Beginner Business English: Summarizing and Rewriting Reports

How to Practice Summarizing and Rephrasing Business Content in Simple English

Introduction

In business, you often need to share information clearly and briefly. Whether you’re writing an email, a weekly report, or meeting notes, the ability to summarize and rewrite content in English is a very useful skill.

But if you’re a beginner, you may ask:

• “How do I shorten a long sentence?”

• “How can I change the words but keep the meaning?”

• “Is it okay to copy the original?”

• “How can I write a short report in simple English?”

The good news is: you don’t have to be perfect. You only need to learn a few basic techniques, and with a tool like ChatGPT, you can practice anytime—even if your English is very simple.

Why Summarizing Helps Beginners

When you summarize, you focus on the most important information. This helps your reader—and it helps you:

• You learn to read carefully

• You practice writing in your own words

• You learn to express ideas more clearly and simply

These skills are important for:

• Internal emails to coworkers

• Meeting summaries

• Weekly updates

• Reporting key numbers or status

• Taking notes in English

✏️ What This Lesson Will Teach You

In this lesson, you will learn how to:

• Understand the difference between copying and summarizing

• Write simple summaries of short texts

• Use basic patterns like “The main point is…” or “In short…”

• Ask ChatGPT to help you summarize or rewrite longer content

• Compare original vs. summary examples (Before & After)

You don’t need perfect grammar. You don’t need big words. You just need to start with simple sentences—and a clear idea of what’s important.

You’ll also get ready-to-use prompts you can copy and paste into ChatGPT to help you rewrite text in simpler English.

Don’t be afraid to simplify.
Writing clearly is more powerful than writing perfectly.

Let’s start with the basics: what’s the difference between copying and summarizing?

2. Difference Between Copying and Summarizing

What’s the difference, and why does it matter?

When you’re learning English, copying a sentence can feel safe and easy. But in business writing, it’s more important to understand and rephrase or shorten information using your own words.

Let’s explore the difference:

Copying

Copying means taking the exact words from the original.

Example:

Original: “The sales team had a meeting on Friday to review the Q2 performance numbers.”
Copy: “The sales team had a meeting on Friday to review the Q2 performance numbers.”

✅ This is okay for note-taking.
❌ But not useful if someone asks for a summary.

Summarizing

Summarizing means sharing only the main idea in fewer words. You do not use the exact words (or not all of them).

Example:

Original: “The sales team had a meeting on Friday to review the Q2 performance numbers.”
Summary: “The sales team discussed Q2 results on Friday.”

Shorter
Same meaning
Easier to read

Why Not Just Copy?

Because:

• Long messages waste time in business

• Some words are too detailed

• You may not be allowed to copy (for legal or privacy reasons)

• Good communication means you understand and rephrase ideas

Rule of Thumb

If someone says, “What’s the main point?”
→ You are being asked to summarize, not copy.

✏️ Practice Tip

When reading an email or document, try this:

1. Read one paragraph

2. Ask yourself: “What’s the key idea here?”

3. Write it in one short sentence using your own words

Then check it with ChatGPT using this prompt:

Hi ChatGPT, I tried to summarize this sentence. Can you check if I kept the meaning? Original: The team met to finalize the launch schedule. My summary: The team talked about the launch date.

3. How to Write a Simple Summary in English

3 Easy Steps and Useful Phrases for Beginners

Summarizing is not about being perfect—it’s about being clear.

Here’s a simple method to help you summarize any short English message.

✅ Step 1: Identify the Main Point

Ask yourself:

“What is this sentence or paragraph mostly about?”

Ignore small details. Focus on who, what, when.

Example:

Original: “The marketing team met with the design team to finalize the new poster for the product launch next month.”
→ Main Point: marketing and design team made a decision about the poster

✅ Step 2: Use Simple Sentence Patterns

Here are 5 patterns you can use:

• The main point is…

• They talked about…

• The purpose was to…

• The team decided to…

• The topic was…

Example summary:

“The team talked about the new poster for the product launch.”

You don’t need big words. Use what you know.

✅ Step 3: Make It Short (1–2 Sentences)

Keep your summary short and easy to read. In business, short = professional.

Example:

Original: “The IT department reported that the system was down from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. due to a server issue.”
Summary: “The system was down for 4 hours because of a server issue.”

Beginner Tip: Use “In short,”

This is a helpful way to start a summary sentence.

Example:

“In short, the meeting was about solving the delay in product delivery.”

You can also use:

• “To summarize,”

• “Basically,”

• “The key point is,”

✍️ Practice Challenge

Try summarizing this text:

“Our department completed three projects this quarter. We launched the new website, created an internal communication plan, and held three training sessions for staff.”

Your summary: _________________________________

Then ask ChatGPT:

Hi ChatGPT, I tried to summarize this paragraph. Can you check if I captured the key point correctly?

4. ChatGPT Prompts for Summarizing and Rewriting

Use these to shorten and simplify English text

Summarizing and rewriting is much easier when you have the right questions.
Here are 5 prompts you can copy and paste into ChatGPT. Each one has a clear purpose.

Prompt 1: Simple Summary

Hi ChatGPT, can you summarize this sentence in simple English? → The project was delayed due to supply chain issues and unexpected client revisions.

✅ Use when: You want a shorter, easier version of a sentence.

Prompt 2: One-Sentence Summary

Please give me a one-sentence summary of this paragraph in clear English.

✅ Use when: You have a longer paragraph and want a quick summary.

Prompt 3: Rewrite Using Easy Words

Can you rewrite this in easier English for a beginner? → We implemented a cross-functional strategy to enhance departmental synergy.

✅ Use when: You want to understand business terms in plain English.

Prompt 4: Check My Summary

This is my summary. Can you check if it keeps the same meaning as the original? Original: The development team revised the app to fix bugs and improve performance. My summary: The team made changes to the app to fix problems.

✅ Use when: You want feedback on your own summary.

Prompt 5: Make This More Formal

Please rewrite this in more formal business English: → We had a talk about the late delivery.

✅ Use when: You need to polish a sentence for a report or email.

5. ✏️ Before & After Examples

How ChatGPT can help you simplify and clarify your writing

The best way to understand how to summarize or rewrite is to see examples.
Here are five common business sentences that have been rewritten or summarized using ChatGPT.

Each example shows how to go from a long or complex sentence to a shorter, clearer version.

Example 1: Email Summary

Before:

The client emailed us yesterday asking for a detailed explanation of the new pricing system, and they also want a breakdown of the costs for each service.

After:

The client wants a cost breakdown and explanation of the new pricing.

Why:
This version cuts unnecessary words and keeps the key points only.

Example 2: Formal Report Rewrite

Before:

We talked about the delivery delay with the supplier during yesterday’s meeting and decided to change the shipping schedule.

After:

The team decided to revise the shipping schedule due to a delivery delay.

Why:
The new version is more formal and focused on the decision.

Example 3: Technical Update Summary

Before:

The IT department said the email server was down from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. because of a system upgrade, which caused delays in internal communication.

After:

The email system was down for 4 hours due to an upgrade.

Why:
Short, factual, and easy to read.

Example 4: Weekly Task Update

Before:

I completed the monthly budget report, responded to all client emails, and updated the product list on the website.

After:

I finished the report, replied to clients, and updated the product list.

Why:
Still complete—but much easier to scan.

Example 5: Rewrite for Clarity

Before:

There was a lack of alignment between the marketing strategy and the design team’s creative direction, leading to confusion in the final campaign rollout.

After:

Marketing and design were not aligned, which caused confusion in the campaign.

Why:
Clearer, shorter, and more direct—great for reporting.

6. Practice Ideas and Homework

Build your summarizing skills with daily practice

You don’t need a textbook to practice summarizing.
With just a few minutes each day, you can use ChatGPT to improve your skills and write better business English.

Here are 4 easy tasks to help you build a writing habit.

✅ Task 1: Summarize a Daily Email

Pick one email you read or wrote today.
Try to summarize it in one short sentence.

Example:

Original: “Hi team, please make sure to complete your Q3 feedback forms by Friday and upload them to the shared folder.”
Summary: “The team must submit Q3 feedback by Friday.”

Then ask ChatGPT:

Can you check if this is a good summary of the email below?

✅ Task 2: Rewrite a Report Sentence

Find one sentence from a report or document and rewrite it in simpler English.

Example:

“We conducted a comprehensive analysis of quarterly performance metrics.”
→ “We analyzed our quarterly performance.”

Then ask: “Can you check if my rewrite sounds natural for business English?”

✅ Task 3: Weekly Summary Practice

Once a week, write 3–5 sentences about what you did that week.
Then try to rewrite it as a 1-sentence summary.

Good for status reports and performance reviews.

✅ Task 4: Use ChatGPT as a Coach

If you’re not sure whether your summary is clear, just ask:

Hi ChatGPT, can you tell me if this summary is clear and correct?

Final Tip

Clear summaries = clear thinking.
Practice every day, and you’ll feel more confident writing in English.