Fundamentals of Paraphrasing and Summarizing (RAP)

Paraphrasing means

• writing down exactly what a passage says

• putting information

  into your own words

You can paraphrase:

• a single word or a phrase

• a sentence

• a paragraph

• an entire page

• all of the above

Why paraphrase?

• If we think about what we’ve read we’ll understand it better

• You remember your own words easier

• Paraphrasing sentences, thoughts, and questions in the language we know helps to increase vocabulary, recall information more quickly, and helps us to become more fluent in grammar.

• All of the above

What are the Characteristics of

a good Paraphrase

• A good paraphrase must be correct. Right people, right place, right time, right amount It has the same meaning as the original phrase, sentence, or paragraph.

• A paraphrase must include your own words. Use words that you understand, that you yourself use. You won’t be able to change every word, but you should always try to use as many synonyms as you can.

• A good paraphrase must make sense. Right information, right order Use good complete sentences, other people must be able to understand what you’ve said.

• All of the Above

A Synonym is

• a word that has the same meaning or a very close meaning to the original word

• a word that has the opposite meaning of the original word

• a spice used in baking

The acronym to help us summarize is

• SLANT

• RAP

• ASK IT

A Phrase is

• A complete sentence

• a small group of words that has meaning. They are bigger parts of a complete sentence.

This

Has a subject

Has a Verb

Begins with a capital letter

Has ending punctuation

Makes sense

• a run-on sentence

• a complete sentence

• a sentence fragment

This Must

—Be indented at the beginning

—Contain sentences that are all related to each other

—Contain a topic, a main idea, and some supporting details.

—Use transition words to bring sentences together.

• a paragraph

• a complete sentence

• a word or phrase

A topic is:

• One or two words that tell what a paragraph is about

• Sometimes repeated throughout a paragraph

• Sometimes found in the title above a paragraph

• All of the above