1）利用原文中所给的语言材料，用自己的话来写。2）概括要全面，删去细节，只要主要事实。3）语言要简练。缩写后的句子的词数必须少于原文句子中的词数，如：I remember that I saw the film a few days ago. → I remember seeing the film the other day. He was so young that he could not lift the heavy box. → He was too young to lift the heavy box.4）缩写后的文章意思要通顺，行文要连贯。阅读短文，然后进行缩写。
「范例」 The poorer countries are called“the developing countries.”They have special problems. Sometimes the land is too poor to grow anything on. The land can be improved but a lot of things must be done first. New farming methods（耕作方法）must be introduced. The people must be educated. Water must be found.
Many of these problems are too big for one country to solve alone. Help should be given by the richer countries, but it must be the right sort of help. Money is not enough. The developing countries must be helped to help themselves.
The poor developing countries have many special problems which can be solved with the right help from the richer countries.
1）人称（或数）的改写。把原文的人称（或数），变换叙述角度，其他则不需要变动。通过这种训练可以帮助学生掌握人称（或数）与动词及所有格的搭配。根据叙述的角度准确灵活地运用各种人称（或数），以防止人称混乱而造成的杂乱无章，影响对文章主旨的表达。改写可以就课文进行改写，例如把新编高中第一册Lesson 6“Look Carefully and Learn”中的第三人称 My friend Paul改为第一人称叙述，也可以利用其他文章进行改写。
I\'m Dick, a boy of thirteen. I study in a middle school. I live with my grandparents, for my parents work in a factory far away and they live in the factory. They come to see us only on holidays.
I have a friend named Tom, who is a black boy. We often go to school together in the morning. Sometimes I go to Tom\'s home and do my homework together with him. In this way we can help and learn from each other.
He\'s Dick, a boy of thirteen. He studies in a middle school. He lives with his grandparents, for his parents work in a factory far away and they live in the factory. They come to see their parents and child only on holidays.
He has a friend named Tom, who is a black boy. They often go to school together in the morning. Sometimes he goes to Tom\'s home and does his homework together with him. In this way they can help and learn from each other.
（1）主语的改动牵涉到与之相应的谓语动词的变化。如：I am…→ He is
（2）主语人称的变化涉及到人称所有格的变化，如：My brother→ his/her brother，又如，文中的 to see us→ to see their parents and child
注意：改写除以上所述两种外，在教学实践中还有：时态和语态改写，引语改写（直接引语变间接引语，间接引语变直接引语），反义改写（如 A good teacher改为A terrible teacher）这些都是考查学生写作能力的有效措施。