Writing Techniques Lesson PDF

Writing Techniques  A. Paraphrase Paraphrasing is the act of representing another author’s ideas and information in your own words, without changing the original meaning (University of South Australia, n.d.; Flemming, 2013). A paraphrase is about as long as the original pas...

Writing Techniques  A. Paraphrase Paraphrasing is the act of representing another author’s ideas and information in your own words, without changing the original meaning (University of South Australia, n.d.; Flemming, 2013). A paraphrase is about as long as the original passage and, when it appears within a paper, should be cited properly (McKendree University, n.d.). McKendree University (n.d.) provides the following five-step procedure for paraphrasing: 1. Read and reread the original text until you 2. Set the original text aside, and write your paraphrase on a note card. 3. Jot down a few words below your paraphrase to remind you later how you envision to use this material. At the top of the note card, write a key word or phrase to indicate 4. Compare your paraphrase with the original to make sure that your version accurately expresses all the essential 5. Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or phraseology you have borrowed exactly from To make paraphrasing easier, read these four tips from the University of South Australia (n.d.): 1. Start your first sentence at a different point from the original source. 2. Use synonyms. 3. Change the form of words. 4. Change the sentence structure.  Different Types of Paraphrasing  1. Basic Paraphrasing (Synonymizing) Examples As we said above, this type of paraphrasing is suitable if the purpose is not to completely revise the content. Rather, it can be useful in situations where someone needs to make a few changes for the sake of explaining the content with more clarity and accuracy. In this approach, only a few selected Original Text: John found the dog to be very heavy. He lifted him and heaved to carry him back home. Once he was at the front door, John realized that he had been carrying a bear instead. Paraphrased Text: John found the hound to be very weighty. He picked him up and heaved to carry him back home. Once he was at the front gate, John understood that he had been lifting a bear instead. Original Sentence: John could not understand why his mother had added candies to the curry. He picked one up and put it in his mouth, just to realize that it was a red chili pepper. Paraphrased Sentence: John could not comprehend why his mother had added toffees to the gravy. He lifted one up and put it in his mouth, only to realize that it was a red chili pepper.  2. Moderate Paraphrasing (Synonymizing + Phrase Changing) Examples This type of paraphrasing is one level above the basic type of paraphrasing we discussed just now. In this type of paraphrasing, not only the words are changed with their synonyms, but the phrases as well. As a result of changing the phrases, the structure of the sentence also gets changed a bit, but not a lot.  Original Sentence: There was no one in the street when John came to it in his car. However, he could see that the cats were watching him very suspiciously.  Paraphrased Sentence: Nobody was in the street when John came to it in his vehicle. However, he observed that the felines were watching him with 3. Advanced Paraphrasing “Advanced” paraphrasing can be referred as the type of paraphrasing in which the content in question is completely modified. This involves, apart from changing the synonyms and the phrases, altering the This sort of paraphrasing can be done when the intention is to make the content appear totally different from the original. For example, if someone wants to use an idea from a source without giving it (the source) the due credit, they can paraphrase it in this way.  Original Sentence: The road was empty except for a big truck. John thought he could easily dodge it. He sped up his vehicle. The truck, however, revved and kept on coming head-on.  Paraphrased Sentence: John thought he could easily bypass the solitary truck on the road. He revved his car but the truck kept coming straight After you have done intensive reading, make sure that you understand what you have read by making a paraphrase of the paragraphs that you have come across. When you translate in your own words, you tend to see a clearer view of the text; hence, Activity 1 1. "John could not find the butter in his fridge. He went to buy some from the store. On coming back, he saw his cat sitting on the floor, smacking its lips. There was some yellow stuff smeared all around its face. Thus, John solved the 2. "John’s cat got lost in the forest. He went looking for it in the night time. He heard some movement in one of the bushes. He put his hand in and felt the fur. He pulled the thing out, thinking it to be his cat. After coming home, B. Writing an Abstract Abstract is a “self- contained summary of a longer work, usually an essay or article” (University of Texas at San Antonio, n.d.). The abstract comes at the start of a text material, immediately giving the readers “enough information to decide whether the article is The abstract is typically a single paragraph consisting of 300 words or less (University of South California Libraries, n.d.). According to the University of Texas at San Antonio (n.d.), the following details need to be included in an abstract: 1. Background / Context 2. Problem / Objective / Aim of the Article (on the 3. Methods or theoretical framework, or the basic design of the study 4. The most important results or findings 5. Conclusion / Discussion Moreover, the University of Adelaide Writing Centre (2014) states that the abstract 1. be understandable to a wider audience, as well as to a discipline-specific 2. contain no information not included in the paper; and 3. use passive structures in order to report on findings, focusing on the issues rather Now, look back at the reading and writing skills that you have learned in this lesson. You can effectively and efficiently deal with 1. employ reading techniques to suit different purposes, contexts, and assignments; 2. learn to properly paraphrase other author’s words; and 3. write abstracts that concisely repackage the key ideas of a text.