Paraphrasing - Leave out detail or examples that may distract

the reader from the most important

- Using your own words to express something
information
that was written or said by another person
- Simplify complex arguments
- Putting into your own words can clarify the
message, make it more relevant to your Two important skills in summarizing:
audience, or give it greater impact.
1. Identify the important material in the text, and
- A paraphrased material should keep its original
2. Restating the text in your own words.
meaning and (approximate) length, but you can
use it to pick out a single point from a longer How to summarize:
discussion.
1. Get a general idea of the original text – first,
How to paraphrase: speed read the text that you’re summarizing to
get a general impression of its content. Pay
1. Read and make noise – carefully read the text
particular attention to the title, introduction,
that you want to paraphrase. Highlight,
conclusion, and the headings and subheadings.
underline or note down important terms and
2. Check your understanding – build your
phrases that you need to remember.
comprehension of the text by reading it again
2. Find different terms – find equivalent words or
more carefully. Check that your initial
phrases (synonyms) to use in place of the ones
interpretation of the content was correct.
that you’ve picked out. A dictionary, thesaurus
3. Make notes – take notes on what you’re
or online search can be useful here, but take
reading or listening to. Use bullet points, and
care to preserve the meaning of the original
introduce each bullet with a key word or idea.
text, particularly if you’re dealing with technical
Write down only one point or idea for each
or scientific terms.
bullet.
3. Put the text into your own words – rewrite the
4. Write your summary
original text, line by line. Simplify the grammar
5. Check your work – your summary should be a
and vocabulary, adjust the order of the words
brief but informative outline of the original.
and sentences, and replace “passive”
Check that you’re expressed all of the most
expressions with “active” ones. Remove
important points in your own words, and that
complex clauses, and break longer sentences
you’ve left out any unnecessary detail.
into shorter ones. All of this will make your new
version easier to understand. Pronouns
4. Check you work – check your work by
comparing it to the original. Your paraphrase - A word that takes the place of one or more
should be clear and simple, and written in your nouns.
own words. It may be shorter, but it should Personal pronouns
include all of the necessary detail.
- The most frequently used pronouns. They refer
Summarizing to people or things.
- A summary is a brief overview of an entire - First person pronouns, second person
discussion or argument. pronouns, and third person pronouns.
- You might summarize a whole research paper Pronoun case
or conversation in a single paragraph, for
example, or with a series of bullet points, using - Case is the form of a noun or a pronoun that
your own words and style. shows its use in a sentence.
- When the original material is long or lengthy. Three cases of pronouns:
- Emphasize key points or main arguments
- Nominative, objective, possessive
Nominative case
- A subject in a sentence is in the nominative
case.
- I like classical music.
- He and she sold tickets.
- They traveled around the world.
Nominative Case
- To help you choose the correct pronoun in a
compound subject, take out the other person
and try each form of the pronoun separately.
Predicative Nominative
- A predicative nominative follows a linking verb
and defines or renames the subject.
- Monarch butterflies are insects.
- Cocoons become butterfly nurseries.
Predicate Nominative
- A predicative nominative is in the nominative
case
- The last person to leave was he.
- Do you think it may have been they?
- The fastest runners are she and i.
Objective Case
- A direct object, an indirect object, and an object
of a preposition are in the objective case.
a. Direct object – a noun or pronoun that receives
the action of the action verb. A direct object
answers the question what or whom.
b. Indirect object - a noun or pronoun that comes
between the verb and the direct object. It tells
to whom or to what, or for whom or for what
the action of the verb is done.
c. Object of the preposition
Possessive case
- Shows ownership or possession.
Notice
- Notification or warning of something, especially
to allow preparations to be made.
- “interest rates are subject to fluctuation
without notice”
- Are a means of formal communication targeted
at a particular person or a group of persons.
- It is like a news item informing such person or
persons of some important event. This can be
an invitation to a meeting, an announcement of
any event, to issue certain instructions, make
appeals etc.
Announcement
- “make a formal public declaration about a fact,
occurrence, or intention.”
- An official notification about something,
whether written or spoken which presented to
the public.
- To make a formal written notice of certain
events which has happened or going to happen.
- Opening, content, closing
Generic structure:
- To whom the announcement is for
- The purpose of announcement itself
- When the event will be held (day, date, time)
- Where the event will take place
- Who makes the announcement
- Straight-forward and ease the readers to get
information quickly
- Keep it short, inviting, and to the point
- Clear and complete
- For bad news, make a direct and no-nonsense
statement.
Verb – a word that expresses an action
Voices – it tells whether the subject of the sentence is
the doer or receiver of the verb.
Active voice
- The subject of the sentence does the action and
transmits the action to a direct object.
- More direct and concise
- April writes beautiful songs.
Passive voice
- The subject of the sentence receives the action.
 - Usually wordier.
- Beautiful songs were written by April.
Active to Passive
Simple present tense
- to be + past participle
Present continuous tense
- being + past participle
Present perfect tense
- has/have + past participle
Simple past tense
- was/were + past participle
Past Continuous Tense
- was/were + being + past participle
Past Perfect Tense
- had been + past participle
Simple Future Tense
- will be + past participle
Descriptive Essay
- paints/creates pictures with words and brings
the action or scenes to the reader.
- Tells what something looks, sounds, smells,
tastes, or feels like.
- It appeals to the senses-smell, taste, hear, sight,
and touch through the imagination of the
readers.
- It builds mental images for the reader; it makes
present what is absent.
Elements of Descriptive Writing
1. Sensory details – includes many vivid sensory
details that paint a picture and appeals to all of
the reader’s senses of sight, hearing, touch,
smell and taste when appropriate.
2. Figurative language
3. Dominant expression – focus on selecting
details that help your readers see what you see,
feel what you feel, and experience what you
experience. Create theme or idea to which all
the details relate.
4. Precise language – use specific words and
phrases will help the reader “see
what you are describing. If a word or phrase is
specific, it is exact and precise. The opposite of
specific language is language that is vague,
general or fuzzy.
5. Careful organization
Spatial order
- Describing a place
- Uses location, such as top to bottom, front to
back, left to right.
Order of importance
- Describing objects and people
- Puts the most important details from the
beginning or at the end.
Chronological order
- Describing events
- Arranges details in time order
Structure of a descriptive essay
1. Introduction
- Capture your reader’s attention
- Provide background information
- State your thesis or dominant statement
2. Body
- Use a variety of details
- Include thoughts and feelings
- Arrange the details in a logical order
3. Conclusion
- Re emphasize the dominant expression
- Summarize the material that you have
discussed
Redundancy/Wordiness
- The use of many words to say something that
could be said in fewer words without losing
meaning.
- Makes writing seem cluttered. Sometimes
people use redundant expressions because they
don’t know the precise definition of a word.
- Don’t be tempted to use redundant words to
increase your word count. They won’t add to
the quality of your writing! As an added danger,
filler words/phrases can also be considered
cliché.
Avoiding wordy sentences Conclusion – summarize main points, call to action or
provide a solution
1. Reducing clauses to phrases, phrases to single
words – be alert for clauses or phrases that can Remember to:
be paired to simpler, shorter constructions
1. Know your audience
2. Beware of intensifiers that do not really
2. Pick a side
intensify
3. Do your research
3. Avoiding expletive constructions – there is/are
4. Make a plan
or it is.
4. Phrases you can omit. Sentence unity – parts of a sentence come together
grammatically and make use
AVOID INSTEAD USE
Still remains Remains Parallelism
Absolutely complete complete
At the present time Currently - The repetition of the same grammatical form in
The reason is Because two or more parts in a sentence.
Continue on Continue - By making each compared item or idea in your
Due to that fact that Because sentence follow the same grammatical pattern,
During the course of during you create a parallel construction.

Narrative Writing
Majority of errors in sentence writing in three specific
- One pattern of development in writing. It is
areas:
basically a skill of chronologically telling a story
1. Run-ons of events or experience that signaled by
2. Fragments transition devices.
3. Comma splices - Transitions like first, then, soon, after, and
suddenly maintain coherence and show
Run-ons – sentences that should be separated but they movement of actions. The use of these devices
are joined anyway without proper punctuation. predicts that the sentences that followed are all
Comma splices – sentences that should be separated supporting the topic sentence. The description
but they are joined with a comma of the details answers the how, when, where,
and why’s questions.
Fragments – incomplete sentences.
Elements:
Persuasive writing
1. Setting – serves as the background of the story
- Tries to convince a reader to do something or to for it gives the time and place elements.
believe what you believe about a certain topic. 2. Characters – a person, animal, being, creature,
- Takes a position for or against something or thing in a story. Writers use characters to
Purpose: perform the actions and speak dialogue, moving
the story along a plot line.
- Support a cause 3. Plot – covers the series of incidents that occurs
- Urge people to action in the story
- Make a change 4. Conflict – elevates the reader’s emotion until it
- Prove something wrong reaches solution. It is the problem that needs to
- Get people to agree with you be resolved.
5. Theme – significant truth about life that a story
Format:
attempts to communicate to its readers
Introduction – hook, thesis statement

Body – explain the argument

Things to remember:

Beginning

- Dialogues
- Question
- Sound effects
- An interesting fact

Paragraphs

- Tell when you are switching characters, places,

topic, etc.

Capitalization and punctuation

- Capitalize beginnings of sentences and proper

nouns
- Punctuate correctly

Use rich words

- Use words that describe the action

Use “wow” words

- Have high quality vocabulary

Format:

Beginning

- Introduce the characters, the setting

- The beginning of your story is also the place
where your plot (the problem) is first
introduced.

Middle

- Your story needs to build to something exciting,

the climax. Write about a simple conflict, a task
that must be completed, a question that must
be answered, or a barrier that must be
overcome.

Ending

- Big finish. The end should reveal you overcame

your problem. All conflicts are resolved and
everything goes back to normal.