the aim of an abstract is to give a general view of a detailed report such as an important speech, a research paper or a scientific document. an abstract can be informative or descriptive and it has the following essential features:
a. it gives the background.
b. it states the purpose.
c. it provides the focus.
d. it highlights the main points.
e. the abstracts of some academic, scientific and research papers are generally informative and may - depending on the nature of each abstract - draw up a summary of the methods used and the conclusions reached in the paper.

the aim of writing an abstract is, therefore, to enable any reader to get the gist of a lengthy document even without reading the full text itself.
a synopsis 简介/大纲

a synopsis makes a summary, or gives a brief outline of a report, a book, or an event. the ability to design a synopsis is particularly important in certain jobs and professions. to mention just a few: in advertising, publication, multi-media industries, staff are required to write synopses to advertise, promote and publicise certain products or events. book-jacket blurbs (1) are typical examples of how synopses are put to use.