Paraphrasing Notes
Paraphrasing Notes
Summarizing
Based on resources from The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue
The Purpose of the lesson is to learn ...
Quotations, paraphrases, and summaries serve many purposes. You might use them
to:
Provide support for claims or add credibility to your writing
Refer to work that leads up to the work you are now doing
Give examples of several points of view on a subject
Call attention to a position that you wish to agree or disagree with
Highlight a particularly striking phrase, sentence, or passage by quoting the
original
Distance yourself from the original by quoting it in order to cue readers that the
words are not your own
Expand the breadth or depth of your writing
Differences
These three ways of incorporating other writers' work into your own writing differ according to the closeness
of your writing to the source writing.
Quotations must be identical to the original, using a narrow segment of the source. They must match the
source document word for word and must be attributed to the original author.
Paraphrasing involves putting a passage from source material into your own words. A paraphrase must also be
attributed to the original source. Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the original passage, taking a
somewhat broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly.
Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s). Once
again, it is necessary to attribute summarized ideas to the original source. Summaries are significantly shorter
than the original and take a broad overview of the source material.
Paraphrase: Write It in Your Own Words
A paraphrase is...
Your own rendition of essential information and ideas expressed by someone else,
presented in a new form.
One legitimate way (when accompanied by accurate documentation) to borrow from
a source.
A more detailed restatement than a summary, which focuses concisely on a single
main idea.
1. Reread the original passage until you understand its full meaning.
2. Set the original 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 using this material. At the top of the note card, write a key
word or phrase to indicate the subject of your paraphrase.
4. Check your version with the original to make sure that yours accurately
expresses all the essential information in a new form.
5. Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or phraseology you
have borrowed exactly from the source.
6. Record the source (including the page) on your note card so that you can
credit it easily if you decide to incorporate the material into your paper.
How to Paraphrase a Poem.
Before you can even attempt to paraphrase a few lines from a poem, make
sure that you are already familiar with the poem's message. Otherwise, you
have to read the poem again and get a good idea of the message it is trying to
give you.
After making sure that you already know the poem's message, try reciting it
using your own words. Imagine the poem's message in your head. This way,
you'll be able to have a few words of your own. This is the initial step to
effectively paraphrasing the poem.
How to Paraphrase a Poem.
Rewrite the thoughts that you had in imagining the poem's message. Make sure
that you're not taking a peek at the copy of your poem so that what you'll be
writing is independent from the poem's original text.
Now, what you have just written down is you may refer to as the "draft" of your
poem's paraphrase. The next step is to take a good look at the original text
of the poem and see if there are any words that you have written down which
aren't exactly referring back to the message of the poem. Edit your initial
paraphrase in terms of its sentence structure and message.
http://tipsforresearchpapersandessays.blogspot.in/2008/11/how-to-
paraphrase-poem.html
The Secret Heart Robert Peter Tristram Coffin
Across the years he could recall He wore, it seemed to his small son,
His father one way best of all. A bare heart on his hidden one,
In the stillest hour of night A heart that gave out such a glow
With his great hands full of fire. Too tender for the day to trace.
The man had struck a match to see One instant, it lit all about,
If his son slept peacefully. And then the secret heart went out.
He held his palms each side the spark But shone long enough for one
His love had kindled in the dark. To know that hands held up the sun.
- See more at:
His two hands were curved apart
http://allpoetry.com/The-Secret-
In the semblance of a heart. Heart#sthash.5nTtVPcM.dpuf
An example to compare