A brief and concise overview of the main points of a larger piece of text or work, without including unnecessary details or opinions.
Here's why this is the best explanation:
* Brief and Concise: A summary should be significantly shorter than the original work. It focuses on the most important information, eliminating any extraneous details.
* Main Points: The purpose of a summary is to convey the core message of the original work. It highlights the key ideas and arguments, not every single fact or detail.
* No Unnecessary Details: Summaries are objective and focused on presenting the essential information. They don't include personal opinions, interpretations, or digressions.
Think of a summary as a condensed version of the original, capturing the essence while leaving out the fluff.